DR. WILLIAM C. MILNER'S 1934
HISTORY OF
SACKVILLE, NEW BRUNSWICK
As the
kitchen windows rattled and the wind blew down the stovepipe, Mum sat close
to the open oven door with two sweaters wrapped tightly around her.
A great draft of cold air came through the door as Dad brought in another
armful of hardwood and dropped it into the wood box.
Before going back out to face the bitter cold, he leaned over the stove to
get warm.
As he rubbed his hands together, he said to Mum, “Even though it is chilly
in here tonight, we are fortunate to live in a house that was double plastered
and to have lots of dry wood.”
He continued, “It really must have been terrible for the early settler who
lived in a little log cabin with a mud floor, to try to keep themselves and
their young children warm, on those cold winter nights.”
Not all log cabins were tiny, as in Sackville, Christopher Humphrey’s mother
had built a log house with four rooms downstairs and two chimneys.
The ‘History of Sackville’ written
by Dr. William C. Milner in 1934 reveals a tremendous amount of information
on the early history of the settlement, its settlers, homes, land transactions,
schools churches, cemeteries, shipbuilding, businesses, marriages (1820-1830)
and other topics.
By the time the Yorkshire people came to Sackville, there were only
two New England settlers left there, Mr. Hawkins and Amasa Kellam. Hawkins
sold two thousand acres of land to Charles Dixon, who became one of the most
important man in the community. The other Yorkshire immigrants to Sackville
were Bowser, Atkinson, Anderson, Bulmer, Harper, Patterson, Fawcett, Richardson,
Humphrey, Carnforth and Wry.
The terms of some grants included a quit rent of one shilling for every 50
acres granted, payable every Michaelmas, a promise to cultivate yearly a
certain percentage of the land and to plant annually two acres in hemp.
An interesting summary of April 1820 tells of the owners of the homes with
information such as:
John Humphrey built what is known as the Lyons House. Christopher Richardson
purchased from Amos Seaman the lands afterwards owned by John R. Richardson,
now possessed by Gershom Maxwell. The first two-story frame house was built
by George Bulmer and purchased by Jonathan Black with the builder finding
it necessary to obtain some of the lumber from the United States.
Deles Dernier resided in a log house on one side of the highway and Major
Wilson occupied a frame house on the other side.
In 1820, the school at Crane's Corner had accommodation for 30 pupils. The
first teacher in it was a Yankee named Pendleton.
The pupils in 1845 of Mr. Isaac B. Barnes were as follows: Amos Boultenhouse,
age 15; Albert Black, 8; Abel G. Carter, 16; Albert Wry, 9; Bedford Dixon,
8; C. E. Dixon, 6; Charles Boultenhouse, 10; Isaac Wry, 9; Isaac Purrington,
12; George Wry, 10; Thadius Carter, 12; William Barnes, 17; Lennox-Kinnear,
18; James Dixon, 15; Amy Wry, 16; Charlotte Harris, 14; Charlotte Richards,
15; Jane Wry, 9; Julia Richardson, 8; Margaret Wry, 12; Cynthia Wry, 10;
Sarah A. Wry, 8; Sarah Bowser, 7; Mary J. Carter, 7; Sarah A. Harris, 8;
Rebecca Harris, 12; Rebecca Richardson, 12; Isabel Dixon, 13; Harriet Forbes,
17; Mary C. Kinnear, 11.
The First Presbyterian Church built at Sackville in 1872 was located at Happy
Hill, on land purchased from Robert Bell. The building was 30 feet by 60
feet and could seat 250 people
The final sixty-three pages of the book hold biographical and genealogical
information on the surnames of Allison, Anderson, Atkinson, Avard, Ayer,
Barnes, Black, Botsford, Bowes, Bowser, Bulmer, Burk, Burnham, Cahill, Campbell,
Carnforth, Carter, Chandler, Cole, Crane, Dixon, Dobson, Estabrooks, Evans,
Fawcett, Fisher, Harper, Herritt, Hicks, Humphrey, Lawrence, Ogden, Patton,
Reed, Rogers, Seaman, Sears, Smith, Thompson, Upham, Ward, Wilson, and Wood.
This is useful as a guide as I have been told by a researcher of the Sackville
area that there are some errors in the text.
The ‘History of Sackville’ by Dr.
William C. Milner is available for viewing at several libraries.
Volunteers of the Chignecto Project have placed an electronic version of
the book online at http://www.rootsweb.com/~canwgw/archives/nb/sackvill.txt
which can be either read in its entirety or a word search can be carried
out.
This is a good introductory source for the genealogical researcher with roots
in the Sackville area.
Query 1447
Taylor - Cruickshank - Ewen:
John Warren Taylor married Charlotte Mary Cruickshank daughter of Thomas
Mitchell Cruickshank and Maggie Jane Ewen on 02 Dec 1933 in Studholm Parish,
Kings County, New Brunswick. I am interested in finding the names of his
siblings and parents or any living relatives.
Wendy Taylor
Ontario
email: tailoredcreation@gmail.com
Query 1448
Theal - Lord - Belyea: Tertullus
Theal of Manawagonish Road, Saint John County was convicted of manslaughter
in the death of his second wife, Mary Janet Lord in 1881. I would like to
get a copy of her obituary and information on her place of burial in the
Saint John area of New Brunswick. I do not know the name of Tertullus’s first
wife. How is Hiram Theall, born 1735 in Rye, New York, connected to Loyalist
Charles Theall who died in 1814 in Kings County, New Brunswick? Could anyone
provide me with information on the twelve children of Charles Flewelling
Theall, born 1831 and his wife Sophia A. Belyea 1828 - 1874?
DARLENE STOKES
E-mail PatriotGirl777@aol.com
Query 1449
Murphy - Bowes: William Murphy
was born circa 1827 in Ireland and died 25 Mar 1905 in Saint John, New Brunswick.
His wife Alice was born circa 1836 in Upham Parish, Kings County, New Brunswick
and died in Saint John 20 Mar 1915. Both are buried in Fernhill Cemetery.
I need documentation on this couple as to parents, siblings and children.
Was Alice’s maiden name Bowes?
DIANE LAND
1744 North Adams St.
Pottstown, Pennsylvania
19464, USA
E-mail crafdy1954@comcast.net
Query 1450
Hayes: Searching for
Isaac Hayes, of Scotch descent, born circa 1800 in Paradise,
Nova Scotia. Died circa 1883 in Port George, Nova Scotia. Is there a connection
to the Hayes family in Kings County?
E-mail Idabutler@sympatico.ca
Telephone 705-649-3694
