History on every page of Stuart Trueman’s book
For two
days Mum had been at Gram's helping to get the house spotless. Aunt
Ethel was bringing several of her city friends out to have a tupperware
party on Saturday afternoon.
Bright and early on the morning of the party, the work of cutting
crusts off the bread, and making the filling went into full swing.
Aunt Sadie had made two different coloured jello salads, three kinds of
scallop and was in the process of getting ready to cut the turkey and
ham, when Gramp entered the kitchen.
He stopped in his tracks and surveyed the display of food and spoke: "I
hope Major John Coffin does not crash this party and take the
food?" "If he comes, he may even insist on dancing with one of
city ladies."
As usual I did not have a clue what he was talking about but if I had
read "An Intimate History of New
Brunswick" by Stuart Trueman, it would have been obvious he was
referring to the raid of Major John Coffin during the Revolutionary War
on a home where a wedding reception was taking place at which time he
demanded turkey, hams and wine to feed his men. Before leaving, he
waltzed with the bride much to the astonishment of the guests.
Major Coffin and his wife, Ann Matthews, arrived in Saint John in
September of 1783 as United Empire Loyalists. They went up river to
Nerepis and moved into the mansion, which he called Alwington Manor but
known as Coffin Manor to the locals.
Although the war was over the Major was always ready for a scrap - one
being a duel with Colonel Campbell and later with others. He never
forgot his military background, but gradually things settled down and
he operated a grist mill and sawmills.
There is more information in the chapter titled - The Great Migration.
If you want to know about ghosts and other apparitions, take a look at
chapter two where you will read about the Lake Utopia monster, the
Dungarvon Whooper, the Penobsquis Pedlar, the Firewood Man of Chatham,
and the Haunted Mountain.
Stuart Trueman states, "History is
everywhere in New Brunswick. You find it around every sweeping turn."
I might add you find history in every page you turn in "An Intimate History of New Brunswick"
- History of the English, Acadia and its people, the Dutch, the
Natives, the boundary disputes, wars where nobody emerged as a true
winner, the horseless carriage that could have changed the face of
Saint John, North America's almost first oil well, horse thief Henry
More Smith who laughed at the locksmiths, the lady ship builder - Mrs.
Edmund Powell, the famous Marco Polo, and the list goes on.
The history of our province needs to be read by all New Brunswickers
young and old. A great starting place is "An Intimate History of New Brunswick"
by Stuart Trueman.
*************
Query 1598
Sprague
- Spragg - Reid: Leah Esther Sprague - Spragg was married
at Belleisle on 12 Aug1908 by the Rev. E.A. Allaby to John H. Reid who
was born on 12 Dec 1873. They had three children William Peter, Elsie
Martha and Calvin Blake. I am interested in finding the names of
John's parents, siblings or any history on his family. They are listed
in the 1911 Census of Springfield Parish, Kings County, New Brunswick.
Mrs. H. MacKinnon-Ludyka
E-mail hludyka@cogeco.ca
Query 1599
Parker
- Whitney: Charlotte Parker was born circa 1789 and
married in1811 to Ebenezer Whitney from Whitneyville, New
Brunswick. Since Robert Parker, the husband of Jane Hatch left
Charlotte the same amount of money in his will as he left children,
Robert, Neville, Addington and Jane, I am assuming she was closely
related to him. She also received an annuity from the Hon. Robert and
Hon. Neville Parker until her death. If you have information to share,
please contact:
Mary Ellen Jones
E-mail GJones3747@aol.com
Query 1600
Sparks:
Seeking information on the descendants of Digory Sparks, a Loyalists
who was a land grantee in New Brunswick. Is Digory the father of Thomas
Sparks born circa 1769 and died 1844 in St. George, New Brunswick and
was married to Mehitabel whose last name is unknown. Any information
appreciated.
H.D. Thompson
E-mail wcthdt@winco.net
Query 1601
Perkins
- Colleran - Collrin: Mary Ann Perkins, born 8 Jan 1843,
Town of Portland, (Saint John) married James Colleran - Collrin
in Aug 1865 in Saint John, New Brunswick. James died 4 Sept 1901. I am
looking for any detailed information on Mary Ann Perkins, her parents
and siblings.
Peggy Collrin
E-mail ocallarain@yahoo.com
Query 1602
MacFarlane:
I am seeking the names of the parents of Charles Walter MacFarlane
(born circa 1860) who left Saint John in 1900 for the USA and married
and died there.
E-mail sjterris@nb.sympatico.ca
Query 1603
Douglas
Arms Inn - Mather: Margaret Mather was the proprietor of
the Douglas Arms Inn on the Nerepis Road, New Brunswick. I assume this
was after the death of her husband David Mather, who came from Scotland
and died in New Brunswick on 07 Oct 1839. Can anyone provide
information on the Douglas Arms Inn and its ownership over the years as
well as information on the Mather family - Alexander and Jane (Orkney)
Mather who came from Scotland with sons Alexander and James in 1818?
Vonda Adams
E-mail ev.adams@shaw.ca
Ruby M. Cusack is a genealogy buff
living in New Brunswick, Canada. Send your New Brunswick genealogical
queries to her at: rmcusack@nbnet.nb.ca. Please put "Query"
followed by the surnames in your query as the subject. For more
information on submitting queries, visit http://www.rubycusack.com/Query-Instructions.html
Ruby contributes a "Family
History" column to the Telegraph-Journal on the third Saturday of the
month.
