Judges of New Brunswick and their times Don't judge this book by its title
The other night, I happened to pop into the livingroom to check on grandchildren. Everything seemed very quiet. That could mean trouble.
But lo and behold there they sat staring at Judge Judy on television. She certainly is not the traditional image of a judge that I grew up with and she doesn't fit the mould of the early judges in New Brunswick either.
But If you think some of her decisions are different, then you haven't heard about the Saint John woman who was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to be branded with the letter "M" in the brawn of her left thumb and was then discharged.
In the 1880s, Joseph W. Lawrence spent much time and pains researching the history of judges in New Brunswick. Unfortunately, he didn't have his writings compiled in an organized manuscript form by the time of his death in 1892.
Mr. Lawrence was born in Saint John in 1818. Although he qualified as a lawyer, he probably derived his principal income from the family furniture manufactory. In 1856 he was elected to the House of Assembly for Saint John City. It is interesting to note that he was a staunch opponent of Confederation. He was the founding president of the New Brunswick Historical Society.
Sir William Johnstone Ritchie was born in 1813 at Annapolis, Nova Scotia. He was the third son of Judge Thomas Ritchie and Elizabeth Wildman Johnstone. About 1837 he came to Saint John. He often told young lawyers that he sat in his modest office for the first six months without a soul coming in to consult him on legal business. The next six months he had one solitary case in the person of the coal-man. His office was on the site of the present day Ritchie Building on Princess Street.
After the death of Judge Joshua Upham, Spencer Perceval, then Chancellor of the Exchequer (England), who had formed a very high opinion of the judge, showed substantial acts of kindness to his widow and children. A few days before his assassination, he sent 400 silver dollars with books and other valuable gifts for the education of Charles Wentworth Upham.
In 1768, Ward Chipman was only 15 when his father died at the age of 47 of a paralytic stroke. He came to Saint John with the Loyalists and married Elizabeth Hazen on Oct. 24, 1786. Their residence was the Leonard House on the corner of Dock and Union Streets. It had a fine terrace in front.
In 1787, while living at Leonard House, a son, Ward Chipman, was born. Young Ward stayed with William Gray of Salem, Massachusetts, for the purpose of attending school. He graduated from Harvard College in 1805, taking first place in his class.
Do not judge a book by its title.
This 550-page book "Judges of New Brunswick and Their Times" is packed with not only biographical information on the judges and their lifestyle, but it holds general and genealogical data on many people.
- Query 98-440
- Price - Mariner - Fryers: I am looking for information on Mariner A. Price who was born in Sussex in 1837 or 1845. He died Nov. 24, 1907. He was the son of William H. Price and Charlotte Alward Mariner. His wife was Mary S. Fryers, who was born in Sussex on Dec. 18, 1835 and died in Sussex on Sept. 10, 1910.
- Wendy (Price) Butland. E-mail to butlsw@nb.sympatico.ca.
- Query 98-441
- Wedman - Smith - Bailey - Rogers - Vandine: I am interested in finding information on the following: Mary Wedman was born in Bayside, N.B. In 1861, she married George M. Smith of Calais, Me. Irene G. Bailey was born in Fredericton and married Albert S. Smith in Calais, Me., in 1895. They had 14 children, some were born in Canada. Their names were Martin, Richard, Gladys, Juanita, Dorothy, Audrey, Kenneth L., Charles, George and others. Irene Bailey's parents were Richard Bailey, a farmer from York County, and Letitia Rogers. Frederick "Ted" Vandine married Agusta Rogers and had eight children. Frederick's parents were Ollie (Oliver) VanDine and Ida Stevenson. I would appreciate any help that could be given.
- Stacey Tash, E-mail Stash62268@aol.com Or Fax (410) 740-6962.
- Query 98-442
- Burrows - Granville: Ellen Burrows was born in 1820 in New Brunswick. She was the daughter of James Burrows. On Sept. 17, 1862, in St. Mary's, Halifax, she married Thomas Bates Granville. I know that she had at least two sisters, Mary and Catherine. I would like to know where in New Brunswick she was born as well as information on her parents.
- J. Owen Granville, 4603-33rd Ave. West, Bradenton, FL., 34209-6239. E-mail to JowenG@aol.com
- Query 98-443
- Sinnott - Kinney: I am looking for descendants of Thomas Sinnott, who was born in New Brunswick in 1864. His wife, Rose Kinney, was born in 1868 in Saint John. The family lived in Clarendon, Charlotte County. Their son, Arthur J. P. Sinnott, was my great-grandfather whom I am trying to trace. His last known residence was in Massachusetts.
- A. Robert Gray, 899 Manawagonish Rd., Saint John, N.B., E2M 3X2. Or E-mail jgray@nbnet.nb.ca
- Query 98-444
- Forrester: According to census records, my ancestor, John Forrester, was born in Nova Scotia in 1787. Tradition claims his father William Forrester was a Loyalist with DeLancy's Brigade. I am seeking proof of birth and parentage. In his petition for land in Upper Canada, William Forrester stated that he had left Nova Scotia, where he had lived for several years, with a sick wife and four children to return to Upper Canada because he had found that the country, both in soil and in climate were inhospitable for the purposes of agriculture. I have found a William Forrester on Dudley's Island who brought his grain to Saint John, and in Londonderry, Cumberland County, N.S., in the appropriate time frame.
- Norma J. Moug, P.O. Box 333, Prescott, Ont., K0E 1T0. E-mail njmoug@recorder.ca
Ruby Cusack is a genealogy buff living in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Readers are invited to send their New Brunswick genealogical queries to Ruby at rmcusack@nbnet.nb.ca. When E-Mailing please put Yesteryear Families in the Subject line. Please include in the query, your name and postal address as someone reading the newspaper, may have information to share with you but not have access to E-mail. Queries should be no more than 45 words in length.
New and Used Genealogical and Historical books of New Brunswick for sale.
Back Return to Index Next
Return to Home of RubyCusack dot com