History of Wyers Family

History of Wyers Family The early history of the Wyers family was gathered and written up in a photocopied booklet written by Geraldine Cluff and dated June 1998. Our branch of the Wyers family probably descended from Edward Wyer who was born in Scotland in 1622 and died on May 31, 1693 in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He married Elizabeth Johnson on Jan. 5, 1659 and is credited with being the ancestor of the American Wyer family. He was a tailor and became well off. Two of Edward and Elizabeth’s descendants settled in Massachusetts and a third in the vicinity of Orr’s Island in Maine. What is known is that our branch of the Wyers family were United Empire Loyalists who at the end of the American Revolutionary war in 1783, fled north to Nova Scotia, which was easily accessible by sea. In 1784 New Brunswick, formerly part of Nova Scotia, became a separate province. The first known ancestors were Joseph and his brother Phineas Wyers who never married. Joseph Wyers was born at sea when the family fled to Canada early in the 1800’s. He was in St. Andrews for some time before he settled along the St. John river married Frances Phillips who was from a prominent family that owned 52,500-acre estate in Yonkers, New York. A book ‘Phillips Manor’ in my possession gives details about the family home. The introductory pages may be found on this site as a separate document. Joseph and Frances had a large family and the names that are known include Frederick J [from whom our branch descended], Antoinette, Charles, Betty, Adeline, Kate [adopted], David, and Livingston. There were probably 2 or 3 more. Phineas Wyers [b. about 1806 – d. 1871] was probably among the first to receive a grant of land [100 acres] on the Restigouche River. According to a petition dated 1863 [see page 10 on file at the Provincial Archives], Phineas Wyers was on the Restigouche River as early as 1830 and lived on lots 13 and 14 three miles above the Upsilquitch River for 18 years, making improvements and farming. It also stated that Phineas served for three years in some kind of militia in New Brunswick until discharged at the end of the war [do not know what war that is referred to]. It was probably during this absence that John Montgomery claimed the land by virtue of a grant from the crown in 1848. This grant included Phineas’ property and his ‘improvements’ and his crop of hay. Montgomery would have allowed Phineas to retain his land for 10 shillings however Phineas was unable to pay and was ejected in 1849 by the Sheriff of Restigouche. In this petition Phineas requested ‘a free grant of land for land he then occupied at the mouth of the Patapedia’. Apparently this petition was not acted upon and Phineas took his grievances to the Governors of New Brunswick and Canada [then Ontario and Quebec] in a rather unorthodox way. An article entitled ‘Rich man’s River’ by Ian Sclanders published in the April 15, 1947, issue of Maclean’s Magazine about salmon fishing and the ‘Million Dollar Pool’ on the Restigouche River, places Phineas on the Restigouche River in the mid 1847. The story tells how Phineas acquired the 100 acres on the Restigouche River on the east side of the river just south of the mouth of the Patapedia River in 1871* See also reference note at end: 1 “In 1928 a government survey opened up the question of whether they had a clear title to the whole pool or whether a corner of it remained the property of the Province of New Brunswick. Club members were fairly sure, almost certain, that their deed included the corner as well as the rest. But to remove any possible doubt they gave the provincial treasury $75,000 in an out-of- court settlement. “As they handed over their cheque the ghost of old Phineas Wyers must have been chuckling in the background. Because Phineas, a century ago, acquired the Million-Dollar Pool with a pinch of gun powder and a small charge of buckshot. “New Brunswick, at the time, was having a boundary dispute with the province of Canada (Ontario and Quebec). As you hear it in the Restigouche Valley, the governors of New Brunswick and Canada both liked to fish, so they turned the argument into an excuse for journeying down the Restigouche together. The figured they could look over the border locale personally – at odd moments when the salmon were refusing to rise to the fly. “As they reached the point where the Patapedia enters the Restigouche, there was a loud report and dead tunneled into the water ahead of their canoes. “Come in her, you fellers,” shouted Phineas who stood on the shore flourishing his blunderbuss. “I want justice and, by crickey, I’m going to get it.” “The governors and their surveyors and their secretaries an their Indian paddlers obeyed his command. “You can’t do this,” protested one of the secretaries, “That’s the governor of Canada, and that’s the governor of New Brunswick.” “I know it,” snapped Phineas. “Listen her guv” – he addressed the governor of New Brunswick – “I’ve got a grievance that I want fixed up right here and now.” “Prodding the vice regal chest to drive home his points, he told how he’d been promised the grant of a certain piece of land which had subsequently been given a man who had more influence with the New Brunswick Government. “Woe unto politicians” sighed the governor. “Well, come with me and I’ll see if you can’t be fixed up. “So Phineas climbed into the canoe with the governor of New Brunswick, and the tall timbers echoed with laughter as they swapped tall tales. In the end the old 2oodsman obtained all the land around what is now the Million-Dollar Pool, and $100 in cash to compensate him for the way he’d been treated.” At the time this article was written the Restigouche River and its tributaries, all famous as excellent salmon streams, were conservatively estimated as being worth seven million dollars. On August 22, 1871, Phineas was granted 1200 acres of land on the banks of perhaps the most desirable fishing spot on the Restigouche River. Clippings (MS19 – 19A) MC300-MS19 York-Sunbury Historical Society Collection Description (page 147). If interested in any of these files, contact the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. Continued from Clippings (MS19 – 1 to 18) “G.A. Good’s clippings of a series of 100 articles of Ian Sclanders’ column “New Brunswick Parade”, Telegraph Journal, Summer, 1948. These articles have dealt with people, places and developments in New Brunswick. Sclanders’ newspaper clippings are numbered in sequence and pasted on the right-hand side of each page. Clippings of contemporary items of interest may be on the left-hand side of the page. The pages of the scrapbook have been numbered. 2 !--Patapedia River Fred Wyers Land.--> !Restigouche River !Phineas Wyers’ land 100 acres 3 FREDERICK J. WYERS, his wife ELLEN COLLICK and their family Frederick J. Wyers (b. 1831 – d.1898) probably came from Lowell, Mass. via St. Andrews to Oromocto or Harvey Station. The 1871 census shows him to be a farmer of English extraction living in the Parish of Eldon, Restigouche Co. A Baptist, he married to Ellen [Fitzgerald] Collick (’81 and ’91 Census, Hellen) (b. 1835 on the St. John river, NB). Ellen’s first husband was Gerald Collick and there were two children from that marriage, Simon and Jane Collick. Frederick and Ellen probably had 10 children and some of the birth dates of their children (see below) may be off by a year or so because they were surmised from information in the 1871, ’81, and ’91 Census records. The 1891 Census records Fred as being of “unsound mind”. The children of Helen and Fred Wyers were: 1. Adeline (b. 1858 – d. April 16, 1914 at Flatlands) married Michael Ferguson (related to Steve Ferguson, Maria’s husband) and lived opposite Morrissey Rock above Flatlands. [Much is written about the Ferguson family who were wealthy and refined. Robert Ferguson constructed an imposing pioneer home on the banks of the Restigouche River in what is now called Atholville. He named his new home Athol House after his birthplace in Scotland. Early settlers to this area found great stands of majestic pines in the valley of the Restigouche, and Athol House soon became the center of commerce associated with the harvesting of this timber. Evidence of their wealth is the beautiful cut glass tumbler with ‘Athol House’ etched on it. It was given (or acquired by) Hugh Carr, and his wife, Muriel, gave it to the New Brunswick Museum] Michael and Adeline had thirteen living children: Louise F. [b. 1878] who married William A. Ryan. They had eleven children: Frederick Albert [b.1880] who lived in Vancouver, BC, David James [b. 1882], William E. [b. 1883], Isabelle [b. 1886] who lived in Jacksonville, FL, and married a Kelly, Olive Alexina [b. 1888] who was a nurse in New York and later married a Bigelow, Robert Guy [b. 1890], May [b. 1892] who attended Acadia Seminary in Wolfville, NS. She married a Crockett and lived in Massachusetts, Gerald Ray [b. 1894], Adeline [b. 1896], Winston Wyers [b. 1899], John Geoffrey [b. 1902], George Mitchell [b. 1904]. 2. Eunice (b. 1859) married William Dubay and lived in Providence, R.I. Probably Nita went to live with her when she was sent to Elocution School in RI.

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