DOCSLIB.ORG

A Collection of the Poems of Jonathan Odell with A

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Collection of the Poems of Jonathan Odell with A A COLLECTION OF THE POEMS OF JONATHAN ODELL WITH A BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL INTRODUCTION by JOAN JOHNSTON ANDERSON B.A., The university of British Columbia, 1956 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FDI_II___NT OF THE REO^UlEEMSNTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS In the Department of ENGLISH We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIYERSIT? OF BRITISH COLUMBIA April, 1961 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or by his representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department of The University of British Columbia, Vancouver 8, Canada. ABSTRACT This thesis makes available, in as complete a collection as it has been possible to assemble, the poetry of Jonathan Odell, the first Provincial Secretary of New Brunswick, who was also a clergy• man, doctor, and worker for the Loyalist cause during the American Revolution. Until now, Odell has been known almost wholly as a writer of political satire, comparable to Philip Freneau on the Revolutionary side. Further investigation, however, proves that Odell»s literary activity continued long after the Revolutionary period and hesides satire, included patriotic verse, occasional pieces, and descriptive and reflective poems. It was also confirmed that he wrote an essay on prosody which was published in England in 1805. The manuscripts from which 0dellfs work has been transcribed are located at Saint John in the New Brunswick Museum, where they were made available for research for the purpose of this theses. The Odell Collection consists of more than 870 items which include news• papers, books, portraits, and about two hundred pieces of manuscript material. This material conprises such documents as land transfers, grants, deeds, business letters, and miscellaneous correspondence, appointments, genealogical information^ and poetry written by Odell. The collection is not confined only to material relating to Jonathan Odell, but includes also material relating to his son, the Honorable William F. Odell, and other members of the family. The thesis includes a biographical sketch of Odell, a brief commen• tary on his work, and the complete poems. The biographical and criti• cal remarks are compiled from items in the Odell 'Collection as well as from references in published material. The poems are represented chronologically according to the stages of Odell1s literary activity: The Pre-Revolutionary Period (1759-1775) , the Revolutionary Period (1776-178$, and the New Brunswick Period (1784-1818). In addition to the poems from the Odell Collection, a number of others have been included which were not found in manuscript form, but which were taken from contemporary newspapers and later publica• tions. All the poems given are presumed to be by Odell, although there is sane question about "The American Times," "To Sir James Wallace,n and "The Old Year and the New: a Prophecy." These have been placed, therefore, in an appendix. The thesis shows that the scope of 0dell*s work is far wider than the revolutionary satire which literary historians have so far recog• nised. That Odell had done same writing before the war began and that he continued to write after hostilities ended are clearly demon• strated. The greatest body of his poetry, moreover, revealing the most variety in subject matter and style, and having direct refer• ence to the Canadian scene, was written during the thirty-three years of his residence in New Brunswick. C ONTENTS ESTRODT3CTION The Life of Jonathan Odell i Commentary on his poetry xvi Explanatory Notes xxv COLLECTED P0EM3 Pre-Revolutionary Period 1759-1775 To cherish Arts and Genius to befriend 1 To Britannia in the Year 1763 2 Welcome Home after the Peace in 1763 3 Pope's Garden at Twickenham 5 On the Anniversary of a Friend's Marriage 7 Song from Milton's Allegro, with two additional Stanzas written at Sea, anno 1767 8 Advice to a handsome young Lady newly married 9 When a Man of true Spirit, in speaking or writing 10 My Stocking canes, lest I ahou'd tear it 12 Sweet Memory, wafted by thy gentle Gale 13 From thee sweet Hope her airy colouring draws 14 Fragment 15 To the Ladles of Burlington Bank 16 To Orlando 17 The true History of the Golden Age 18 Revolutionary Period 1776-1785 Instum et Tenacem propositi Virura. 20 Inscription for a curious elxamber Stove 21 Song for a fishing Party 22 Ode for the King's Birth-day 23 •Tis large indeed—'tis monstrous large he cried 25 The Laws, in Days of Yore, how harsh! 29 A Birthday Song 33 Mary Odell on her Birthday March 19JH 1778 34 The Word of Congress 35 The Congratulation 46 The Feu de Joie 51 Ode for the New Year 57 A Loyalist, in Exile from his Family, sends a miniature Picture to his disconsolate Wife 59 To the Memory of Major Andre 62 Immediately after the Tragedy of Chrononhotonthologos, a Prologue intended for the Farce called Taste 63 Colonel Buckeridge's Prologue 64 The World's a Stags and all the Men and Women merely Players 66 Prologue spoken at the Opening of a Theatre in New York Z0$h Decern. 1781 67 Song to St. George--N.Y. 1781 68 A Wedding Song—three Years after Marriage! 70 Copy of a Card, dated 8th of June 1783 71 New Brunswick Period 1784-1818 The Inquisition 72 Lines on the Death of Rev. George Bisset 87 Age after Age, unlike the golden Prime 88 Many Thanks, my good Sir, for your kind Admonition 89 On seeing the Address to the Ship America in which Governor Carleton and his Family embark for England 90 He corneal and Heaven, in Part, has heard our Prayer 92 The vacant House 93 To the Memory of Lord Nelson 95 The drooping Rose 97 Son$ for the 4th of June 1808 100 To the Honorable Beverly Robinson 101 Our thirty-ninth Wedding Day 102 Desipere in Loco, once in a While 104 To a young Lady, on the Death of her Father 105 Equation of Time 106 The Comet of 1811 107 Hull's Incursion into Canada 108 Hull's Invasion into Canada 110 The Battle of Queen's Town^ Upper Canada 112 The Agonizing Dilemma 113 For the 104th let the Muses entwine 118 A second Salute to Neighbour Madison 119 Dear Sir—as I promised—my Hobby's in Trim 121 Dear Madam, how truly I grieve 122 What we shall be doth not yet appear 124 My Pedigree 125 De Gustlbus non Disputandum 126 Hymn for Sunday Evening 128 To a Mother, on the Death of an infant Son 129 Reflections in Sickness, and on Recovery 130 Epigramma Comburendum 132 Roll up this blotted Slip of Paper 133 A Touch of the Times 134 To his Excellency, the Lt. Governor 136 The Gamut — for Sarah Anne Odell 157 Appendix To Sir James Wallace L38 The American Times 139 The Old Year aid the New: a Prophecy 161 BIBLIOGRAPHY 162 i The Honorable and Reverend Jonathan Odell, clergyman, doctor, poet, and first Provincial Secretary of the province of Hew Brunswick, was born in Newark, New Jersey, on 25 September 1737, the only son of John and Temperance Odell. Although a branch of the Odell family established itself in America in Puritan times, the family has been traced back to the Norman Conquest. The first Odell was Walter Flandrensis, the last Count of Flanders, brother of Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror, with whom he came to England in 1066 and became the first Baron Odell. He held a great barony in Bucks, England, in 1036, of which Wahull or Woodhull, meaning wood hill, was the chief county seat, and from him descended the Barons Wahul, Wodhull, Woodhull, Odell, which is found spelled various ways in old records, Odel, Odle, Oadele, Odil, etc.... The titles and estates were bestowed upon the first Baron Odell by William the Conqueror for distinguished military services in the conquest of England. The head of the barony was at Odell, Bedfordshire, England, where Odell church and Odell castle remain.1 The founder of the Odell family in America was William Odell, from the parish of Odell in Bedfordshire. He came to New England in the early part of the seventeenth century, in company, it is thought, with the Reverend Peter Bulkeley, the rector of his parish in England.2 William Odell apparently settled at Concord, Massachu• setts, for his name can be found in the town records for the year 1639. Five years later he went to live in Fairfield, Connecticut, %innie Alice (Lewis) Pool, Odell Genealogy, United States and Canada (1635-1935); ten generations in direct line (Monroe. Wis., E.A. Odell, 1935), p, 11. 2Rufus King, "Memoir of Hon. William Hunter Odell, "New England Historical and Genealogical Register. XLvT (January 1892), 20. ii became the owner of a considerable estate, and died there in 1676. William Odell's eldest son, John, was made a freeman in 1664 by the General Assembly. Other records show his having received grants of land in 1673 and 1678 from the town of Fairfield, and of his being a member of the Church in Stratfield. John Odell's son, Samuel, was born 16 March 1677 in Stratfield. He in turn received a deed of land from his father in 1700, and in 1722 the General Assembly commissioned him Ensign.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Sleeper Family
    The Sleeper Family of New Jersey and New York Compiled by Ethel Sleeper Gross 1931 Press of Mount Holly Herald Mount Holly, New Jersey Sleeper Family Chart Elizabeth Sleeper -Moses Sleeper -Leah Sleeper m. 1st, Abraham Perkins b. Jan. 2, 1684 m. 1st, Jonathan Atkinson m. 2nd, Alexander Denham m. Jan. 9, 1714 m. 3rd, Richard Smith Mary Sanborn !-I-----------Jonathan Atkinson m. Mary Hillyer Mary Sleeper -Thomas Sleeper n1. Gershom Elkins b. Nov. 3, 1686 -Joseph Atkinson m. Rebecca Garwood -Aaron Slee11er Ruth Sleeper m. 2nd, Samuel Atkinson -Isaac Atkinson b. June 1, 1650 b. July 23, 1688 m. Eleanor Griffith m. Aretas Leavitt I -Mary Atkinson -Twins John Sleeper (Joseph Sleeper) -Margaret Atkinson Thomas Sleeper b. Sept. 10, 1652 (John Sleeper) b. 1616 b. June 14, 1690 -Elizabeth Atkinson d. July 30, 1696 m. Joanna -­ Naomi Sleeper Mary Sleeper b. 1628 b. Apr. 15, 1655 -Samuel Sleeper -Mary Sleeper d. Feb. 5, 1703 m. Timothy Blake b. Dec. 1, 1692 -John Sleeper, Jr. m. 1st, Sarah Leeds Moses Sleeper -Elisha Sleeper m. 2nd, Mary Rynear b. Mar. 13, 1658 b. May 9, 1694 -Jonathan Sleeper m. Edith Peddel -Hezekiah Sleeper Aaron Sleeper b. May 11, 1696 - ,vnliam Sleeper b. Feb. 20, 1661 m. Jane Rogers d. May 9, 1732 m. May 23, 1682 -Samuel Sleeper Elizabeth Shaw -Ebene-zer Sleeper b. May 18, 1697 m. Patience Burroughs d. 1698 -Joseph H. Sleeper Luther Slee11er -John Sleeper, Sr. }---- m. Irene Frisbee b. Nov. 14, 1668 -Jonathan Sleeper, Sr. nt. Hannah Haines d. May 19, 1670 -Hannah Sleeper b. Mar.
    [Show full text]
  • The American Background of Loyalist Slaves Harvey Amani Whitfield
    Left History 14_1-b - Quark Final 12/4/09 1:06 PM Page 58 58 Whitfield The American Background of Loyalist Slaves Harvey Amani Whitfield Introduction This article examines the experience of Loyalist slaves before leaving the American colonies for Maritime Canada during and after the Revolutionary War. It seeks to understand the lives of Loyalist slaves before the war and the types of experiences, work patterns, traditions, and cultures they brought to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Cape Breton, and Prince Edward Island after 1783. This article demonstrates that Loyalist slaves cannot be understood as a single homogenous group, rather they must be seen as a diverse set of slaves who had incredibly dif- ferent and complex experiences before arriving in Maritime Canada. As the fol- lowing personal experiences indicate, this diversity of Loyalist slaves emerges from even the most fragmentary evidence.1 In 1783, twenty-six year old Dinah boarded the Apollo destined for Shelburne, Nova Scotia. She did not travel with any family members. Alongside her were three other African Americans who had achieved freedom during the Revolutionary War. As these men wondered about the type of freedom that await- ed them in Nova Scotia, Dinah remained enslaved.2 She had labored in New York City for grocer Robert Wilkins along with two other “servants” whose status and race are unclear.3 After arriving in Shelburne, Dinah continued to work for Wilkins until the summer of 1786 when “she went away” wearing “a blue and white Ticking Petticoat, a purple and white Callico short Gown, and an old blue Cloak.”4 Eight-year-old Venus’s owner John Herbert made the fateful decision to support Lord Dunmore and those Virginians still loyal to His Majesty.
    [Show full text]
  • Historic Roadsides in New Jersey
    Presented to the Rxngwood Public Library FOR REFERENCE SE? 2 8 199! NOT TO BE TAKEN FROM THE ROOM CAT. NO. 23J RINGWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY, NJ 3 6047 09044956 1 HISTORIC ROADSIDES if A Condensed Description of the ] I Principal Colonial and Revolu- I tionaryLandmarks in Newjersey, II arranged for the Convenience of K^ Students and Motorists. The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New Jersey 1928 For Purchase of Copies Address WALTER LESTER GLENNEY, ESQ., Secretary 916 Madison Avenue Plainfield, N. J. Copyright 1928 The Society of Colonial Wars in the Stci tc of New Jersey Press oj Innes & Sons Philadelphia PREFACE N the foreword of "The First Americans" the Editors say, "The beginning of the thirteen English Colonies, so big I with destiny, have stirred the reverent curiosity of Ameri' can historians generation after generation." It is one of the ob' jects of the Society of Colonial Wars to promote an interest in and knowledge of Colonial history, not only by historians but by the ordinary man who professes that he has no time to devote to things that are past. In this day when distance is made unimportant by the motor vehicle, and we can in a day cover a mileage, which would have taken many days in Colonial times, there is no excuse for unfamiliarity or lack of knowledge of the historic spots in one's own State. When the State is one with a his- tory so fascinating and so closely connected with our National history, there is even less excuse for ignorance.
    [Show full text]
  • Recovering the Poetry & Influence of the British
    University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Theses and Dissertations 2017 Fugitive Verses & Faded Histories: Recovering The Poetry & Influence Of The rB itish American Loyalists Michael C. Weisenburg University of South Carolina Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Weisenburg, M. C.(2017). Fugitive Verses & Faded Histories: Recovering The Poetry & Influence Of The British American Loyalists. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/4457 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FUGITIVE VERSES & FADED HISTORIES: RECOVERING THE POETRY & INFLUENCE OF THE BRITISH AMERICAN LOYALISTS by Michael C. Weisenburg Bachelor of Arts Stony Brook University, 2006 Master of Arts The College at Brockport, 2009 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English College of Arts & Sciences University of South Carolina 2017 Accepted by: David S. Shields, Major Professor Gretchen Weortendyke, Committee Member Leon Jackson, Committee Member Woody Holton, Committee Member Cheryl L. Addy, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School © Copyright by Michael C. Weisenburg, 2017 All Rights Reserved. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS While often a solitary endeavor, dissertations are never written alone, and I have benefitted from a considerable amount of support, guidance, and encouragement along the way. My studies were bolstered by both the Joel Myerson Fellowship and the William H. Nolte Graduate Assistant Award and early stages of my research were supported by the Russell J.
    [Show full text]
  • V Loyalist Settlementin New Brunswick
    Loyalists of the Maritimes nn............................................................................................................................................... V LOYALIST SETTLEMENT IN NEW BRUNSWICK ............................................................................................................................... NEW BRUNSWICK LOYALISTS £ BasedonanarticlebyLindaHansenSquires ~ espite the fact that many, if not most, of the province. Loyalists considered themselves to be both Ameri- What kind of people were the New Brunswick can and British, when the American War of Inde- Loyalists? Characterizing them is not an easy task. pendence began, they felt obliged to offer their al- Most of them were native-born Americans from New legiance to the duly constituted British government. York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, though there In return, they expected that authority to protect were small groups from the Southern and various their property and their persons. They further ex- New England States. It has been frequently assumed pected the British army to triumph over the revolu- that, like such prominent figures as Edward Wins- tionary forces which talked so glibly of liberty low, Ward Chipman, and John Coffin, large numbers while seeming to practise anarchy. Instead, the of New Brunswick Loyalists came from Massachu- - "friends of government," as they were sometimes setts. In actual fact, only about 6%were from that known, saw their property confiscated, their beliefs colony. Some of them had what might be called an vilified as treasonous, and found themselves forced "aristocratic" background, but many of them were to stand by helplessly while the British govern- farmers, disbanded soldiers of British-American ment signed a preliminary peace treaty which did regiments, or small merchants. little to ensure their safety. In fact, the months fol- The majority of the Loyalists reached their new lowing the treaty of January 1783 were, perhaps, land via the Spring, Summer, and Autumn Fleets the worst for the Loyalists.
    [Show full text]
  • A Bibliography of Loyalist Source Material in Canada
    A Bibliography of Loyalist Source Material in Canada JO-ANN FELLOWS, Editor KATHRYN CALDER, Researcher PROGRAM FOR LOYALIST STUDIES AND PUBLICATIONS Sponsored by the American Antiquarian Society City University of New Tork University of London and University of New Brunswick by ROBERT A. EAST, Executive Director The origins of this Program are to be found in the pros- pectus issued in April 1968 by Professor East of the History faculty of the City University of New York and James E. Mooney, Editor of Publications of the American Antiquarian Society. It was the feeling of both that the imminent anniversary of the Revolution would make such an undertaking an impera- tive of historical scholarship, for an understanding of the Rev- olution would be necessarily incomplete and inevitably dis- torted without the full story of the American Loyalists. It was the hope of both that the work could go forward under the joint sponsorship of both institutions, and this was quickly gained. The next step was to canvass the scholarly community in England, Canada, and the United States to learn of its reac- 67 68 American Antiquarian Society tions. The prospectus was written, handsomely printed by Alden Johnson of the Barre Publishers, and sent out to a number of scholars, archivists, and others. The response to this mailing was even more enthusiastic than Professor East or Mr. Mooney had hoped for and led to discussions concerning even broader sponsorship of an inter- national character. Thomas J. Condon ofthe American Council of Learned Societies early took a cheering interest in the proj- ect and pledged the cooperation of his august organization to advance the work.
    [Show full text]
  • King's College, Nova Scotia: Direct Connections with Slavery
    King’s College, Nova Scotia: Direct Connections with Slavery by Karolyn Smardz Frost, PhD David W. States, MA Presented to William Lahey, President, University of King’s College and Dorota Dr. Glowacka, Chair, "King's and Slavery: A Scholarly Inquiry" September 2019 King’s College, Windsor, Nova Scotia, ca. 1850 Owen Staples, after Susannah Lucy Anne (Haliburton) Weldon Cover image King's College, Windsor, Nova Scotia, ca 1850 by Owen Staples (1910), after Susannah Lucy Anne (Haliburton) Weldon’s original This painting depicts the main building constructed in 1791, prior to the 1854 addition of a portico and the gable roof. Brown wash over pencil, with water colour & gouache by Owen Staples? ca 1915. Laid down on cardboard. JRR 2213 Cab II, John Ross Robertson Collection, Baldwin Room, Toronto Reference Library Public domain 1 Preface Over the past few years, universities in Canada, the United States, Great Britain, and beyond have undertaken studies exploring the connections between slavery and the history of their institutions. In February 2018, the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, initiated its own investigations to bring to light ways in which slavery and the profits derived from trade in the products of enslaved labour contributed to the creation and early operation of King’s, Canada’s oldest chartered university. David W. States, a historian of African Nova Scotia with a multi-generational personal heritage in this province, and Karolyn Smardz Frost, an archaeologist, historian and author whose studies focus on African Canadian and African American transnationalism, were chosen to become part of a small cadre of scholars charged with the task of bringing different aspects of this long-hidden history to light.
    [Show full text]
  • Don't Miss an Issue
    APRIL 2019 THE NEW BRUNSWICK ANGLICAN / 1 Diocesan Part III of The newcomer Trinity SJ Council My Journey population of embarks on a report North Sussex is growing tall project Page 5 Page 8 page 15 Page 16 A SECTION OF THE ANGLICAN JOURNAL APRIL 2019 SERVING THE DIOCESE OF FREDERICTON PHOTOS: PUBLIC ARCHIVES OF NB P5-294; MICHAEL & CAROLE HINES Dear Reader: Contact us with your name and address and we’ll ensure you continue to get your Anglican newspapers. EMAIL: [email protected] with your name, Don’t miss an issue address, phone number and ID# (from label, if available). MAIL: Fill in and mail to Anglican Journal, Confirm your subscription 80 Hayden St., Toronto, ON M4Y 3G2 Dear Reader, PHONE TOLL-FREE: 1-866-333-0959 We’re asking you to confirm your Anglican This means a waste of thousands of dollars each ONLINE: Go to anglicanjournal.com/yes Journal subscription. Here’s why. month. So we are verifying the subscription list c Your subscription to the Anglican Journal to avoid this waste. Yes, I would like to continue to receive my Anglican newspaper (and, where included, your diocesan newspaper) If you wish to continue to receive the Anglican Name: _____________________________________ began when your parish church added your Journal (and any diocesan paper mailed with it), name and address to the subscription list. When please complete the confirmation and return it. Address: ___________________________________ a person’s address changes, for whatever reason, If we do not hear from you, your subscription ___________________________________________ the parish office is asked to notify the circulation will come to an end with the June 2019 issue.
    [Show full text]