New Brunswick Branch Newsletter April 2010 Edition PO Box 484 Saint John NB Canada E2L 3Z8 Website www.uelac-nb.ca Contact Editor: Valerie Teed [email protected] ________________________________________________________________________ Happy 225th Anniversary, Saint John Canada’s First Incorporated City The Loyalist City History records that, French explorers, Sieur de Monts and Samuel de Champlain arrived at the mouth of the Saint John River on 24 June 1604, feast day of St.John the Baptist…and named the river in the Saint’s honour. The first permanent French settlement was located at Portland Point, in what was then known as Acadia. In 1621 King James I changed the name ‘Acadia’ to ‘Nova Scotia’. Charles de la Tour became Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia between 1631 and 1635 and engaged in trade with the native peoples. In 1758, the settlement was taken by the British who rebuilt and settled around an old French fort, on the lower west side, and renamed it ‘Fort Frederick’. At that point Simon, Hazen & White had established their trading posts at the “settlement at the River Saint John.” Fort Frederick was destroyed by American privateers In 1775 and replaced in 1777 by Fort Howe, a building project spearheaded by Guilford Studholme. In 1783, part of Nova Scotia became New Brunswick. With the infusion of thousands of Loyalists that year, the settlement began to develop in earnest. Without the Loyalist numbers, no charter would have been granted by the British government, two years later. The Loyalists established Parrtown and Carleton on the shores of Saint John Harbour. In 1785 the two communities amalgamated as ‘Saint John’, named after the river, to become Canada’s first incorporated city. The date on the City Charter was 18 May 1785. Signatures on the final page of the City Charter were: Final page of the City Charter Thomas Carleton, Governor; Jonathan Odell, Secretary; with the Seal of New Brunswick Ward Chipman, Attorney General 1 Loyalist Days Celebrations Friday, May 14 ~ Menu ~ Reception & Dinner at the Union Club NB Branch Members & their Guests Cream of Fiddlehead Soup Broiled Salmon & Cream Sauce Cocktails at 6:15 pm ~ Cash Bar Mashed Potato Dinner at 7:00 pm Baby Carrots Green Beans Fresh Rolls Tickets $36 per person* Lemon Angel Cake *Contact Newspaper Editor to reserve Dinner Tickets Coffee, Tea Valerie Teed (506) 847-1465 [email protected] Glass of Wine Sunday, May 16 10:30 am ~ Loyalist Church Service At Trinity Church, Saint John NB Branch Members in Period Costume if desired Tuesday, May 18 10:15 – 10:30 Saint Mary’s Band at City Hall Plaza 10:30 – 11:00 Flag Ra ising Ceremonies at City Hall Plaza 11:00 am Saint Mary’s Band Concert 12:00 Noon 21-Gun Salute from Fort Howe (3rd Field Artillery) Gathering for the Parade The Loyalist Centennial at Saint John 18 May 1883 2 ________________________ Ruth Lesbirel, UE Xmas Pot Luck & Auction The Branch held its annual Xmas Pot Luck Luncheon and Auction on Saturday, Dec 12, at Stone Church, Saint John. We enjoyed great food, laughter and a lively Xmas Sing-Along. The pot luck included shepherd’s pie, baked beans, several delicious casseroles, English trifle and home-made sweets – many from old family recipes. The auction not only raises funds for Branch activities, but also provides some of its members with additional Xmas decorations and gifts. New Year’s Levee On New Year’s Day, the Branch joined the N. B. Historical Society in hosting a levee at historic Loyalist House. The house was built between 1810 and 1817 (construction was interrupted by the lack of building materials during the War of 1812) and belonged to five generations of the Merritt family. Dave Laskey ~ Auctioneer The old dining room table was laden with traditional festive fare. Tea, hot apple cider and cranberry punch were served. Impromptu tours of the house were offer- ed. Levee guests of all ages enjoyed the roaring fire in the original kitchen fireplace, still in working order after almost 200 years. Music from the rare old piano- organ in the parlour added to the authentic atmosphere of a Loyalist era celebration. We remember our Loyalist ancestors through functions such as these and know that they enjoyed much the same pleasurable diversions that broke up the long, cold winters in their new homeland The Dining Room at Loyalist House ~ New Year’s Day 2010 so long ago. ___________________________________ Upcoming Events Next General Meeting – Thurs, April 8 7:00 pm at Stone Church, Saint John Speaker ~ Dave Laskey on “Lost Cousins and the Spragg Project”. Annual General Meeting – Thurs, June 10 7:00 pm at Stone Church, Saint John October Mini Conference - A decision to hold a Mini Conference was made at the March meeting of the Branch Executive. Details, including the exact conference date and venue have not been finalized. The event would be a regional event for the UELAC, organized and staffed by the members of our NB Branch. The theme is Loyalists as Refugees. Tentatively confirmed is one speaker, Bonnie Huskins, UNB professor. Details will be available as they are confirmed. ___________________________ Query - I am interested in sharing Turner genealogy with Dorothy Anne (Turner) Snyder, who is my 3rd cousin. James E and Charlotte Turner are our common ancestors. Hoping to hear from you. Ms Leslie Gale Poole Apt 9, 79 Union Street, Camden, Maine 04843, USA [email protected] 3 __________________________ Albert Button List of New UE Recipients Congratulations to: Ancestor Rosalyn Dale Lawton, UE John Lawton Trevor Wade Lawton, UE John Lawton Shana Maria Ganong, UE Henry Bulyea Caroline Anne Acheson, UE Henry Bulyea David Christian Wold, UE Jonathan Muchmore William David Roy Harding, UE Capt William Harding Dr John Sinclair Mackay, UE Gideon Palmer Ruth Stella (Secord) MacLean, UE Elias Secord ___________________________ Frances Morrisey, UE Obituary Members of the New Brunswick Branch/UELAC were Saddened to learn of the death of their long-time member, A. Elizabeth (Hoyt) Brown Prescott. Descendant of Israel Hoyt, on 8 December 2009. She became a member of the Branch in the 1960s and was an energetic and faithful member until poor health prevented her from attending meetings. Elizabeth was president of the Branch from 1991 – 1993 and chairman of the social committee for many years. Elizabeth graduated from Saint John High School, McGill University with a B.A, degree in Mathematics and Economics Elizabeth Prescott 1925 ‐ 2009 in 1946, and the University of New Brunswick with a B.C.L. (Civil Law) degree in 1950. She was appointed to the Queen’s Counsel in 1982 and given a life membership to the Law Society of New Brunswick in 2000. Elizabeth practiced law in Saint John for many years and was a partner in the firm of McKelvie, MacAulay, Machum & Fairweather at the time of her retirement. She was a member of the YMCA, Westfield Golf & Country Club (Ladies’ Golf Secretary); the Union Club (Ladies’ President); United Empire Loyalists Association (President) and Gamma Phi Beta Society (McGill). Elizabeth is survived by one sister, Eleanor Carson (Alexander) of Calgary, Alberta; niece, Margaret Fox (Dale); nephew, James Carson (Teri); great niece, Lannie Fox and great nephews, Brait and Nathan Carson. Besides her parents, she was pre-deceased by her first husband, Horace S Brown in 1985 and her second husband, Basil A Prescott in 2006. _______________________________ Expanding ‘Loyalists All’ The anecdotal stories & lines of descent of eighty New Brunswick Loyalists were submitted to our Branch in 1984. The information was transcribed by our members and compiled into a book in 1985. It was called ‘Loyalists All’. Loyalist surnames in the book include: Ansley, Arnold, Balmain, Baxter, Belyea, Bentley, Blakney,Bonsall, Bostwick, Brown, Bull, Cable, Clark, Downey, Dykeman, Fowler, French, Ganong, Gerow, Gillies, Gilman, Gunter, Hatheway, Haycock, Hendry, Holder, Howard, Hoyt, Humbert, Johnson, Jones, Kiethland, Keirstead, Lawton, Mallard, Manzer, Marvin, Maxwell, McKenzie, Melick, Merritt, Millidge, Morehouse, Peters, Post, Prince, Reed, Roberts, Robertson, Saunders, Savary, Scott, Scovil, Secord, Seely, Slipp, Smith, Snyder, Squires, Stinson, Taylor, Teed, Theall, Thornton, Tilton, Towers, Underhill, Upham, Watson, White, Wilmot, Winslow. 4 Two suggestions have recently been made (1) To reprint ‘Loyalists All’ (2) To gather more Loyalist surnames/stories/lines of descent and produce an expanded version of the book. For this project we need contributors, transcribers and an editor. Please contact Newsletter Editor if you can help! [email protected] (506) 847-1465 In the meantime, both “Loyalists All’ and ‘The Loyalists of New Brunswick’ by Esther Clark Wright are available from our NB Branch for $25 each + shipping & handling. The ‘Teachers’ Loyalist Resource Book’ is also available for sale for $6.00 + shipping & handling. Contact Shana Ganong at [email protected] or phone (506) 466-2601 ______________________________ Ruth Lesbirel and Valerie Teed Incredible Miniatures ~ A Loyalist Ambassador Ruth Lesbirel, one of our most active Branch members, has an incredible talent. She makes miniatures, and with an historical eye, does them exactly to scale (1 inch = 1 foot) from original full- sized antique pieces. Ruth is also a published contributor of “project articles” to trade publications such as the American magazine, “Dollhouse Miniatures “and “The Dolls’ House Magazine” published by the Guild of Master Craftsmen in East Sussex, UK. It features writers, artisans, and collectors from many countries and is circulated all over the world. She says her first article in the UK magazine was the Lawrence Hanging Cradle, which is in the children’s nursery at Loyalist House, here in Saint John. About six months ago, her editor encouraged her to write a book on “Georgian Furnishings of the Loyalist House”. She says the Georgian era is very popular in miniatures and the hobby is very popular in the UK, in particular.