Category Archives: New Brunswick Canada

Loyalists, New Brunswick Canada

1786 Land Deed Jedediah Fairweather to Benedict Arnold

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While browsing page by page through New Brunswick, Canada land deeds looking for clues about my Carlisle family, I came across a land deed that involved an infamous person in U.S. history –  Benedict Arnold. Somewhere in my brain, I thought he had removed to England after the Revolutionary War ended. He did, but first, like other Loyalists, he settled in New Brunswick and lived there until 1791. Arnold spent the last ten years of his life living in London, where he died on 14 June 1801, aged 60. He was buried at St. Mary’s Church, Battersea.

Jedediah Fairweather to Benedict Arnold

This Indenture made the Seventeenth day
of March in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred
and Eighty Six between Jedediah Fairweather of the Province of
New Brunswick Farmer of the one part and Benedict Arnold
Esquire of the City of Saint John in the Province aforesaid of the
other part. Witnesseth that the said Jedediah Fairweather for
and in consideration of the Sum of Fifty pounds of Current money
of the Province of New Brunswick to him in hand paid by
the said Benedict Arnold, the receipt whereof the said Jedediah
Fairweather doth hereby acknowledge. He the said Jedediah
Fairweather hath granted bargained and one and by these presents
doth grant bargain and sell alien and confirm unto the said
Benedict Arnold his Heirs and Assigns forever, a certain
Messuage or tenement and lot of Land, being number one thousand
three hundred and Twenty nine bounded on the East by Lot No.
1328, granted to Daniel Brown and on the north by lot 1241
granted to James Oliver, situate lying and being in the lower
Cove of the City of Saint John containing forty feet in front
and in depth one hundred feet, more or less, together with
all profits, Commodities, advantages, hereditaments, ways
waters and appurtenances whatsoever to the said messuage
or tenement and lot of Land and premises above mentioned
belonging or any wise appertaining, and also the Reversion
and reversions, remainder and remainders, Rents and
Services of the said premises and of every part thereof—
To have and to hold the said messuage ore tenement
and all the Estate Right Title Interest claim and demand whatsoever
of him the said Jedediah Fairweather of in and to the said
messuage, tenement and premises and every part thereof. To have
and to hold the said Messuage or Tenement and Lot of Land and
all and singular the said premises above mentioned and every part

Jedediah Fairweather to Benedict Arnold, Page 2

part and parcel thereof with the appurtenances unto the said
Benedict Arnold, his Heirs and Assigns, to the only proper use of the said
Benedict Arnold his Heirs and Assigns for ever. And the said Jedediah
Fairweather for him and his Heirs the said Messuage or Tenement and Lot of Land and premises and every part thereof against him and
his Heirs and against all and every other person and persons whatsoever to the said Benedict Arnold his Heirs and Assigns shall and
will warrant and forever defend by these presents. In witness whereof
the parties to these presents have interchangeably set their hands
and Seals the day and year first above written, and in the twenty
Sixth year of his Majesty’s Reign.

Jedediah Fairweather, SEAL
Signed Sealed and delivered in presence of
The words – to him in hand paid by the said Benedict Arnold, being
being first interlined between the fourth and fifth line- And the words (by Lot)
being also first interlined between the ninth and tenth lines.

Ross Curry – Chrisr Hatch

Province of New Brunswick – I hereby acknowledge to have received of Benedict Arnold Esquire the sum of fifty pounds New Brunswick Currency in full for the consideration money mentioned in the written Deed – witness my hand the day and year within mentioned.

Jedediah Fairweather

Witness
Ross Currie – Chrisr Hatch
St. John New Brunswick – Registerd on the Oath of Ross Currie
Esquire, one of the Witnesses – the 25th of April 1786

Adams, John Adams Loyalist, Loyalists, New Brunswick Canada

John Adams, Loyalist of Fairfield, CT and New Brunswick, Canada

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NOTE: Recommended Reads will be back next week.

While Recommended Reads is on hiatus, I will be sharing some digitized resources  that I have written through the years and will also share a couple of  books that have been invaluable to me along my genealogical journey.

The last article I would like to share with you is one I put together in the 1990’s, outlining some of the thousands of descendants of Loyalist John Adams who left his home, friends and family in Fairfield County, Connecticut during the American Revolution and sailed to Canada at the close of the war.

John Adams was born about 1740 and died after 1818, possibly on Adams Island, West Isles, New Brunswick, Canada. He married Sarah Coley, daughter of Jonathan Coley and Lucy Sturges, on 31 August 1765 at Weston, Fairfield, Connecticut.

John and Sarah were apparently the parents of about ten children:

1. Jonathan, born 1766, who married Grace Rideout.
2. Hannah, born c1768; died before 1851 census; married William Segee.
3. John, born c1771; married Elizabeth (MNU).
4. Daniel, born c1772; married Sarah Ives.
5. Edward, at Lincoln, Sunbury, NB in 1818; nothing else known.
6. Sturges, born 1777, CT; married Lydia Brawn.
7. William, listed in Martha Barto’s book, Passamaquoddy; nothing else known.
8. David, granted 100 acres in Sunbury County in August 1839, Lot 1, Susowasis Brook. In 1842, David and sister Hannah sold land in Lincoln (part of grant to Wilmot).
9. Thomas, born 1783, New Brunswick; married Sarah Brawn.
10. James, married Elizabeth Moffatt.

John’s descendants today live both in Canada, primarily New Brunswick, and in the United States.

When I compiled this family history, I actually brought it down to about the year 2000. However, for privacy’s sake, I created an abridged version of the family history, covering four generations. The youngest descendants in this version were born right around 1900.

As always, I love to hear from distant cousins, so if you find your Adams people in this article, please contact me.

 

Astle, Loyalists, New Brunswick Canada

James Astle, Loyalist of New York, Quebec and New Brunswick

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While Recommended Reads is on hiatus, I will be sharing some digitized resources  that I have written through the years and will also share a few very locale-specific books that have been invaluable to me along my genealogical journey.

Today, I’d like to share my published work on Loyalist James Astle of New York, Quebec and New Brunswick. As with my Williams book, I donated a copy of this article to the Family History Library, which has recently digitized it. However, for some unknown reason, access is limited to viewing at the library. I’ve sent an email request and made an in-person request the last time I was there to change the settings to allow public viewing online, but that has not happened.

This article was written back in 1993 and printed out on a dot matrix printer. (NOTE: This is now digitally accessible on FamilySearch.)

James Astle married Elizabeth McLean in Schenectady, New York in 1770. They had the following children:

1. Angelica, who married (1) Abel Davis and (2) James Walls. Angelica was born in 1774 and died between 1818 and 1836
2. Hannah (possibly) who married Benjamin Davis. She was probably born about 1776
3. John, who married Hannah Underhill Vanderbeck. He was born in 1779 and died 15 December 1856
4. Daniel, who married Jane, maiden name unproven but possibly Parker. He was born about 1783 and died by November 1817.
5. Joseph, who married Mary, maiden name unproven but likely Cooper. He was born about 1786 and died 19 January 1870.
6. Elizabeth (possibly) who married John Mitchell. Elizabeth died between February 1816 and 1 June 1818.

Loyalist James Astle has hundreds of descendants today. The name was quite unique in colonial America and most of his grandchildren remained in New Brunswick, Canada for many years. A few ventured back into Maine in the late 1800’s.

There was a second James Astle on the 1784 Paspebiac, Quebec lists. He appears to be a younger man than my James and was unmarried at the time. DNA testing by a 4x great grandson of each of these James Astles shows a common ancestor within about eight generations.

I have never had the feeling that these two men were father and son, although it is possible. However, I think it is more likely that they were uncle and nephew or cousins, as they didn’t even resettle in the same province. My James went to New Brunswick, while the young James remained in Quebec.

To my knowledge, the majority of descendants in these two Astle families remained in Canada, but I have not tried to trace them into the 1900’s. There are a few descendants, like me, who live in the United States and are descended from the Astles who moved to Maine.

Please contact me if you are a descendant of either James Astle.