Chooses Exile
Homesteads in New
Brunswick
Lives long
Prospers
This
work is bound to contain errors since historical records are, for the most
part, based on hearsay, double hearsay and triple hearsay. Please submit errors
and corrections to harrymac@kos.net.
This
document is not to be used as the basis of any legal claims.
For
the most part, the source of this information is as follows:
The
US Census of 1850. 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 & 1930 as found on
Ancestry.com
The
NB census of 1851 http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/1851/001005-100.01-e.html
The
Canadian census of 1881, 1901 http://automatedgenealogy.com/census/cache/index.html
and 1911 http://automatedgenealogy.com/census11/Test6.jsp?province=New+Brunswick
The
Cemeteries database of the Provincial Archives of NB (PANB) http://archives.gnb.ca/APPS/NBCemeteries/?L=EN
The
Vital Statistics database of PANB http://archives.gnb.ca/APPS/GovRecs/VISSE/?L=EN
The
Johnson Record of Vital Statistics from NB newspapers to 1895 database at PANB http://archives.gnb.ca/APPS/NewspaperVitalStats/?L=EN
The
First Families database of the NB Genealogical Society http://www.nbgs.ca/firstfamilies.html
The
Queens County (New Brunswick) Gen Web http://www.rootsweb.com/~nbqueens/.
The
York County (NB) Gen Web http://www.rootsweb.com/~nbyork/
The
Carleton County (NB) Gen Web http://www.rootsweb.com/~nbcarlet/
The
Sunbury County (NB) Gen Web http://www.rootsweb.com/~nbsunbur/
The
Kings County (NB) Gen Web http://www.rootsweb.com/~nbkings/
The
Obituary databases of the various funeral homes in NB and Ontario
The
Obituary databases of the Saint John Telegraph Journal, the Fredericton Daily
Gleaner and the Moncton Times, and to a much much lesser extent, the New York
Times, and various newspapers in Maine and Massachusetts.
The
Osprey Newspaper group Obituary database in Ontario
The
Obituary Database of the Saint John Telegraph Journal, the Fredericton Daily
Gleaner, and the Moncton Times & Transcript
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/classifieds/obituaries/&tj=on&period=1
The
Vital Statistics databases provided by the State of Maine and various other
States and maintained at Ancestrty.com.
The
various other databases of Vital Statistics maintained at Ancestry.com
The
various family tree databases maintained at Rootsweb.com
A
very few oral histories, mainly in the family of Ephraim Briggs and Hannah
Ferguson, provided by family members, most of which could be verified through
records found online.
Where
family trees from online databases were used, it was found they were in
substantial agreement with the government records, usually starting around
1850, that are found online as above. The dates, names and people identified
from the government records were used where there were conflicts or omissions.
Your
humble scribe, much like yourself, was educated at a university where
professors insisted that he provide a footnote for each of his sources and that
he weigh thoroughly the surrounding or collateral evidence that gives the ring
of truth to any writings. Your humble scribe certainly did the latter but is
congenitally unable to undertake the former because it slows down the
accumulation and allocation of data which is the fun part. Sources will be
remitted on request right cheerfully. Please research the above databases first
and you may render your requirement for a request righteously redundant.
Harry
MacDonald
Gananoque,
Ontario
13-Jan-08
Abiel Briggs, b 1761 in North Kingston, Kent County, RI, d 23 Oct 1844 aged 83 years [Info # 1 Johnson 10: 2161 November 2, 1844 Saint John New Brunswick Courier - died Jacksontown, 22nd Oct., Ahiel (sic) BRIGGS, age 84.] and was buried with his wife at Jacksonville Community Cemetery, Carleton County, NB, [From PANB database of Daniel F. Johnson Vital Statistics in NB Newspapers: Volume 89 Number 2075; St John Daily Sun of 25 Jan 1893: ... In the early settlement of this country Eben Briggs and Abial Briggs located as what is now known as Sheffield (Sunbury Co.) N.B. Both of them were married before they came to this country and perhaps the former had the shortest courtship on record. Having gone to a Quaker meeting, he and his future wife were married by the preacher at the close of the meeting. These men settled near Loader place, so called. As their families with the other settlers increased, the school teacher became a necessity and one John Palmer's services were called into requisition, who in his humble way 'taught the young idea how to shoot'. At this time it was not unusual to see a troop of horses on Sunday mounted by people of both sexes going to Maugerville to attend divine service. If the like could be seen in this day, it would astonish the natives. Abial had several children, one of whom in his day was well known in St. John as, James Briggs the ship builder; and Elijah Briggs, another of his sons, removed to Carleton County. Making his way without a road through the forest, he drew a large tract of land and settled in what is now known as the Seventh Tier, where he became a prosperous farmer and raised a large family, most of whom are now residents of the county. He died about a year ago at a good old age, leaving a large amount of wealth to his children. He was a consistent member of the Free Baptist Church. Info #2 Woodstock, New Brunswick, February 19, 1886 (a letter from Abiel’s daughter Diadama Briggs Baker to a nephew) Dear Nephew, In a le