General Data for We Lived - gen-3a
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Province of New Brunswick
    Beginning with the arrival of the "white man" to the shores of New Brunswick, there have been four main emigration periods. First came the French, who after much hardship formed the base of the people who today are called Acadians. Next came the pre-Loyalist, emigrants from the New England States & Yorkshire, England. They were followed by the Loyalist in 1783. The final "group" encompasses all those who came from England, Ireland, Scotland and many of the European countries.

    There is evidence of a Scandinavian presence earlier than the Acadians, but there is no history attached to them. It is thought they were primarily fishing camps or settlements used only as a land base while they fished the rich Atlantic ocean.

    The French however, did set up several settlement areas with the idea of permanent residence. Some lasted longer than others, but only few of the earliest groups left records of genealogical interest. There was a settlement in Charlotte Co, that lasted only over one winter. The harsh living conditions forced evacuation because of the heavy loss of life.

    The Saint John River saw several areas of French occupation, and were responsible for giving the river its name. There were forts built at its mouth, also near what is now Gagetown, and at St. Ann's (now Fredericton). At a later date, when the English began to arrive, these last two groups began moving further up the river, and for the most part escaped the deportation that took place in the more populated areas of what had become Nova Scotia, primarily around the Bay of Fundy areas. The Saint John area group left much historical recordings for the principal people, but not of the common people, nor is there much on the up river settlements. I believe there may be some church records available for scattered areas, although I have only seen those for the Chignecto area groups.

    The Acadian people who settled in what is now the province of Nova Scotia spread, for the most part, up the Bay of Fundy, and into the neck of what is now Westmorland and Kent Counties, and off into the islands and up the coast. Although many of the families were deported, there were many who escaped this fate, and today New Brunswick has a heavy Acadian population. (Although some are not true Acadians, their ancestors having spread down from what is now Quebec. Those people had a different point of origin.) The documentation for some of these areas has been increasing over these last few years due to the efforts of a few dedicated scholars. Most of these records found have been collected at the University of Moncton, a place well worth a visit should your ancestors be of this group.

    The pre-Loyalist came as settlers to fill lands that had been settled by the French, and to increase the English speaking population in general. They came from the New England States and Yorkshire, England. The two main areas that affected New Brunswick were those in the Chignecto area (Westmorland, Albert and a bit of Kent Counties, the Yorkshire settlers.) and the Saint John River settlements (the New England settlers) of the river mouth and the Sheffield and Maugerville colonies. Records for these people is sparse, in some areas, and plentiful in others. The Sheffield - Maugerville and Sackville areas followed the example of the New England Townships and have left a great deal of early records of births and marriages, although care should be taken in that these records seem to be a collective recording of a family at a given point in time, and not necessarily at the time of the events.

    The Hazen and White trading post at what is now the north end of Saint John, had a settlement nearby. It would appear that it was populated at first by male workers, who eventually married, but may not have stayed there. Some moved back to New England, while others moved up river to escape the Privateers (boats looking for bounty), or to find better farm lands. There were also Forts built in this area by both the French and the English. It was not until the coming of the Loyalist that Saint John showed much growth.

    Shortly after the arrival of the Loyalist in 1783, the province of New Brunswick was formed out of two Counties of Nova Scotia. These were the entire County of Sunbury and most of the northern section of the County of Cumberland. This latter portion is now Westmorland {and Albert} County. Sunbury County took in most of the rest of the area now known as New Brunswick.

    Care must be taken when we find records of our ancestors being in Sunbury County up to, and even after 1785. By common use, many might well have kept the old locality name in their vocabulary. Also, when we find records of our relatives in the US, they will often give their birth place as "on the Saint John" - this is usually meant as one of the settlements on the Saint John River above the city of Saint John, and below the city of Fredericton (although there may be exceptions).



Updated:Monday, 02-Apr-2007 07:04:28 MDT