PISKAHEGAN AND ITS LAND GRANTS-PART 2

Piskahegan and Its Land Grants-Part 2- By Rev. Charles M. Smith PISKAHEGAN AND ITS LAND GRANTS-PART 2 This is the second of a two-part chapter on Piskahegan and its land grants, the second series in a five-chapter history of Piskahegan. Next week, Rev. Charles M. Smith begins another two-part chapter entitled Piskahegan and Its Block House. (Editor's note at beginning of article dated Nov. 21, 1974)
Soldier grants went to officers and enlisted men of the "98th. Regiment" and the "104th. New Brunswick Fencibles". Based upon information drawn from a limited study of these land grants, (as shown on "Crown Lands Office Maps No. 154 and No. 161) and comparing these maps with Colin Campbell's Survey of 1819, coupled with study of deeds at the Registrar's office in St. Andrews, N.B., I have gathered the following information:
(1) In the area from the Magaguadavic River to Upper Niles Brook along both sides of the old Fredericton "Stage Coach Road", there were approximately 7,000 to 8,000 acres of wood-land crown lands deeded to (or ear-marked for) settlers during the period of about 1810-1830, of which at least 4,000 acres were issued to 19 veterans of the military service. Former officers generally received (or were offered) 500 acre lots; Sargeants, 200 acres each; and privates, 100 acre blocks.
(2) Only 19 grants are mentioned herein because this is the sample quantity this writer studied; there were more. Some of these 19 are clearly identified in their grants as military veterans under the ranks they formerly held; -- such as "Lieutenant", or "Sargeant" or "Private". Others are indicated by such phrases as, --granted me as a soldier in his Majesty's late N.B. Fencible Infantry",or, as one deed put it, --"late bugler in the N.B. Fencible Regiment", etc. Of course such identification need not be taken as conclusive evidence of initial military issues: muster-rolls of the military units should be consulted for full confirmation of such matters.
(3) The following is the partial list indicated above; and the subsequent transfer of these particular veteran's lots;
Lt. Samuel North, 500 acres.
--300 acres to Solomon Stone, 29 Nov. 1826
--200 acres to Josiah True, 27 Nov. 1826
Lt. William Hatch, 500 acres.
--To Eleanor Stymest, 28 Feb. 1828
Lt. Hugh Flaherty, 500 acres.
--100 acres to Samuel Patterson, 25 July 1829
--400 acres to Josiah True, 11 Nov. 1833
Lt. William Barry Phair, 500 acres
--100 acres to Samuel Patterson, 25 July 1829
--400 acres to Josiah True, 11 Nov. 1833
Lt. William Hetherington, 400 acres only.
--300 acres to John Hutton,and Wm. Eslis, 14 Dec. 1833
Sergeant Thomas Mitchell, 200 acres.
To Josiah True, 20 mar. 1827
Sergeant Tobias Jordan, 200 acres
To Solomon Stone, 20 Aug. 1826
(Lesser Ranks, 100 acres each).
John Gardner,--to Josiah True,1 Mar. 1827
Donald McDonald,--to Josiah True, 20 Mar. 1827
Charles Jordan, -- to Ebenezer Richardson, 23 July 1827
John Hanover, -- to Abram J. Wetmore, 14 April, 1842
James Price -- to Josiah True, 4 Dec. 1833
Wm. McHenry, -- to Josiah True,19 Mar. 1830
Robert Shaw, -- to Josiah True, 21 Apr. 1830
William Moffat, -- to Jas. Thompson, 16 Mar. 1827
James McLeod, -- to Samuel Todd,31 May, 1827
James Hasty, --to James B. Brown, 17 Aug. 1835
Samuel Treat, --to John Kerr, 10 June 1829
Wm. Nesbitt, -- to Daniel Gillmore, 22 Nov. 1831.
(The dates are either those of the deeds or of the registration thereof. The remaining additional veteran's lots should also be studied to complete this research).
(4) The above lots, issued, or made available, about 1818 or 1819, were in turn sold within 15 or 16 years of claim. Whether or not any were occupied by their owners is not clear; most likely many were retained for the purpose of their lumber use and thereafter released for sale. A few lots were put up for sale almost immediately after issue. One such case was that of Lt. North who, on November 8, 1818, made the following legal arrangements, --"I, Lt. Samuel North...of the "100th. Regiment of Foot" about to leave this Province do appoint my trusted friend Colin Campbell, Esq. as my true and lawful attorney for me and my name (to handle my affairs) as he deems advisable in my interest, the whole or any part of a lot of land containing 500 acres more or less as granted me by letter patent under the great seal of this Provonce. In the 59th. year of His Majesty's reign". (Eight years later this lot was finally sold).
Lt. William Barry Phair and his wife Rebecca H. Phair lived in Fredericton, N.B.: both were named in deeds on the sale of their 500 acres.
Lt. Hugh Flaherty and his wife Catherine sold their block (Lot B) "with all houses, barns, and implements thereon". Apparently this couple lived in St. John, NB.
There seems to be some question as to the veteran status of Wm. Hetherington. He is referred to as "Lieutenant" in only one instance; and, in his deed of Lot No. 8, 100 acres, the familiar phrase appears--"in the military grant, in the tract". Also, he seems to have received only 400 acres instead of the usual allocation of 500 acres due former officers. Lt and Mrs.Hetherington were in St. Andrews at the time of the transfer of these lands. John Hutton (Mariner) was of West Isles; and Wm.Eslis apparently was of St. Stephen.
Other names (on map No. 154 of original owners (and, or settlers) worthy of study are;
John Brown, John Clymont, Michael Dwyer, James Dawson, John Black, Matthew Briant, Henry Orr, Jean Quail, Robert Muncaster, Daniel Gillmore, Charles Riley, John Riley, Charles Smith, Samuel Gov? and John Paine.
(David Corning, Josiah Corning, and Daniel Munson, certainly were much later grants).
David Corning's land is a case in point, which illustates the multiplicity of transfers one particular block of land might undergo. His lots (17 18 250 acres) had been bought from David Stewart Mar. 24, 1862; Stewart had purchased it from a Goss in 1856; and so on backward in time. And yet an asterisk appears on the map giving one to believe that David Corning was the original owner of this triangular piece of property. These good acres were to change hands several times in the coming years. A study of "soldier grants" shows that the practice to induce settlements was quite wide spread in this general area, -- and more especially along the "old Fredericton-St. Andrews Road".

Written by permission of the Saint Croix Courier. Transcribed by Charlene Beney
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