The following article was written by Nancy Danby Vardon and appeared in Generations, the journal of the New Brunswick Genealogical Society, Vol. 18, No. 3 (issue 69), Fall 1996, pp 47 - 49. It is reproduced here with the kind permission of Mrs. Danby and the New Brunswick Genealogical Society. I (CW) would also like to add a word of thanks to Ruth Spicer, who first brought this article to my attention.
Robert Vardon
"Our First Canadian Ancestor"
By Nancy Vardon DanbyBackground
Robert Vardon, our first Canadian ancestor, was born in England to Jonah Vardon and Mary Child. He was baptized March 31, 1754 at the Royal Hospital Greenwich,1 Kent County, England, in the same chapel where his parents were married April 20, 1751.2 He had an older sister, Mary, baptized there also, February 16, 1751.3
His parents were both English, but at the time of this writing (June 1993) no proven information is known of their parentage.
At the time of Jonah's marriage, (father of Robert) to Mary Child, he is recorded as a Bachelor, of the parish of All Hallows the Great,4 London. This parish is in Dowgate Ward, located on the north shore of the river Thames, south of Upper Thames Street and just west of London Bridge. All Hallows the Great church was pulled down in 1897 to make way for the Cannon Street train station.
We have record that Jonah lived in this same parish in 17545 which is the year of Robert's birth. Adjacent to All Hallows Stairs leading to the Thames River was at that time Doublet's Wharf. In 1918 this site was occupied by the City of London Brewery.
The Chapel of the Royal Hospital where Robert was baptized is part of the Greenwich Pensioners' Hospital, founded by William and Mary in 1694, which was build on the site of the great palace of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, incorporating the incomplete palace of Charles II. The original chapel, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, was destroyed by fire in 1779. The chapel was rebuild and this magnificent structure is most worthy of a visit.Naval Service
Robert Vardon entered the Royal Navy in his 18th year (anno 1772 ).6 There is little known about his Naval record till August 22, 1779, when Lieutenant Robert Vardon reported for duty on board the (14 Gun) War Sloop Albany, by orders of Sir George Collier.7
The Albany was the flag ship of a three ship squadron protecting General McLean's army in the Penobscot. The squadron was under the command of Captain Henry Mowat and consisted of the Albany, (flag ship of squadron), the North (Captain Selby) and the Nautilus, (Captain Farnham). This squadron was assigned to protect four transport ships and soldiers under the command of General McLean, who was responsible for the building of a fort at Maabagaduce, Penobscot, Maine. These three sloops under Captain Mowat enabled the King's Forces to hold out a close siege for 21 days against a fleet and army six times their number until reinforcements arrived from New York. Reinforcements consisted of a squadron of six ships under the command of Vice Admiral Sir George Collier who later became Admiral of the Blue. The flag ship of the reinforcement squadron was the 64 gun man of war Raisonable accompanied by the Blonde, Greyhound, Galatea, Camailla and Virginia.
The siege and battle took place during July and August of 1779. This Penobscot Expedition was the largest American naval fleet assembled during the Revolutionary War. The Americans were defeated and lost their entire fleet.
Lt. Robert Vardon maintained the ship's log on the Albany for the period of August 22, 1779 to December 30, 1780.8
Some time during 1781 Lt. Robert Vardon was made Commander of the Albany. When a Lieutenant was placed in command of a war sloop he may be referred to as "Captain" or "Commander" in the Royal Navy.
In 1782 The Albany was lost in the bay of Penobscot and Robert retired from the service.9The American Revolution
During the time of the American Rebellion, the British town of Campbelltown existed on the site that is now Castine, Maine. The British built a fort here (Fort George). At this time, Robert Vardon was a lieutenant serving on the Albany, a sloop of the Royal Navy in Penobscot Bay.10
Benjamin Milliken, a prosperous mill owner and ship builder and the founder of Ellsworth, on the Union River was forced to seek protection of the British at Fort George after his grist & saw mills and farm in general, were destroyed by rebel forces. Benjamin had a large family - 18 children from 3 wives (Sarah, Elizabeth and Phebe).
The story goes11 that Robert fell in love with young Phebe Milliken, the daughter of Benjamin and his third wife Phebe Jordan. Apparently while Robert was visiting Phebe (Phoebe) ashore, when he should have been on duty aboard his vessel, he was cashiered.12 He hired a vessel from Colin Campbell and took Phebe to Halifax and/or New York and then to England. At this time Phebe was not yet 16. They remained in England a year or so where their first child Harriet (Harriot) was born. She was baptized in the same chapel as her father - the Royal Hospital Greenwich, September 5, 1784.
Soon after this the young family returned to British North America to settle at Bocabec, in the newly formed Charotte County of New Brunswick.Phebe Milliken
Robert's wife Phebe Milliken, was born August 30, 1767, in Scarboro (Maine)13 to Benjamin Milliken and Phebe Jordan. Her ancestry includes many of the early settlers of the American seaboard, dating back to the early 1600's. She brings into the Vardon ancestral chart such families as Jordan, Gray, Norman, Alger, Deering, Bray, Palmer, Pettigrew, Milliken, Wilmot, Mulberry, Tristram, Winter, Lacy and Bowden.14
The marriage of Robert and Phebe (Miligan) is recorded in the parish records of All Saints Church, St. Andrews, October 4, 1792. As this is after the birth of their first five children, this produces much speculation as to the delay in their marriage.Penobscot Loyalist Association
The inhabitants of Penobscot, who wished to remain loyal to the British Crown, following the many years of American conflict, formed what was known as the Penobscot Loyalist Association. These persons, along with their agents, migrated into Canada to St. Andrews, New Brunswick.
St. Andrews was an orderly settlement with land granted by a systematic process of township selection, land distribution and town lot assignment.15 Robert Vardon, by a formal land grant to the Penobscot Association Loyalists, dated 21 July 1784, was granted St. Andrews town lot BH4 (Charlotte County Book "A" pp 165-175). He was also granted, 3 August 1784, farm lot number 176 (Book "A" pp. 176-186).Life in New Brunswick
Robert Vardon, after his naval service, was referred to in land transactions as "gentlemen" or "merchant" but his obituary says he "devoted most of his time to agriculture."
He settled at Bocabec on 230 acres (more or less), on the western side of the Boquebeck River, on part of a parcel of 1000 acres granted to James Boyd in 1780 [sic: should be 1767. CPW]. On this property was a point of land referred to on old maps as "Vardon Point." Today this is known as Holt's Point.
Here with his wife Phebe they raised their 11 children (2 sons and 9 daughters). He died here in March 1838 at the age of 83 and is buried on the family property. His obituary states:
The high character of this deceased gentleman sustained through the course of his long life of intelligence, benevolence, uprightness of conduct and pleasing manners, accrued the respect and esteem of persons of all classes who had the favour of his acquaintance. Mr. Vardon was to the last, zealously attached to the religion of his forefathers and country.
It is not known where or when his wife Phebe died.
After their father's death, the two Vardon sons, Robert Buffington and Thomas Wyre, along with their two sisters Mary and Anne, who had both married Turners (Thomas and Issac), emigrated to Pickering Township, Ontario, close to where their mother's brother, Norman Milliken, was already well established in nearby Markham Township. Thus begins the story of the Vardon's of Ontario which will be written soon.Robert Vardon's Sons
Robert Buffington Vardon (1802-1856) married Rachel Turner (1801-1845) of Bocabec, New Brunswick. They had six children, 5 sons and 1 daughter, all born in New Brunswick and all moved with them to Ontario.
Thomas Wyer Vardon (1805-1870) married in 1827 Hannah Hawkins of Penfield, New Brunswick. They also had six children, 3 sons and 3 daughters who also all moved to Ontario.
These two brothers settled on lots 29 and 30 in the 5th and 6th concessions of Pickering.Prepared 1993 by: Nancy Vardon Danby - OGS #7091
5 Beech Street
Markham, Ontario, L3P 2A1References
1 Parish Register - Greenwich Royal Hospital, Kent County, England
2 Parish Register - Greenwich Royal Hospital. Kent County, England
3 Parish Register - Greenwich Royal Hospital, Kent County, England
4 Parish Register - Greenwich Royal Hospital, Kent County, England
5 Inscription on an old Morocco wallet bearing in gilt letters the inscription "Jonah Vardon. At the Doublet, Thames Street, 1754." History of the Families Millingas & Millanges (Milliken) G.T. Ridlon 1907.
6 Obituary - St. Andrews Standard - March 24, 1838
7 Ship Musters P.R.0 Kew, England A.D.M. 36 #267
8 National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England. A.D.M. L/A 252 Part 1. Log Page 106-148
9 Obituary -
10 Elinor Mawson, Archivist, Charlotte County Historical Society
11 Elinor Mawson, Archivist, Charlotte County Historical Society
12 Public Record Office, Kew, England, A.D.M. 12 27B
13 G.T. Ridlon 1907 as in # 5
14 Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire
15 1781-1821 Thesis by Roger Paul Nason, Charlotte Co. Historical Society, Inc.