The Days of our Fathers: Beautiful Woodstock and its Loyalist Settlers

Year
1887
Month
9
Day
27
Article Title
The Days of our Fathers: Beautiful Woodstock and its Loyalist Settlers
Author
-----
Page Number
1
Article Type
Language
Article Contents
THE DAYS OF OUR FATHERS BEAUTIFUL WOODSTOCK AND ITS LOYALIST SETTLERS. Sturdy Pioneers Who Nobly Served Their God and Country—A Sketch of the Early History of Carleton County. BY REV. W. O. RAYMOND. At the time the first band of Loyalists arrived in St. John the entire northwestern region of this province contained within the limits of the present counties of Carleton, Victoria and Madawaska was an unbroken forest, in the depths of which wandered a few scattered bands of Indians of the Maliseet tribe. The peaceable and undisturbed possession these aborigines had for ages enjoyed in this vast tract of country was, however, shortly to be broken by the ringing of the “pale man’s axe” in the depths of their native forests. Among the loyalists arriving at St. John in May 1783 was Major Benjamin P. Griffith. The rocky and forbidding appearance of the country at the mouth of the river was to this gentleman’s mind so uninviting that he determined to go further, and if possible effect a settlement upon the upper St. John. The necessary steps to this end were soon taken and having secured the promise of a suitable grant of land he GATHERED AROUND HIM A SMALL, BUT ADVENTUROUS BAND, embraced his own and other families. The government provided a boat for the expedition and afterwards supplied the party with three years’ provisions. Having set out upon their journey the resolute pioneers proceeded up the river with much difficulty, propelling their heavily laden boat with poles, and at times towing it by means of ropes. Arriving at length at a point on the river a few miles below the present town of Woodstock, the appearance of the country proved so inviting that they decided to proceed no further. A landing was affected at what is now known as Bedell’s Coye. They at once determined, as the summer was fast passing away, to fix upon their several locations and make all possible preparations for the coming winter. The modern tourist finds little difficulty in approving the wisdom of manifested by these early pioneers in the choice of their location, for a more charming section of country it would be difficult to find than that bordering the river St. John for several miles below the site of the town of Woodstock. If the traveler should first visit Woodstock by rail he is quite certain to be wearied with the monotony of the dreary waste of barren lands bestrewn with granite boulders, that borders the N. B. R. northward of Mc- Adam Junction. But this experience will only enhance the delight afforded by THE FAIR SCENE THAT MEETS THE EYE at the first glimpse of the St. John. The landscape is simply beautiful. The rapidly moving train brings before the eye an ever- changing panorama of green fields and waving corn, of richly laden orchards, of fair gardens and peaceful homes where still live the children of the Loyalists. In the distance are seen the sparkling waters of the rapidly flowing river, bearing here and there on its bosom an island with verdure clad, and bordered with broad intervale, whence arise the stately yet graceful elm with luxuriant foliage; amongst which a few venerable giants must have looked down as their companions fell beneath the sturdy blows of the first settlers. There, too, in the distance is the little parish church, the direct successor of that erected in 1804 and which was the first church Built north of Fredericton. How peacefully it lies amidst its quiet graves!— graves of those beneath whose axes the giant trees of the forest primeval rang one hundred years ago. Well did they serve God and their country in their day and generation; peace to their ashes! But it is time to return to the story of our little band of settlers, whose early experience had little that was poetical, but was essentially practical and prosaic. Major Griffith settled upon the farm upon which one of his grandsons still lives. It adjoins the farm now owned and occupied by the two sons of the Rev. Canon. DeVeber Here then, in the summer of 1783, we find the heroic little band of pioneers led by Major Griffith, choosing their location, determined to make for themselves a home in the forest. In the course of a few years SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS HAD BEEN ACHIEVED, and the success of the pioneers was assured. Nevertheless, very considerable hardships were experienced, especially during the earlier winters. . The first white child born on the Upper St. John was Christiana, daughter of Major Griffith, born 1785. (The widow of the late James Upham, who died not long since at Woodstock, was born at Kingsclear in 1785, and was the first white child born north of Fredericton.) The early roads of the settlers were merely paths through the woods from house to house. After the settlement had been established half a dozen years there were yet but two horses in the place. The vehicles first used, both in summer and winter, were sleds drawn by oxen, but after a time the more enterprising had carts for summer use, the wheels of which were sax n from a large round log. In the year 1790 the number of families at Woodstock was 23, of which the following were settled upon the western bank of the St. John, viz.: Ketchum, Lane, Young, Smith, Upham, Dickson, Clark, Bedell, Griffith, Fowler, Dibblee, Rogers, McGee, Bull and McShafrey; upon the opposite bank were settled the families of Dr. Larlee, Wolverton, Davenport, Tompkins, Bell, Stanley, Campbell and Philips. Amongst the arrivals in the year 1790 was Frederick B. Dibblee, a loyalist of Stamford, Connecticut, a man of good education and sincere piety, and who was soon after prevailed upon by the people to become their clergyman. As an illustration of the changes wrought by time, as regards the facilities of communication, it may be mentioned that to-day the traveler by train makes the journey from Woodstock to Halifax in 22 hours, and that with all the comfort and luxury modem railways afford. But when Mr. Dibblee sought ordination at the hand of Bishop Inglis, at Halifax, he was obliged to undertake an arduous and fatiguing journey, DESCENDING THE. RIVER BY BOAT AND CANOE, to St. John, thence after a wearisome delay proceeding by the first schooner to Halifax and returning homeward in like manner; the entire journey as a matter of fact occupying more than two months, during which time his family heard not a word from him. Rev. Mr. Dibblee was the first and for 36 years the only minister north of Fredericton, and his field of labor included four parishes. Prince William, Queensbury, Woodstock and Northampton, extending (in 1790) from St. Marys and Kingsclear in York to the northern limit of the province. In the summer of 1792, the bishop of Nova Scotia paid his first visit toWoodstock, and in his report mentions the fact that Mr. Dibblee had taken great pains to educate the Indians of whom “no less than 250 families in and about Woodstock were seriously thinking of devoting themselves to agriculture and giving up their wandering mode of life.” They were led to do this-from the failure of game as the country was being settled. The Indians in the northern part of the province SEEM TO HAVE BEEN LESS PEACEABLY DISPOSED, and caused the settlers no small anxiety. Finally, to relieve them from further apprehension two military posts, each with a small garrison of soldiers, wore opened, one at Presque Isle and the other at Grand Falls. About 1795 the first school house, a log building, was erected on a site adjoining the Indian reservation and but a few yards from where the parish church now stands. James York was the teacher for a number of years with the modest allowance of £ 10 per annum from government. The only books used in his school were the Bible, Dilworth’s spelling book and Dilworth's arithmetic. As an example of the slow progress made by the settlers, owing to their isolated situation, it may be mentioned that the clumsy carts continued, without exception, to be mounted on "log" wheels till 1805. In the summer of that year Rev. Mr. Dibblee and Captain Bull decided to import a pair of cart wheels, made something like those used in modern times. They accordingly sent their sons (one of whom was the late John Dibblee, Esq., judge of probate), down the river to “the Meductic” to procure the wheels. The young men found the return journey more laborious than they had anticipated, and arriving at "Betsey’s Rapids, gazed with some apprehension at the swiftly running current. As luck would have it a solitary horse appeared feeding on the bank. With a cry of “Eureka!” one of the boys leaped ashore with the towline and caught the horse. How to utilize the animal without harness was the question. In this, as in other cases, necessity proved the mother of invention; the rope was speedily attached to the long-suffering animal’s tail, and, with this primitive harness, the first cart wheels arrived at their destination. From Woodstock the settlements gradually extended upwards and back from the river. A large tract of land could be obtained merely by paying $20 or $25 for the grant, and it was a common practice for four or five men to club together, select their land, pay for the grant, and then DRAW LOTS FOR THE PART EACH WAS TO TAKE. The next step was to cut a path from the nearest settlement to their farms, clear a small piece of land, and build a small house of logs, the roof of which was frequently covered with bark from the spruce tree. In 1818 Jacksontown was settled in this way by Messrs. Cole, Kearney, Churchill, Burtt, Freeman and others. Four years later Messrs. Jamieson, Kirk and Porter settled at Richmond—or as it was formerly termed “Scotch Corner.” The following year, 1823, Andrew Currie crossed the “big swamp,” and settled in North Richmond, Captain W. Mackenzie located himself at South Richmond, or “Mackenzie’s corner,” and Messrs. Atkinson, Strong and McKee founded what was termed the “Irish Settlement.” With the increase of population came a demand for other things, amongst the many probably the most important in those early days being grist and saw mills. The first grist mill was built by Major Griffith on his farm, but the stream dried up as the land was cleared, rendering the mill useless, and for a time the nearest mill was at Pokiok, some 20 miles below the town of Woodstock. A grist min and the first saw mill were built shortly afterwards, about four miles above Woodstock, by R. Philips, of Northampton. The first store provided for the accommodation of the people was opened at “the Ferry landing,” near Bull’s Creek, by Aaron Putnam. This was in 1815. Another store was shortly afterwards established by T. Phillips, at Upper Woodstock. About the year 1822 Captain Smith built a saw and grist mill at the mouth of the Maduxnakik river, or, as it was usually known, “the Creek.” It bad been the expectation of the first settlers that the town would be built in the vicinity of Bedell’s Cove, where they first landed; that these expectations were not realized the event shows. Up to the year 1826, however, there were but two houses at the month of “the Creek,” one on the south bank, occupied by Captain Smith (and which, if not still in existence, has been taken down very recently); the other stood upon the opposite side of the stream, on the site of the old Woodstock hotel, and was occupied by Richard Smith. There was therefore at this date, and for many years after, little indication that “the Creek” should prove the site of what is to-day the MOST PROSPEROUS AND ENTERPRISING TOWN in New Brunswick. The progress of the settlements upon the valley of the upper St. John was, however, much impeded by imperfect means of communication with the outside world. The river, indeed, was the only channel of communication and the work of transporting goods and supplies was exceedingly slow and laborious. The first boats used for bringing supplies from Fredericton were large clumsy affairs, in shape something like a ship’s boat, with a broad gunwale, upon which the men walked when pushing with their poles; others at the same time towing with a rope on shore. Mr. J. D. Beardsley was the first to build a boat resembling the tow boats so extensively used in recent times upon the upper St. John, and Mr. Putnam, in 1815, first had these boats towed by a horse. The tow-boat was simply a large scow, upon one end of which was erected a poop or cabin, upon the roof of which the steersman stood with an immense sweep or rudder. At the other end was erected a short mast to which the tow-line was attached and upon which a large square sail was usually hoisted. Tow-boats of this description enjoyed a monopoly of the river traffic on the upper St. John for more than 20 years. As time went on the number of the inhabitants was largely increased BY THE ARRIVAL OF NEW SETTLERS. Amongst these was Captain Charles Raymond of Kingston, who came to Woodstock in 1819, and proved himself a useful citizen. He occupied the position of deputy sheriff of the county of York for many years, and was a prominent officer in the militia in the days when the celebrated “General Muster” was an annual event. Samuel Rice, M. D., who came to Woodstock from Houlton in 1824, was the first resident physician in Carleton County. Many a weary mile did the worthy doctor travel. Bark canoe and riding on horseback were his chief means of conveyance in summer; snow-shoes in winter. About this date a novelty arrived which attracted considerable curiosity. It was nothing more or less than a light carriage or as it was termed “a pleasure wagon.” Mr. Bedell was the happy possessor. The progress made on the Upper St. John was now so considerable that it was considered advisable to form a new county. Accordingly, in 1831, Carleton (including at that time Victoria and Madawaska) was set off from York. J. M. Connell and George Morehouse were the first representatives in the provincial legislature; J. F. W. Winslow, sheriff; B. C. Beardsley, presiding judge of the county court, and John M. Robinson, clerk of the peace. Woodstock was made the shire town. The county buildings were, however, after a good deal of bickering and lobbying, etc., LOCATED AT UPPER WOODSTOCK. An influential and much respected resident of that place is credited with the remark - “Well, we have got the shire town, but we had a d---d hard scrabble for it.” This is supposed to be the origin of the name of Hard Scrabble,” by which Upper Woodstock was usually known by outsiders until quite recently. The inhabitants of Upper Woodstock retaliated by contemptuously terming Woodstock proper as “The Creek.” The jealous feeling existing between county and town, to some extent still exists, and judges of the land and other legal dignitaries still have to drive several miles out of town to attend court. The length already attained by this article compels us to treat very summarily certain important events in the history of Carleton county. In 1839 some dispute arose regarding the boundary line between this province and the state of Maine. This led to the famous “Aroostook war,” during which great local excitement prevailed and a part of the county militia were called out. Thanks to the exertions of Sir John Harvey actual hostilities were avoided and the boundary question was finally settled by the Ashburton treaty in 1842. Two years later, that is in 1814, the county of Victoria was set off from Carleton and the latter county reduced to its present limits. With improved facilities of communication the progress made upon the upper St. John was greatly accelerated. The date of the arrival of the first steamer appears to be somewhat uncertain, the writer’s information derived from an apparently reliable source, is to the effect that in April, 1837,the steamer Novelty left Keswick, seven miles above Fredericton, at 6 o’clock, a.m., and arrived at Woodstock at 10 p.m. the same day. The population turned out en masse to welcome her and the OCCASION WAS ONE OF GREAT REJOICING, manifested by the firing of guns, lighting of bonfires, waving of torches and general manifestations of delight. For many years the river steamers continued to do a profitable business on the Upper St. John, the People’s Line having at one time four steamers—stem-wheelers, drawing about 24 of inches water—plying between Fredericton, Woodstock and Grand Falls. The railway has of recent years driven all these steamers, with one exception, from the route. To the county of Carleton must be ascribed the honor of being the first to accept the municipal form of government, which was adopted in 1852. Samuel Dickinson was the first warden. The town of Woodstock was incorporated in 1856 and Mr. L. P. Pisher elected as its first mayor. The progress of the town has been somewhat retarded by three disastrous fires. Of these the first occurred in I860, and entirely destroyed the business portion of the town; the next was almost contemporaneous with the still more disastrous fire at St. John and the third fire occurred in the succeeding year. This brings our notes on the early history of Carleton down to recent times. The writer trusts that this article hastily compiled amidst active duties and from somewhat fragmentary notes, may not be without interest at a time when an effort is being made through the Agricultural and Mechanical Exhibition at Woodstock to present the resources and capabilities of the garden of New Brunswick to the examination of an intelligent public.