Item
Reverend Samuel Andrews, Minister All Saints Church
Deed
Book B pp. 123-24
Capt. Samuel Osborn to Rev. Samuel Andrews
Middlesex. Know all men by these presents that I Samuel Osborn Esq. late commander of His Majesty’s Ship The Ariadne and now of London I the County of Middlesex, for an in consideration of the sum of two hundred and fifty pounds lawful money of the Province of New Brunswick to me paid by Samuel Andrews of Saint [blank] County of Charlotte and Province of New Brunswick in North America, Clerk, the receipt whereof [blank] acknowledged have granted bargained and sold, and by these presents do grant, bargain and sell [blank] Sam’l Andrews Clerk and Missionary from the Society for the propagation of the gospel in [blank] the Parish of Saint Andrews aforesaid, his Heirs and Assigns, all that Island Called Cham [blank] ate [sic] lying and being within the County of Charlotte in the Province of New Brunswick in North [blank] on the West side of the Grand Bay of Passamaquoddy, bounded by the waters of the said Bay [blank] red [sic] acres more or less, of which said Island and its situation in respect to the shores [blank] the plan annexed to the original grant of the said Island unto the said Samuel [blank] le [sic] is a representation, as by the said original Grant on Letters Patent under the [blank] aid [sic] Province of New Brunswick bearing date the twenty sixth day of August in the [blank] one thousand seven hundred and eighty five and the said place thereunto annexed, duly [blank] aining [sic] upon Record in the Registry of the Province of New Brunswick, aforesaid [blank] thereto being had may more freely and at large appear—together with all woods, underwoods, timber and timber trees, lakes ponds, fishings, waters, water courses, profits, commodities, appurtenances, and hereditaments whatsoever thereunto belonging or in any wise appertaining together with the privilege of hunting, hawking and fowling in and upon the same and mines and minerals, saving and reserving nevertheless unto His Majesty his heirs and successors, all white pine trees if any such shall be found growing thereon; and also saving and reserving to His said majesty, his heirs and successors, all mines of Gold, silver, copper, lead and coals; to have and to hold the said lands and premises with the appurtenances to the said Samuel Andrews his heirs and Assigns, and to his and their only use and behalf forever and I do for myself any heirs executors and administrators covenant with the said Samuel Andrews his heirs and Assigns that I am seized of the premises as a good indefeasible estate of inheritance in fee simple free of and from all manual of ? whatsoever and have good right and lawful authority to grant bargain and sell the same in manner and form as above written. In Witness whereof I have hereto set my hand and seal this fifteenth day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety one and in the thirty first year of his majesty’s Reign—Sam’l Osborn
Signed sealed and delivered in presence of us, acknowledged to be the Deed of Hannah Jarvis , Samuel Peters the son [of the] Sam’l Osborn by him this fifteenth day of march 1791 at the Public Office in Symonds Inn before me at master in Chancery, T. Walker.
I John Boydell Lord Mayor of the City of London do herby certify that Thomas Walker, before whom the acknowledgement of the Execution of the Bargain and sale hereunto annexed by Samuel Osborn appears to have been taken and whose name is thereunder written and subscribed is a Master of the High court of Chancery in England and is a person to whom all faith and credit ought to be given.
In testimony whereof I have caused the seal of the Office of Mayor to be hereunto affixed the sixteenth day of March in the thirty first year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King George the Third by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, and so forth.
Saint Andrews, Charlotte County, Registered 1st June 1791. H. B. Brown, Registrar
Sept 11, 1798
New Brunswick Royal Gazette
For sale, that valuable island called Chamcook, containing 700 acres, more or less, said island has about 100 acres of land under improvement, it cuts 40 tons of hay, has arable and pasture land in proportion, it has a fine thriving orchard, an house, barn and outhouses, is well watered and timbered, said island lies about one mile and a half from the town of St. Andrews, and is found by the mainland by a bar which is dry 8 hours in 12. For further particulars inquire Samuel Andrews, St. Andrews, Feb. 27th, 1798.
City Gazette
7 October, 1818
Died St. Andrews, 26th ult., age 82, Rev. Samuel Andrews (see original).
Beacon
May 1/1890
A Bit of History
Historical Sketch of Church of England in SA
What we owe to the Life and Labor of Two Good Men
Written by Rev. Canon Ketchum, Rector of All Saints Church
The circumstances attending the American Revolution, and the final separation from the mother country, form some of the saddest incidents in past history. From first to last, on the part of the British government, there was the grossest mismanagement. Now, that the remembrance of the bitterness of this deadly strife is past, the wise ordering of the Divine Providence can be plainly observed and this not only as affecting the state more than the church of England in the American colonies. All along the church had been weak in the disaffected Provinces. It met with no aid or support from the ruling powers in England. At the outbreak of the revolution, the Church of England, with its episcopacy and connection with the State, was regarded with intense dislike by the powerful Publican party; its members were classed with all those loyal to the crown, and were in most instances, treated accordingly.
The fearful struggle was over AD 1776. Independence was secured by those who had dared and suffered much. Then came about the most interesting incidents in that stirring time, the departure of the loyal refugees. They were, for the most part, members of the Church of England. Loyalty to the Great Head of the Church as well as loyalty to the crown formed the principle which led to this movement. They little thought that the foundations were being laid for one of the greatest earthly powers, and far less that in a century, that church, in behalf of which they were ready to suffer, would in the country they left, become one of the strongest of its branches, its members truly loyal to Him by “whom kings reign,” maintaining the closest communion with the Mother Church in England and colonies.
Few fail to admire the self-denial and determination on the part of those who left comparative comfort and culture to form new homes, in most instances in a wilderness and in a trying climate. Loyalists in considerable numbers took up their abode in St. John and King’s country. Many went further up the Saint John and settled at Fredericton and Woodstock and at points along that river.
SA at that time, from its opportunity for trade and shipping, [why it was founded in the first place] was becoming a prosperous place, [before Loyalists?] as much so as any in the Province. Here came in 1783, several families of the loyal refugees, and soon occupied a prominent position in the place. Some of the earliest interments in the Province took place in the old church burial ground. Lately the grave stones have been carefully set up; the inscriptions on many a deeply interesting, going back in some instance a 100 years and more.
Almost coeval with the laying out of the town we find a record of a parochial establishment in connection with the Church of England. The Rev. Dr. Cook was then ecclesiastical commissary, under the Bishop of NS, whose Diocese included the Province of NB. In November 1785 Dr. Cook visited St. Andrews. He speaks of its as “about 20 leagues distant from Saint John, the town well settled and consisting of 200 houses. There were no less than 60 children who had not been baptized, which gave,” he says, “their parents great uneasiness.” At the earnest desire of the Bishop, coupled with the request of the Governor, who had just been at SA, Dr. Cook undertook a long and perilous voyage. He set out from Saint John in a brig Nov 6th, 1785. Owing to severe weather he did not reach Campobello until the 13th. He landed on the island, read prayers and preached to the settlers. He baptised a woman 40 years old, and 7 children. On the 16th of Nov., Dr. Cooke reached St. Andrews where he was kindly and hospitably entertained at the house of Robert Pagan. He “held service,” he writes, “on the following Sunday and had a very decent and respectable congregation, and performed 50 baptisms. He then crossed the bay to Digdeguash and baptised ten. Here, on account of the cold weather, he was detained three days. Returning to St. Andrews he baptised 12 more. Many parents were hindered from bringing out their children by the inclemency of the weather.
Many prominent clergymen, especially in the States of NY and Connecticut were ready to cast in their lot with the loyalists. Among them was the Rev. Samuel Andrews of Wallingford, Con. He was a graduate of Yale College and was ordained by the Bishop of London AD 1760. From the church at Wallingford, Mr. Andrews brought with him the crown and coast of arms, which are now placed over the west door in All Saints church. The parish and church he left are now among the most important in the Diocese. A celebration of the centennial of the parish will be held in June next. Here, it may be mentioned, that the relatives of the first rector of St. Andrews in the United States, have manifested a deep interest in this parish. From them were received the beautiful chancel windows in All Saints Church, as a memorial to the Rev. Samuel Andrews. They have also given generously towards the fund lately expended in improving the grounds and restoring and cleaning the grave stones in the old church burial ground.
The following is a copy from the minutes of the first meeting of the Vestry in the parish of Sa, held August 2, 1786. Present, Rev. Samuel Andrews; Thomas Wyer, and Joseph Garnet, Ch. Wardens John Hall, Maurice Scott, John Dunn, Joseph Pendlebury, John Bentley, Vestrymen. William Gallop, esq., appeared and was sworn in a vestryman and took his seat accordingly. A letter was read by the missionary, of which the following is an extract:
I have invited you here at this time to consult upon such measures as may be requisite in the settlement and enrolment of this infant Church. The first thing should be a letter of thanks to the Society for the propagation of the gospel for their liberal provision for the support of the gospel among you, for their interests with the government, and the conditions for the further support of the missionary. Your abilities at present are too slender to render that support considerable. You would do well to apply to the governor for a charter of incorporation. The Society in England, together with the government have agreed to contribute towards the building a decent Glebe House. I wish to bring my family next spring, the cost of removing large family such a distance is very considerable, and in the service for the parish I am now spending for my board that money which the Society in England gave me to defray the expense of removing.”
To this letter a kind and most courteous response was made by the vestry. Further on, in these interesting records, we find the judicious suggestions of the Rector were carried out.
From a valuable work by G. Herbert Lee, on the first fifty years of the Church of England in NB, it is said: On arriving at St. Andrews the Rev. Samuel Andrews found “a considerable body of people of different national extractions, living in great harmony and peace, punctual in attending divine service and behaving with propriety and devotion.” The civil magistrate, ever since the town was settled, had acted as Lay Reader on Sundays, and set the people a good example.
In 1788 a church 55 x 40 was built and opened on St. Andrews day. Towards this a large allowance was contributed by the government. A bell weighing 350 pounds was given by Mr. John MacMaster, merchant in London. During thy year ending June 1780, [sic] Mr. Andrews baptised 70 persons. In 9 months Ad 1791 he baptised 110. In a distant part of the parish, in a lonely house, after due preparation he baptized the matron of a family, 82 years of age, her son of 60 years, 2 grandsons and 7 great grand children.
The church, which was among the first erected in the province, was afterwards enlarged by an apsidal chancel, and was in many respects far superior to many churches built at that time. Replaced by the present parish church 1867, the timers and other materials of the old church were found on their being taken down to be of the very best description. In some instances, they had been brought from the US. The pulpit, doors and large portion of the inner roof of the present church are formed from the wood of the first church built in St. Andrews.
After the erection of the church, the parochial work of the rector of the parish was more concentrated, with regular services. . . . The work of Mr. Andrews was necessarily very trying. He was rector of SA, and the only missionary, for many years of the County of Charlotte. He performed all his arduous duties with zeal and ability. Old records tell of extended visits of adjacent island and far up the country, in what are now the flourishing parishes of St. Stephen and St. George. Bear in mind the difficulty of travelling those days before even roads were made. . . . The death of Mr. Andrews occurred on the 26th Sept, 1818, at the advanced age of 82 years, thirty of which had been spent in the arduous work of a missionary in NB In a notice in the Saint John City Gazette, Oct. 7th, 1818, it is said: “This pious and amiable character has retired from the world full of years and of a admiration and esteem of all who knew him. . . . and while memory hold its seat the recollection of his virtues and of his worth will be consecrated in the hearts of all his parishioners.
Beacon
May 15, 1890
Some Old Tombstones
Rev Andrews and wife’s inscriptions
Sacred to the Memory of
The Rev. Samuel Andrews, A. M.,
The first rector of this parish,
Who departed this life the 26th day
Of Sept A. D. 1818
Aet 82.
Thus, after a well spent life and faithful
Ministry of 58 years
This beloved father of his flock
Has resigned his sprit
Into the hands of Him who gave it
Looking forward
To that crown of immortality
Which
The Lord, the righteous judge,
Shall at the last great day
Bestow
On all his faithful servants.
In memory of
Mrs. Hannah Andrews
Last
Consort of the Rev’d Samuel Andrews
Who departed this life
Jan. first, 1816
Aged seventy-five years.
I pass the gloomy vale of death
From fear and anger free
For there his aiding rod an staff
Defend and comfort me.
Beacon
June 19/1890
Delving in the Past
How We Did our Business a Century Ago
. . . A CLERGYMAN ROADMAKING
Rev. Samuel Andrews made a strong appeal to the sessions at that time “to devise a more certain and equal support for their poor.” He also presented a petition for a road to Chamcook Island, stating that he had been proprietor of the island for seven years [since 1785 then, which would mean Osburn sold to him the same year he acquired the island, and the 1791 deed is post-dated, as it seemed to be] and had not been able to get a road from the town to it. “Much the greater part of the time he has been obliged to go to and from the island upon the sea shore, and to cross the water of the Cove, which has been the occasion of much trouble and great delay to him and has sometimes been attended with personal danger to himself and others.” He goes onto say that he had cut three road through the woods but had been obliged to give up two of them as soon as made. “Finding finally that he must give up the island altogether, or aught of any land he could get for a road to it he has complied with the offer of the proprietors of the land about Chamcook bar, and by their friendly assistance has but a road through the woods, to a line between them from the Bar till it strikes the great road, which leads from town to the country. This has been an expensive undertaking, and tho’ assisted by the others immediately concerned in the road with him, it has cost your memorialist at least six pounds currency, over and above his quota of work upon the public road.” He asked for certain concessions, which were allowed.
Beacon
June 26/1890
Ninety Years Ago
Extracts From the Record of the Sessions
SUPPRESSING VICE AND IMMORALITY
Rev. Samuel Andrews requested the aid of the court in 1789 in suppressing vice and immorality. The Grand Jury replied:--
That they feel deeply impressed with the truths stated by the Reverend Mr. Andrews, particularly the profanation of the Lord’s Day. They lament that the regulations heretofore made to prevent drunkenness on the Sabbath have not had the desired effect; they also beg leave to state that it would be proper for the Sessions to take some measure to prevent fowling and fishing on the Sabbath, which they are sorry to learn is practiced by some persons in town, likewise to prevent boys and servants playing in the streets in different parts of this Town, which has been long complained of as a nuisance. It is customary in many places for the church Wardens to visit public houses and different parts of their parishes during divine service and at other times on the Lord’s Day; they believe such a regulation would be attended with good effect in this parish.
Beacon
Jan 16/1896
Friends of Samuel Andrews, youngest son of Mr. M. J. C Andrews, have been painted to hear of his distressing death in San Jose, Cal, the result of an overdose of morphine. His family received a letter from him written the day before his death. He was then in good health and spirits.
Beacon
Jan 21/1897
Minister’s Island. A Few Facts in Connection with the Early History of the island.
One of the oldest and most respected residents of the parish of St. Andrews is Mr. Marshall Andrews, who shares the ownership of Minister’s Island with his son and Sir William Van Horne. In his younger days, Mr. Andrews was a man of commanding height and as strong as a lion. His weight of 84 years has bowed his figure and robbed him of much of his youthful strength, but his intellect is as clear as ever it was, and he can discourse most interestingly on events of bygone days.
In talking with the Beacon, concerning the early history of Minister’s Island, on Thursday last, Mr. Andrews says the island was originally granted by the crown to Capt. Samuel Osburn, commander of the British gunboat Arethusa. in return for services performed by him in protecting the lives and property of the loyalist refugees. Subsequently, Mr. Andrews’s grandfather, Rev. Samuel Andrews, the first rector of SA, purchased it from Capt. Osburn for £500. Rector Andrews, as most people acquainted with the history of St. Andrews know, had been in charge of an Anglican church in Connecticut, a the time of the United States rebellion. Being strongly attached to the crown, he bade farewell to his Connecticut home and removed with other Royalists to NB. The coat of arms he brought with him from his Connecticut church now adorns the walls of All Saints’ Church and there is not sufficient wealthy in the whole of Connecticut to buy that precious heir-loom from its present owners.
It was soon after he arrived here that Rector Andrews purchased Minister’s Island. The deed of purchase, also the grant from the crown to Capt. Osburn, are still in the possession of his grandson. The purchaser of the island was not permitted to enter into full possession of the island for some time, as another family, named Hanson, had squatted upon it and refused to leave. Captain Osburn undertook to scare Hanson away by erecting a target on the bank in front of his house and firing at it with his big guns. the balls tore through the threes and whistled around the Hanson domicile, but they did not cause the occupant to abandon the place. To employ a latter day vulgarism Hanson was “on to the racket” and whenever Capt. Osburn began target practice he removed himself and his family to the Indian encampment farther down the island, and remained there until the Captain got through with his fun, when he returned home. Finding that he could not be scared, Rector Andrews succeeded in getting him to vacate by giving him £100. The oft-repeated story that the Rector bought the squatter off with a hogshead of rum is pronounced by Mr. Marshall Andrews to be untrue. Over forty years ago, while walking through the island forest with is father, Mr. Marshall Andrews observed that many of the large trees were torn and mutilated. He wondered at the cause, when he father told him of Captain Osburn’s’ pranks. Since then the story has been corroborated by the finding of large cannon balls at the foot of the cliff near where the Hanson homestead stood. On the death of the rector the island was bequeathed to his son, the father of the present occupant. He was Sheriff of Charlotte County for a great many years. As his official duties compelled him to spend a great part of his time on the mainland, Sheriff Andrews decided to sell half of the island. Rev. Mr. Cassels obtained possession of this half, and subsequently it fell into the hands of William Douglas, a study Scotchman. he was unable to satisfy the indebtedness against the property, an it reverted to the original owner, who passed it down to his son. With the later history of the island most people in this section are familiar.
In the early days, the island was a favorite hunting grounds. it abounded in game of all kinds, and at certain seasons of the year the wild fowl were so plentiful that they could be killed with clubs. the abundance of game in the vicinity attracted many Indians On the island there were two large encampments of the savages, and the clam shell mounds that they left behind them are to be seen to this day. occasionally stone hatchets and other implements of offence and defence are found. Some years ago, the island was visited by a local antiquarian, who has since made a name for himself. On a rock in front of the Indian encampment he found a number of characters, which he claimed were placed there by the Indians. Mr. Andres, who saw these characters and who was instructed afterward to have the stone removed to the university museum in Fredericton, declares, however, that the characters had no significance whatever, and that they were caused by the iron teeth of his harrow and not by Indians. Be this as it may, the visiting professor was able to work up quite an interesting narrative.
Mr. Andrews further informed the Beacon that the old colored woman, who died in the Alms House last week, was the daughter of a slave owned by his grandfather on this maternal side, Rev. Richard Clark, who came here with the loyalists and was the first rector of Gagetown. he brought with him two slaves Jerry Cole and wife. Polly, lately deceased, was one of the fruits of this union. She was brought up by a daughter of Rev. Mr. Clark, who resided in St. Stephen. She was about 95 years of age.
Beacon
Feb. 18/1897
Minister’s Island
On Monday, M. J. C. Andrews, brought to the Beacon office the original grant from George III to Capt. Samuel Osborne, of Chamcook Island, now known as Minister’s Island. This grant, which is quite a formidable document, is dated 26th august, 1785, and gives Capt. Osborne complete possession of the entire island. No reference is made to any others who claimed rights thereon. Endorsed on the back is the receipt from Capt. Osborne’s attorney to Rev. Samuel Andrews, grandfather of one of the present occupants of the island. this receipt is in the following terms:
St. Andrews, 23rd Feb., 1788.
Received of the Rev. Mr. Samuel Andrews, Missionary of the parish, of St. Andrews, the sum of two hundred and fifty pounds, current money of the Province. of New Brunswick, being the full consideration money for the Island within mentioned.
Edw. Buller
Attorney for Samuel Osborne
£250 New Brunswick currency
Witnesses,
Joe Garnett
W. B. Brown
Mr. Andrews is of the opinion that Mr. Hanson must be wrong when he says that his progenitor’s home was where sir William Van Horne’s residence now stands. One of the first considerations with a settler was the question of water, and as there was no spring within half a mile of the site of Sir William’s residence it is hardly likely that John Hanson made his home where his descendant says he did. In reference to the charge that Hanson was made drunken by Capt. Osborne and Rev. Mr. Andrews, for the purpose of securing possession of the property occupied by him. Mr. Andrews thinks this would be hardly like an act that would be countenanced by an officer of the British navy and a minister of the gospel.
Beacon
Feb. 25/1897
The Dead of 1897
Details on the life and death of Mr. M. J. C. Andrews, of Minister’s Island.
By the death of Mr. M. J. C. Andrews, of Minister’s Island, another link which bound us to the past has been severed. Mr. Andrews was a native of Sa, having been born here 85 years ago (1812). His father, the late E. Sheldon Andrews, was for many years the respected Sheriff of this County. His grandfather, Rev. Samuel Andrews, was the first rector of the parish of Sa, having come here with the Loyalists from Connecticut. The reverend gentleman obtained possession of Minister’s Island from the grantee of the crown in 1788 and since then it has been in the control of the Andrews family for the greater part of the time. The late Marshall Andrews was a splendid specimen of physical manhood, and in his early life had a local renown for his athletic prowess. Of late years he has been suffering from heart trouble, which for many weeks prior to his death prevented him from sleeping upon his bed. On Monday afternoon, he drove into town to have a chat with the editor of the Beacon. Though complaining of his heart, his voice was strong and his memory appeared to be as sound as ever it was. On Tuesday, while walking in his farm-yard he was seized with a spasm in his heart, and was only able to drag himself into his barn, where he laid for some time before he was discovered. The excitement thus caused aggravated the trouble from which he was suffering, and he never recovered from it, passing away peacefully just before midnight on Wednesday. he remained rational until the last moment, one of his latest requests being that a contribution be sent for him to the Indian famine fund. The deceased was twice married and leaves a widow and ten children surviving him. His sons now living are Capt. Fred Andrews, who some years ago retired from the sea on account of failing eyesight, and who is now ill in Boston, Capt. Marshall Andrews, now in command of the ship Robert S. Besnard, Edward L. Andrews, who is part owner and occupier of Minister’s Island, and Sheldon Andrews who resides in the province of Manitoba. His six daughters are Mrs. J. L. Lockie, of Toronto, Mrs. Henry Maxwell, of SS, Mrs. James Mowatt, of St. Croix parish, Mrs. Dr. Clark, of Kingston, Mrs. F. A. Stevenson, of SA, and Mrs. Fred Mowatt, of Boston. The late Mr. Andrews was a warden of All Saints Church for many years, and was deservedly esteemed for his manliness and integrity of character. His death, though not unexpected, was a sad blow to his family and friends. The funeral of the deceased took place from All Saints Church on Sunday afternoon lat. Rev. Canon Ketchum conducted an impressive ceremony in the church. Rev. E. W. Simmonson taking the services at the grave. The cortege was a very long one.
Beacon
Sept 12/1907
Canada’s Favorite Watering Place. T. C. L. K. in Montreal Standard.
[Longish article, with glance at possibility as port. Minister’s Island mentioned.]
. . . A mile or so, and across the water you notice Minister’s Island, where Sir William Van Horne has his beautiful summer home.
Among the old stalwart Tories who would not give up British connection was Rev. Samuel Andrews, who like many of a similar mind, came from Connecticut. He found his way to SA, and was, in time, given a grant of the island, known later as Minister’s or Andrews’s island. His grandson has yet a home on the island granted to his forefather, though, with this small reservation it now belongs to Sir William Van Horne. And the Rev. Samuel brought with him two relics of the pre-revolution days—a Crown and Coat of Arms. They may be seen at this day t the west end of Al Saints Parish Church. . . .
St. Croix Courier
Dec 11/1941
Shiretown Items
A Bit of Local History
A letter from Wilbur J. Heuer, Edgerton, Wisconsin, making some inquiries, regarding an ancestor formerly residing here, was forwarded to me by the recipient, Chester A. Dixon, of Deer Island, with a request that I dig up some information on the matter, if interested. By the help of some good friends I have got together a little story which I thought might be of interest to others besides the inquirer. Mr. Heuer’s letter states: “Grandfather James Douglas was born about 1849 on Minister’s Island off SA, where he lived until about 9 years of age, spent several years in Saint John , and then migrated to Western Canada, and later to Wisconsin, volunteering as a Canadian in our Civil War, where he held the rank of major. His father, according to legend, owned this island and as a sea captain operated several sailing vessels with that as his base. He lost most of his estate as a result of guaranteeing a large venture in which the then prime minister of Canada was an associate.
For a beginning we shall go back to the year 1779 when two men, named Ephraim Young and John Hanson (latter being the great, great grandfather of D. G. Hanson, the present Collector here) came from Gouldsboro, Maine, and settled on what was then called Chamcook Island. On their way they stopped for a short period on Campobello (Admiral Owen’s records). Hanson had served in the British Provincial Army from 1757 to 1763, and was with Wolfe at the taking of Quebec. He was 41 years old when he came to Chamcook (afterwards called Minister’s Island).
At that time the population of St. Andrews was two. The place was called Consquamcook or Quanoscumcook by the Indians. This population consisted of two men who lived in a log cabin about where the record office now sits, and their home was on the bank of a small stream which emptied into the harbour at the point where Mr. Jos. Handy’s house is situated. They carried on a fur trade with the Indians. Their names are lost in the mists of the long ago, but they were agents for Brown and Frost of Saint John.
Mr. Young and Mr. Hanson, on arriving at Chamcook Island, immediately set to work and cleared a plot of ground. They lived there precariously for six years, being both married and having families. This whole island was in 1785 granted to Capt Osborne by the government of the newly formed province of NB. On learning that grants were being made Young and Hanson petitioned for the land but were too late. They were paid a fair sum for improvements they had made. They then each bought a lot of land at Bocabec. Hanson’s lot was situated on what is now called the Holt Point’s Road. There he lived the remainder of his life, died and was buried, the little private cemetery being still cared for by his descendants. Young settled farther inland. His son, Isaac, married Sarah, daughter of John Hanson, and their descendants till live there, or in other parts of Charlotte county.
In 1785 (year of grant) this island was purchased from Capt. Osborne by the Rev. Samuel Andrews, who was for many years a prominent figure in the life of St. Andrews, which had been founded by a group of Loyalists Oct 3, 1783. Rev. Andrews paid 250 pounds for the island. In 1828 a plot of land on the island (now called Minister’s) was sold to William Douglas by Elisha Andrews, son of the Rev. Samuel. This lot was situated on the north-westside of the island, the boundaries beginning at the bar. The deed is on record, but the acreage is not mentioned. In May 1832 Elisha Andrews sold another 50 acres to William Douglas. In 1838 Douglas mortgaged this property to Neville Parker for 500 pounds sterling. In 1841 the property was sold by the Sherifff “for want of sufficient goods and chattels of said William Douglas to make the several debts and damages aforesaid, did serve and take in execution all that certain piece of land situated on Chamcook or Minister’s Island (so called) being farm on which island William Douglas resides and particularly described in deeds of conveyance thereof from the late Elisha Andrews.” Land conveyed to George D. Street by Sheriff’s deed, who immediately conveyed same to Marshall Andrews, 1841. William Douglas owned lots in St. Andrews and several blocks of land in other part of the country, all of which, records show, was sold for debt before the homestead on the island.
There was a certain James Douglas, a merchant, living in SA, about the same time. On June 30, 1830, he sold lots 3 and 4 in Block P, Parr’s Division, to William Kinnear, Saint John. This is the property now owned and occupied by Miss Olive Hosmer as a summer residence. Customs records show that James Douglas did a thriving business.
I have no doubt that William Douglas was the father of the James Douglas referred to in Mr. Heuer’s letter, but this James must have been born previous to 1849. I regret that I have been unable to learn anything of William Douglas’ history either before or after this period spent on Minister’s Island. But his stay on the island and the losses he incurred seem to bear out the truth of the “legend” referred to in Mr. Heuer’s letter, except that there was no Dominion of Canada at that time and consequently no premier of NB. I have told quite a long story and have not given the inquirer much information about his ancestry. But I have learned much that is of great interest to myself and hope it will be to the general reader. I doubt if any person now living in St. Andrews knew that for those several years a great part of Minister’s Island did not belong to the Andrews family.
Telegraph Journal
March ? 1977
Former Gardener—Favors Government Purchase of Island
Steve Belding, Staff Writer
Nobody feels any more strongly that Minister’s Island here should be purchased by the provincial government and renovated into a historical site than W. J. (Bill) Clarke. But he’s a little dubious about the fuss the town of St. Andrews has been kicking up about the matter lately. “I think it’s a little late,” the 72-year-old former head gardener of Minister’s Island said in an interview. “They should have done it quite a few years ago.” [townspeople, that is--well put]
Mr. Clarke was referring specifically to a demonstration by a group of citizens opposing a public auction on the 500 acre island last weekend and outcries against it last week by the town council of St. Andrews.
A talkative, friendly man, Mr. Clarke was at the scene of the auction in a drawing room of the main mansion of the former summer estate of national figure Sir William Van Horne. He watched as one antique and artefact after another went on the auction block—items that he’d been close to in the past and which had been part of the distinct character of the rambling, Dutch-flavoured structure which is called Covenhoven.
Again he was not overly saddened by the spectacle. Last weekend’s sale was only the final in series of sales which has seen Minister’s Island stripped of its once grand personality. “Most of the stuff has long since gone.” [nb]
The Clarke family has quite a tradition of its own on the island. Bill’s father Harry became it’s head gardener in 1898. When his father died in 1931, Bill took over the job which he maintained until 1974. Then he had a heart attack and was forced to withdraw at least partially from the scene. Bill grew up on the island. He was one of nine children in the family, which lived in a six-bedroom, one-level house on the western shore of the island. When he became head gardener, he raised his own family for four in the same house. When the former owners of the island fell into precarious financial straits about 12 years ago, he said, he decided to move because of the uncertainty. But he didn’t go far away. Today, Mr. Clarke’s own house in on the Bar Road just up the road from the natural causeway which connects Minister’s Island to the mainland when the tide is out.
The interior contents of the buildings on Minister’s Island are no longer present. Gone are the fine garden, flower beds, lily pong, the well-groomed paths along the shore and through the woods, and the glass vineries which he remembers so vividly. “At one time we had seven different vineries in one house and six in another,” Mr. Clarke says. [Langdon didn’t keep everything up, nor did the owners prior to him]
Five buildings have also been torn down.
When the island was still in the Van Horne estate, Mr. Clarke said, he had a crew of seven in the warm months and three in the winter. There was another separate crew to look after the farm. Upwards of 20 people would be employed to maintain the estate during peak times he said. “During Van Horne’s time, the place was well-kept. The place was polluted with people (tourists),” Mr. Clarke said. “We used to meet all kinds of people.”
The Van Horne era, were the good years which have passed, however.
Sir William bought the island around the turn of the century, about 15 years after he spearheaded the building of he CPR. He purchased it from the estate of Rev. Samuel Andrews, the first minister in St. Andrews. Mr. Andrews had been given a grant to the property in 1786 and gave the island its name. The property stayed in the Van Horne estate until the late 1950’s when it was bought by a Untied States corporation which soon fell into financial difficulty. Then there was not enough funds to properly maintain the grounds and the farm, Mr. Clarke said.
In 1965 and 1967, the corporation fell behind in payments to the NB government which held the mortgage on the island. Twice the property was advertised for sale, but both times the payments were made before a sale was negotiated. Norman Langdon, who currently owns most of the island, purchased it from the corporation in late 1971. When the future of the island became uncertain, Mr. Clarke said, the former employees began to clear out. Before long, there were only himself and his sons left to work on the island and its condition was allowed to deteriorate. “It (Minister’s Island) was left to the mercy of the world,” Mr. Clarke says. “then the government asked me to look after it.”
Mr. Clarke maintains a high respect for Mr. Langdon who has done extensive renovation to Covenhoven. “that’s a whole lot more than any of the others did.”
Although officially, Mr. Clarke is no longer the gardener at Minister’s Island, he still keeps his hand in. Wherever Mr. Langdon or his young gardener Wade Veinotte have any questions, “they come to me,” Mr. Clarke says.
Mr. Langdon currently has the island up for sale again. And there has been a public outcry from St. Andrews for the provincial government to buy it. Protestors against the auction, have also requested successful bidders to loan their purchases to the back to the former Van Horne estate should it be bought by the government and restore it as a historical site and a tourist attraction. “They should give it to the people,” Mr. Clarke says.
St. Croix Courier
Sept 18/1985
How the Island Became “The Minister’s”
Gossip and legend say:
. . . that John Hanson arrived in St. Andrews and settled happily into life on Minister’s Island in 1775. he cleared land, erected buildings, and after 10 years he was there to greet the Loyalists and other refugees arriving from Castine, Maine.
This made life much more pleasant for Mr. Hanson and he enjoyed his neighbors—having now the opportunity to convivially while away the lonely winter evenings with good comradeship, a little playing of the old cards and the occasional imbibing of spirits.
One of the new settlers to the area was the Reverend Samuel Andrews the Anglican Minister who was to look after the spiritual interests of the settlers. Ah—but so the story goes—like Ahab of Old, the Reverend Andrews cast an evil eye which fell on his neighbor’s vineyard, the Hanson homestead. He fell in love with the Island. Why not, the native people of generations past had loved the area, and 100 years later sir William Cornelius Van Horne would fall under the same spell. Try as he would, however, the Rev. Andrews consistently failed to get the Hans ons to agree to sell their claim to the Island.
Another newcomer to the area was Capt. Samuel Osborne, in St. Andrews with his sloop of war to protect the settlers. One fine evening Captain Osborne invited some friends, including the Rev. Mr. Andrews and John Hanson aboard his sloop of war for a fine dinner. It was a very fine dinner, indeed. In such company, the champagne flowed freely. So freely, in fact, that John Hanson was carried home unconscious. The next day he awoke with a raging headache. It was nothing to the headache and rage he felt the following day, however. This was when Captain Osborne produced a document signed and witnessed, which conveyed all Hanson’s right and title of the Island to Osborne, in consideration for the miserly sum of 20 pounds. Shortly afterwards, the property was reconveyed by Captain Osborne to the Reverend Mr. Andrews.
Hanson, his wife and family of 13 refused to be driven off the Island, however. The family claimed that Mrs. Hanson had not been consulted in the matter nor had her signature been obtained, therefore making the document illegal. Now this was long before the days of Nellie McClung, Emilene Pankhurst and the Suffragettes or Germaine Greer, and unfortunately for Mrs. Hanson, her signature was not required and the property did indeed pass to Mr. Andrews. Hanson was a hardly individual, however, and his family was stubborn. they still refused to be driven off the Island. Accordingly, so it is related, Captain Osborne found it necessary for his sloop of war to conduct target practice in the area. Oddly enough, the bombardment of the cannon was always aimed in the direction of the Hanson Home on Minister’s Island. Life certainly became so intolerable that the family had to evacuate. On leaving his island, tears in his eyes, and clutching his few possessions, John Hanson was heard to exclaim: ‘Deerfield Massacre, Fort Ticonderoga, Crown Point and the bloody Plains of Abraham are nothing to this. I thought I could at least trust my Parson.’
When his sad case was presented to the government, his was permitted to take up land on the Bocabec River, where he ended his days. the Rev. Andrews, meanwhile, lived long and happily on his Island, as did his descendants. Around 1790, he built a neat stone cottage, referred to as the ‘Minister’s House,’ which remains to this day. It was at this time that the name of the Island changed from Chamcook to Minister’s Island.
For the next 100 years the land was peaceful, pastoral, quiet with deer, unmowed grass, a bit of pasture and a few cows, and overgrown with huge, beautiful sea roses. And then, suddenly, in 1885-6 everything became the center of attraction for one of the most active, industrious and dynamic men in Canada. This was a man about whom the residents of Charlotte County did a lot of jabbering, chattering, prattling, clacking and bibble-babbling. yes, there was a lot of gossip about Sir William Van Cornelius Van Horne. There were many things to tell the visitors from Ontario, or Montreal, or Boston or Bar Harbour. But then again, that is a little gossip for another day.
Courier Weekend
July 22, 1994
Minister’s Island attracts Tour-Goers
Carol-Ann Nicholson
It’s just a short drive across the ocean floor on the bar at low tide and then you are at Covenhoven, the summer residence of the builder of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Sir William Van Horne. And this week, for the first time in recorded history, Minister’s Island and Covenhoven, built in the 1890s, opened to the public. On a guided tour you can visit the site of the baronial estate and follow the paths trod by Sir William Van Horne and his family. You’ll see the giant billiard table, imported from London, at which guests spent their evenings, view some of Van Horne’s paintings, see the nursery which he painted for his grandson, even visit the bathhouse with the tidal swimming pool at the bottom of the garden. The tour includes a visit to the Minister’s cottage, a stone crofter’s cottage supposedly built by Parson Samuel Andrews in the 1790s. A little further up the road is the huge barn which Van Horne used to house his prized herd of Dutch belted cattle. The mansion itself contains 50 rooms, 17 of which are bedrooms and a grand drawing room as large as many of today’s homes. Minister’s Island is operated by the Minister’s Island Advisory committee for the Province of New Brunswick.
#Courier Weekend
Minister’s Island reveals Historic People and Heritage
Carol-Ann Nicholson
July 29, 1994
Minister’s Island has a unique and varied history, one of the most important in Canada in terms of the richness of the people who have found it a haven over the centuries.
When the Greeks were building the Parthenon, aboriginal visitors sauntered along its shore. The remains of their house habitations and shell middens have been the focus of archaeological digs on several occasions.
Later, John Hanson and his family fled to the quiet island following the fall of Fort Ticonderoga in the 1760s.
Hanson was there to welcome the United Empire Loyalists when they came to St. Andrews following the American Revolution. One of the Loyalists, Rev. Samuel Andrews, found the island so pleasant he constructed a crofter’s cottage on it in the 1790s.
A century later, while visiting the area for the CPR, the island’s most famous resident, Sir William Van Horne, saw the 500 acre island and instantly fell in love with it. [not true]
Van Horne acquired the land in 1890 and built a magnificent baronial estate as a summer home for his family. He called it Covenhoven.
This private railroad car journeyed from Montreal on the weekends, stopping at the private railway station on the Bar Road where Van Horne disembarked. On the island he developed magnificent gardens, nurtured a prize herd of Cutch-belted cattle, constructed an unusual bathhouse near a tidal pool where he entertained . . . [rest missing] [this article shows arrow-head and other stone-age artefacts from the Island, courtesy Historical Resources, and pictures both inside and out of the Big House—Nicholson Collection? Check]