Happy Birthday, Dr. Jenkins!

Dr. Willard Miles Jenkins, c 1950

Dr. Williard Miles Jenkins, who was born at Kars, Kings County 19 April 1884.  While growing up on the Belleisle Bay, his family had hoped he would become a Baptist preacher, but in 1908 he graduated from McGill University and returned home to New Brunswick.  After first working at Hampstead in collaboration with Dr. Casswell in Gagetown, Dr. Jenkins eventually moved to Gagetown in 1920 when Dr. Casswell retired to Nova Scotia.  Dr. Jenkins opened a large medical and surgical practice which served three counties.  He was known to travel to patients homes with his collapsible operating table and complete surgical kit, and was the first to give spinal anesthetic east of Montreal.  Jenkins was often aided by Dr. McGrand during major surgery.

portable operating table, 1895-1920

This operating table was likely home-made using a pattern or instructions based on other models available around the same time.  One such portable operating table was made famous by London-born Dr. Victor Bonney circa 1901.  Bonney’s surgical table was purchased from the manufacturer, Allen & Hanburys Ltd. The design incorporated A-frame legs and supports which were hinged to plywood and collapsed flat.  The patient was secured to the table using removable stirrups made from canvas straps.  Dr. Bonney is reputed to have stored his portable table in a canvas bag in the trunk of his Rolls Royce so that he was able to “complete three or more operations a day by rotating staff and equipment with a chauffeur driven Lanchester or Rolls Royce” (as quoted Campbell, 2003).

According to the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (2003; 43: 190-191), “prior to the 19th century ordinary kitchen tables were used for operative purposes, because many operations were performed in homes.”  The journal reports the first literature on the subject of operating tables can be traced back to 1829, though the first portable operating tables only appeared in 1863.

In a letter date 16 January 1959 to George MacBeath, New Brunswick Museum, Dr. Jenkins notes that the table “belonged to and was used by Dr. A. Lapthame Smith who operated a private hospital on McGill College Ave., Montreal.  When he was finished with it he gave it to Dr. Casswell who in turn gave it to me when he left Gagetown in 1920.”  Mr. MacBeath was apparently planning a medical exhibition and wished to borrow the table.  The McCord Museum of Canadian History, Montreal, has a photograph of a Dr. A.L. Smith, Montreal, dated 1880.  See file for copies of the NBM/Dr Jenkins correspondence courtesy of the NBM, and a copy of the Dr. Smith photograph from the McCord.

instruments of torture?

Dr. Jenkins was known throughout Queens County and beyond and to this day, visitors to the Tilley House, when viewing his medical equipment, remark on a tooth her removed, an appendix surgery or a sick cow he doused with some miracle drug.  At home in Gagetown he lived on a farm on what is now Doctor’s Hill and had a herd of prized Jersey cows.  When he died in 1968, the community mourned not only a great physician, but a well known friend.  His daughter, Patricia, donated his equipment to the collection where it has been exhibited every since.

For more information about Dr. Jenkins, to view his medical equipment in person or share your memories, visit the Tilley House or contact us at info@queenscountyheritage.com!

The more things change . . .

… the more they stay the same.  We’ve all sat on our grandparents laps and heard the stories of walking to school, up hill, both ways.  The summers were hotter, the winters colder, the snow was deeper, the ice formed faster and so on.  You know the drill.  Even on the weekend was overheard someone telling a youngster that on 15 December 1989, hay was hauled across the ice from Long Island to Wickham.

The Majestic at Palmer's Wharf, 19 December 1923

On this bright day with the St. John River as flowing as blue as it was in July, here’s some photographic evidence that indicates that an open river this late in the season isn’t that unusual.  The images show the Majestic, one of the last riverboats, pulling into the wharf at Palmer’s Point, Kings County, 19 December 1923.  Palmer’s Point is just south of Evandale at Tennant’s Cove, and north of the entrance to Belleisle Bay.  The photograph does show considerable ice along the shoreline, and snow covered trees and fields on the hillsides of the western side of the river, so it was apparently a cold and snowy season.  But yet the river stayed open to the riverboat traffic.  Imagine the skill and thought that must have gone into determining travel at this time of year.  Today we think of weather related decisions concerning road conditions and airline safety.  But 100 years ago it was how much ice can a wooden vessel plow through before it becomes too dangerous?  As evidenced by this photo and the thick ice on the shoreline, apparently the decision was pushed to the limit.

The Majestic at Palmer's Wharf, 19 December 1923

By 1923 automobiles were making their presence felt in urban and rural areas like Queens and Kings Counties.  The Valley Railroad had been built during the war and snaked up the western side of the St. John River with whistle stops at various communities along the way.  The riverboat, however, remained the main source of transportation to and from the cities of Saint John and Fredericton moving people, animals and freight.  As soon as possible in the spring, the boats would start moving up the river and the dice was always rolled in the winter – how long before the ice became too thick to pass through?  Getting to a few days before Christmas in 1923 must have been considered quite a bonus for the merchants and families along the lower river valley!

For more information about the Majestic, contact Queens County Heritage at info@queenscountyheritage.com.

Cheryl Bogart Receives Life Membership

Purchased in honour of Cheryl Bogart, for 25 years faithful service as Secretary to the Board of Directors, 2011

During Christmas in the Village 2011, Cheryl Bogart received a Life Membership to Queens County Heritage in honour of her twenty-five years of faithful service as Secretary to the Board of Directors.  In addition to the membership, the Board purchased a painting by Cheryl for the QCH fine art collection, the subject of which is a little porcelain doll from the collection.  Many thanks, Cheryl for all your work!

Citation:

Cheryl Bogart served as the Secretary of Queens County Heritage for 25 years.  Cheryl has deep roots in our community as resident of Jemseg and as one of New Brunswick’s finest artistic talents.  She brings a unique perspective on arts and culture to our organization, carrying on the legacy of Anthony Flower and Abraham Wood, making Queens County a center of excellence for art and fine craft.

President Bruce Thomson presents Cheryl Bogart with a QCH Life Membership

As one of the founding board members in 1986, when the Queens County Historical Society took over the management of the Tilley House Museum, Cheryl diligently recorded the minutes of well over 200  meetings—in long-hand!  The stack of minute books are a stunningly detailed account of the history of our organization and make for fascinating reading.  Her abilities to capture the spirit of lengthy discussions and her sensitivity to rare challenges was greatly appreciated by former President Russell Bond and myself.  On more than one occasion, however, after a lively and energetic debate, the phrase, “after much discussion” appears and makes one wonder what really happened!

Cheryl possesses a keen sense of humour.  Sitting quietly at the Board table, if you glanced at her notes, you would often see sketches of those of us around the table.  All flattering, of course.  She rarely misses the joke and more than once, she and I have erupted into giggles in the middle of meetings, to the astonishment and tsk-tsking of other board members.  While never one to give a lady’s age away, I confess I always considered Cheryl of my generation.  Until one day another kind member said to me, “You know, she’s older than you think.  She has grandchildren!”  But that never stopped me from thinking of Cheryl as one of the hippest of our crowd and looking to her to keep us young.

Besides her recording abilities, Cheryl has made innumerable contributions to our organization.  Always the first to volunteer to bake cookies or roast a ham and for several years her plum pudding was a staple of our Christmas in the Village raffle.  In 1988, she collaborated with Myra D’Aoust and Dawn Bremner to produce the artwork for our publication, The Country Diary of Samuel Crawford; in 1990 she produced drawings for our first Court House brochure; and in 2004, she produced over twenty drawings and paintings for the Someone Before Us exhibition.

The announcement that Cheryl planned to retire in 2011 came as a surprise to all of us, but understandable.  We weren’t quite sure how we would get on with things without her.  But Cheryl is the first to admit, that life carries on and each new challenge in our lives is a blessing and an opportunity.  The chapters we close, are never left behind, but carried with us always, gently, in the heart.  We are so proud to call her our colleague . . . and our friend.

Congratulations, Cheryl, on a job well done!

Bruce Thomson, President
25 November 2011

The Award Winning Somewhere Over the Rainbow… Bloomers Fly?

Last Friday evening, 14 October, Queens County Heritage was honoured with a 2011 Association Museums New Brunswick Award of Distinction for our traveling exhibition, Somewhere Over the Rainbow… Bloomers Fly?  The exhibition of heritage underwear was one our signature exhibitions in 2010 which subsequently traveled to four other venues in southern New Brunswick.  Below is the award citation read by QCH President, Bruce Thomson, at the award ceremony and banquet:

Good evening ladies and gentlemen.

Queens County Court House

I want you to look at the person on your left.  Now look at the person on your right.  Now, imagine those people in their underwear.  So you can appreciate my surprise two years ago, when the board of Queens County Heritage sat around a table planning our 2010 exhibition program.  What hadn’t we done?  What was new? What would attract some attention?  And then half jokingly, a suggestion was made: what about the collection of undergarments – bloomers, knickers, camisoles, petticoats, stockings and so on?  Once the laughter died down, the consensus was why not?  Underwear is one of the most important and practical items of our daily lives, but also the least talked about.   The items were in good condition, the handwork was stunning, and the interpretive aspect was very strong.  Most importantly, the time had arrived to take a risk, come out of the closet and inject a little wit and humour into culture and heritage and expose a museum collection that is often overlooked or misunderstood.

New Brunswick Museum

From the initial stages of imagining this exhibition to its implementation and final realization, we went undercover and diligently sought input and expert advice from some of the finest underwear connoisseurs in New Brunswick.  All the while keeping in mind the preservation and special standards associated with the proper care, handling and exhibition of a dainty and delicate portion of our collection.  The display of textiles can often be problematic and expensive, but our team developed a realistic budget, obtained the funding we obviously needed, and then managed our resources wisely.  After several months of planning, the final product, our first bilingual exhibition, was a fascinating look into the world of 19th and early 20th century clothing presented in an indoor facsimile of a backyard clothesline.  Items included approximately 40 pieces of underwear ranging from 19th century petticoats, split-drawers and stockings, to 1910 wedding trousseau camisoles, children’s drawers and 1930s corsets.  The stories associated with the pieces were a real social commentary on rural New Brunswick and Queens County in particular.  We explored how our ancestors dressed and undressed, we discovered exactly what all those layers were under great-grandmother’s dress, and we confess, we enjoyed a thrill and maybe a couple of chills.  How can you not have a giggle or two as you examine the split drawers of a Baptist missionary?  The exhibition title attracted as much attention as the items themselves.  In the 1940s, there was a little boy in Cambridge-Narrows who thought the words to the Judy Garland song were: somewhere over the rainbow, bloomers fly, instead of bluebirds!  So Somewhere Over the Rainbow… Bloomers Fly? our exhibition became.

The Quaco Museum

A project like this is not the work of one person and one of the joys was working with a group of dedicated volunteers who appreciate heritage and have a sense of humour.  The sharing of talents, skills and resources in these challenging times is a personal highlight.  Every once in a while a member of the team got their knickers in a knot, but for the most part we all agreed that it was the most fun we’d ever had with someone else’s underwear.  Many thanks to the organizing committee that included Shawna Quinn, VP Preservation and Interpretation and then-Director Catherine Coombes.  While we delighted in sharing heritage in such a light-hearted way, when the exhibition closed in Gagetown we were pleased by the response and interest from around the province.  Over the next year, the exhibition traveled to the Quaco Museum, St. Martins, the Moncton Museum, the New Brunswick Museum, and just recently returned from the Fredericton Region Museum.  All told, thousands of visitors got up close and personal with our undergarments.

Moncton Museum

This eye-opening project demonstrates the best of partnership and community participation, the benefits of taking a risk, and if you do, it shows how people can enthusiastically engage in New Brunswick culture and heritage in an entertaining and educational way.  I am very pleased to have been a part of the project and am now very proud to be part of the presentation to Queens County Heritage of a 2011 AMNB Award of Distinction for the travelling exhibition, Somewhere Over the Rainbow… Bloomers Fly?  And remember:  What does your underwear say about you?

Fredericton Region Museum

The award was presented by Lyne Bard, President of the Association Museums New Brunswick, to Shawna Quinn, co-curator of the exhibition and Vice-President Preservation and Interpretation, Queens County Heritage.

Loyalist of the Day – Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley

On this Friday before Thanksgiving, we wrap up our Loyalist of the Day series.  Many, many thanks to our readers and followers – it’s your interest and support that keep us doing what we do and we enjoy every minute!

photograph: Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley, c 1880

Today we celebrate and give thanks to a man who wasn’t a Loyalist, but when his family tree is shaken, they pop out all over the place.  From Samuel and Elizabeth Tilley to William Peters and Charlotte Haines, Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley has an impressive Loyalist pedigree.  By the 1820s and 1830s the older generation of Loyalists had passed from the scene.  Those who had arrived as children or young adults were now in middle age with children and grandchildren unfamiliar with the war, the migration, the struggle for survival and the creation of a new life.  The subsequent generations enjoyed the fruits of the labours of their ancestors.  Communities, churches and schools appeared where field and forest had been in 1783, and frame houses replaced log cabins.   Some Loyalists enjoyed prosperity unknown prior to coming to New Brunswick with large and extended families and the ability to purchase finery and home decorations.  Grandchildren of Loyalists inter-married with regularity and opened their families in turn to new settlers in the County.  With the arrival of Scottish and Irish migrants, a new chapter opened in the story of Queens County and New Brunswick.  The wounds of revolution were replaced with a movement toward responsible government, economic expansion and ultimately, Confederation, led by a grandson of Loyalists, Samuel Leonard Tilley.

spoon, 1800-1810, engraved silver, purchased by the Queens County Centennial Committee, 1968 (1968.373)

Samuel Leonard Tilley was born in the parlour bedroom of the house known to us as the Tilley House, Gagetown, 8 May 1818.  His great-grandparents, Loyalists Samuel and Elizabeth Tilley had purchased the little house about 1805 from Dr. John Frederick Augustus Stickles, the local doctor.  This silver spoon was found under floorboards of the Tilley House in the 1960s. It belonged to Elizabeth Morgan Tilley, and was made by Saint John silversmith Alexander Munro between 1800 and 1810. The stem is engraved in script with the initials, ET. The cup and saucer shown here belonged to Samuel Leonard Tilley’s grandmother, Mary Chase Tilley (c 1776-1866), wife of James Tilley (1773-1850). When Samuel Tilley died in 1814, the house passed to his grandson, Thomas Morgan Tilley (1795-1871) who married Susan Ann Hunt Peters (1798-1876) on 5 April 1817.

cup and saucer, c 1825, gift of Arthur Hetherington, 1994 (1994.74)

The young Tilleys moved into the small, original house and commenced construction on an enlargement immediately, finishing in time to welcome the birth of their first child, Samuel Leonard in May 1818.  To the original house Thomas Tilley added an spacious entrance hall and staircase, a formal parlour, and a bedroom on the first floor, a wide hall and two additional bedrooms on the second floor.  Queens County Heritage has a pair of sugar tongs that belonged to Susan Peters Tilley.  The tongs were made by John Hersey, Newcastle, New Brunswick, between 1823 and 1830, and are engraved with the initials, ST. Thomas Tilley was a skilled carpented and storekeeper in Gagetown and he and Susan had a large family of  eight children, however their eldest remains the most famous.  Young Samuel Leonard was educated at Gagetown at the Madras School, leading an ordinary life.  No images of Thomas or Susan Tilley as young people exist; however some time in the late 1820s, they commissioned local artist Thomas MacDonald (the painter of Daniel Babbit and Charlotte Bell) to paint the portraits of their eldest children, Samuel Leonard Tilley and his sister, Elizabeth. The portrait of Samuel Leonard Tilley is a rare image, being the oldest and earliest image of a Father of Confederation. It remained with the Tilley Family until donated to the New Brunswick Museum in 2007. Shortly afterward, at the age of thirteen, Samuel Leonard Tilley left his home for Saint John, to apprentice as an apothecary with a Peters cousin.

attributed to Michael Anderson (1824-1853), painting: Samuel Leonard Tilley, 1840-1850 oil on canvas, gift of Judith Moreira, 2003 (2003.3)

This portrait was painted in the 1840s and features an apothecary chest in the background and various tins and jars. The prosperous young Tilley is rosy cheeked and well dressed as befitting a professional businessman of his time. Samuel Leonard Tilley was partnered with one of his cousins, Thomas W. Peters. The firm of Peters & Tilley advertised themselves as the “Cheap Drug Store”. Tilley was certified as a pharmacist in May 1838 and worked with his cousin until Peters’ retirement in 1848 when the business became Tilley’s Drug Store. Tilley held on to the business until 1860 by which time politics consumed his time and career and he sold the business.

Samuel Leonard Tilley married Julia Ann Hanford of Portland, Saint John, New Brunswick, 6 May 1843. This daguerreotype shows the couple early in their marriage, some time in the late 1840s. By 1850 Samuel Leonard Tilley was at the height of his business career. He was prosperous, married with a growing a family, deep family roots in Saint John and Queens County and could have easily lived out his life a very contented individual. Circumstances, personal conviction and duty were soon to alter that plan. Daily ships arrived from around the world carrying people and goods from far off lands, providing a window on the world to the people of Saint John and all of New Brunswick. The shipping and shipbuilding industries provided great wealth to New Brunswick, making the region one of the wealthiest centers in North America, and certainly the most prosperous area of British North America. Given the proserous nature of Tilley’s business, it is expected that he and his family enjoyed the privileges of a cosmopolitan society. Fine furniture, exotic foods, artists and photographers studios, theatre, societies, churches and fine schools were all available to the young Tilleys. Early on, however, Samuel Leonard Tilley exhibited a serious side and following in the footsteps of his Loyalist ancestors, he felt a duty to serve his fellow citizens and became engaged in a number of local activities including teaching Sunday School.

Samuel Leonard Tilley and Julia Hanford Tilley, c 1850

In 1844 Samuel Leonard Tilley, inspired by his religious beliefs, joined the committee of the Portland Total Abstinence Society, working for legislation that would enforce prohibition. The story is told of a brutal murder in the city and Tilley was in the vicinity as a small girl ran for help. The girl’s screams apparently haunted Tilley for the rest of his life since alcohol had been the cause of the murder. When the American Sons of Temperance organization established a chapter in New Brunswick, Tilley soon joined the cause. While not a radical agitator for prohibition, Tilley campaigned with logic and calmness, winning over many converts through his reason rather than passion. Samuel Leonard Tilley soon adapted himself to the political arena. Part of a new generation that dared question the traditional Loyalist view of strict obedience to higher political officers, Tilley agitated for democratic reforms that would bring more control over provincial affairs to New Brunswick and its elected representatives.

John Arthur Fraser for William Notman and Son, painting: Alice Starr Chipman Tilley, watercolour over a photograph, 1868, gift of Alice Tilley MacKeen, 1975 (1975.8.1)

From that time forward, Samuel Leonard Tilley held political office in one form or another:  Provincial Secretary, Premier, delegate to the confederation Conferences earning his title Father of Confederation, federal cabinet minister including Finance Minister, and finally the only person to hold the office of Lieutenant Governor twice.  As a reward for his services to Canada and the Empire, Samuel Leonard Tilley was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1879.  After his dear first wife, Julia died in 1862, he married the daughter of a good friend in 1867, Alice Starr Chipman, and had two more children, including future New Brunswick Premier Leonard Percy DeWolfe Tilley.

Although a reformer breaking the mold of Loyalist political traditions, Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley was also a product of his ancestors: a social conscience, a devotion to duty and public service, a firm belief in God and the moral guidance of the church, and of course, loyalty to Queen and country.  Through Samuel Leonard Tilley and then many others down to the present, the legacy of the Loyalists endures in the foundation of our political, economic and cultural establishment.  Change over time is natural and the melding of other cultures and traditions created a new society not quite British and not quite American either, but something unique and abiding.

For more information about Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley or the Loyalists of Queens County, contact us at info@queenscountyheritage.com

Loyalist of the Day – The Devebers

With the Ghost Walk on Saturday night a roaring success and the winding down of the traditional tourist season also comes the last installments of our Loyalist of the Day features.  Today we celebrate one of the more prominent Loyalist families in the county, the Devebers.

after c. 1810 original silhouette photograph: Margaret Hubbard Deveber, c. 1970, gift of Catherine Coombes, 2009 (2009.29)

This small silhouette was one of the objects featured in the Loyalist Legacy exhibition.  It is actually a photograph of the original which is still held by members of the family; however we thought it merited inclusion in the exhibition as a rare example of an image of a Loyalist woman.  It is Margaret Hubbard Deveber (1754-1813), daughter of Nathaniel Hubbard (1712-1772) and Mary Quintard.  Margaret married Loyalist Gabriel Deveber (1752-1827) at Stamford, Connecticut.  This Gabriel Deveber, the son of Gabriel Deveber (1731-1810), a Swiss migrant was one of a string of family members with the name Gabriel, both masculine and feminine.  Margaret and Gabriel came to the St. John River Valley in 1783 with the Loyalists and settled at Burton, Sunbury County.  Gabriel eventually became High Sheriff of Sunbury County and he and Margaret are buried at Christ Church, Maugerville.  They had five children:  Gabriel N. (by our count Gabriel III) (1785-1838); Nathaniel Hubbard (1785-1877); William Edwin Nelson (1789-1865); Leverett Hubbard (1790-1876) and Mary (1793-1853).

painting: Mary Elizabeth White Deveber, Wife of Nathaniel Deveber by Albert Gallatin Hoit, c. 1838, oil on canvas, collection of the New Brunswick Museum, gift of William Herbert DeVeber, 1952

Of the above family, it is Nathaniel Hubbard Deveber that makes the Queens County connection.  He married Mary Elizabeth White (1779-1844) of Gagetown on 1 May 1819 at Saint John.  Nathaniel and Mary resided at Gagetown where he served as the High Sheriff of Queens County.  Nathaniel and Mary had only two children: Gabriel (another!) born 1820; and James White born 1821.  Mary died 14 February 1844 and was buried at St. Johns Anglican Cemetery, Gagetown.  On 18 September 1847 her son Gabriel married his first cousin, Benjamina Margaret Gabriella Deveber, the daughter of Leverett Hubbard Deveber (see above) and Margaret Ann Hubbard (1793-1866).  We will award a prize at the end of this article if you can keep all of these Devebers and Hubbards straight!

Benjamina Margaret Gabriella Deveber was born in 1822 at Saint John, where she married her cousin in 1847.  Young Gabriel, following in the legal footsteps of his father and grandfather, was a barrister and at the time of the marriage, was noted as being from Saint John – perhaps either studying or practicing law in the city.  This Gabriel and Benjamina had five children: Nathaniel Dudley (1848-1929); Mary Elizabeth W. (1850-1851); Leveret Isaac (1851-1894); William Boies (1853-1854) and Gabriel (1854-1934).  By the 1850s, however, the family had relocated back to Gagetown.  The reason?  A brand new house awaited them . . .

Cover of recent edition of AJ Downing's book

For decades the gothic revival house at Gagetown called Claremont has been marvelled at as one of the architectural treasures of not only the village of Gagetown, but of New Brunswick.  Lost to history, apparently, was the builder and the precise date of construction.  It was the home of the Deveber family until the 1930s and even afterwards, passed through the hands of relatives until the 21st century.  Attributions for date of construction have ranged from 1820 to 1860 and a variety of Gagetown carpenters have been mentioned as possible builders from Loyalist Solomon Dingee to Thomas Tilley.  Another story is that the house was a wedding present, ostensibly to Benjamina and Gabriel.  What was clear to architectural historians, was that the 1820 guess did not hold up to scrutiny since the style and construction were obviously taken from the famous Andrew Jackson Downing book on Country Houses published in 1850. Downing’s then revolutionary books on domestic architecture were the latest thing sweeping North America.  The image shown here is the cover of a recent edition of the Downing book and shows an almost exact version of the river front of Claremont.  But with the date narrowed somewhat and the architectural inspiration all but settled, the actual builder remained allusive.

after c. 1860 original photograph: Sheriff Nathaniel H. Deveber, High Sheriff of Queens County, 2004, gift of Fred Hubbard, 2004 (2004.16.1)

In one of those odd quirks of fate readers of this blog are by now familiar, this confusion was cleared up earlier this summer.  Nathaniel Deveber’s day book (account book) was found in the collection of the New Brunswick Museum.  Beginning on page 20, clear as day and in black and white, was found the billing for the construction of the house, lists and prices for the interior finish materials, and, wait for it . . . the builder’s name!

The builder was Lorenzo F.Langen, a house joiner from Saint John.  Lorenzo Langen was born about 1817 and first married Isabella Brundage in 1837 at Saint John.  Isabella died 10 April 1847 and her death notice in the New Brunswick Courier notes her age of 33, and that she left her husband and two children.  The next year, on the 29 April 1848 Lorenzo marred Margaret Humbert, the daughter of John Humbert, Esquire.  An infant daughter died in January 1842, Harriet Isabella, age 15 months.  By the 1851 St. John County Census, he was living with his second wife, his 8 year old son George E., his 12 year old daughter Eliza Jane, and a 17 year old apprentice, James Osbourne; all having been born in New Brunswick.  A 24 April 1858 notice in the New Brunswick Courier tells us that the family had moved to Uxbridge Village, Ontario (Canada West) when little George died at the age of 15.  But between 1852 and 1854, Lorenzo Langen was occupied with the construction of the house known to us as Claremont.

Nathaniel Deveber’s day book shows that Langen was paid at least 500 pounds for building “the house at Gagetown for G Deveber”.  The story of the house being a wedding present, may indeed be true since the timeline is only 5 years after their marriage.  By that point, Benjamina and Gabriel had had three children and lost their only daughter.

Gothic revival houses to 21st century readers don’t cause much of a stir, however it doesn’t take much to imagine the tongues of Gagetown wagging as the house went up in such a new, strange and daring design with steep gables, intricate gingerbread and finials and the multi-paned windows.  It is also an illustration of the position of the Deveber family in the community that they were aware of the latest trends in architectural design and were determined to complete it.

photograph: The Deveber House, Gagetown, c 1895, collection of the New Brunswick Museum, gift of the Estate of William Herbert Deveber, 1954

In the midst of construction and while the interior finishes were being completed (gallons and gallons of paint, yards of wallpaper and at least 130 yards of oil cloth), tragedy struck the family.  Another son was born to Benjamina and Gabriel in 1853 but died in April 1854 and by that time Benjamina was pregnant again with a fifth child.  According to the records of St. Johns Church, Gagetown, this fifth child was born on 18 October 1854 and was baptized on the same day as his father’s burial, 28 October 1854, who had died the previous day.  The infant son was named after his father, Gabriel.  The quickness of burial may indicate the presence of a dreaded disease or simply a family trauma they wished to deal with as quickly as possible.

photograph: Ice Skating, Gabe Deveber and Wife, Annie Deveber, Gagetown, New Brunswick, c. 1900, collection of the New Brunswick Museum, gift of the Estate of William Herbert Deveber, 1954

In her grand new house, Benjamina and her three surviving sons lived with her father-in-law/uncle, Sheriff Nathaniel Deveber.  By 1855 it appears the house is finished and some time between 1860 and 1870, the new house formed the subject of a painting by Reverend Abraham Wood (1791-1879), the Anglican minister at Grand Lake and a very talented artist.  It was actually the research on this painting that lead to the discovery of the builder of the house.  Sheriff Nathaniel Deveber, the son of Loyalists Gabriel and Margaret, died in 1877 at the age of 92 and was buried at St. Johns Church, Gagetown, beside his wife.  Benjamina Margaret Gabriella Deveber Deveber watched her three sons reach adulthood – Leverett became a businessman in Saint John, Nathaniel Dudley remained at home as a farmer, and little Gabriel?  He remained at home as well, marrying a little late in life to Annie Hewlett, a talented amateur artist.  Benjamina died in 1892 at the age of 70 and was buried beside her husband and infant children, near the other Deveber family members.  Nathaniel Dudley died in 1929, Annie Hewlett Deveber died in 1927, and the last of our Gabriels, died in 1934.

Claremont, c 2009

Claremont passed through a variety of owners, some family, some not, until it was finally purchased and restored by Alleyne and Cath Coombes in the 1970s.  For many years they operated Claremont Crafts.  In the early 2000s, the house changed hands again and underwent another restoration and various upgrades.  As for the builder of Claremont, Lorenzo Langen, the last we hear of him he is in Boston in the late 19th century, still building houses.

For more information about the Deveber family or Claremont, contact us at info@queenscountyheritage.com.

Loyalist of the Day – Charlotte Haines Peters

One of the most famous Loyalists of New Brunswick arrived as a ten year old girl in 1783, Charlotte Haines Peters.  Despite her fame, she also one of the most mysterious.  The legendary story of her lost slipper has been told for generations and was the subject of a recent work of fiction.  The real Charlotte Haines, however, to date is lost to history.

When she died in 1851, the notice in the newspapers of the day and subsequently her tombstone state Charlotte Haines Peters’ age as 78, thus a birth date around 1773. She was possibly the daughter of John Haines who died prior to 1783.  The story that little 10 year old Charlotte was tossed out of the family home by her Patriot father because she visited her Loyalist uncle and cousins strikes us harsh on one hand, and bad history on the other.  The story is also often told of the young Charlotte coming ashore at Saint John and losing her slipper in the mud.  Evidence of this is often shown to be a slipper in the collection of the New Brunswick Museum. The problem is that the said slipper is an adult one, not one belonging to a 10 year old child, and of a later style than 1783.  Did Charlotte lose her slipper in the mud?  Possibly.  Did the slipper at the New Brunswick Museum belong to Charlotte?  Possibly.  Is the slipper at the museum the remaining one left from the 1783 mud incident?  No.  But it makes for a great story.  What we know for sure is that some time prior to 1783 Charlotte lost both her parents and she came to New Brunswick with the Loyalists but with whom is an open question. She appears as one of the grantees of 84 lots on Long Island in 1786 along with several other prominent Loyalists even though she is only 13 at the time.

The mysterious Charlotte starts to become clearer from the time of her marriage to William Peters (c. 1772-1836), son of Thomas Peters and Susannah Palmer, 1 June 1791 by Reverend Richard Clarke, St. John’s Anglican Church, Gagetown.  Charlotte and William subsequently had a large family:  Sarah, Millicent, Samuel Leonard, Susan Ann Hunt, Carleton, Charlotte Mary, Thomas William, Frances Elizabeth, John Haines, Elizabeth Abigail, Margaret Anne, Isabel, Phebe Augusta, James Wellington and Caroline Augusta born in 1823 when Charlotte is fifty years old!  Without the clear evidence of the baptismal entry at St. John’s Church, we’d be inclined to fuss about this bit of the story too; as it is, it at least raises an eyebrow!

Charlotte and William Peters farmed in and around Hampstead Parish for several years but in 1836, they relocated to Woodstock.  Queens County Heritage is fortunate to possess a rare letter written in Charlotte’s hand from February 1836:

Perth

February th 3 1836

Dear Daughter

I take my pen to address a few lines to you to inquire after the health of you and all of your family.  The grate distance we are from you prevents me from hearing.  You heard of the death of your Father at Woodstock.  He was confined to his bed two weeks when I got word that he was so ill.  I went down as soon as I could get passage and I arrived the first of January in the morning and he lived until the fourth about three.  He had been out of his head for two or three days and they thought he would not liv from one minit to the other but he had just come to his senses as I got their and knowed me and shok hands with me and bid me goodby and spok something of the children and said something I could not understand for he was very weak.  He soon seemed esier and went to sleep and when he awoke seemed better and spoke better and breathed esier and eat and I thought he was getting better and would get well again but I was disappointed.  He was not to rise any more.  On Monday about three he droped away without a sigh or a grone.  His complaint was the dropsy in the chest.  He has gone to a better World I hope and trust to Rest from his troubles which was grate in this world.  He has paid a debt that we must all pay and hapy are they that is prepared which is the gratis riches we can wish for.

I hop this may find you all well.  I am not well.  My head troubles me very much.  There is not one day that it don’t ake so that I cant hardly stir.  My cough is something better.  James and Caroline is well and harty and quite contented hear.  I like the place and if your Father has lived and been hear to see to it we might have made a good living.  It is pleasant and a good place for business but we must try to due the best we can.  The place is out of repair and soon would have been a common if we had not come hear.  I should be glad if my friends was near to us.  I don’t know as ever I shall see you all again.  I thought to have gon to see you all before I came up hear but I was so sick that I could not go down to see you.  James and Caroline wishes to be remembered to you and all the family.  I desire to be remembered to Thomas and the children and tel them I should be glad to see them and you.  Give my love to all inquiring friends and except a share for yourself.
This from you afectionet Mother

Charlotte Peters

To Mrs Susan A.H. Tilley, Mrs. Thomas Tilley, Gagetown

Of equal importance to Queens County Heritage is that fact that Charlotte’s daughter, the above Mrs. Thomas Tilley, is Samuel Leonard Tilley’s mother, Susan Ann Hunt Peters who married Thomas Morgan Tilley, 5 April 1817 .

Despite her aches and pains in 1836, Charlotte Haines Peters lived another 15 years and died Wednesday morning, 5 February 1851, at Kingston, Kings County.  Her funeral was held in the parlor of her daughter’s house, the Tilley House, on Saturday, 8 February and she was buried next door, a few yards away, in St. John’s Anglican Cemetery.  Currently her large tombstone is laying flat, in the ground, and it is hoped that we will be able to get it upright or repaired at some time in the future.  The least we can do for a famous Loyalist and the grandmother of a Father of Confederation!

For more information about Charlotte Haines Peters, or to see her letter in person, visit the Court House Museum.  Even better, to meet her in “person”, occasionally Charlotte shows up now and again!