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Saint Croix Courier, St. Stephen, NB
July 6, 1893

GLIMPSES OF THE PAST

Contributions to the History of Charlotte County and the Border Towns.

LXXIV – CAPTAIN CLINCH.

Lieut. Peter Clinch, of the Royal Fencible Americans, (afterwards Capt. Clinch, of the King’s New Brunswick regiment,) having resigned his commission, obtained, in 1784, the grant of land before mentioned, at the lower falls of the Magaguadavic.  This tract, which had formerly been included in the Crosby grant of 1767¹ , extended northerly along the river bank from the head of the Basin, (the most eastern part of the estuary,) to the still water above the falls, and easterly to the head waters of L’Etang.  South of it lay a portion of the Mascareen grant, and north of it land which was granted later to Capt. Philips Bailey and associates.  Before applying for his grant, Lieut. Clinch had taken with him two Indians and set out to explore the country and find a suitable place for settlement.  Coming in sight of the falls of the Magaguadavic, he was so much struck with the place that he at once decided to make it his home; and it was probably through his influence that a number of the disbanded soldiers of the regiment were afterwards located on the river above the falls.

According to family traditions, Capt. Clinch was born in Ireland, and educated at Trinity college, Dublin.  He belonged to an old Irish family, of record since the time of Edward II; and two of his ancestors, Peter and Simon Clinch, are said to have taken an active part on the Stuart side in the days of James II and William III.  He came to America before the outbreak of the Revolution; and, as a lieutenant in Col. Gorhams’s regiment, was stationed at Fort Howe during the latter part of the war.  His commission as captain in the King’s New Brunswick regiment dates from 1793.

Captain Clinch represented Charlotte county in the first house of assembly of this province, and was one of the first justices of the peace for the county of Charlotte.  He died on the last day of July, 1816, at the age of 63 years, and is buried in the old churchyard at St. George.

Among his numerous descendants of the present generation are Mr. D. C. Clinch, banker, of St. John; Mr. Guy H. Clinch, of the Western Union telegraph service, St. George; and Mr. Edgar Whidden, U. S. consul at St. Stephen.  

¹ See article xi. [sic - should be xl]

Corrections: Article LXXV contains the following correction to this one: "[The reference in the last article should have been to Article xl, and the name of Capt. Bailey should have been given as above.]". (ie Capt. Philip Bailey)

Article LXXX contains the following correction to this one: "In the nineteenth line, for 'Philips Bailey,' read 'Philip Bailey,' and for the reference note read 'Art. xl.' (The nineteenth line is the fourth line here.)

Addition: Article LXXX contains the following addition to this one: "Add the following note:-A contemporary notice in a St. John newspaper reads, 'Died at Magaguadavic, on Tuesday, the 30th July, 1816, Peter Clinch, esq., of that place, aged 64 years; and the day preceding, Lucretia, his wife, aged 44 years.'"