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Saint Croix Courier, St. Stephen, NB
November 16, 1893

GLIMPSES OF THE PAST

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

XCI – THE PORT MATOON ASSOCIATION-Continued.

In the grant of the farm lots,¹ the following names appear in addition to those of the grantees of the garden lots:

John Jones is, of course, Captain Jones, the surveyor, in whose honor Jones division of the garden lots received its name.

The Mathew Wingood of the latter grant appears as Matthew Goodwin in the grant of the farm lots, and David McAllan as David Walton; Daniel McCormick as Donald McCormick, and James Lane as James Lunn; George Surbutt as George Lurbutt, and James McMillan as James McMullin; William Shelton as William Skelton, and Aaron Kennedy as Allan Kennedy.

Either Miles Post or Dennis Post, if not both, preceded the other members of the company.  The small creek or cove at the mouth of which the soap factory now stands was known as Post’s Cove when the grant was written, and the boundary of the garden lots is described therein as ending at ‘a dry hemlock on the shore of Post’s Cove.’

In the spring of 1785, Dennis Post and Susanna, his wife, were living near the mineral spring, at the head of this cove, on garden lot No. 5.  They sold their house and lot to Capt. Marks for £20 currency.

Martin Hayman, (or Marten Hemen, as he wrote the name,) was a native of Stockholm, Sweden.  His violin furnished the music for festive occasions in the little settlement.  His house stood where Mr. Robt. Christie now lives.

Hugh Chisholm was a native of the Highlands of Scotland.  He was drowned while fishing at the Salmon falls, some time later than 1790.

Allan Kennedy is also said to have been drowned at the Salmon falls.

Daniel Lafartie and his wife lived on the little hill west of the Old Ridge road, near the brook that still bears his name.

Other members of the association who settled along the Old Ridge road were Francis Tipping, Silas Maybee, John Barber, Christopher Brown, John Hastey, William Nesbitt, Abraham Pine, William Holmes, John Lyall, (or Lyle,) Donald McCormick, William Frazer, William Frazer, Jr., William McLellan, Alexander McDonald, and James McMullin.

Some of the new comers were reluctant to leave their first temporary encampment near the river.

Garden lot No. 54, (running westward from the public landing and including the land on which the post office and the Queen hotel now stand,) had been granted to Capt. Marks; but several of the refugees, Alexander McBean, William Grant, Thomas Mitchell, Neal McBean, William Kennedy, William McLellan, Evan McPherson, Hugh Chisholm, Noah Brown, Daniel Campbell and Thomas Grimmer, seem to have remained upon it or to have occupied it in some way; for Capt. Marks, by his attorney Joseph Garnett, brought suit of ejectment against them in 1786.

An escheat of all the farm lots was called for in 1807; and when inquisition was made, on the 4th of March, 1808, it was found that the conditions of the grant had been partly complied with by Captain Nathan Frink in the case of six lots, (those granted to Barber, Hayman, Lyle, Mitchell, Patterson and Alex. McBean,) but in all other cases they had been neglected.  The land was afterwards regranted in new divisions.

At the time of the regrant in 1812, Capt. Marks, Alex. McDonald, Hugh Chisholm, John Robinson and Josiah Fowler were dead; and lands were granted to their heirs.

¹Grant to Nehemiah Marks and 120 others, of same date as that of the garden lots.

ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS

Article xxxvi.-The date of the building of Fort Pownal, by a typographical error, is given as 1749.  It should be 1759.

Article lxxxvi.-In the last paragraph, erase the name of John Frazer and the word ‘possibly.’

Article xc.-Erase the first paragraph, relating to Capt. Osborne.  In a list of names of the Port Matoon Association in the crown land office occurs the name of ‘Sergt. Samuel Osburne,’ who, therefore, could not have been the same as Capt. Osborne of the Ariadne.  The other military titles in this list are Capt. N. Marks, Lieut. Wm. Grant, Lieut. Richard Brady, Sergt. James Farren, Sergt. Wm. Rose, Sergt. Evan McPherson, Sergt. Thos. Mitchell and Sergt. Alex. Dobbins.

Addition: Article XCII contains the following addition to this one: "As Abraham and Ichabod Pine were probably New York Loyalists, the following additional note from Sabine may be of interest here:- Pine’s Ferry, a noted crossing place on the Croton river, belonged to this family.  At the period of the Revolution, a bridge had been erected across the stream, which in turn was called Pine’s bridge.  Smith, who conducted Major Andre on his way to New York, took his leave at this bridge, in the belief that no difficulty would happen for the remainder of the journey."