New Brunswick History

Europeans first settled in New Brunswick in 1611. These first settlers were French and the area was part of what the French called Acadia. The Acadians’ fortunes suffered after France was defeated at Quebec and ceded the territory to the English. In 1754 the English demanded an oath of allegiance. Many Acadians refused and in the subsequent years they were expelled and their lands confiscated.1 Thus we have the start of English crown grants in New Brunswick .

The American Revolutionary War led to many English loyalists leaving the United States for Canada. Many came to Saint John in the period from 1781-1783 and were important in the development of the newly created Province of New Brunswick that had separated from Nova Scotia in 1784. Most inhabitants lived near waterways from which they derived their livelihood. The less accessible inland areas were just waiting to be tilled by energetic and resourceful people.

This was the milieu that William and Jane found when they landed in Saint John in 1819. Certainly they found more peaceful surroundings here than those in County Donegal which was fraught with frantic and constant political upheavals and sparse agricultural conditions. In all likelihood, their motivation to emigrate would have been primarily looking for an opportunity to escape English oppression. They would not have received any encouragement, grant, or financial support from the English crown. Given that there was probably little future for William and Jane in Ireland, Canada would appear as a land of opportunity.

A good description of early New Brunswick history, in particular Kings County can be found in Dorothy Dearborn's An Anecdotal History of Kings County New Brunswick.