William Cassidy was clearly a self-confident individual. Newly married, he left home at age 22 for an undeveloped and distant land. At age 28 we find him contracting for a large tract of property on which to establish a homestead. By his late 30s he's taking the initiative to support the development of the religious community at Cassidy Lake including obtaining a society ticket from the Methodist church.
William Cassidy, the oldest of eight children, was born in The Port, Parish of Inver in County Donegal, Ireland on March 4, 1797. His wife Jane Milligan was also born in The Port on June 22, 1798. The story goes that they eloped on May 20, 1818 to Gretna Green, Ireland. The village blacksmith performed the wedding ceremony over an anvil. However, church records show they were married May 25, 1818 in the Inver Church of ireland. After her marriage, Jane, whose family were upper class land owners, was disowned by her family. [This story is problematic since Jane's father also emigrated to Canada and died in Saint John in 1875.]
Jim Henderson of Donegal related an interesting story about William to Ellsworth Cassidy in 1996. He said William was insulted or something by the land owner he worked for who was named Nesbitt. So he hit Nesbitt across the face with a stick. The man almost bled to death. One wonders if this was the reason for leaving Ireland.
We have no knowledge of William or Jane's education.Based on the fact that William signed his name on the land ontracts with good penmanship indicates he was quite literate. Jane, on the other hand, signed her name with an 'X' prior to 1870. The 1872 deed with William Kirkpatrick has a proper signature for her. At this point, Jane is 75 years old.
William and Jane went to Derry, Ireland where they took a ship to Canada. On September 1, 1819 they landed in Saint John, New Brunswick where they purchased a piece of land which is now at the head of King Street where the Woolworth store was located in 1970s. While in Saint John, William was engaged in ship building. After being given a grant of land at Shepody, New Brunswick (of which we know nothing except that it was unsatisfactory), he moved there and lived in a log hut alone while his family remained in Saint John. In 1823 the Cassidy family moved to the south side of Cassidy Lake, where they resided until 1825 when they moved to a 150 acre (61 ha) parcel of land on the north side of the lake. They acquired this farm by selling their land in Saint John. William had to walk a distance of 100 miles (160 km) to Fredericton, the capital of the province, to acquire the land. He did this in the winter when the rivers and lakes were frozen so he could cross them. With only a primitive compass to guide him and a flint-lock, muzzle-loading gun to protect him, he undertook the journey through the forests.
After settling on the north side of Cassidy Lake, Jane would paddle across the lake to the site of their former home where there was a pasture for the family's only cow. Once while crossing the lake in October 1825, she became lost in a dense smoke which had drifted over the lake from a large forest fire along the Mirimichi River - some 125 airline miles (200 km) north. Her husband guided her safely to shore by blowing a seashell horn. This same shell horn was later used as a dinner horn by Stan Cassidy and is now (1998) in his son Bruce Cassidy's possession.
The life style of William and Jane is typical of a farm family of that period. Candles made of tallow, salvaged and remolded continually, supplied light for their home. A fireplace built of field stone served as the only heating device. Cast iron pots hooked on iron cranes were used for cooking over the fire. For bread, they grew and ground the wheat and baked the bread in a cast iron dish buried in the bed of coals at the bottom of the fireplace. The family's clothing was made from homespun cloth woven on hand looms. William was a master craftsman in the making of these hand looms.
The frame for the barn, which was approximately 100 feet (30 m) long, was shaped by axe in the woods, brought to the site, and assembled with wooden pins. Boards were made by placing a log over a pit and sawing by hand with a six-foot-long (1.8 m) tapered-width saw (6 inches (15 cm) at the ends, 8 inches (20 cm) at the center, with upright handles at each end). Two people were needed to operate the saw. One stood outside the pit and grasped one end of the saw; the other person stood inside the pit and held the other end of the saw. The saw was also used for cutting blocks of ice from the lake in the winter. The blocks were then stored in the ice house for use during the summer. To cut the ice, one handle was removed from the saw.
Although it was some 30 miles (48 km) away, Saint John was their center of supply. They would travel by horseback along a path cut in the dense forest to the city. On the return journey, the load would be packed on the horse's back while the rider walked. An idea of the hazards faced by these people may be obtained from the story of William defending himself with a heavy cross-cut saw when he accidentally surprised a mother bear and her cubs.
William was a religious man. He and his wife were Anglican. About 1860, because they wanted religion for their children, they became Methodists and opened their home to the Circuit Riders. From then on the ministers all came to William's home and held services. The ministers always stayed overnight. This meant a lot of house cleaning and polishing of the tableware.
The following excerpt is from a memorial service given by J.C. [full name unknown]: It was under the preaching of some of the Wesleyan Methodist preachers on the Sussex circuit that he [William Cassidy] was led to Christ. When referring to this charge, he used to say, "God was pleased to send some of the Wesleyan preachers to Sussex, whom I had the pleasure of hearing. Thank God that he brought me to see that I was a sinner, and that nothing but faith in Jesus Christ could save me. Thank God for his mercy to me in plucking me as a brand out of the fire." Bro. Cassidy received a society ticket from Rev. P. Bent in Sept. 1831. But the time when he first became a member of the society is not known. For many years the preaching service in this section of the country was held at his house, where the minister always received a hearty welcome, and where the deceased often enjoyed a spiritual feast. Brother Cassidy passed away peacefully on the 26th of March, in the 90th year of his age. J.C.
William died on March 26, 1886, eleven years after his wife who died on January 7, 1875. Both are buried in the cemetery on the Cassidy farm at Cassidy Lake.
Notes: 1. Dates for William and Jane and their children come from the First Edition of the Cassidy Family History published in 1949 by grandchildren of William and Jane. The dates for William and Jane also match those on their gravestone in the cemetery. We feel very confident in the accuracy of this data.
2. The story of Jane's family being land owners is problematic. We have yet to find any record of a Milligan owning land in County Donegal.
3. In checking the reord of ship arrivals in Saint John, we believe is more likely that William and Jane arrived on August 30, 1819. The New Brunswick Courier newspaper was published weekly and showed all ship arrivals for the previous week in the Marine Journal section. The Sept. 4, 1819 issue shows two ships arriving in Saint John on Monday, August 30 from Londonderry. (1) the Lord Wellington, Mitchell, Londonderry, 39 days -- W. Black, 64 passengers; (2) Haywood, Henderson, Londonderry, 40 days -- J. Ewing & Co., 140 passengers.
To determine which of these two ships William and Jane were on would require the passenger lists (also known as muster lists). All attempts to locate such lists have failed as they were most certainly lost in a series of New Brunswick Customs House fires during the 19th century. We have not researched records in Ireland where there would have been a duplicate copy. Many such lists were transferred to England and destroyed after World War II as a cost saving measure.
Note
The 1861 New Brunswick Census for William Cassidy also have in the household: Richard W, Age 9, Grandson (likely James' son) Pricilla W, Age 4, Granddaughter
From the 1871 Census we note: Both William and Jane could read and write.
From the 1881 Census we see that William is now living with Francis Edward. Henry is back in the census. Looks like Matilda may have moved to the U.S.
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