| Notes |
- Exerpts from A history of Henrick Steeves by W.O. Raymond, submitted to the St. John 'Sun' -
In May 1763, three years after the taking of Quebec by the English and shortly after the treaty of peace between England and France, six German families left Pennsylvania to settle on the Petitcodiac River. The sailed in a sloop commanded by Capt. HALL. After a long and wearisome passage they arrived at a place now called Hillsboro, July 1st, and landed at a small creek on the north side of Gray's Island. Here the Steeves family, consisting of Hendrick, the father; Rachel STEEVES, his wife and their seven sons, Jacob, John, Christian, Frederick, Lutrick, Henry and Matthias, whose respective ages were 14,12,10,8,6,4 and 2 years, built a log house and made it their headquarters. ... Jacob STEEVES, the eldest son, now began to think he ought to have a wife, so he paid a visit up the river among his old friends and concluded Jacob LUTZ's eldest daughter, Catherine LUTZ would suit him. Jacob was pretty young, but he was a man of about 200 pounds in weight and Catherine was willing, so Jacob took to himself a wife, brought her home and built a log house about 30 rods from his father's. Here he went to work to make a farm and they built up the dykes to keep the tide out of the marsh. A few years passed and John thought he must also have a wife. He married Peggy LUTZ, a sister to Jacob's wife, and started a farm half a mile from his brother Jacob. ... Hendrick STEEVES, third s/o Christian STEEVES, married R. TRITES, a daughter of Jacob TRITES. He started a farm in Coverdale (Albert Co.). Frederick STEEVES, the fourth son, married a sister of Christian's wife. He settled in the Parish of Moncton at Boundary Creek. Lutrick STEEVES, the fifth son, married a Miss PORTER of Nova Scotia and settled at Turtle Creek. The regiment stationed at Fort Lawrence was disbanded after the close of the Revolution and many of the troops settled along the Petitcodiac River. Among the number was Jacob BECK who was called 'the King's baker'. He settled at Salisbury. Henry STEEVES, the sixth son, married one of Beck's daughters and settled on his father's homestead. Matthias STEEVES married Sophia BECK, a sister of Henry's wife. He also settled on the homestead near his brother Henry. About the years 1765 a man by the name of GRAY took up a block of land between Gray's Island and McLatchy Creek and named the Island after himself. At the close of the Revolution in 1782, Martin JONAH with his family came from Holland and settled on the Gray lot and held it by possession. About the same time a man named BECK, a brother of Henry's wife, took up a piece of land which is now the Wallace property. Another man named WICKWIRE took up a piece of land to the south of this, which after 1812 was transferred to the Taylors, Camerons, Gross and Carlisle. About the year 1795, Henry, the sixth son of Hendrick Steeves, commenced preaching. He was the only minister they had in the neighborhood until the late Rev. Joseph Crandall came and in October 1822, organized the first Hillsboro Baptist Church with 70 members. The first vessel was built in Albert Co. in 1816 by the Jacob STEEVES' three sons, Jacob STEEVES, John STEEVES and Leonard STEEVES. She was called the "Three Brothers" and would carry about 60 tons. The second vessel was built by Mr. GROSS in 1817, a brig of about 169 tons. About the year 1817, a man by the name of McRAY commenced ship-building at what is now called the Cape, about three miles from the village. Here he began building large vessels and in connection with his business built a distillery and made large quantities of whiskey which for a while was as free as water. But his business soon came to an end. In 1818 the Steeves brothers built three miles of tram road for the purpose of hauling plaster. It was built by simply grading where the land was hard. Where it was soft or marshy the track was built up with timber and covered with poles. The rails, which were made of wood, were fastened to the sleepers with wooden pins. The cars would carry from two or three tons. They were drawn by two or three oxen or horses. The plaster at that time was worth from $3 to $4 a ton on the shore. About this time John McRAY, the ship builder at the Cape, was doing a large business getting plaster at Lower Hillsboro. In 1823, the price of plaster went down to less than $3 a ton, and the manufacturers came to the conclusion that it wouldn't pay so they abandoned the business. But now, in 1892, the plaster is worth 80 cents to $1 a ton, yet business is carried on profitably. The first man appointed as post master was W.H. STTEVES in 1832. At first they had only one mail a month or as often as it was convenient to go for it. The county of Albert was seperated from Westmorland in 1845. The first member was W.H. Steeves, He was elected 1847 by a large majority and afterwards always elected by a large majority until his death.
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1747 - 1826 (78 ans)
