Commenting on these facts Dr. Hannay justly observes, “We may gather from all this that life was somewhat hard and dry in the Maugerville Settlement, and that even the richest had very few of those things about them which a modern man regards as essential to his comfort.”
Jonathan Burpee’s grandson, David, was a man of mark in the community in which his lot was cast. He filled for a time the office of Sheriff of the old County of Sunbury. To him also appertains the honor of being the first school teacher, of whom we have certain knowledge, within the limits of New Brunswick. In the winter of 1778–9 he conducted a school distant only a few rods from the site of the famous Sheffield Academy of later times.
Among the later descendants of Jonathan Burpee the names of the Hon. Isaac Burpee, minister of Customs in the McKenzie government, and of E. R. Burpee manager of the “Western Extension” R. R., were not long ago as familiar in the province as household words. Descendants of Jonathan and Jeremiah Burpee are now to be found in nearly all the counties bordering on the River St. John.
PALMER.
The first of the name in America is believed to have been John Palmer, a sergeant in the British army, who settled in Rowley, Mass., in 1639. Daniel Palmer who was one of the founders of Maugerville, settled in what is now Upper Sheffield in 1763. He was one of the seven signers of the Maugerville Church Covenant and an Elder of the church. Many of the early religious services were held at his house. His name in common with most of the early settlers is found in the account books of Simonds and White in the year 1765. He supplied them with musquash and beaver skins, hogshead staves, clapboards and oar rafters in return for such goods and supplies as he needed. Like the majority of his neighbors he was disposed to sympathize with the Americans at the outbreak of the Revolution and was one of the “Rebel Committee” but afterwards accepted the situation and took the oath of allegiance to the King. His grandson, David Palmer, born at Grand Lake, Queens Co., in 1789, was a man of literary ability, who in 1869, published a volume from the press of J. & A. McMillan, entitled New Brunswick and other Poems.
NEVERS.
Several persons of this name were grantees of Maugerville, including Elisha, Jabez, Phinehas and Samuel. The Nevers family settled at Woburn, Massachusetts, nearly a century before the pioneers came to Maugerville. The first of the name was Richard Nevers (or Neverds) who is mentioned in the town records of Woburn, August 26, 1666. Several of his decendants served in the old French war, which ended with the conquest of Canada, and it is probable that the offer of free grants of lands to disbanded provincial troops led Elisha, Phinehas and Samuel Nevers to associate themselves with Captain Francis Peabody in the application for a township, “at St. John’s River in Nova Scotia,” made in the year 1762. Elisha Nevers was one of the seven signers of the original Maugerville Church Covenant, and religious meetings were often held at his house in early times. Phinehas Nevers was quite a leading man in the early days of Maugerville. He was one of the first magistrates, and in 1768 was chosen a member for the county of Sunbury in the Nova Scotia legislature. He practised medicine and was the first doctor, in all probability, who lived on the river. The practise of medicine was by no means a lucrative one in his day, for we learn from the account books of Messrs. Simonds & White, that in February, 1773, he attended one of the men in their employ, having come down from Maugerville for the purpose, and received £1. 4. 0. for board for sixteen days and £2. for his professional services. Dr. Nevers was a strong sympathiser with the Americans at the time of the Revolution and when John Allan invaded the River St. John in 1777, he joined him, and when a little later Allan was compelled by Major Studholme to flee to Machias, he was accompanied thither by Phinehas Nevers. Other members of the family however took the oath of allegiance and were thenceforth loyal to the king. Samuel Nevers was a man of enterprise and was one of those who furnished masts to enable Francklin Hazen and White to fulfil their contract for the royal navy.