The Camden Colony or the Seed of the Righteous, a story of the United Empire Loyalists

259 Pages·1908·32.942 MB·English

by  W. Bowman Tucker

fORY OF THE UNITED
EMPIRE LOYALISTS

THE
CAMDEN
COLONY;
OR THE
SEED OF THE RIGHTEOUS
A STORY OF THE UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS
WITH GENEALOGICAL TABLES
BY
BOWMAN
REV. W. TUCKER, M.A., Pn.D,
Authorof " Sunday School Outlines'' li Springsfrom
"Our
the Pisgah Hills," Ebenezers," etc.
"I have been young and now am old, yet have I not seen the righteous
forsaken nor his seed begging bread." Ps. xxxvii. 2&
MONTREAL
JOHN LOVELL & SON, LIMITED, PUBLISHERS.
1908
EnteredaccordingtoActofParliamentin the yearonethousandninehundred
andeightby Rev.W. BowmanTucker, M.A., Ph.D.,intheoffice
oftheMinisterofAgricultureand StatisticsatOttawa.
VERSION
AVAILABLE
DEDICATED TO
OF THOSE WHO FOR CONSCIENCE SAKE
HAVE SUFFERED, AND WHO BY
PATIENCE AND CONTINUANCE
IN WELL DOING HAVE
INHERITED THE
PROMISES

PREFACE
IT is scarcely necessary to offer an apology Sor intrud-
ing upon public notice the contents of the following pages.
Whoever rescues from the ruin of years the primaries of
his country does his nation a perpetual service.
The things herein written have been the products of
enthusiasm the offspring of delight. The romance of
the things has become more and more real as the com-
pilation has proceeded, until the writer has become seized
of the conviction that other people should be afforded the
privilege of sharing in a delight which they could not
but appreciate. There has been no desire to parade either
a person or a family, but the conviction has grown that
through the agency of a family, and in its scattered heir-
looms, there were conserved invaluable germs of national
life, and that matters of more than common importance
ought to be put into some tangible form, capable of pre-
servation for the benefit of future historians.
At 'times, during the writing of Canadian history and
biography, some individual characters have been given
special prominence without much detail regarding their
environment; the effect may be the perpetuation in the
national consciousness of a name and the celebration of
the virtues of a person, without giving sufficient credit
to those who were the special creators of opportunities
for such persons. And the consequences to our own times
mav be disastrous, as the result is, on the one hand to
vi PREFACE
create an unhealthy desire to be a hero, or on the other
to so minimize the value of common people and ordinary
events as to impress young minds with the idea that these
count for nothing. All of this is to be earnestly deprecated
and faithfully avoided. There is, too, an uplifting charm
in observing how the course of widely separated circum-
stances and far removed times and persons fit into an
apparently designed order of procedure, for which one can
give no adequate explanation except by the recognition
of an intelligent Providence and the charm of providen-
;
tial direction has been so apparent and transcendent in
the story which is now submitted, that the writer could not
be clear, in the light of conscience, and withhold it from
the public.
May it not be that heroes are to be found in the ordin-
ary ranks of life? And perhaps it may require a century or
more to show how real and magnificent was their heroism.
Is it wrong to worship heroes? It was to the chagrin of
a party, but was it a sin or a crime that the world was
gone after Chist? He attempted the thing that He knew
ought to be done. He did it though it cost His life; indeed
He did it only by the cost of His life. And He is to-day
the world's greatest hero; and the world most honors
itself and uplifts itself by recognizing in His divine pur-
poses the highest expression of human nobleness and by
worshipping Him. Should not a nation honor itself by
enbalming the names of its worthies who have humbly
imitated the Christ virtues? To pass on their bright ex-
amples is a kindness which each age may demand of its
people, as the supreme purpose of ages, as of individuals,
must ever be to attain to the best of which human nature
is capable; and the display of human virtues constitutes
a step in the upward process.
PREFACE vii
In relation to the history of Canada, too, it may be
that the following story has been written none too soon.
Indeed it may be regretted by some that it was not writ-
ten sooner. The old types of pioneer are rapidly vanish-
ing. In place of the people who cleared the forest because
they would live under the Union Jack, there are coming
masses of people who are breaking up the prairie that
they may add to their material gains. Once it was con-
science now it is convenience. Once it was duty now
; ;
it is gain. The ijew population, like newer strata of rock
at the foot of the Laurentians, is already overlapping
the old, and threatening to hide in oblivion its toilsome and
virtuous enterprises.
The ambition of the writer has been to place in popu-
lar form a family story that may illustrate and emphasize
the facts already contained in histories, but unfortun-
ately too often limited to reference libraries. Limitation
of space, of course, forbids anything like an exhaustive
treatment of the theme in hand; but the desire has been
to set forth the ideals of life which gave enduring value
to the efforts of the Canadian pioneers of more than a cen-
tury ago, and which are worthy of the most loyal acceptance
by their descendants. Purity of personal charact r, in-
dustry, economy, humility, integrity, faithfulness and gen-
erosity, the fear of God and an abiding appreciation of
righteousness such were the foundation stones on which
rests the Canadian superstructure and such elements com-
;
bined to give contentment, peace, happiness and long life
to those patriarchs of our country who so universally em-
bodied them in their personalties. Looking at all the
circumstances one might very well say "go thou and do
likewise."
The materials from which the accompanying story has
viii PREFACE
been drawn are in part found in many volumes already
published, but by far the larger part of the matter has
been gathered from family archives and reminiscences sec-
ured from a very numerous company of correspondents
residing in widely separated sections of Canada and the
United States and even in Ireland. In acknowledging his
obligations to the correspondents who. have aided him, the
writer wishes to make grateful mention of William Miller,
Cork, Ireland; Mrs. W. E. Stu-mph, of Mountville, Vir-
ginia; Mrs. Gallagher, of Alburg Springsi Vermont; Miss
Agnes Bradley, of St. Armand, Que; Mr- J. R. Creed, of
Halifax, N.S: ; Louis S. Miller, of West La Have, N.S.; E.
R. Miller, of Switzerville, Ont Adam Miller, of Huntingdon,
;
Que; Jno. S. Miller, of Manitou, and Robert Miller, ofSnow
Flake, Man. ; Mrs. Dr. Jno. Moore, of Shannonville-, Ont. ;
and Prof. A. D. Smith, LL.D., of Mount Allison Univer-
Sackville N.B-
.sity,
The illustrations are intended to be taken as types
showing the influence of environment, while continuing
through generations certain physical similarities.
In securing and compiling 'the genealogical records
the writer does not know that anything so complete has
been attempted in Canada, and he is prone to think that
in time this will 'be regarded as the most valuable part oi
the book as it has been the most laborious part of the work.
Tfte Parsonage,
St. Johns, One
March
1908.