The Chignecto Isthmus and its first settlers Part 12

"If, hereafter, you have beef to sell, and wish to take advantage of the St. John market, let me know, and I will get a butcher's letter what he will do, and if that suits, you can drive your cattle, but I did not get your letter in time to get an answer and send it back to you by the first of March.

"S. F."

A son of Samuel Freeze was sheriff of the county of King's, N.B., for a quarter of a century, and a grandson is at present acting as deputy sheriff in that county.

Polly Freeze left her home in Suss.e.x to take care of her grandmother in Point de Bute, and was married there. She had visited her before, making the journey of eighty miles on horseback, in company with a friend. A great part of the way was through the woods, with no road but a bridle-path for the horses.

Thompson brought his bride to Prospect on the 11th of March, 1823. The marriage certificate reads:

"I hereby certify that Thompson Trueman, Bachelor, and Mary Freeze, Spinster, both of Point de Bute, co'ty of Westmoreland, were married by license this eleventh day of March, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-three by me,

"CHRIS'N MILNER, Missionary at Sackville.

"In the presence of: "JOSEPH AVARD, "WM. TRUEMAN."

Rev. Mr. Bamford was the Methodist minister on the Sackville Circuit, which also included Point de Bute, but a Methodist minister had not the right, at that time, to solemnize marriage. In 1822, the year before Thompson was married, a Methodist minister, writing of the Trueman family, says:

"It consists of an old gentleman, his wife and ten children, eight of whom are married, making twenty souls. Of this number only two are not members of Society, and they live so far from the means that they cannot attend. Eighteen of the family, and for anything that can be seen to the contrary, the whole family, are doing well, both as to this world and that which is to come. Nearly all those who are in our Society meet in one cla.s.s at their parents', who are just tottering into the grave ripe for eternity, and they have lately subscribed one hundred and fifty pounds towards the erection of a chapel in their neighborhood."

This chapel was erected that year, and used for a place of worship till 1881, when it was superseded by the present church, built at Point de Bute Corner in that year.

I find the following entry in the journal, dated Oct. 2nd, 1820: "Picking apples; had twenty-one grandchildren to dinner; picked about 100 bushels; very dry weather." The last entry is dated June 21st, 1824: "Apples trees in full bloom; fine growing weather."

The date when the apples trees were in bloom was scarcely ever omitted in the twenty years' record, and it varied from the fourth of June to the twenty-first, which was the extreme limit. There is scarcely any change noticeable in the handwriting from the first entry to the last, and he would be seventy-two years of age when the last entry was made.

On April 22nd, 1825, Mrs. Trueman died, in the sixty-eighth year of her age. She had lived to see all of her ten children married and the birth of more than a score of grandchildren. The last years of her life were years of suffering. Her husband outlived her a year and a half, pa.s.sing away on the 9th September, 1826, in his seventy-fifth year. William Trueman and Charles Oulton, of Jolicure, died at nearly the same hour, and both were laid away in the old burying-ground at Point-de-Bute.

Prospect Farm was left to Thompson. He has been managing it for some years, and the business was settled without much trouble. Little change was necessary, as all the other members of the family has been provided for. There were legacies to pay, of course. Ruth and Albert, Thompson's two eldest children, were born before their grandfather's death.

The routine life at Prospect for the next ten or twelve years was without much change. Two sons and two daughters were added to the family. There was sickness, but the doctor's visits were not frequent.

Mr. Trueman suffered at times from acute rheumatism, often so severe could not turn himself in bed.

In 1829 another attempt was made to aboideau the Aulac River, and this time it was successful. What proved good ground was found less than a half mile below the place chosen in 1805. Work to the amount of L 1,096 15s. 6d. in the construction of this aboideau is credited to the following persons. I do not know that this is the full cost of the work.

Harmon Trueman L 311 14s. 9d.

Joseph D. Wells 142 3 5 William Trueman 104 7 5 Robert K. Trueman 202 7 9 Thomas Trueman 64 15 4 Thompson Trueman 110 6 10 William Trenholm 100 0 0 William Hewson 60 0 0

This aboideau was superseded in 1840 by the Etter aboideau, which was thrown across the Aulac about two miles nearer the mouth of the river.

This latter work was very expense to maintain. The foundation in one place seemed to be resting on quicksand, and was constantly settling.

In 1860 it was decided to abandon the structure and build a new one about two hundred yards higher up the river. Two years were taken to finish the new work, and in the meantime the old aboideau was kept in repair, which gave much better facilities for working at the new one.

When the Eastern Extension Railroad was constructed, a right of way was secured by the company over the new aboideau, and later, when the road came into the hands of the Dominion Government, an arrangement was made with the commissioners of the aboideau for maintaining the work that has proved very satisfactory to both the owners of the marsh and the Government.

In the decade between 1830 and 1840 the price of farm produce had dropped very much below what it was in the earlier years of the century. I find Hugh Hamel bought at Prospect 559 lbs. of b.u.t.ter for 9d., or 15c., per lb., and 1,198 lbs. of cheese for 6d., or 10c. The next year, 1834, a sale of cattle was made to George Oulton for 4d. per lb., weight estimated. In 1811 the same description of beef brought ten cents.

In 1839 Rev. Mr. Bennet was for some months member of the home at Prospect, and later Rev. Mr. Douglas and Mrs. Douglas and Rev. Mr.

Barrett spent some time here in the order of their occupancy of the Point de Bute Circuit.

In 1840 an influenza, much like la grippe, pa.s.sed through the country and caused a great many deaths. The family at Prospect were nearly all down with it at once, but all recovered.

The saddest visitation that ever came to this home was in the year 1845. On the evening of the 28th July death came a sudden and unexpected guest. The day had been fine, and farm work was going on as usual. Mr. Trueman had been at the grist mill all day. The family had gathered for supper, and a horse stood saddled at the door. There was to be a trustee meeting at the church that evening, and Mr. Trueman was on of its members. Supper over, he mounted his horse to ride to the church. Ten minutes had not pa.s.sed when the horse was seen without a rider, and Mr. Trueman was found a short distance from the house, where he had fallen, to all appearance, dead. He was quickly carried in and medical aid summoned, but all was of no avail. It was a heavy blow.

Mrs. Trueman could not look upon life the same afterwards, and she never recovered from the great sorrow. There were seven children, the eldest, Ruth, twenty-one years of age, and the youngest, Mary, eighteen months.

Thompson Trueman was in his forty-fifth year. He was a heavy man, quite different in build from his brothers. The writer was but eight years old at that time, and so has learned about him mainly from others. He seems to have made a great many friends, and was looked upon as an upright man. One who knew him well said, when he heard of his death, this pa.s.sage of Scripture came to his mind: "Help, Lord, for the G.o.dly man ceaseth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men."

The years that followed were trying ones at Prospect. The blight that ruined the potato crop in 1846, and the loss of the wheat crop a few years later by the weavil, were felt more keenly because of the loss of the controlling mind. To give an idea of the financial loss, I may mention the fact that in 1843 two thousand bushels of potatoes were grown on the farm, and in 1847 not enough were grown to supply the table. In addition to the great failure in these two staple crops, at that time the price of beef, pork and b.u.t.ter went down to a very low point. A pair of oxen that would girth from six to six and a half feet could be bought for forty-five or fifty dollars. Pork went down to 4 and 4 1/2 cents per lb., and b.u.t.ter to 12 1/2 cents, or a York shilling. In one of the best settlements in Nova Scotia a majority of the farms were mortgaged to carry their owners over these hard years.

Those who remember the period in New Brunswick history will not be inclined to complain to-day.

Samuel Davis, with the help of Mrs. Trueman, managed Prospect Farm until the sons were able to take charge. Mr. Davis was a most faithful and kind-hearted man, and is remembered with the liveliest feelings of grat.i.tude by the writer for the numberless ways in which he tried to make up to him a father's loss.

It is doubtful if the saw-mill, which was built in 1843, was ever a paying investment.

In 1849 a stone kiln and machinery for making oatmeal were added to the mill property. The loss of the wheat crop had lead the Government of the Province to encourage the use of oatmeal by offering a bonus of L 25 to anyone who would build an oat-mill. This led to the addition, and oats were made into meal for a large district of country for a good many years; but the expense of keeping the dam up, and the frequency with which it was carried away by the freshets, must have absorbed most of the profits of the business.

Up to this time agriculture had been the princ.i.p.al industry on the Isthmus. The farmer was the prominent man in the neighborhood, and the aim of every young man was to get a farm of his own. Now, however, there came a change. In 1848 gold was discovered in California, and in 1849 and the early 50's numbers of our young men left for the gold- fields. Then came the telegraph service, which called for bright, intelligent young men. Ever since that date agriculture has declined relatively in the Maritime Provinces. As the years went by the products of the western wheat-fields came into compet.i.tion with the home-grown article, and the result was soon felt in the milling business here.

Since 1872 the grist-mill at Prospect, with its three run of stones, and the saw-mill as well, have been allowed to go to decay.

In 1856 Hiram Thompson married Tryphena Black, of Prince Edward Island, and settled on the second farm north of the old place. Later he sold this farm and moved to Searletown, Prince Edward Island. In 1857, Eliza, the second daughter, married William Avard, of Shemogue.

In 1860, April 11th, Mrs. Trueman died, in the sixty-second year of her age, and after fifteen years of widowhood. She had a large circle of friends, and was always ready to help those who were in need. After her husband's death she kept up the family altar, and few mothers have been more earnest in looking after the moral and spiritual welfare of their children.

In 1863, Howard, the third son, married Agnes Johnstone, of Napan, Miramichi, and remained at the old home. In January, 1864, Margaret, the third daughter, was married to George M. Black, of Dorchester. The same year, in May, Mrs. Howard Trueman died. In July, 1867, Howard married Mary Jean Main, of Kingston, Kent County, daughter of John Main, of that place. Mary, the youngest daughter, was married to William Prescott, of Bay Verte, in 1873.

The following minutes of a meeting held at Prospect January 4th, 1875, will be of interest:

"The meeting was organized by the appointment of David Lawrence as Chairman, and Howard Trueman as Secretary.

"The chairman stated the object of the meeting was to take steps to celebrate in some fitting way the arrival of the first Trueman family in Nova Scotia, which took place just a hundred years ago.

"On motion of S. B. Trueman, seconded by Edward Trueman, Resolved, that there be a gathering of the Trueman descendants at the old homestead sometime during the summer of 1875.

"Moved by John A. Humphrey, and seconded by Martin Trueman, and carried, that a committee be appointed to carry out the above resolution, said committee to consist of representatives from each branch of the family.

"The following were named as a committee: "Martin Trueman. "Edward Trueman.

Henry Trueman. Benjamin Trueman.

Thompson Trueman. John Glendenning.

David Lawrence. R. T. McLeod.

Harman Humphrey. Albert Trueman.

"Howard Trueman.

"It was also decided to number the descendants and have written out a short history or genealogy of the family; also to place a marble monument to make the last resting-place of those who first came to America."

The celebration was held at Prospect Farm on the 14th July, 1875, and took the form of an all-day picnic. A programme was given, consisting of music and addresses. The invitations were not confined to the immediate connection. Friends of the family were included. It was estimated that about five hundred were present, many coming from widely different points. The social intercourse was greatly enjoyed, and was looked upon as one of the best features of the reunion.

The following census of the family to day (1875) was given out at that Meeting:

Born.Dead.Living.

MR. WILLIAM TRUEMAN (2ND), MARRIED TO ELIZABETH KEILLOR,1777- Children 10 10 0