i.
Hester CAMPBELL(9) was born about
1769. She died in 1828. From "Tamberlane: An outline of the life of Tamberlane
Campbell" by Leigh Campbell:
"The eldest child of Tamberlane and Hester Campbell was their daughter, Hester. She was born at Falmouth, Nova Scotia about 1769. At the age of ten years she crossed the Bay of Fundy with her family to live inland on the lower St. John River, well away from the marauding privateers of the American revolution. When peace came in 1783, Hester watched from the doorway of the Campbell's modest log cabin as the loyalist families ascended the river to freedom and refuge in the forests of New Brunswick.
Sprinkled amongst the throngs and occasionally clustered on military bateaux were the soldiers of such exotic sounding regiments as the King's American Dragoons and the New Jersey Volunteers. Hester admired the young officers in their red coats and military finery, and two years later, at the tender age of sixteen, she married one, a Scotsman named Alexander Sharp. Although a native of Edinburgh, Alexander has lived from childhood in British North America. He served in one of the loyal regiments during the revolution and is said to have been severely wounded. After coming to New Brunswick, he attempted to establish a farm in Kings County where he met Hester Campbell whom he married in 1785.
Like so many loyalists, Alexander Sharp was unfortunately caught in the mix-up over land tenure in the new province. He started to clear land on arrival in Kings County only to have it taken away from him due to the claims of others. He drew in its place, he said, "the most barrenest land in the province". A grant of 200 acres on Kennebecasis Bay, partly in Kings County and partly in Saint John, dated 14 July 1784 and another grant of 340 acres, being Lot #5 on the east side of the river at Kingston 30 January 1787 still did not satisfy Alexander, and, after making several unsuccessful attempts to obtain better land in Kings County, he finally decided to move upriver.
Hester and Alexander moved north with their baby son, James, in 1788 and settled on the Northampton shore near the upper end of the parish. When the Sharps first came to the area looking for land they camped at the foot of the island near the large flat opposite Woodstock. This flat was a pine grove at the time and a favourite campsite of the Indians who congregated there in great numbers. The Sharps were often aroused from their sleep by shouting Indians, "as with blazing torches they raced home from the spearing ground at Grand Bar".
Lots #79 and #80 were granted to Alexander Sharp 1 November 1796, comprising 418 acres at the upper end of Northampton parish. Tamberlane Campbell's land lay immediately to the south. The first Sharp home was a rough log cabin built into the side of the bank where the low-lying intervale meets the steeper slope. It was here that three more children were born to the Sharps.
In the year 1795, Alexander contracted scarlet fever and died, probably in the month of November. Hester was left a widow at twenty-six years of age and with four young children to look after, the oldest of which was only eight while the youngest was a babe-in-arms, born that spring.
Neighbours of the Sharps and Campbells at Northampton were the Bakers, a loyalist family who lived just to the south. Anthony Baker, senior had been an armed boatman in the revolution and came to Saint John with the loyalists in 1783. His son, Anthony Junior, was born 7 September 1777 and was a child of six when the family came to the province. Now he also had land in Northampton and became acquainted with Hester Sharp, who was several years his senior. He and the widow Hester were married in 1797 when Anthony was twenty and he moved into Alexander's home with his ready made family of four children. Anthony proved to be a good husband and stepfather and provided for the Sharp children when they became of age. He and Hester had nine children of their own and became one of the most prosperous families of Woodstock. Anthony owned large tracts of land and eventually resided on a farm at the upper end of Woodstock.
Hester Campbell-Sharp-Baker died on a Sunday about the year 1828 while sitting in her pew in the Baptist Meeting House at Jacksontown. "Tradition describes her as having been very pretty and possessed of a fair education for the time and place."
ii.
Elizabeth CAMPBELL(9) was born about
1770. From "Tamberlane: An Outline of the life of Tamberlane Campbell"
by Leigh Campbell:
"Elizabeth was a daughter of Tamberlane and Hester Campbell and it is known that she married a Brown and was remembered in her father's will with a legacy of ten pounds. The rest of the information about Elizabeth is speculative.
There is some difficulty in guessing the names of Elizabeth's husband. The surname Brown has been common on the St. John River since the founding of the province. No less than forty-seven of this name are listed among the loyalists. To further complicate the matter, there were two early settlers, John and William Brown, living in the Woodstock-Northampton area who had wives by the name of Elizabeth. Assuming one of these men was Elizabeth Campbell's husband, the more likely choice is John Brown, a loyalist settler of Wakefield who lived a short distance to the north of the Campbells.
The best evidence for this choice is that three of John and Elizabeth Brown's children, Mary Hester, Sarah Barber and Alexander Sharp had names common to the Campbell family.
Another indication of relationship is that two of the three baptisms recorded for John and Elizabeth Brown's children occurred on the same day as those performed for children of the Campbell family and moreover they were the only baptisms performed by Parson Dibblee on those days. On 5 September 1792 Dibblee baptized children of Hester (Campbell) and Alexander Sharp, Tamberlane and Hester Campbell, and Elizabeth and John Brown. On Christmas Day 1799 Dibblee baptized children of Sarah (Campbell) and Arden Dickenson and Elizabeth and John Brown. Elizabeth and John Brown went over to the Baptists sometime before 1808 and were members of the first Wakefield Baptist congregation which, having no church building, met in members' homes scattered along the river for a distance of thirty miles from Lower Woodstock to Florenceville. Here again Elizabeth would not have been alone among the children of Tamberlane Campbell in her Baptist persuasion. Her sister Sarah Campbell with Arden Dickenson, her husband, were also staunch members of the Wakefield church at the same time as the Browns. John Brown was a supporter of the traveling preacher, Daniel Shaw, an exponent of Arminian Baptist principles who preached to the congregation on several occasions.
Elizabeth Campbell was probably the second oldest child and hence born in Nova Scotia. Since her (Elizabeth Brown's) own child was born in 1790, Elizabeth was one of the oldest Campbell children and may have been born on or before 1770 in which case she and Hester would have been the two Campbell children listed in the Falmouth census of that year; if not, Tamberlane had a ninth, unknown child. Elizabeth's marriage to a person of the loyalist generation is also in keeping with the speculation that she was one of the oldest children in the Campbell family."
347 iii.
Sarah (Sally) CAMPBELL.
iv.
John CAMPBELL(9) was born on 17
Feb 1780. From "Tamberlane: An outline of the life of Tamberlane Campbell"
by Leigh Campbell:
"John Campbell was the eldest son of Tamberlane and Hester Campbell. He was born on the lower St. John River in the wintertime, 17 February 1780. At the age of twelve he was baptized with three of his brothers in a ceremony performed by the Anglican parson Fredrick Dibblee at Northampton where the Campbell family had recently moved. When John became an adult and required his own land he and his brother, Tamberlane, followed the frontier north on the river to the new parish of Wakefield established in 1803. He had earlier requested land opposite the mouth of the Becaquimec Stream on the west side of the river (present day Simonds) but never settled there and, about 1803, he "sat himself down on a small island in the River St. John called Becaquimec containing about twenty-six acres" which he had purchased from Hilkiah Kearney for the sum of six pounds.
John's choice of an island as a place to settle was not at all unusual. Indeed, with the St. John River providing the only practical means of transportation in the wilderness settlements, islands were convenient places to live. Also, the islands and deltas near the mouths of streams, comprising the rich intervale land - flat, easy to clear and fertile - were the most desirable farming locations for the pioneers. These advantages outweighed the disadvantages of periodic flooding and the first settlers all along the St. John and later on the Tobique, followed the practice of settling on the low-lying intervales.
Proof of the desirability of islands as places of habitation can be provided by the example of lower Becaquimec Island which already had a considerable settlement history when John Campbell purchased it in 1803. James Craig was the first to make improvements on the island having apparently purchased it from the Indians in the 1790's. The next to claim the island was Hames Hamilton Lamb followed by John Jenkins and Lewis Bradley, both had already applied for the island and relinquished their claim by 1800 after which Samuel Nevers cleared about on acre on the island. Hilkiah Kearney then settled on the island and improved another three acres of land before moving to the west side of the river and relinquishing his claim to John Campbell.
John was married with a family by 1805 and had "made more improvements and built a small house" on the island. The family lived on the produce grown in their small clearing, from the plentiful fish in the river and, it may be supposed, from the spring harvest of fiddleheads, still abundant on this island which lies south of the present town of Hartland. John Campbell also purchased an interest in a 200 acre tract of land on the east side of the river next to Samuel Nevers which he sold to Charles Boyer in 1807. Some peculiar rights were retained by John in the sale to Boyer of this river front property which lay opposite his island home. "I myself am to have the privilege of burning lime on his front", wrote John, "and if I burn lime on the said front and have luck and it is good I am to let him have enough for his own use and I am likewise to have the privilege of making sugar on the said lot".
An active market in the buying and selling of claims and interests in Wakefield property flourished during this period leading up to the large Wakefield land grant issued by the Crown in 1809. John Campbell was among the many grantees of 1809 receiving title to Lots #38 and #39 on the east side of the river below present day Hartland and to the lower Becaquimec Island on which he had settled. The mainland grant to John was adjacent to the lot which he had sold to Charles Boyer and his interest in it had been purchased from Samuel Nevers.
With lime to mortar his chimney and maple sugar to grace his table, John Campbell became a comfortable island resident of the infant settlement of Wakefield on the St. John River.
One of John's children was named Tamberlane and was therefore favoured by the elder Tamberlane in his will with a legacy of a cow and four sheep. John himself inherited a share in the Campbell homestead at Northampton."
v.
Tamberlane CAMPBELL(9) was born
on 10 Jul 1782 in Lower St. John River, New Brunswick. From "Tamberlane:
An outline of the life of Tamberlane Campbell" by Leigh Campbell:
"The fifth child of Tamberlane and Hester Campbell was Tamberlane Junior who was born on the Lower St. John River 10 July 1782. He was baptized by parson Dibblee at Northampton in 1792.
With his older brother John, Tamberlane Junior set out to find land in 1803. They journeyed to Wakefield where John ended his search on Lower Becaquimec Island while Tamberlane was "desirous of settling himself about one mile below the island" on the east side of the river on 200 acres of land. This land was also applied for by Job Bowen, a veteran of the Kings New Brunswick Regiment but it was Tamberlane who exerted his claim and carried out improvements. He also took a wife during this period and was married by banns to Elizabeth Shea 30 December 1804.
Tamberlane bought the interest in another piece of land from a Mr. Patterson and promptly sold it to Charles Boyer in 1806 for fifty pounds. His reputation as a land speculator was growing along the Wakefield frontier where land had not yet been granted by the Crown. In the same year he supposedly purchased the improvements of Jesse Baker who had moved to the United States but the lot was also petitioned for by Samuel Larly a young man of Northampton parish "anxious to establish himself in the farming line" and who knew that Tamberlane "has no intention of cultivating this lot at present". This prompted the provincial surveyor to charge that "Campbell seems to be a complete landjobber, his name appearing frequently in claims". Tamberlane's name did not appear in the list of Wakefield grantees of 1809.
After the initial flurry of activity in the upper reaches of the parish, the younger Tamberlane returned closer to home where he obtained a 500 acre land grant dated 30 October 1807 on the Woodstock side of the river opposite his father.
Tamberlane and Elizabeth had two daughters before Elizabeth apparently died and Tamberlane took a second wife, Elizabeth Snow, whom he married in January 1816. She was born 21 February 1795, the daughter of Josiah Snow and Elizabeth (Shaw) also a pre-loyalist family of Nova Scotia."
vi.
Robert CAMPBELL(9) was born on 11
Aug 1786 in Lower St. John River, New Brunswick. From "Tamberlane: An
outline of the life of Tamberlane Campbell" by Leigh Campbell:
The sixth child of Tamberlane and Hester Campbell was Robert who was born on the Lower St. John River on 11 August 1786. After his family moved upriver to Northampton the young "Robert was baptized with three of his brothers by Rev. Frederick Dibblee on 1792.
Robert Campbell may have grown up with an aptitude for woodworking because he inherited his father's carpentry tools. Tamberlane Senior, in his will, also canceled a debt of Robert's amounting to twenty-five pounds.
A marriage took place between Mary McMally and a Robert Campbell prior to 1812 but this may not have been Tamberlane's son as there were four other Robert Campbells who were loyalists living in New Brunswick at the time. One of these loyalist Roberts, who was older than Tamberlane's Robert, was living in nearby Wakefield parish and was active in the local militia during this period. At any rate, Robert Campbell, son of Tamberlane, was married by 1820 and petitioned for 100 acres of land on the west side of the river in Wakefield parish. This land had previously been granted to John Kearney and there were problems with the title to the land that persisted for at least four years. Nevertheless, Robert settled in Wakefield where he was still living in 1851 in the home of his son Michael Campbell and Michael's wife, Mary Ann. Their seven children (Robert's grandchildren) living with them at the time were Benjamin, b.1834; George, b.1837; Elizabeth, b.1839; Thomas, b.1840; William, b.1844; Jane, b.1848 and Hannah Anne, b.1850."
vii.
Alexander CAMPBELL(9) was born on
4 Nov 1788 in Lower St. John River, New Brunswick. From "Tamberlane:
An outline of the life of Tamberlane Campbell" by Leigh Campbell:
"The seventh child of Tamberlane and Hester Campbell was Alexander who was born 4 November 1788 on the Lower St. John River. He was the only baby when the family moved to Northampton parish and was the youngest of four Campbell boys baptized by Rev. Frederick Dibblee in 1792.
An Alexander Campbell married Sarah Tapley prior to 1812 but this Alexander may not have been Tamberlane's son. A share of the Campbell homestead was bequeathed to Alexander by his father Tamberlane in 1818."
viii.
Edward CAMPBELL(9) was born about
1795 in Northampton, New Brunswick. From "Tamberlane: An outline of the
life of Tamberlane Campbell" by Leigh Campbell:
"The youngest child of Tamberlane and Hester Campbell was Edward, born about 1795 at Northampton. He was the only Campbell child to be born on the upper St. John River; the four older boys being born on the lower river and the three girls in Nova Scotia.
Early adulthood was spent living at home where Edward worked the family farm and helped his aging parents. His first business adventure was to open a tavern in Northampton, one of the many grog shops that thrived on the upper river in those early years of the nineteenth century. Edward's small log inn was built down the hill close to the shore with its front door facing west to the river, main street of the province. The boat docks were built in front while the wagon tracks of Northampton wound its way through the tall grass of the improvements at the back. In summertime, patrons often sat in the front yard which was a warm and pleasant place, bathed in the late afternoon sun while the masts of one or two riverboats swayed at the docks and children played along the banks of the river.
The economy was bad after the war of 1812 but it was a busy time on the river and business was good for Edward. Several hundred veteran soldiers and their families were ferried upriver to the newly established Military Settlement above Presqu'Ile. Riverboats and military bateaux provided a lifeline of free rations and supplies from Fredericton throughout the whole period of the 1820's. River traffic had never been larger and captains, boat crews and soldiers, always a raucous lot, frequented Edward's establishment. Perhaps old Tamberlane himself strolled down the hill and spent many relaxing afternoons in the pleasant surroundings of the pub smoking his exotic clay pipe and recounting tales of his exploits on the Plains of Abraham in '59 or how he fought back the Americans at Quebec in '76 to Corporal Kearns and other young troopers of the 74th Regiment who stopped by frequently while supplying the upriver garrisons of Presqu'Ile and Grand Falls.
Sometimes a whole boatload of veteran soldiers with their wives and children, more than thirty people in all, would stop and camp by the inn for the night before proceeding on the last leg of their arduous five day voyage up the St. John River to Presqu'Ile. Such occasions were cause for celebration at Campbell's Tavern, the reputation of which can only be guessed at, but one unfortunate occurrence on the premises in 1819 prompted the local parson Dibblee to comment disapprovingly in his diary: "Mrs. Peabody died yesterday in a fit at Edward Campbell's, a tavern keeper, Alas! Alas!". Edward was married during this period to Eleanor Camber a young lady of Northampton and the daughter of John and Nancy Camber, a loyalist family. Nancy Camber was already married to her second husband at the time and Eleanor's stepfather was John McLean.
Old Tamberlane left Edward a portion of the family farm and charged his son with the responsibility of caring for his mother, Hester. So Edward remained in Northampton with his growing family which, by 1819, had grown to six children. Besides looking after his elderly mother and his young family, farming his land and operating his tavern, Edward ranged far upriver in yet another activity, the lumber trade.
The lumber trade commenced on the upper St. John River shortly after 1800, engaging many residents of the parishes of Wakefield, Woodstock and Northampton. This trade offered a supplementary activity to upriver farmers and was one of their few sources of cash. These settlers made regular trips to the Tobique River where the red pine was of superior quality and rafts of lumber appeared on the St. John River as early as 1808 on their way to Fredericton.
Edward Campbell joined in this activity and made several trips to the Tobique to cut and raft timber. He was one of the first to recognize the potential for farming of the Tobique valley which still had only one permanent settler in 1831. As early as January 1819, he petitioned for 500 acres on the Wapskehagen stream, a tributary of the Tobique, where he "found a situation favourable to agriculture and which is still in a state of nature". Again in January 1824 he petitioned for 500 acres in the Tobique valley on the east side of the river at the mouth of the Odell stream including a nearby island. Although in both instances Edward expressed his "ability and ... intention to settle and cultivate this land", neither petition was successful and lands in the Tobique Valley were not granted by the Crown until several years later. In fact, no lands were ever granted to Edward on the Tobique although it is possible that he did move there and may have purchased property. Three of his sons, Tamberlane, William and Alexander settled on the Tobique and his wife Eleanor was living there in 1851 in the home of her brother, John Camber junior, after Edward's death.
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