Benjamin Marston

Diary of Benjamin Marston

Excerpt from Pages 95 to 109

“… There is quite an amount of interesting information about the Miramichi region in the diary of Benjamin Marston, the first sheriff of the County of Northumberland.  The period of Marston’s residence at Miramichi was brief, extending only from June, 1785 – November, 1786.  He was a native of Marblehead. Massachusetts, where he was a well-to-do merchant before the American Revolution.  He graduated from Harvard in 1749.  His mother was a sister of elder Edward Winslow, who died in Halifax, June 9, 1784; Marston was therefore a cousin of Judge Edward Winslow, of the Supreme Court of this Province.  At the time of the Revolution in America Ben Marston sided with the Crown and was proscribed and banished.  At the peace in 1783 he was employed by the government of Nova Scotia as an engineer in laying out of Shelburne.  Through friendship of Edward Winslow he received from Sir John Wentworth, Surveryor of the King’s Woods in North America, an appointment as his deputy in New Brunswick and it is at this point that he comes before us in connection with the Miramichi region …

Marston arrived at Saint John on the 19^th of December, and from this point on we shall, for the most part, allow him to tell his story in his own words:”

“… Some further idea of Ben Marston’s first impressions of the Miramichi may be gleaned from the following very interesting letter which he addressed to Edward Winslow after his arrival …”

Miramichi Point, July 17^th, 1785.

‘ … I arrived here only three days ago and it has taken me till now to get myself stowed into a place where I can do business.

The condition of the River respecting the number of Inhabitants has been greatly misrepresented – to me at least.  There are not above 100 families, if so many upon it at present.  They live in a sparse manner, scattered along its banks.  My appointments here will be a mere sound and not much more.  The emoluments of them will never make it worth my while to remain here after I have done these particular kinds of service which I came hither to execute; these I shall finish at all events.  This makes it more necessary for me to get into some other line of Business for a livelihood and not depend any more on Government for employment …

The Salmon Fishery on this River is an object worth the attention of the Government, but unless it is attended to will be ruined by the ignorance and avarice of those concerned in it.  It has failed very much this season – no doubt thro the impolitic methods used to catch the Fish, which is chiefly by set nets, which are so extended from each side as to leave the fish very little room to run, and at Davidson’s are extended fairly quite across the river to the utter exclusion of the poor savages above … I will dare pronounce that Miramichi Point and Beaubear’s Island are superior in situation to Fredericton.  A ship of 250 tons from Italy is now lying just by them …

Write to me whenever you can, twill be a supreme consolation to me in this my retreat to know that you sometimes think of

Ben. Marston.

“… Continuing with extracts from Marston’s journal, we find a reference to the lands (100,000 acres in all) granted in 1765 to Davidson and Cort.  The conditions of this grant required that a certain part should be cleared within a limited time, that a certain number of settlers should be established thereon, also houses built, cattle raised, etc.  Many large grants on the St. John River and elsewhere in New Brunswick were forfeited or escheated at his time.”

“… During the remainder of the month Ben. Marston was engaged in laying out lands on a stream he calls the  ‘Little S. West’ for the following parties: Capt. John McLean, of Shelburne, a loyal refugee; Roderick McDonald, a disbanded soldier of the 76^th Regiment; Alexander McMillan, who had been in the sea service ; John Donald, of Scotland ; and John Watson.”

“… Marston’s sarcastic references are evidently inspired by pique at the thwarting of his wishes as regards the election of his personal friends.  Elias Hardy was far from being ‘an attorney of no reputation’; … As regards Mr. Davidson, he was by no means an uneducated man.”

“… The year 1786 commences in Marston’s journal with an account of surveying lands on Indian Brook for George Manning, Daniel Merchant and John Burns.  In this, as in the other surveys, his chainman was John M. Lesdernier.  Marston received for his work ten shillings a day and the chainman two shillings and six pence. In this trip they experienced some very cold weather in which Marston was frost bitten and Lesdernier returned home.  The diary continues:”

“… Marston gives some details of surveys at ‘Negayac’ and Bay du Vin.” …

” … While at Miramichi Ben. Marston corresponded with his cousin Edward Winslow, upon the subject of joining him in trade and lumbering, and on his arrival at St. John he wrote a letter to Colonel Winslow, dated at Portland Point, March 11, 1786 in which he says:”

‘… I arrived here from Miramichi the day before yesterday, after a 16 days march, very well.  I was in hopes to have found you in town, for I wish much to see you respecting what we have so often talked about, and I have wrote so much.  As soon as I have settled my business with the Surveyor General I shall go off for Halifax to get the Irons for our mill, stores for the Salmon Fishery, etc., etc.  I have started a new object in that county, which will be a capital affair if I can obtain liberty to pursue it – that is the mast business.  Could I get any introduction to the Commissioner, so as to obtain a contract ; I think that in a course of a  season I could procure the best part of it, if not quite, one hundred sticks of the largest size.  From Halifax, after doing what I can with the Commissioners, I shall go back to Miramichi.’

” … Marston failed to secure the mast contract of which he speaks in his letter quoted above.  The pine trees of the Miramichi country were magnificent trees at this time … Sir John Wentworth, who visited Miramichi for the first time in the autumn of 1788, wrote thence, on Oct. 15^th, to Edward Winslow, ‘I have found on this river the best Mast timber in British America, great quantities of which are on the Reservations.  The pine timber for size, length and soundness, exceeds any I ever saw in New England’ … The manufacture of lumber was an infant industry at the time Sheriff Marston made his journey to Halifax to procure the mill irons needed for his saw mill.  We must proceed now with the extracts from his diary:”

” … Marston continued to engage in his profession as a surveyor during his residence at Miramichi as opportunity offered … Benjamin Marston left Miramichi on the 20^th October, 1786, on board ‘Skipper Chappel’s boat for Bay Verte’, and about the 20^th of November arrived at St. John.  His intention was to return early the following spring but he was destined never again to see the Miramichi.  He went, in the course of the winter, to New England to obtain some documents necessary to establish the claims of the widow and daughters of the elder Edward Winslow for compensation from the British government on account of sufferings and losses consequent upon the American Revolution.  The following summer he embarked for England to prosecute his own claims for a like compensation.  Just before his departure he wrote to Thomas Robie, at Halifax, one of his creditors, describing the state of his affairs at Miramichi.  From this letter it appears that J. M. Les Derniers was concerned in trade with Mr. Marston.  They sold goods to the Indians, which were to be paid for in furs, and to the white settlers, to be paid in fish, etc.  He adds:

“… I am likeways half concerned in a saw mill which was nearly compleated when I left the river, and would have been entirely last fall, but the early setting in of the winter prevented it.  About 10 days would have been sufficient to fit her for going and I expect she has been compleated and at work.  Besides this, I shall have two nets a fishing this spring and I intended to have been there early this spring myself.’

” … Ben. Marston found himself in very straitened circumstances shortly after his arrival in London.  The compensation he received from Government was exceedingly small in view of his really severe losses.  After three years in England he wrote Edward Winslow, ‘If I can bring my affairs to any kind of bearing in time to do it.  I mean to go out to Miramichi and pick up what property I have there, and if there is an annual ship there, which there used to be, to ship what I may collect fr Leghorn and myself with it’ … This intention Marston never carried out, and a few years later he died on the west coast of Africa, far from home and kindred … Benjamin Marston was, as already mentioned, the first sheriff of the County of Northumberland.”

Excerpt from Pages 708 and 709

Benjamin Marston to Ward Chipman

London, March 26, 1792

“… My dear Chippy, – God in his merciful providence has at last opened me a door to escape out of England and I have embraced the opportunity with as much joy as I ever did to get out from the worst prison I was ever in.  It does not indeed bring me to New Brunswick, it carries me rather farther off – to the coast of Africa, whither I am going as Surveyor Gen’l of Lands to a large Company who are about making a settlement on the Island Boolam, which lies in the Atlantic Ocean, about four miles from the main continent of Africa in 11 degrees some min. N. Lat., right opposite the mouth of Rio Grande.  They gave me £60 str. per annum salary and subsistence, and 500 acres land gratis – other settlers give £30 for that quantity.  The salary to be sure is no great thing, but anything with something to eat is infinitely before nothing and starving by inches – but the land will soon be worth £500, if the settlement should succeed, and should it prosper greatly, much more and that in a short time.  At any rate I am glad I am leaving England which never pleased me and which has been made tenfold more disagreeable by my being forced to stay in it against my will.  I expect to embark in two days from this.  You shall hear from me as opportunity offers and perhaps I may have it in my power to institute a commercial intercourse with St. John for house frames and other building materials as I think they will be able to get them much cheaper with you than in the Baltic.

For the present, adieu:  Remember me very kindly to my friends: tell them I don’t give up hope of yet returning to my beloved America.  God bless you and them is the fervent wish of 
Yours,
Ben. Marston.

P.S. – Don’t neglect to tease Lesdernier when you can do it without much trouble to yourself – and why can’t you institute a process against my real property at Miramichi, have it let for whatever it will and apply the money to payment where I owe, of which I have given you an account.

The Boolam Island Company go out under a governor, Lieutenant Gov’r and a Legislative Council chosen by the settlers who go out with them, whose names are as follows

Henry Hew Dalrymple, Esq., Governor
John Young, Esq., Lt. Gov’r
Council: – Sir Wm. Halton, Bar’t., Jno. King, Philip Beaver, Peter Clutterbuck, Francis Brodie, Charles Drake, John Tubs, Richard Hancome, Robert Dobbin, Isaac Himenes, Esquires.”

(Note: Soon after the arrival of the settlers at their destination they were attacked by the deadly African fever, and of their company of 275 persons only a few survived who abandoned the enterprise and went home.  Among those who perished was Benjamin Marston.  His death occurred August 10, 1792.)

From The Waterford Herald (Waterford, Waterford, Ireland) Thu, Apr 19, 1792

At Halifax, no less than twelve hundred free blacks, collected from New Brunswick, and the out-ports of the Province, embarked in fifteen vessels belonging to the Sierra Leone Company, for the purpose of returning to their native country.  Nothing could be in stronger contrast than the joyous feelings of the poor people to sensations which are usually felt on what is called the Middle Passage.

Upon the speculation of the probable effects of the proposed Abolition of the Slave-Trade, orders are said to have been already sent to one house in Manchester for goods for exportation to the Continent of Africa to the amount of £100,000.

From The Winslow Papers Edited by W. O. Raymond

Excerpt from Page 410

Ward Chipman to Edward Winslow

St. John, N. B., May 13^th, 1794

” … But to another subject.  Being at length satisfied that our worthy unfortunate friend Marston was really dead, I the other day opened his chest.  The uppermost thing was a tin-case enclosing some papers all of which I now send you. I opened the cover containing his will in the presence of Mr. Hazen and Coffin.  By it you will find you are his sole executor.  Poor fellow his fate was hard and he must have been most vexatiously disappointed at the amount of his compensation.  There are besides his private books and papers, a few articles of trifling value and his surveying instruments, all of which are subject to your disposal.  In respects to the debt to me for cash, which I have loaned him since coming to this country, he some time ago wrote requesting I would proceed against him as an absconding debtor and sell his property at Miramichi to pay myself. I took no steps but writing to Delesdernier for an account of the property in his hands, but never received an answer.  I don’t suppose it is worthwhile going there to look after it, as I understand Delesdernier is but a Slippery Chap.  There are some creditors I believe at Halifax from a letter to Mr. Robie, which you will see in the last books of his journal dated July, 1787, just before he left this.w of any here, but myself, except McCall and Codner.  You will determine however what is best to be done, if anything.  As to myself I have long time ceased to expect anything, unless the good fellow had met with that good fortune which he so richly merited.”

Date: April 16, 1810
County: York
Place: Fredericton
The New Brunswick Royal Gazette

Est. Benjamin MARSTON, Esq., North Co.; Admin. Ward CHIPMAN Saint John.