The Dispatch
Woodstock, NB January 15, 1902
A Great Migration
From Sunbury to Carleton, - The Sheffield, Burton and Maugerville People Move North.
I have no doubt that many readers of The Dispatch are interested in Sheffield, Sunbury County, by reason of the fact that today there are in your county many hundreds of people whose ancestors went from here and settled there at dates ranging from 1820 down to very recent times. In about 1820 Thomas Burpee and his two sons, David and Richard, moved from this parish to Jacksontown in your county. Richard afterwards went to Burmah as a missionary while David remained at Jacksontown where a large number of his descendants now survive him. A year or two later Samuel Bridges left here to settle at Lakeville where his descendants now survive. In about 1832 a number of Sheffield people left here for a place 24 miles above Woodstock on the St. John River, called Buttermilk Creek, now called Florenceville. These were Asa Upton and his son, Charles R., well known in later years as Colonel Upton, Charles S. Appleby, father of Stephen R. Appleby, K.C. and Stephen C. Burpee. About the same date Joseph Burpee, and old brother of Stephen G. settled at Waterville. Among the other early settlers from Sheffield who went to Buttermilk Creek were Jacob Jewett, William Hasnett, James Derrah, Alonzo and Samuel Taylor and Wilbur Taylor, Samuel’s son. James and Isaac Stickney went also in the early days from here to the Parish of Peel and George Stickney, who still survives, one of the oldest school teachers in the province, went to the Parish of Brighton. Fred and John Palmer went to the Parish of Simonds, James Bridges went to Gordonsville where he now lives, Samuel Simmons went to the Parish of Wilmot, Tomas Lunn and his sons, Simmons, Robert, William, Thomas, Enoch and James went to Wicklow where the name of Lunn is now very frequent, Hugh and George Hunter went to the Parish of Peel and later went Thomas Thompson. As early perhaps as 1840 went Nathaniel Fletcher, father of the late John T. Fletcher, who settled at Woodstock. At later periods, the dates of which cannot be given, went Hugh Harrison, father of the Rev. George and the late Rev. Frederick Harrison, who settled at Waterville, James P. Morse, Jacob and Leverett Tilley, George Jewett, James E. Drysdale and the late Mayor Drysdale, Charles, Robert and James Bailey, Robert, James Charles and William Montgomery, Charles P. Chase, all of whom settled at Woodstock; William and Charles Alterton, Hugh Cowperthwaite, father of the Rev. Humphrey Cowperthwaite, M.A., John, James and Archibald Plummer, Charles Good, all of whom settled at Jacksontown.
Among other men who left the parish for Carleton County was the late James McLauchlan, who, though not born here, lived and taught school here for some years, after which he went to Carleton County where he was known for years as one of the leading journalists in the province. He was the father of John McLauchlan now of Woodstock.
Not satisfied with depleting our parish of some of its best citizens your county in the early days attracted from the adjoining parish of Maugerville the late Hon. Charles Perley and Thomas Perley whose son, J. Allan Perley, now resides at Andover. From the Parish of Burton across the river also went to your county Jeremiah Barker and sons, Nelson and George Turney, and some families of the name of Dingee and others by the name of Estabrooks whose Christian names are not known to your correspondent.
Transcribed by Lezlie Wade Carson
February 2007
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