Indian Island (Bay of Fundy)
History
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The third to settle on the island was Goldsmith, who together with Chaffey Sr. started a salt plant, boiling down ocean water. The Chaffey family remained closely associated with the island's development, James Chaffey Jr., "an aged man of much intelligence",Journals of the House of Assembly of the Province of New Brunswick, 1851, Appendix having two wives and 19 children while carrying on his shipping business.{{Cite web |title=Ruby M Cusack - Chaffey Dynasty of Indian Island, New Brunswick |url=http://www.rubycusack.com/issue297.html |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=www.rubycusack.com}} |
The third to settle on the island was Goldsmith, who together with Chaffey Sr. started a salt plant, boiling down ocean water. The Chaffey family remained closely associated with the island's development, James Chaffey Jr., "an aged man of much intelligence",Journals of the House of Assembly of the Province of New Brunswick, 1851, Appendix having two wives and 19 children while carrying on his shipping business.{{Cite web |title=Ruby M Cusack - Chaffey Dynasty of Indian Island, New Brunswick |url=http://www.rubycusack.com/issue297.html |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=www.rubycusack.com}} |
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Following Chaffey Sr.'s death in 1796, new settlers came to the island including Col. Thomas Wyer and Daniel McMasters from St.Andrews who established fish stores, John Wilson of Chamcook who traded in fish and lumber, as well as Mr. Freeman. Around 1811, Mr. Henderson who had previously been customs collector at Campobello was reassigned to start a Customs House at Indian Island in light of the flour and other goods being smuggled from the United States as they could earn $10–50 in a night of smuggling. On the second day of the [[War of 1812]], three schooners were moored at Indian Island and a privateer ship approached sending out two smaller boats of armed men with the intent of capturing them. A delay by the armed men of the island allowed two schooners to slip their cables and beachthemselves,but Merritt's schooner tried to sail for St Andrews and was captured by the privateer. |
Following Chaffey Sr.'s death in 1796, new settlers came to the island including Col. [[Thomas Wyer]] and Daniel McMasters from St.Andrews who established fish stores, John Wilson of Chamcook who traded in fish and lumber, as well as Mr. Freeman. Around 1811, Mr. Henderson who had previously been customs collector at Campobello was reassigned to start a Customs House at Indian Island in light of the flour and other goods being smuggled from the United States as they could earn $10–50 in a night of smuggling. On the second day of the [[War of 1812]], three schooners were moored at Indian Island and a privateer ship approached sending out two smaller boats of armed men with the intent of capturing them. A delay by the armed men of the island allowed two schooners to slip their cables and beachthemselves,but Merritt's schooner tried to sail for St Andrews and was captured by the privateer. |
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[[File:Indian Island 1900 vue.jpg|thumb|left|Indian Island, pre-1900]] |
[[File:Indian Island 1900 vue.jpg|thumb|left|Indian Island, pre-1900]] |
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Following the war, Thomas Wyer was appointed Deputy Treasurer for West Isles & Campobello, with his office to be situated on Indian Island. He was succeeded by Richard Armstrong who built the large Customs House on Little Thrum Cap Islet, now named [[Jouett's Island]] for C.H. Jouett who came to occupy the same position overseeing cargoes of fish and lumber en route to the West Indies and returning with sugar, molasses and rum. |
Following the war, Thomas Wyer was appointed Deputy Treasurer for West Isles & Campobello, with his office to be situated on Indian Island. He was succeeded by Richard Armstrong who built the large Customs House on Little Thrum Cap Islet, now named [[Jouett's Island]] for C.H. Jouett who came to occupy the same position overseeing cargoes of fish and lumber en route to the West Indies and returning with sugar, molasses and rum. |
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[[File:Indian Island Fundy.png|thumb|1954 chart of Indian Island]] |
[[File:Indian Island Fundy.png|thumb|1954 chart of Indian Island]] |
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The island hit its peak population of approximately 100 residents in the 1820s, as a trading centre that rivaled St. Andrews. |
Around 1817, Mr. Townsend arrived from Saint John and opened a shipbuilding business, before moving to Chamcook to establish a shipyard.St Croix Courier, Obituary: Robert Townsend, Nov 25, 1880 https://www.davidsullivan.ca/scrapbook/localcharacters/wilson.john.html The island hit its peak population of approximately 100 residents in the 1820s, as a trading centre that rivaled St. Andrews. |
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In 1825, an auxiliary "Indian Island and Deer Island [[Bible Society]]" was formed, with Chaffey Jr. and shipbuilder William Babcock as founding members.[[s:Report of the Charlotte County Auxiliary Bible Society, 1824]] |
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The island was aided by mail deliveries from Barlett's Counting Room on the island, via Captain Heney's schooner ''Rainbow'' connecting to [[Digby, Nova Scotia|Digby]] and [[Annapolis]],Welch, Ralph B. "Under Power in Quoddy: Mail, Passenger and Freight Transport in Quoddy Waterws 1824-1966", 2006 as well as an unmanned [[lighthouse]] on Cherry Island and a Customs Office on Jouett's Island. At that time, there were 13 large West Indies trading vessels owned at Indian Island included J&J Chaffey's ''Queen of the Isles'' and ''Cavalier Jovett'', "Indian Queen" and "Elizabeth Mary", J. Patterson's "Mary Stubbs" and "Eliza Ann", John McKenney's ""Lady Douglas" and "Lord of the Isles", W. Hatheway's "Indian Chief", Ebenezer Scott's "Aeolus", Charles Guay's "Papoose", "Le'Aterail" and "Eugenia" However the opening of ports in the [[West Indies]] was disastrous to the island community and by 1849 it had no mercantile ships. Following the 1835 death of Chaffey Jr, the trading business declined sharply as 12 of 13 trading vessels left Indian Island, and the only remaining merchant vessel the ''Chaffey'' was wrecked in 1849. Focus turned to fishing. |
The island was aided by mail deliveries from Barlett's Counting Room on the island, via Captain Heney's schooner ''Rainbow'' connecting to [[Digby, Nova Scotia|Digby]] and [[Annapolis]],Welch, Ralph B. "Under Power in Quoddy: Mail, Passenger and Freight Transport in Quoddy Waterws 1824-1966", 2006 as well as an unmanned [[lighthouse]] on Cherry Island and a Customs Office on Jouett's Island. At that time, there were 13 large West Indies trading vessels owned at Indian Island included J&J Chaffey's ''Queen of the Isles'' and ''Cavalier Jovett'', "Indian Queen" and "Elizabeth Mary", J. Patterson's "Mary Stubbs" and "Eliza Ann", John McKenney's ""Lady Douglas" and "Lord of the Isles", W. Hatheway's "Indian Chief", Ebenezer Scott's "Aeolus", Charles Guay's "Papoose", "Le'Aterail" and "Eugenia" However the opening of ports in the [[West Indies]] was disastrous to the island community and by 1849 it had no mercantile ships. Following the 1835 death of Chaffey Jr, the trading business declined sharply as 12 of 13 trading vessels left Indian Island, and the only remaining merchant vessel the ''Chaffey'' was wrecked in 1849. Focus turned to fishing. |
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