ALICE DE PENCIER PROVIDED
HER FATHER, JAMES ‘JIM’ THOMPSON’S
ORAL HISTORY OF FAMILY
TO ST JOHN LIBRARY
This undated letter on file at the Saint John Public
Library in Market Slip in Saint John appears to have been authored by Alice nee
Thompson de Pencier and was kindly provided by Vicky Thomas,
Genealogist researching the Thomas Family of New Haven, Ct and Mispec, NB
Daniel Belding was born in England and
come to America when a young man, was officer on merchant ship running from
England to America. He settled in
Bristol, CT an there married Mabel Bristoll. When the war of Revolution came, Daniel
was officer of a British Privateer, called the “Polly” which ran
from Salem, MA to Liverpool, England during the War.
After the war he and his family, being
Loyalists, came to New Brunswick to what is now Saint John. Two of his sons were given a grant of
land from the King comprising nearly all of what is now the Village of Chance
Harbor, on the Bay of Fundy. These
two sons, sailing together, with a load of lumber for England were presumed lost
at sea, as their ship was never heard from again. Daniel, then took over the grant, as he
was his sons’ heir to the property, and built his first house on what is
now known as Outside Hill, near a creek in Chance Harbor, then known as
Belding’s Creek; now commonly called Thompson’s Creek. At the foot of the hill where stood his
house was a cove later called “Old Place Cove”. Daniel was a pilot, and from this point
of land watched for sailing ships coming to the Port of Saint John, then he put
out in his pilot boat (a small fast sailing sloop) and piloted the ship up the
Bay and into Saint John Harbor.
Later giving up the career of pilot, he
built a bigger and better house further from the Creek and on the Bay of Fundy,
on property now owned by Hazen Thompson and Harry Shaw. He died at Chance Harbor 1849 at the age
of 95. His wife also lived to a
great age, and died at Chance Harbor 2 years after her husband. Their children are listed on Page II.
The children of Daniel Belding:
1.
Mabel
(or Margaret) married Jared Hepburn
2.
Samuel,
drowned at sea, unmarried
3.
Jared,
drowned at sea, unmarried
4.
Harriet,
unmarried
5.
Thomas,
drowned in the Bay of Fundy going to Saint John
6.
David
1797-1883 married Jane Thomas.
David lost a hand in a shooting accident at age 16. He had 7 daughters:
a.
Mabel
(or Maybelle) married Robert Thompson
b.
Emily,
married Edmund Partelow.
c.
Maria,
married Thomas Tiner
d.
Liza, married Nathaniel Cottle
e.
Sarah
Jane, married John Hargrove
f.
Mary,
married Jesse Belding
g.
Druscilla, married George Hargrove
Above information was given to Alice de
Pencier by her father, James Thompson eldest son of
Robert Thompson and Mabel Belding.
David Belding build a home at the end
of our field near the church. His
daughter Mabel married Robert Thompson and were grandparents of the David L.
Thompson now living in the home known as the Hargrove house; built by George
Hargrove, who married Drusilla.
Robert Thompson was born in 1821 in the
Parish of Letter-Kenney in County Donegal, Ireland. His father was James Thompson and his
mother’s maiden name was Amelia Miller. His mother died when he was an infant
and his father married again and there was a half-brother James. When the sons of Robert were young men
they often corresponded with the sons of the Half-uncle James, but later got
out of touch with the family in Ireland.
Robert was brought up as Presbyterian
and it was said his forebears originally came from Scotland.
Robert came to Canada in 1845, lived in
New Brunswick, and in 1847 married Mabel Belding, daughter of David Belding and
Jane Thomas, his wife of Chance Harbor, NB. Mabel was a grant-daughter of Daniel
Belding who came to Saint John from the United States as a Loyalist in
1783. Robert Thompson and his wife
built a house on part of the Belding grant given to her by her father. They called the oldest and first born
son, James, as it was sort of a tradition in the Thompson family that Robert
should call his first son James, and James his first son, Robert.
They had a large family by his first
marriage, 6 boys and 2 girls. Mabel
the mother died at the birth of the youngest child, George, who also died when
he was a year old. Daniel died of
scarlet fever when he was a very young man and unmarried; Samuel went to
Australia and died there when he was an old man, unmarried.
David married Mary Janes. They had 4 boys and 1 girl. Two boys died in infancy, those
remaining were Frederick, Leonard and Louise.
Monday,
July 18, 2005
Harry
MacDonald
RR 2
K7G 2V4
Ph 613
382 8607
Fx
613 382 8673