Page:1898 NB Magazine.djvu/269
William McKinstry, a well known Loyalist, by whom he had a family of twelve children.
It will be noticed in the paragraph just quoted from John Hazen's letter, that Nehemiah Beckwith is mentioned as one of the old inhabitants. By Sabine he is erroneously classed as a Loyalist. The date of his arrival at Maugerville is rather uncertain, but the old Sunbury County records show that on December 16, 1780, Joseph Dunphy of Maugerville sold for the sum of £100 one half of lot No. 78 to Nehemiah Beckwith, who is described in the deed of conveyance as "late of Cornwallis but now of Maugerville, Trader." Mr. Beckwith was quite an active and enterprising man in the early days of the province. He was the first to attempt to establish regular communication by water between St. John and Fredericton and for that purpose built in August, 17 ^ 84 a scow or towboat to ply between Parr Town and St. Ann's. A little later he built at Mauger's Island quite a large ship, called the Lord Sheffield, which was sold in May, 1786, while on the stocks, to Gen. Benedict Arnold. She came through the falls on the 1st of June and her arrival was regarded as quite an event. In consequence of some rather sharp practice on the part of Gen. Arnold, Mr. Beckwith was financially ruined. However, in a few years he recovered from the difficulties in which he had been involved and became again an active and useful citizen. One of his sons filled the position of Sheriff of the County of Victoria and another, the late Hon. John A. Beckwith, was prominent in political life and at one time Provincial Secretary and leader of the government of New Brunswick. Nehemiah Beckwith died in Fredericton in the year 1815.
William Davidson has been already mentioned in these pages and will again be frequently spoken of in