| Notes |
- THE PEARSON FAMILY
Only a relatively small number of farms in the Glassville area have remained in the hands of the same family from earliest settler to the present day. One is the Pearson farm - the first south of the village, now owned by Murray Pearson.
By 1860 or at latest 1861, Richard D. Pearson, age 20, and his brother James A., 16, were in Glassville and probably living at first with the John Simpson family. Four hundred acres were granted to the Pearsons - Lot 26 to Richard's father Joseph (the original and present homestead Lot 26 to Richard, the farm later owned by the Lyons family Lot 30 to Richard's brother John, the farm immediately next to the village including the present church end cemetery area, and Lot 25, the farm on the west side of the road, later owned by Wesley McIntosh.
Joseph and his wife Mary had three sons in addition to Richard and James: John (1843), Joseph (1851), William (1853) and two daughters, Mary (1839) and Charlotte (1052). All seven children were born in Kings County, near Sussex.
Joseph was born in 1806 in Wigton, England near Carlisle. He came to New Brunswick in 1825 with his father John (1765), mother Jane Harden (1767), brother William and uncle Thomas. They settled in Pearsonville, a small community in the Kierstead Mountain area, near Sussex. Mary McDiarmid was born in Scotland in 1813 and also came out to Kings County with her family. Joseph and Mary were married in Sussex in 1638.
One of Mary's sisters, Jane, married John Simpson, who was born in Scotland in 1823 and came to Upham, Kings County in 1829 with his family.
About 1860, when word circulated throughout New Brunswick about the new settlement in Carleton County, the Pearsons, Simpson's and McDiarmid's decided to move on. It is not known who initiated the move; perhaps someone visited the area while the survey was in progress. Possibly someone in the families knew the Farley's, who were already living in Esdraelon. If not, the Pearson boys got to know them well later - both Richard and John married Farley girls.
John Simpson's brother James was granted Lot #24, the present Murray McIntosh farm, and John was granted Lot #22, the farm immediately south, later the Nixon farm. The McDiarmid's settled in the East Glassville range near the Glassville-Juniper road.
Mary, the eldest Pearson daughter, died at childbirth on December 25, 1875 leaving four children. Two of them, Archibald A. Pearson and McKay Warwick Mann, were given a home with their grandparents, uncle William and aunt Charlotte. Two daughters remained with their father Richard
Mann.
The eldest son, Richard, did not remain long in Glassville. He sold his farm in 1865 to William Lyon, a blacksmith who came from Banffshire, Scotland. Richard married Ellen Farley of Esdraelon, as mentioned. He owned and operated a mill at Beechwood, then later in Ferndale and Fortuna in California. Richard and Ellen had six daughters; the youngest born in California.
John (1843-1885) was the owner of the farm nearest the village, and donated the land for the first church and cemetery. He was still living at home in 1871 but married Matilda Fancy (1850-1926) not long after. After John's death, Matilda, with her son Sheppard, moved to California to be with her sister.
James (1845-1913), who at fifteen or sixteen had come to Glassville with his brother to start the family relocation process, may not have lived long in Glassville. He married Charlotte Augusta and took up farming in Upper Brighton. They had nine children, most of whom remained in Carleton County. One daughter, Mary, moved to Detroit.
Joseph Jr. (1851-1926) still living at home in 1871 and then twenty, married Matilda Jones soon after. They lived in Saint John and Beechwood where he ran a general store and may have been associated with his brother Richard in a lumbering business. After a period in California with Richard, he settled in Upper Brighton where he farmed and was active in local politics. Joseph and Matilda had two sons, Murray (1872) and Frank (1878), both of whom settled in Houlton, Maine.
Joseph Sr. died in 1881 at age 75. At that time the household consisted of his widow Mary, then 60, son William, 28, as head of the household, daughter Charlotte, 29, and grandsons Archibald Pearson and McKay Mann. Tragedy struck five years later when William was severely injured in a woods accident and died of his injuries at age 33.
William willed the family homestead to Charlotte and their nephew McKay Warwick Mann, and seventy-five acres, the remaining paaart of John's original farm next to the cemetery, to nephew Archibald. This was conditional upon Charlotte and Archibald caring for his mother, and Archibald being head of the household until Warwick (as Richard called him) became of age. Mother Mary died in the following year, 1887, at age 74.
By 1891, Archibald had married Mary Lamont and in 1892 Charlotte married Peter Millie. McKay, who had been with his aunt from infancy, moved to the Millie household and spent the rest of his life with her and her son John Peter. On Charlotte's marriage, the homestead and farm passed to Archibald. Charlotte lived on the Millie farm with her son until her death in 1935. Her daughter Isa married James Scott and they, with their daughter Charlotte Millie Scott., lived just a few farms south.
Archie and Mary had three children. Harry married Elizabeth (Lizzie) McIntosh and lived in Bath for most of his life. Mary (Mamie) married William McIntosh and lived for many years in Kenneth before moving to Glassville and the farm directly across the road from the old homestead. This is the property now owned by their daughter Elsie. Wilfred, the youngest, married Jean Elliott and lived the rest of his life on the homestead, passing away in 1973. Their son Murray, the present owner is therefore the fifth generation of the family to live and farm on the land first granted to the Pearsons in 1861.
IEM
Nov 12, 1989
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People of Carleton County, New Brunswick
1806 - 1881 (75 years)
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