MC 1132: Charles Moffitt fonds: [1854-1902]
Dates of creation: Microfilmed in October 1975
Physical description: 20 pp. of textual records and 3 reels of microfilm
Biographical Sketch / Administrative History
House carpenter and joiner, Charles Moffitt,
the son of Jane Alexander and Charles Moffitt, was born at Moyle, Ireland, in
April 1821, of Scottish ancestry. About 1846 he emigrated from County Donegal
to New Brunswick, settling in Fredericton. He married Eliza Fowler (1825-1881),
the daughter of John Fowler, in 1853, and they had 11 children, including Jane
Dinsmore (1854-1922), Margaret Alexander (1860-1898), Charles Edward Ackland
(1862-1906), Fanny (Arnold), Mary Elizabeth (1859-1922), and Annie Maria (1865-1869).
The family lived on Charlotte Street and attended Christ Church Cathedral.
Well-known in the community, Charles Moffitt
kept abreast of political, social, and religious events, recording many of them
in his diaries. For over 30 years, he worked for James Agneau, a master carpenter,
who was contracted to build many structures in Fredericton and surrounding area.
Charles Moffitt was also an avid gardener and voracious reader. He spent many
hours reading histories, newspapers, novels, and biographies. Charles Moffitt
died at Fredericton on 27 February 1905, age 85, and was buried in the Old Burial
Ground.
Scope and Content
This fonds consists of microfilm copies of Charles
Moffitt's diaries, dating from 1854-1902, that provide information about the
Moffitt family and numerous Fredericton residents, including Bishop John Medley
and Mrs. Medley. Moffitt also offers details about the structures he helped
build and reports on local, national, and international events, such as the
fall of Sebastapol (1855); the 1860 visit of His Royal Highness Albert Edward,
the Prince of Wales, to New Brunswick; the 1862 Fredericton fire; provincial
and local elections; and the laying of the first stone for the iron bridge at
Fredericton by Lady MacDonald (1887).
There is also detailed genealogical information
on the Moffitt family and a 20 pp. edited typescript entitled, "Items of Interest
from the Diary of Charles Moffatt, Senior," by an unknown author.
INVENTORY
MS1
Diaries and typescript of excerpts
A Diaries, 1854-1902
1
1854-1869
F593
2
1869-1892
F594
3
1892-1902
F595
B
Excerpts from the diary of Charles Moffitt, Fredericton N.B., entitled “Items
of Interest from the Diary of Charles Moffatt, Senior.”