SEELYE, FREDERICK BERNARD (1864-1949)

SEELYE, FREDERICK BERNARD, Baptist minister, Boiestown, 1921-25; b. Nictaux, N.S., 1864, s/o A. Judson Seelye and Adelia Charlotte Randall; m. 1st, 1895, Minnie Hallet, of Penniac, N.B., a native of Saint John; 2nd, 1905, Addie (Smith) Atkinson, of Grangeville, Kent Co., N.B., and 3rd, Mrs Jessie Wenip, of Notre-Dame, Kent Co., N.B.; d. Elgin, Albert Co., 17 Apr 1949.

Frederick B. Seelye traced his descent from a Loyalist ancestor who settled in Charlotte County, N.B., in 1783. He was born in Nova Scotia but moved to St George, N.B., with his parents when he was very young. He was baptized and guided towards the Baptist ministry by the Rev. Malcolm P. King when he was pastor at St George.

Seelye received his first ministerial training at the Union Baptist Seminary, which was moved from Saint John to St Martins, N.B., in 1888. He began to preach in 1890 but was not ordained until 1900. He later took several years off to study at the theological seminary of Colgate University, in Hamilton, N.Y. Between 1900 and 1921 he had eight pastorates in rural New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. In 1921 he came to Boiestown from Parkindale, N.B., and when he left four years later he went to Port Hilford, N.S. The rest of his ministry was in Nova Scotia, his last church being at Port Medway. He retired in 1936 at Elgin, N.B.

It was said that Seelye "had his peculiarities," but that he was "a great denominational man" and "a fine pastor." He was eighty-five years old when he died, while on the way home from attending Easter services. He was survived by his third wife and three children of his first marriage.