Progress of the Woodstock Settlement
Something About Charles Ketchum, John Ketchum, Oliver Peabody, Charles Raymond, Anthony Baker and Captain Thomas Phillips.
Not long after the escheated lots in the original Woodstock grant had been regranted to the nineteen individuals mentioned in our last article, other settlers arrived whose influence was soon felt in the little community which now began to progress more rapidly. A few words will be in order respecting them.
Charles Ketchum
His father Jonathan Ketchum of Norwalk was a loyalist and one of the Kingston grantees. His mother's maiden name was Hannah Quintard of Stamford. Charles Ketchum was their youngest son and was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, in the year 1770. He married Elizabeth, the eldest child of Rev. Frederick Dibblee, and this circumstance led to his moving to Woodstock about the year 1810 and settling on the farm now owned by his son Major John D. Ketchum, which had ben given by the Rev. F. Dibblee to his daughter as a marriage portion. Charles Ketchum was a man greatly esteemed and respected by his neighbours. In politics he was one of the tories of the olden times — a firm upholder of "Church and State" and the uncompromising enemy of anything that bordered upon republicanism. He and his children after him were staunch supporters of the parish church at Woodstock and to it their gifts have been neither few nor small. Charles Ketchum survived his wife some twenty years and died March 14, 1856, aged 85 years.
One of his sons, William Quintard, entered Kings College, Fredericton — now the University of New Brunswick — from which he graduated in 1846, taking his degree of Master of Arts three years later. He was Douglas Gold Medalist in 1844. He studied for the ministry, was ordained deacon by Bishop Medley, September 21st 1845, and priest the following year. He served as assistant minister at the Cathedral until 1859 when he was appointed Rector of St. Andrews, a position he still holds. Rev. Dr. Ketchum's abilities have from time to time received merited recognition. He was for more than forty years the active and efficient secretary of the Diocesan Church Society and is now the senior clergyman in the Diocese of Fredericton. He completed a half century of active labor in the ministry on the 21st of September last. He holds the position of honorary Canon of Christ Church Cathedral and is a Doctor of Divinity. He married Elizabeth, daughter of the late John Head, M. D., and his children are Rev. Charles Ketchum of Boston, W. Q. Ketchum, Civil Service, Ottawa, Thomas Carleton Ketchum of the Woodstock Dispatch; Elizabeth, wife of Rev. Canon Sills of Portland, Maine, and Emily now living with her father in St. Andrews.
Canon Ketchum was the only one of Charles Ketchum's children who married; the others always lived together at the old home in Woodstock, a remarkably happy and united family. For years their house was the centre of hospitality and the Ketchums were famous among their numerous friends as entertainers. The sisters raised the most beautiful house plants in all the country round. Of the family Maria, Charles Frederick, George Henry, Elizabeth H. and Caroline L. have all passed away, leaving Major John D. Ketchum the sole survivor. The brothrs George and John were always public spirited men and much esteemed in the community where their lives were passed.
John Ketchum Sr.,
is recollected by few if any now living at Woodstock. He was a brother of James and Jonathan Ketchum who were fathers respectively of Col. Richard and Charles Ketchum. He was a sea captain in his younger days. He came to Kingston with his brothers and other relatives and his name occurs in the church records there as a vestry man during the first few years after his arrival. He married Mrs. Beach, a widow, who had several children by her first husband; two of her sons, William and Lewis Beach, settled for at time at Kingston on a farm adjoining that of James Ketchum (who came to Upper Woodstock) but they eventually went back to the United States; their sister Nancy Beach was married to Rev. Frederick Dibblee before the close of the revolution. Mrs Beach by her second marriage had two daughters, Phebe who married Michael Smith, Sallie who married William Bull.
[Dr. Raymond is in error there. John Ketchum, born about 1726 at Norwalk, Connecticut, son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Raymond) Ketchum, married 27 June 1758 Elizabeth Browne, reputed daughter of Joseph Browne of Stratford.
John Ketchum petitioned 16 February 1786 for assistance, stating he was sixty years of age, had a wife and three young children, that he had been a commander of different vessels in the West-India trade for over 20 years, and was now in poor health. Whether the requested relief was granted is unknown, but John removed to Woodstock with his family about 1788 and died there about 1790.
The children of John Ketchum and his first wife, Elizabeth Browne, were:
1. Phebe Ketchum, born about 1771, probably at Norwalk, Connecticut, died 11 July 1849 at Woodstock. Phebe married 30 November 1791 Michael Smith, Loyalist, late of New Jersey.
2. Mary Ketchum, probably born not later than 1773, married 28 October 1792 J. B. Gaskin.
3. Sarah (Sally) Ketchum, born about 1775, died at Woodstock, N.B. 28 January 1845. Sally Ketchum married 16 January 1812 William Howe Bull.
�John Ketchum's first wife, Elizabeth Browne, died at Huntington, Long Island, New York about, or just prior to, 1782, and after her death, John married, second, Mrs. Mary (Lewis) Beach. There was no issue of this second marriage.
John's second wife, Mary, died at Woodstock 15 August 1811 and both she and John are buried in the Anglican Cemetery at Lower Woodstock. RWH]
John Ketchum came to Woodstock about the same time as Frederick Dibblee and lived on a farm a little below the latter. He died at an early date and was buried in the old ground near the Hodgdon road.
is probably a grandson of Captain Francis Peabody. He was born at Maugerville 1764 and married Dec. 3, 1784 Huldah Tapley, the Rev. John Beardsley officiating.
[Dr. Raymond errs slightly; Oliver Peabody, born 12 August 1763 at Boxford, Massachusetts, was a son of Capt. Francis and Mary (Brown) Peabody. RWH]
The same clergyman, as appears by his pocket register, on the 12th July 1795 officiated at the baptism of Mrs. Peabody and her three eldest children, James Brown, Elizabeth White, and Francis Tapley Ryerson. Other sons born at Maugerville were George, Stephen and Charles. Oliver Peabody and his sons came to Woodstock about the year 1812 and purchased from Peter Clark the farm on which their descendants still reside. The house occupied by Stephen Peabody stands where Peter Clark's log house formerly stood. The oldest son James married a Miss Hubbel of Oromocto and built the house now occupied by his grandsons Sterling and James Peabody. The oldest daughter Elizabeth W. married Adam Sharp and to their daughter Mr. Wm. D. Smith, now living at Woodstock in her eightieth year, the writer is greatly indebted for much of the information contained in this and other articles.
Charles Peabody married Nancy Beach Smith, a daughter of Michael Smith.
Oliver Peabody having died in 1819 at the age of 55 years, the three sons, James, Charles and George, lived for a time with their mother; afterwards James married and built himself a house and George went over the river to Northampton, leaving Charles on the homestead. The brothers James and Charles were considered in their day among the most enterprising and successful farmers in Woodstock. Their mother lived very nearly as long as her sons. She died March 28, 1850 at the age of 80 years, Charles died April 17, 1850 and James November 23, 1854. Their descendants are so well known as not to require further notice in this article.
Charles Raymond
was the son of Silas Raymond of Norwalk, Connecticut who was descended from one Richard Raymond of Essex in England who came to America about 1630 and lived first at Salem and afterwards at Norwalk. Silas Raymond came to St. John in the ship Union May 10, 1783, and settled at Kingston where Charles Raymond was born in the old log house or cabin first built for the family. The same summer, 1788, Silas Raymond built the house in which he reared his ramily, still standing in Kingston and one of the very oldest frame houses in the province.
Charles Raymond received a very good education for those days at the hands of Jesse Hoyt, Walter Dibblee and other old S. P. G. school masters. While he was living at Kingston the notorious Henry More Smith was confined in the gaol there and he was an eye witness of many of his queer doings. He married March 16, 1817, Polly Sylvia, eldest daughter of John D. Beardsley. They lived a short time at Kingston and then at St. John, of which city he was made a "Freeman." In 1819 he came to Woodstock, having purchased a tract of land from his father-in-law on which he built the house in which he lived many days. When quite a young man he crossed the Atlantic to Liverpool in a vessel with his brother-in-law Fyler Dibblee of St. John. He was one of the few early settlers who ever trod the shores of England, although for her sake so many fought a losing battle and submitted to voluntary exile.
Soon after his arrival at Woodstock Charles Raymond was appointed by Sheriff Miller his deputy on the Upper St. John, and he continued to fill the duties of that office until the formation of the County of Carleton in 1832. He met with many amusing and some rather serious adventures in the discharege of his duties, which he used occasionally to narrate. He took considerable interst in military matters and held the position of Capt. and Adjutant of the 1st Battalion Carleton Militia, his commission dating July 28, 1828. A large proportion of the drilling at the General Musters fell to his share. Charles Raymond was the last survivor of a family of nine brothers and sisters whose average ages were 84 years. He died at Woodstock in 1879 at the age of 90 years.
Anthony Baker
came to New Brunswick with the loyalists in 1783. He was one of the Kingston grantees, his land being on the Long Reach. He moved to Northampton somewhere about the year 1790 and settled on a farm of 350 acres nearly opposite the town of Woodstock. His name occurs in the list of parish officers in 1797 as overseer of the poor and he continued to fill various parish offices till about 1804 when he appears to have moved to Wakefield. His son Elisha was born at Northampton.
About the year 1811 the family moved to Woodstock and lived next below Captain Phillips on the road going to Upper Woodstock. Anthony Baker and his son Elisha were well known and respected. Elisha Baker was about the first man at Woodstock to engage in the successful manufacture of bricks, which he carried on at several places, notably at the brickyard near the old railway station below the creek and later on his farm on the Connell road. Among his sons were Nelson, Hugh and others whose descendants still live at Woodstock.
Thomas Phillips
was the third son of Matthew Phillips, one of the first settlers on the east side of the river in Lower Northampton. Rev. F. Dibblee's register supplies the names and dates of birth of his children namely,
1. Robert, born January 12, 1774.
2. Sarah, born January 4, 1776.
3. Caleb, born February 2, 1778.
4. Thomas, born June 7, 1780.
5. Charlotte, born July 7, 1784.
6. Lydda, born December 15, 1786.
7. Martha, born July 19, 1789.
8. David, born October 5, 1790.
Thomas Phillips was a very active and enterprising man; he came to Woodstock about 1805. He had previously been engaged with Jabez Upham in lumbering, a business in which he continued to be deeply interested for many years. He kept a store at his place near Upper Woodstock in connection with which there was the customary tavern with entertainment for travellers. He owned a tow boat, then regarded as quite a possession, there being not more than five or six on the river as late as 1820. The island at Upper Woodstock, formerly known as Indian Island (and now called Sharp's Island), was owned by Thomas Phillips in 1809. His house, like those of other early settlers was built facing the river with the road running past the back door; the river was looked upon as the great highway in olden times, the roads being for years in a very rudimentary condition.
Mr. Phillips held a commission as captain in the 1st Batalion Carleton County militia and was commonly spoken of as Captain Phillips. His wife was Sally, daughter of Capt. Joseph Cunliffe. Their children were Mary Ann who married George Ketchum, Joseph C. and Richard Parr Hiram. Joseph C. married first a Miss Nevers and second Ann Hazen who now resides with her daughter Mrs. Dr. Nevers in Houlton. Her son Henry was for some time station agent at Woodstock. Captain Thomas Phillips died Sept. 5, 1854, aged 79 years.
W. O. Raymond