Ebenezer Briggs (1758 - 1807)

Born 15 Nov 1758 in Freetown, Bristol, Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Husband of Diadama (Chase) Briggs — married 3 Sep 1781 in Smithtown, Suffolk, New York, USA

Descendants

Died 28 Mar 1807 at age 48 in Gagetown, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada

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Biography

Find A Grave Memorial# 65578814 - Credit: Carrie PARLER-GIBSON"
EBENEZER BRIGGS, LOYALIST SOLDIER AND WIFE DIADEMA CHASE HOMESTEAD IN NEW BRUNSWICK AFTER THE PEACE IN 1783

Ebenezer Briggs** born 15 Nov 1758 (extrapolating back the age on the tombstone) at Freetown, Bristol County, MA, d. 28 Mar 1807 aged 48 yrs 4 mos 13 days at Sheffield, NB buried at the Babbitt Cemetery in Lower Burton, Queens County, his estate being administrated by his wife and his brother Abiel Briggs.

Ebenezer was Loyal to the British in the Revolutionary War serving as a soldier. He arrived in NB with the Spring Fleet in 1783 with a wife and one child under 10. He was settled in Sheffield, NB by 1786 and it was after his death that his family received the formal papers certifying his 300 acre free grant on 1819/07/08.

He [was] married 3 Sep 1781 by the Rev. Joshua Hart of Smithtown, Long Island [New York], Diadema/Diodamy Chase b. about 1767 at Freetown, Bristol County, MA, d 1822 at Queens County, NB, (d/o James P. Chase and Elizabeth Douglas and a descendant of William Chase who came to New England on the Arabella with the first governor of Massachusetts, John Winthrop, in 1630). After Ebenezer's death, the widow and children moved to Grand Lake and settled at Whites Cove.

[St John Daily Sun 25 Jan 1893 from Daniel F. Johnson : Volume 89 Number 2075: ... In the early settlement of this country Eben Briggs and Abial Briggs located as what is now known as Sheffield (Sunbury Co.) N.B. Both of them were married before they came to this country and perhaps the former had the shortest courtship on record. Having gone to a Quaker meeting, he and his future wife were married by the preacher at the close of the meeting. These men settled near Loader place, so called. As their families with the other settlers increased, the school teacher became a necessity and one John Palmer's services were called into requisition, who in his humble way 'taught the young idea how to shoot'. At this time it was not unusual to see a troop of horses on Sunday mounted by people of both sexes going to Maugerville to attend divine service. If the like could be seen in this day, it would astonish the natives…Eben remained in Sheffield until a family of ten children were born, when he sickened and was called away, leaving his widow to care for the large family. The freshets had so often interfered with the progress of people that many determined to leave the low intervale land for higher ground, where the water would not interfere with the progress of cultivation. Abial removed to the Washademoak and there by farming and ship building, made a competency for his family. Eben's widow with ten children moved to Grand Lake (Queens Co.) and settled at White's Cove on a farm now owned by L.P. Ferris, M.P.P. Here she began the struggle for life anew, assisted as best they could by her two sons, Eben and Hiram Briggs. The former settled on the Salmon River about 1825 where he became a prosperous farmer and mill owner and raised a large family, one of whom is the wife of G.G. KING, ex-M.P. for Queens. He died a few years ago. Hiram, the other son, became owner of the homestead. For a time he was a successful farmer and lumberman, but through some cause unknown to the writer, lost his property and removed to Salmon River about 1840 and farmed a small holding until his death. One of his sons lives in Harcourt (Kent Co.) and the other in the State of Maine. Both of them are prosperous farmers.

Of this family of eight girls, Olive Briggs married William Lawson and lived at Musquash Island (Queens Co.); Damy Briggs married Israel LAWSON and had a home in St. John, from where her husband crossed and re-crossed the Atlantic as master of a vessel; Betsy Briggs married Duncan Cameron; Sophia Briggs married John Dross, who was a seafaring man; Mary Briggs [ERROR: PERMASSA Briggs (not Mary) wed Jacob Wiggins on 4 Jan 1815.] and Hetty Briggs [ERROR: Mehetable actually married EBENEZER Wiggins (not John) on 7 Feb 1822.] married Jacob Wiggins and John Wiggins, both of whom settled at Grand Lake. Mary Briggs married John Williams and settled near Gagetown, where he owned a large farm of high and intervale lands; and Katie Briggs married Henry McFarlane, who also settled on Grand Lake at a place called Scotchtown. All of this family, with their husbands, with one exception, are dead, having acted very well their part, became prosperous, left to their progeny a good heritage, and also a good name which is better than riches Ebenezer and and Diadema had children

Sources

• https://archives.gnb.ca/Search/Cemeteries/Details.aspx?culture=en-CA&Key=7472

• New Brunswick Genealogical Society, "First Families," database, New Brunswick Genealogical Society (https://nbgs.ca/cpage.php?pt=249 : accessed 24 May 2012); First Families is a collection of genealogical information from various sources, periodically submitted to the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, - and is not verified against any official records.

• Find A Grave Memorial# 65578814; Created by: Carrie PARLER-GIBSON; Record added: Feb 13, 2011.

• HM, Descendants of William Briggs 1649-1727/28 (N.p.: cleadieb @yahoo.com, 27 Dec 2006), Ebenezer Briggs. Rec. Date: 12 Nov 2014. Cit. Date: 18 Nov 2014; PDF report by cleadieb @yahoo.com, uploaded to Ancestry.com. Credit and contact information for many researchers whose work was contributed.

• https://web.archive.org/web/20131019072216/http://www.omdhs.syracusemasons.com/sites/default/files/history/Loyalist%20Freemasons.pdf Page 31