Harvey Brook Keirstead (1833 - 1912)

Born 6 Feb 1833 in Collina, Studholm, Kings, New Brunswick, Canada

Ancestors

Husband of Phebe Ann Keirstead — married 27 Oct 1851 in Studholm Parish, Kings, New Brunswick, CAN

Descendants

Died 26 Mar 1912 at age 79 in Groton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States

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Biography

Harvey Brook Keirstead was born in the small farming community of Collina in Studholm Parish, Kings County, New Brunswick. He was a descendant of British loyalists during the American Revolution. He married his cousin, Phebe Ann Keirstead (d/o Amenzie and Alchey (Morrell) Keirstead) in Studholm Parish on 27 October 1851 (the date was Harvey's parents' 20th wedding anniversary).

Harvey was a farmer and a shoemaker in Collina, NB. He and Phebe raised seven (7) known children there.

He and his wife left Canada and settled in Groton, Massachusetts. The couple is buried in Groton Cemetery.

Kings County Record (Sussex, NB) - 4 Aug 1893: Belleisle (Kings Co.) July 31 Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Keirstead, Collina, leave soon for the United States, there to permanently reside with their children who have preceded them.

The Daily Sun (Saint John, NB) - 30 Oct 1902
MARRIED 71 YEARS AGO
Notable Anniversary Celebrated in Collina on Monday
ST. STEPHEN, N.B., Oct 28. - G.W. Ganong, M.P. [Member of Parliament], of St. Stephen, returned from Kings County on Tuesday where he had been attending the anniversary of the wedding of William Kierstead and wife, the former a brother of Mr. Ganong's mother, and the latter a sister of his father.

Mr. Kierstead was 93 years old the 29th of May last, and Mrs. Kierstead 89 the 8th of September. They had been married 71 years on Oct. 27th, and have lived on the same farm near Collina since their marriage. Mr. Kierstead, as well as his wife, spoke with great feeling in reply to congratulations of friends who also left many remembrances, including about sixty dollars in money. The aged people have retained their faculties in a remarkable degree and seem quite likely to celebrate other anniversaries.

Although raining hard, there were present as many relations and friends as could be well accommodated in their comfortable home. Among the friends was Dr. Cray, of Fairville, who is a distant relative, and who spoke feelingly of the great religious influence these aged people have had on that community during the past 71 years.

These good people have now living 7 children, 36 grandchildren, 45 great-grandchildren, and five great, great grandchildren.

It is worthy to remark, too, that their oldest son, Harvey B. Kierstead and wife celebrated the 51st anniversary of their wedding on the same night as his parents their 71st.

Sources

American Ancestors (http://americanancestors.org : accessed 27 May 2012); Massachusetts Vital Records, 1911-1915. (From original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) [Vol. 1912/46; Image]

"New Brunswick, Provincial Returns of Births and Late Registrations, 1810-1906," FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTSB-G4W : accessed 23 Jun 2013).

1871 census of Canada, district 176, sub-district 1, Studholm, p. 44, dwelling 141, family 147, Harvey Keirstead; RG 31; Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 Sep 2010).

Compiled research of Donald Keirstead, Oct. 2008.

Groton Cemetery (MA); http://www.townofgroton.org/Community/CemeteryInformation.aspx

William Francis Ganong, A Genealogy of the New Brunswick Branch of the Descendants of Thomas Ganong, A Loyalist from New York State to New Brunswick by the Spring Fleet of 1783 (St. Stephen, NB: Gilbert White Ganong, 1893), 9.