James Mosher (1725 - 1822)

Born 12 Jul 1725 in Tiverton, Newport, Rhode Island

Ancestors

Husband of Lydia (Allen) Mosher — married 28 Oct 1748 in Dartmouth, Mass.

Descendants

Died 1822 at about age 96 in Newport, Hants, Nova Scotia

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Biography

James Mosher was born 17 Jul 1725 at Tiverton, Rhode Island. He was the son of Nicholas Mosher and Dorothy Potter. James married 28 Oct 1748 at Dartmouth, Massachusetts, Lydia Allen, daughter of Increase Allen and Lydia.^[1]

In 1760, James, Lydia and their children removed from Newport, Rhode Island to Newport, Nova Scotia to take up vacant lands. This area, known as the Newport Grant, had been occupied for 75 years by Acadians (French settlers) who were expelled by the British in 1755. On 12 Oct 1758 Governor Charles Lawrence issued a proclamation to the people of New England, inviting them to settle the fertile farmland of Nova Scotia that had lain vacant since the expulsion of the Acadians. Agents representing potential settlers began pouring into Nova Scotia the following year, and in 1760 immigration began in earnest. Within eight years, approximately 8,000 New Englanders had made the move, including the families of James Mosher and Phillip Mosher, great-grandsons of Hugh Mosher and Rebecca Maxson.

Duncanson’s book on Newport, Nova Scotia indicates that James Mosher and his family arrived in Nova Scotia in May 1760 by way of the Sloop “Lydia” and that Phillip Mosher and his family arrived in Nova Scotia on 2 Aug 1760 by way of the Sloop “Sally”, as do notes written by and Phillip Mosher.^[2] They landed at a site called Avondale. The Seven Years War between England and France had not yet ended, so a palisaded fort was built at Newport Landing (Avondale) to receive the settlers in case of attack. It stood on the hillside facing Fort Edward directly across the St. Croix River.^[3]

Fort Edward, late 1800s

Most of the New England Planters (colonists) were either farmers or fishermen. The farmers, primarily from Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, settled on the former Acadian lands in the Annapolis Valley, Minas Basin and Isthmus of Chignecto. The most populous agricultural townships were Cornwalis, Horton and Annapolis. By 1770 and Phillip Mosher and his family were residents of Horton. James Mosher and family remained in Newport Township

Registration of the grant of land by the Crown to the settlers occurred 22 Jul 1761. Surveys still had to be finished on the 58,000 acres, so the actual drawing of lots didn’t take place until 18 Feb 1762. and Phillip Mosher was appointed to draw the names, Benjamin Sanford was chosen to draw the numbers and divisions, and James Juhan acted as clerk to record the results, assisting Encome Sanford. On 12 Nov 1763 Encome Sanford was made Proprietors Clerk and was given “the sume of 6 pounds for writing and keeping records of the meetings.” His record book, in a beautiful handwriting, is in the Provincial Archives of Nova Scotia, Dalhousie University, Halifax.^[3]

In the Duncanson book James Mosher was a Grantee of Newport, Hants, Nova Scotia while and Phillip Mosher was shown as a tenant of Newport grantee John Slocum on 20 Dec 1761 when “Slocum authorized Philip to exchange land with two other grantees, W. Haliburton and Dr. E. Ellis. Philip and his family of 7 were listed on the government ration list for Indian Corn distributed to the new settlers between 20 Dec 1761 and 30 Apr 1762 (7 bushels, 2 pecks and 1 quart).^[3]

According to R.G. Huling’s book about the Rhode Island emigration to Nova Scotia, James Mosher was still living in Newport 30 Dec 1772 and in 1781. The same applies to brothers Ichabod Macumber and Stephen Macumber, both Grantees of Newport in 1761.^[4] Rhode Island Settlers in Nova Scotia, written by Arthur W. H. Eaton also confirms the Newport Grantees of 1761, including Ichabod Macomber, Stephen Macumber, James Mosher and John Slocomb.

James Mosher had been allocated Newport farm lot C 3rd div. No 1. He was a millwright and built the first mill in the Township of Newport for grinding grain. James was involved in public affairs and meetings as a leader in this new community. He had known many of the other Planter families well before their arrival. Some of his 13 children would become part of the next chapter, the shipbuilding empire of the Mosher-Harvie shipyards in Newport in the 19th century, outlined in the book by Stanley T. Spicer The Age of Sail. The sheer numbers of descendants, skills and strong family connections made this Newport industry extremely successful with a high output of vessels not only in Nova Scotia but Canada as a whole.^[5]

In view of his land dealings in the three Minas townships, it has been suggested that Phillip Mosher may have been engaged in building and repairing grist mills and it is possible that this explains why Philip moved to Newport, Nova Scotia in 1760 to work on the proposed James Mosher-John Chambers Grist Mill. Since the Mosher-Chambers mill enterprise did not get off the ground, Philip may have made other arrangements, first by becoming a tenant farmer to Slocum and later travelling to various sections of the province.”^[3] His son Philip Mosher carried on the same occupation—he moved to St. Martins, New Brunswick and was co-owner with Daniel Vaughan from Chester, Nova Scotia of a grist mill and a saw mill.

Children of James Mosher and Lydia Allen

1. Amy, b. 13 Feb 1749, Dartmouth, MA, New England; d. 1817 Newport, Hants, NS; m. Archibald Harvie b. 1743 (son of James and Margaret) and had 8 children; Archibald arrived in NS at the same time as Amy, on the Sloop “Sally”
2. Barzillai, b. 9 Sep 1751, Dartmouth, MA; m. Margaret Harvie and had 10 children; Barzillai was a Sea Captain and he died lost at sea in 1836 with his crew, still working aged 85 years; his unmarried son Barzillai b. 1772 was also lost at sea; he and Margaret had 10 children
3. Olive, b. 19 Jul 1753, Dartmouth, MA; d. 19 Mar 1837 in NY, USA; Olive remained in New England and married Barnabus Howland in 1770, Captain of an East India merchant ship; they had 7 children
4. Sarah, b. 10 Mar 1754, Dartmouth, MA; m. James Campbell and had 13 children
5. Jehu, b. 1755, Dartmouth, MA; d. 3 Mar 1851 Newport NS; m. (1) Hannah Greeno (1760-1804); 12 children; m. (2) Eleanor Foley (1784-1867); 10 children; Jehu was a farmer and had great reported physical strength living to the age of 96; descendants of Jehu and Hannah were shipbuilding pioneers; Jehu Jr. fathered Silas and Nicholas who was known as Nicholas Sr.
6. Lydia, b. 1756 ,Dartmouth, MA; m. John Densmore and had 11 children
7. Allen, b. 1758 Dartmouth, MA; m. Esther Wilcox of Kempt; he was a land owner and farmer and had 12 children; this line is known as the Kempt NS Moshers
8. Deliverance, b. 1769; first female born in Newport, Nova Scotia as the family arrived in 1760; m. John Macumber and they had 10 children; she d. in 1857, aged 98 years having lived all her life in Newport
9. Rhoda, b. 1762 Newport, NS; d. 1830 in Newport NS; m. Simon Ward; 10 children
10. Nicholas, b. 1766 Newport NS; d. 13 Nov 1832 at Mosherville NS; m. Polly Greeno and they had 15 children; Nicholas was a builder (two bridges, one over Cogmagun River and the other over Kennetcook River) and a shipbuilder; built the first vessel in Newport Landing, a sloop that was launched in 1807
11. Joseph, b. 14 Oct 1768 Newport NS; d. 19 Aug 1859 at Mosherville, Hants, NS; m. Priscilla Rebecca Greeno (1768-1813) in 1788 and they had 10 children; he was a carpenter
12. George, b. 1771 Newport NS; d. 22 Nov 1844 Avondale NS; m. Margaret Thomson and they had 9 children; he was a farmer, wheelwright and carpenter; his sons Ira and Nicholas (known as Nicholas Jr.) were part of the Mosher shipbuilding empire
13. Elizabeth, b.1774; d. 28 Jun 1852 and is buried in the Old St James Cemetery, Newport NS; m. James Constantine who was a teacher and they had 6 children

Sources

1. ↑ Chamberlain, Mildred (Mosher), and Laura (McGaffey) Clarenbach, comps. Descendants of Hugh Mosher and Rebecca Maxson Through Seven Generations. Revised ed. Madison, Wisconsin: Laura M. Clarenbach, 1990.
2. ↑ Mosher Family. PANS (Provincial Archives of Nova Scotia) Misc. File.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Duncanson, John V. Newport, Nova Scotia a Rhode Island Township. (Mika Publishing Co., Belleville, Ont.: 1985 Reprinted: West Hants Historical Society: 2002), p. 319 and 320 (Reliability: 3), 24 Apr 2013.
4. ↑ Huling, Ray Greene A.M. The Rhode Island Emigration to Nova Scotia. New Bedford Mass. Reprinted from the Narragansett Historical Register April 1889.
5. ↑ Spicer, Stanley T. The Age of Sail, Master Shipbuilders of the Maritimes.

• Avon River Heritage Society : Contributed by L. Pigna James and Lydia Mosher.
• Mosher, William C. (1820-1908), comp. Chronological history of the Mosher family : from the Seventeenth Century to the present date. Pub. 1891 Windsor N.S, Hants Journal Office.
• Longley R.S. The Coming of the New England Planters to the Annapolis Valley. (Department of History, Acadia University 1929-64).
• Gwyn, Julian. Planter Nova Scotia 1760-1815 Newport Township.
• Loomer, L.S. Windsor, Nova Scotia, A journey into history. Pub. 1996 West Hants Historical Society

Acknowledgements

• Researched by Sara V Mosher