Aurelia (Payne) Peters (1784 - 1846)

Born 30 Apr 1784 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Ancestors

Wife of Henry Moore Peters — married 1800 (to 1808) in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Descendants

Died 1846 at about age 61 in South Head, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada

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Biography

She was born at Connecticut, Usa, ABT. 1784 [^[1]Source: ], died at South Head, Cow Bay, Cape Breton, 1846 ^[2][3], daughter of John Payne and Lydia Tisdall.

Note: Aurelia was born in the USA ^[4] in Connecticut and moved at 4 years of age to Cape Breton with her parents, perhaps Empire Loyalists.

Aurelia's birth is not known, however, she bore a child from Henry Peters in 1801 (Anne). Aurelia and Henry More Peters are named as the parents of their son Ormond, baptized 10 June 1803 in St George, Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.^[5]

Aurelia bore another another child with husband (2) Thomas in 1824.

Assuming she was not married before 16 years and did not have her last child past the age of 40, she was probably born about 1784.

She married Henry Peters, a widower, had five children and was widowed in May 1808.

She petitioned Brig Gen Swayne for a crown lease of land granted to her late husband Henry Moore Peters.

The land was part of a grant applied for by Ann Barnet Peters and her children. Ann Barnet was the widow of Col. John Peters who died on 4 January 1788 in London England. The parcel of land consisted of 200 acres, ajoining that of Lucy Cameron. Bruce Fergusson, the provincial archivist of Nova Scotia reports that no land was granted Thomas Murrant.

Aurelia was obviously literate as her signature appears on the petition. - Record number 88-25-2422 at UCCB in Cape Breton consists of a letter sent from Ann Bernet Peters to her son John in Baddeck. Anne was born in Windsor Connecticut on 30 April, 1740 and married John Peters of Hebron Connecticut on 25 Nov 1761. They migrated to Cape Breton as loyalists in 1784. -

The marriage to Thomas Murrant was apparently one of convenience as the land petition would indicate, although it was not for three years after the death of Henry Peters.

Although she would not have had an income of her own to support her 5 children, the Peters and likely the Paynes were middle-upper class and likely supported her. The Peters were ranking military, elite of the period and correspondence of the time refers to the Peters as influential people.

As a matter of interest, John Peters died in London, England, apparently contesting his treatment by the military. - Loyalists - In American history, the Loyalists, or Tories, were the men and women who refused to renounce allegiance to the British crown after July 1776; they demonstrated that the AMERICAN REVOLUTION was a civil war as well as a quest for independence. Approximately 500,000 persons, 20 percent of the white population, actively opposed independence; probably a like number were passive Loyalists. There were Loyalists in every colony, but they were most numerous in the Mid-Atlantic states and in the South. - Although the incidence of loyalism was greatest among crown officials, Anglican clergy, social and economic elites, and cultural minorities, the king's friends came from all racial, religious, ethnic, economic, class, and occupational groups. - As much as the Patriots did, the Loyalists put their lives, fortunes, and honor on the line during the Revolution. Besides those who served in the regular British Army, some 19,000 men fought in over 40 Loyalist units, the largest of which was Cortlandt Skinner's New Jersey Volunteers. Refugees gathered in British-occupied New York City, where the Board of Associated Loyalists, headed by William Franklin, helped direct military activities. During the war, crown supporters suffered physical abuse, ostracism, disenfranchisement, confiscation of property, imprisonment, banishment, even death. However, only 4,118 Loyalists requested compensation from Britain's Royal Claims Commission after the war, receiving a total of about 3,000,000 pounds. - The Revolution forced approximately 100,000 persons, 2.4 percent of the population into exile. Some refugees went to England, others to Florida or the Caribbean; at least half went to Canada. The United Empire Loyalists was a hereditary organization created by the Canadian government in 1789 to honor those who rallied to the crown. - HISTORY - Cape Breton - Paleo-Indians inhabited the region about 8000 BC, and the VIKINGS were probably the first Europeans to visit the area. John CABOT is believed to have landed (1497) on Cape Breton Island. The first permanent European settlement was founded in 1605 at Port Royal (near present-day Annapolis Royal) by the French explorers Pierre du Gua, Sieur de MONTS, and Samuel de CHAMPLAIN. Throughout the 17th century, Nova Scotia--part of ACADIA--was a battleground for French and British colonial interests, and control of the region alternated between the two powers. Through the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, the French ceded the mainland portion to the British. Only in 1763 did the British gain control over Cape Breton Island. ( Isle Royal, Cape Breton name) - When the main part of Acadia was ceded to Britain as Nova Scotia in 1713, France retained the rest of the region and tended to refer to all of it, whether under British or French rule, by the traditional name. Some of the French-speaking Acadians moved to Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island, but most remained in Nova Scotia until they were harshly expelled in 1755 and again in 1758 because they would not swear allegiance to the British crown - Louisbourg fell to the English in 1745 but was restored to France in 1748; the British then built Halifax to flank it. The struggle known in Europe as the Seven Years' War (1756-63) began in 1754 with an undeclared war between Britain and France over control of the Ohio Valley. News of the defeat of General Braddock's army before FORT DUQUESNE in July 1755 helped persuade the governor of Nova Scotia, Charles Lawrence, to expel 10,000 French inhabitants of ACADIA, an element he believed dangerous. Baron AMHERST captured Louisbourg again in 1758. - When her new family was started with Thomas, the children from her previous marriage were approximately 11, 9, 8, 4 and 3 years of age. They each spent at least another 8 to 15 years in the Murrant household so probably associated very strongly with the Murrant family. - The family Murrant were members of St Georges Angligan church in Sydney. - St Georges church was established in 1785 and is the oldest church parish in Cape Breton as well as the fourth oldest parish in the British foundation in Canada.The first priest at St Georges was Benjamin Lovell, he was however the garrison chaplin and not the rector.The building was started after the first priest was established, Rev. Ranna Cossitt. The church was built by the royal engineers. Reference account No 79-32-792 ,79-134-894 as well as others at UCCB library in Cape Breton.] She married (1) ABT. 1800 Henry Moore Peters, born at Piermont,Grafton, New Hampshire USA, 30 April 1770 [Source: Title:IGI Film 17059; Page 295; Reference 15379], died at Cow Bay, Nova Scotia, May 1808 [Source: Title:Dillon Genealogy Auth:James A. Florian], son of John Peters and Ruth Ann Barnet. He was widower of Tamar Bliss.

From this marriage: Barnet Peters [2.1] Ormand Peters [2.2] Ann Bernet Peters [2.3] William Wentworth Peters [2.4] 1-1809 Henry Edwin Peters [2.5]

She married (2) at St Georges Anglican Church, Sydney, 28 April 1812 Thomas (senior) Murrant, born at (see discussion), 1787, died at South Head, Cow Bay, Cape Breton, 1853. Later he married Catherine N. Sutherland.

From this marriage: Infant Murrant [2.6] 1813 - 8-23-1888 Thomas (junior) Murrant [2.7] 3-14-1816 - 2-4-1900 Hannah Murrant [2.8] 1-23-1818 - 1901 Louisa Murrant [2.9] - 10-9-1892 Anthony Murrant [2.10] - 1890 William Murrant [2.11] - 12-24-1873 John Murrant [2.12]

Sources

1. ↑ Title:Public Archives NS RG20 Series B Vol 5 #953
2. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2BT-GYMW : 10 March 2017), Aurelia Payne, ; Burial, South Head, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, Christ Church Anglican Cemetery; citing record ID 173506930, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
3. ↑ Source: Title:Headstones Christ Church Auth:Georgie Murrant
4. ↑ Crown lease petition 31 July 1813 RG20 series B vol.5 #953
5. ↑ "Nova Scotia Births and Baptisms, 1702-1896," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5MK-H48 : 5 December 2014), Henry More Peters in entry for Ormond Peters, 10 Jun 1803; citing SAINT GEORGE,SYDNEY,CAPE BRETON,NOVA SCOTIA; FHL microfilm 814,172.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Robert Spencer for creating Bartlett-2738 on 18 Jul 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by Robert and others.