John Fraser (abt. 1798 - 1878)

Born about 1798 in Pictou, Nova Scotia

Descendants

Died 3 Nov 1878 at about age 80 in Waipu, Northland, New Zealand

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Biography

John was born about 1798 in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. John Fraser married Mary McLeod. He passed away in 1878.

John Fraser was one of the principal backers in constructing the Margaret which sailed from St. Ann's, Cape Breton to Waipu, New Zealand.^[1][2] They arrived in Adelaide on April 8, 1852,^[3] and left the following year to New Zealand.

John Fraser died at Waipu November 3, 1878, aged 80,^[4] and was buried November 5^[5] at the Waipu Cemetery. The gravestone was likely erected sometime after his death, as both the date and age disagree with the other contemporary sources (and there doesn't appear to have been another John Fraser this could be). The epitaph reads:^[6]

Notice of his death was published in the New Zealand Herald on November 9, 1878:^[5]

WAIPU
...
I regret to state that we have lost one of out oldest and most respected settlers - Mr. John Fraser, of the upper district. He was one of the pioneers of the Waipu District, and won the regard of all with whom he came in contact, by his kindly disposition. He was an honest, industrious man, and the best of neighbours, and was well-known and much respected through the County. He was buried Tuesday; a very large gathering of the friends and relatives of the departed gentleman attended the funeral - [Own Correspondent, November 6.]

Research notes

May have been the son of Hugh and had two brothers James and Peter. (https://www.genealogy.com/forum/regional/countries/topics/newzealand/5101/)

Dates used reflect death registration and newspaper article. Gravestone has different age and dates.

John Fraser's Origin in Published Sources

John Fraser is mentioned in many books and articles detailing the Waipu migration. Many of them include information on his family and origin, though the information seems to get distorted over time.

Most important of these was the one published in 1935 by John Fraser's grandson, Norman Roderick McKenzie, stating that John was born in Pictou, that his father was named Hugh, and that his brother Peter Fraser was of St. Anns.^[2] Peter Fraser of St. Ann's (and who also later emigrated to New Zealand) can be directly linked by deeds to being the son of Hugh Fraser (c1754-1808) and Margaret Wishard (c1754-1842) of the West Branch East River (as it was then called, though nowadays Marshdale) in Pictou. There were a number of Hugh Frasers in Pictou by about 1800 who were of age to be John's father, including Hughs of Loch Broom, East River, West River, Elgin, Sunny Brae, and a carpenter of the East River who married an Ann, but seems to have left little record. Only one who had both John and Peter as children - Hugh Fraser of Marshdale.

1928

John Fraser died in 1878. Fifty years after his death, in 1928, the following was published in The Highlanders of Waipu:^[1]

John Fraser was the son of a soldier who fought under Woolf on the Plains of Abraham, and so also was John McKay. Each of these men were small capitalists and tradesmen, who were familiar with the great outside world. As the new migration scheme took shape they became Norman’s chief supporters.

Notably the Battle of the Plains of Abraham occured in 1759. For John's father to have served, he would have to have been born circa 1740 or earlier - making him about 58 when he fathered John. The next article shows that his father was Hugh Fraser, b. about 1754, suggesting that this military service was for a grandfather instead.

1935

In 1935 (the year of the first edition) the following was published in The Gael Fares Forth, written by Norman Roderick McKenzie, John's grandson:^[2]

The Margaret was registered in the minister's name, but was financed mainly by John Fraser and John McKay, who were men of means. John Fraser,* born in Pictou, was a son of Hugh Fraser (a near relative of Lord Lovat, chief of the clan), one of the renowned Fraser's Highlanders who were in the van of the British Army at the capture of Quebec (1759). They also took part in the capture of Louisbourg (1758) and in other engagements during the conquest of Canada and the American War of Independence. It is said that eight chiefs of clans were officers in this regiment. Simon Fraser, commander of the regiment, by his knowledge of the French language and his ready wit, deceived the French sentinel and made the attack on Quebec possible. This was the man who led the Clan Fraser against the Government at the Battle of Culloden (1746).
...
John Fraser married Mary McLeod, daughter of Donald McLeod (the Squire). He and his brother, Peter Fraser, were among the earliest settlers at St Ann's.
...
* My grandfather

The content of this was repeated in 1940:^[7]

One of the two principal financiers of the venture (the other was John McKay) was John Fraser, the Pictou-born son of Hugh Fraser (a near relative of Lord Lovat, chief of the clan), one of the famous Fraser Highlanders who were in the van of the British Army at the capture of Quebec (1759). It was the Hon. Simon Fraser, whose knowledge of French and quick wit deceived the French sentry and made possible the attack on Quebec. The incident is one of the most well-known in popular history. This soldier led the Clan Fraser against the Government at the Battle of Culloden (1746).

McKenzie's book agrees with what was published in 1928, though adds that John was born in Pictou, that his father was Hugh Fraser ("a near relative of the Lord Lovat", allegedy), and that John's brother Peter Fraser was also an early settler at St. Ann's. Peter can be linked to Hugh Fraser of Marshdale, see beginning of this section.

McKenzie also talks about the Fraser clan's general military involvement, which likely contributed to the 'game of telephone' that happened in future published material.

1986

In 1986 an article, which likely including new research from Nova Scotia (as it mentions Marshdale directly, and the 1792 grant Hugh Fraser received there), seems to have misinterpreted the earlier writings on John Fraser, as well as makes further assertions:^[8]

The Fraser family had been habitants of Pictou County for several generations. John's father was Hugh Fraser who, in 1792, was the recipient of a land grant at Marshdale, Pictou, in lieu of services rendered to the Crown by his father, the Hon. Simon Fraser. Simon Fraser had led the 78th Regiment of Fraser Highlanders and ably assisted General Wolfe in the capture of Quebec in 1759. John Fraser married Mary "Squire" McLeod, a cousin of the Rev. Norman McLeod; they had six children. The eldest was Mary, who married Hugh McKenzie, followed by Hugh, Jessie, Murdoch, Donald and Jane.

There's no indication that the 1792 crown land grand was in lieu of any service. Nor that Hugh's father was named Simon.

1997

Some conflicting information was published in To the Ends of the Earth in 1997:^[9]

Among leaders in the Cape Breton community were John Fraser and John McKay. John Fraser had a longer connection with Nova Scotia than most. He traced his descent from one who had been at the capture of Quebec with General Wolfe, and took his discharge from the Fraser Highlanders in Nova Scotia. An able man who put his local knowledge to good use, prospered and, by the time the Margaret sailed, had a family of five to accompany him and his wife."
...
[image caption] "This Cottage in the Braigh was built in 1857 for Hugh McKenzie, great-grandson of Simon Fraser, [sic] who commanded the 78th Regiment of Fraser Highlanders at Quebec.
...
Mary [Hugh McKenzie's] wife was the daughter of John Fraser, one of the leaders of the community and the descendant of Simon Fraser, of the 77th [sic] Regiment, Fraser Highlanders, who had taken his discharge after Quebec

It's unclear if the image caption was a typo for Hugh McKenzie's wife being the great-granddaughter, or if Hugh himself supposedly descended from Simon Fraser. Considering the next portion (and assuming that the 77th regiment "Montgomerie's Highlanders", who did not serve at Quebec was a typo for the 78th regiment "Fraser's Highlanders" who did) it seems like this may have been the case - though it conlficts with the first bit which just generally states that John descended from someone at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} MacDonald, Gordon. "Chapter X - A Startling Letter from Adelaide" in The Highlanders of Waipu; or Echoes of 1745, A Scottish Odyssey (Dunedin: Coulls Somerville Wilkie, Ltd., 1928) https://www.electricscotland.com/History/nz/waipu10.htm
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} McKenzie, Norman Roderick. The Gael Fares Forth: The Romantic Story of Waipu and Sister Settlements (Whitcombe & Tombs, 1942), pp. 38, 42
3. ↑ "Shipping Intelligence", Adelaide Observer, 17 April 1852 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/160109144 (accessed April 6, 2021)
4. ↑ NZ BDM death registration no. 1878/3223 Fraser John 80Y
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "Country News", New Zealand Herald, Volume XV, Issue 5299, 9 November 1878. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18781109.2.31 (accessed April 6, 2021)
6. ↑ "BillionGraves Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2BL-SD9B : 27 February 2017), John Fraser, died 14 Oct 1878; citing BillionGraves (http://www.billiongraves.com : 2012), Burial at Waipu Cemetery, Waipu, Northland, New Zealand.
7. ↑ "One of the … — Great Migrations — Of British History — Nova Scotian Gaels to Auckland — Scots who followed Minister in Four Lands" in The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 15, Issue 2 (May 1, 1940), p. 30 http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Gov15_02Rail-t1-body-d9.html
8. ↑ Ryan, Terry. "Waipu Cottage Recalls Early Migration Historic Places" in New Zealand No.13 June 1986, p. 22
9. ↑ Robinson, Neil. To the Ends of the Earth: Norman McLeod and the Highlanders' migration to Nova Scotia and New Zealand (Auckland, New Zealand: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997), pp. 96, 121, 122