Lets talk genealogy about John Young and Madeleine Dedam of Nipisiguit

History of The Youngs from Nipisiguit

By

Daniel P. Young

                                                                       

Chapter 1

John Young’s arrival in Canada with Commodore George Walker

                
          John Young an Englishman was our first relative to walk the North American soil circa 1765-1767. There is evidence that he boarded a merchant ship in Scotland belonging to Commodore George Walker to sail to America. Commodore walker already had installations in the Bay of Chaleur more precisely in Nipisiguit (Bathurst). Nipisiguit which is derived from the Mi'kmaq Winpegifawik, which means "rough water" .


From Cooney’s New Brunswick and Gaspe by Robert Cooney Reprinted in 1896 Excerpt from Pages 171 to 179:
"… from the expulsion of the French, until six or eight years . John Young - Englishmen, Mr. Robertson - a native of Morayshire in Scotland. Former after taking of Quebec - nothing particular occurred. About this time Mr. Walker, from north of Scotland, and who was commonly called Commodore Walker arrived in the Bay, and formed an extensive establishment on Alston Point, on North side of Bathurst harbour. Gentleman came attended by several young adherents - Mr married an Indian and now is dead - latter still living at 94. At Alston Point, Mr. Walker had a splendid and elegantly furnished summer residence; also five large stores, a requisite number of outhouses, and a tolerable strong battery. Had a fine lawn and handsome garden. At Youghall, near head of harbour, he had another large dwelling house, which he occupied in winter, besides a fishing establishment on the Big River - three miles from entrance. At this time Mr. Walker engrossed whole trade of Bay, then consisting of an extensive exportation of furs, moose skins, and hides, fat and tusks of walrus. To these general exports he usually added: - an annual cargo of salmon and sometimes two or three of cod and scale fish, to the West Indies and Mediterranean. … Gentleman continued to, by his example and influence, advance and improve the country, until his spirited and beneficial enterprise, was interrupted by war between Great Britain and her revolted colonies.Shortly after the commencement of this rupture, some of the revolutionary Privateers entered the Bay and wreaked their vengeance on Alston Point and all other settlements. Having taken and destroyed upwards of L10,000 worth of property here, they proceeded to Restigouche, where Walker had another establishment under name of Mr. Smith. After committing similar depredations there, Privateers were proceeding down Bay, when two English gun brigs - Wolf and Diligence - intercepted them. An engagement took place off Roc Perce, near which, two of the American vessels were sunk, the rest having endeavoured to escape. After this affair, Walker returned to England, and was upon his representation of the state, condition and resources of the country, appointed to a subordinate command, under the Admiral on the North American station. When the expedition entrusted to his care was about to sail, it is said he died of apoplexy. First English settler in Gloucester."

 Commodore Walker had a few established commercial ventures in the bay during the days he resided in the area. He was a naval war veteran with many epic victories of battles under his belt. He came to Nipisiguit as sort of a retirement from the battles and had ideas about fur trading, fishing, lumbering and ship building and this is what he and some of his crew did successfully for many years. John Young was employed by the navy officer along with his mate James Robertson who was a master cooper.

I looked up master cooper because I was intrigued to know what went on in Bathurst back then:  "A cooper is someone in the trade of making utensils, casks, drums and barrels and other accessories, usually out of wood, but sometimes using other materials. coffin makers are also sometimes known as cooper, though this is an uncommon usage. I have seen old shipping and handling receipts with orders either coming or going to the Antilles with the signature of John Young which gives me a clue that he probably managed the shipping and handling part of the business for Walker.

George Walker remained in Bathurst until 1776 after he went back to England to get some help to defend his establishments. He died September twentieth seventeen seventy seven. Excerpt from a webpage: http://www.bathurst.ca/heritage.php?id=3 “ With the outbreak of the American Revolution Walker knew it was only a matter of time before his Nipisiguit settlement would come under attack. By 1777 American privateers were raiding all territory that remained British. Perhaps with hopes of acquiring an armed vessel with which to protect his post, Walker sailed for England in the summer of 1777. On September 20th of the same year, while lodging in London, Commodore George Walker suddenly fell ill and died.

In June of 1778 Alston Point was indeed under threat of American attack. The exact date of the destruction of this settlement is unknown, however, due to Walker’s forethought of installing a battery, his post was probably the last in the Bay to be plundered. The archaeological site of Commodore George Walker's trading, fishing and shipbuilding establishment at Alston Point is a protected New Brunswick Historic Site.”

John Young and his crew remained in the area for many years afterwards, he married Magdeleine Dedam a native Mi'kmaq and they had six children. Philippe, Marie Francoise, Nathalie, Etienne, Jean, Marguerite. I am not certain of the date of marriage but they had their son Philippe in 1778 around the same year the Commodore Walker died. Their oldest son Philippe married Marie-Elisabeth Grand-Louis in the Restigouche they had seven offspring’s. My ancestor Etienne Young (sauvage) was born March twenty-seven 1785. I added sauvage in brackets because this is how his name is portrayed on his birth records. It got an ill feeling at first to see in brackets (sauvage) besides my ancestors names but deep inside I always ha a feeling that we were descendants of First Nation people. The missionaries made certain they were branded as savages. I can just imagine the life in those days where there was plenty of forest and a little population in the area. They were almost the first to settle in the Nipisiguit area, there is evidence of earlier settlers dating back to the 1600’s. Nicholas Denis was a prominent resident of St-Paul (Bathurst) in those years and had a dwelling where Gowen Brae golf course is at present time. There is remnants of his presence there. There hasn’t been any archeological dig at that site up to today. On the map below we see Alston Point where the Commodore Walker had his main summer dwelling. His winter house was at Ferguson Point. He also has an establishment at the mouth of the big river (Nipesiquit river) maybe where the old pulp mill used to be or on the other side by Maurice’s gas bar. Walker traded in salmon, cod, wood, ship building and fur. He also had establishments in Belledune, Jacquet River and Campbellton. There is a small river in Campbellton named after George Walker its called Walker Brook. They travelled intensely in the area of the Bay of Chaleur, there is record they had dealing in Paspebiac. George Walker prior to coming to Nipisiguit was doing business in the Halifax area his place was burned. It is probably the reason why he relocated in Bathurst. It appears that John Young’s children were established in the areas where Commodore George Walker had his establishments. It’s a possibility they were all employed by the old naval officer.

Photo: 1

    

Chapter 2 

John Young and family in Nipisiguit

 

John Young was a translator, he spoke at least three languages. He learned the language of the Mi'kmaq and maybe French as well as his native English language. Been amongst the Mi'kmaq and with his wife Magdeleine Dedam and her family. He was also a trapper and a woods inspector. "They were building ships, the giant masts needed to be inspected in order to have the right quality of wood and the proper size. " After central-eastern North America was ceded to the land-hungry rebels of the
Thirteen Colonies, Britain turned to what was known as "British North America" and regarded it as a licence to exploit land and water. Nova Scotia, then a colonial land mass stretching to Gaspe and the St. John River, ceded its northwestern portion of the colony as "New Brunswick" in 1784. Peninsular Nova Scotia's economy came to be based on the fishery and shipbuilding, since much of its timber had been cleared in the years prior. Conversely, continental New Brunswick's economy was based on lumber and was considered "the first commercial activity of the new settlers." In fact, the Crown
reserved the forests for the exclusive use of the British navy and secured its own land titles between 1783 and 1807 for that purpose, particularly for the production of ship masts."

In those days the population was concentrated in the smaller bay of Nipisiguit which is now called Bathurst Harbour and at the mouth of the Nepisiquit River. See Photo 1. The town was first called Nipisiguit, then St. Peters. Bathurst received its current name in 1826 after then-British colonial secretary, Henry Bathurst, third Earl of Bathurst.


The Mi'kmaq were spending the summer months at what is now called Indian Island where they were fishing, hunting fowl and gathering berries. During the harsh winter month they went upstream of the Big River Nepisquit where they resided in teepees for the winter. Their dwellings were made of wood and bark as seen in picture 2. They hunted and trapped during the harsh winter months. Indian island is the Island in Bathurst Harbour behind Uncle Morley Gammon’s residence. I always was fond of that Island and was always attracted by it. I didn’t know at the time that our ancestors had set foot there a few hundred years prior.
                       Photo: 2

John Young was known in our family as a Scotsman but in the history books from Commodore Walker or other sources he is  from England. Either way its okay by me because even if he had come from England the Young probably originated from either Scotland or Ireland. My uncle Kenneth went to work in Ireland and the people of Ireland told him the Young were originally from Ireland.  It’s possible there is no (Mac) in front of our name as the Scottish people have in their names otherwise we would be named MacYoung.

I found an excerpt in a book recently by Arthur P. Silver called:(Farm-Cottage, Camp and Canoe in Maritime Canada) where he talks about a John Young who would have married an Indian woman here is an excerpt:

“The muscular arms of my two Indians, Joe and Peter swiftly forced the light canoe against the rapid current, and having a permit to fish as I moved along, I willingly rested them at the principal salmon pools."

He talks about Joe a little bit later on in the book and reveals something which peaked my curiosity.

“A Close intimacy with the Indian character reveals many lovable traits, much of the rough diamond. The universally deplore the coming among them of the white man. Before his advent. Fish and game, they say, abounded everywhere and were easily killed, and small estimation is set upon what the whites have given them in return. How pathetic is their decline, melting like snow at the touch of spring sunshine. Though I call Joe Indian, yet his lineal tree shows a strain of white blood three generations back, a certain John Young, adventurer from England, where his life was forfeited to the Crown, made a lucky escape, and coming hither in a trading ship, married a squaw and became a great sachem or chief. He lived to a ripe old age, and before a great his death sent home to his Majesty of England three Canoe loads of bear, beaver and other skins, with a petition for a grant of land for the Indians; and this was assented to. John Young was Joe's great-grandfather, and though Newgate lost a victim for the noose, Bathurst gained a useful citizen.”

I found this very interesting since prior there was a few hints about who this John Young was but here along with the story from Commodore Walker’s pages it gives us a bit of knowledge about our first ancestor in Canada. The Indian guides Joe and Peter in another book by Florence Grey a resident of Bathurst speculated that their last name maybe Prisk because they were often hired as guides in the area by the salmon fihermen. One child of John Young, Marie Francoise Young married Nicholas prisk son of Prisk Wiouche. Joe and Peter would be their descendants.

Chapter 2

Marrying Magdeleine Dedam

Magdeleine was born in 1754 and left this world for the land of her ancestors in 1804 approximately. There is documentation from the French missionnaires: 

Magdeleine (sauvagesse) Le dix mai mil huit cent douze par nous pretres missionnaires soussigne ont ete supplee les ceremonies funeraires a Magdeleine, sauvagess femme de Jean Young inspecteur du bois a Nipisiguit, decedee dans ce dit lieu il y a huit ans, agee de cinquante ans et plus. Présent Pierre Arseneau et Romain Doucet qui n’ont pu signer.  Huot, pretre missionaire. 

Up to today there is no trace of Magdeleine's parents, its hard to find records. For a long time we only knew her as Magdeleine (Sauvagesse) then someone stumbled across a record where her name was Dedam. There is lots of members of the Dedam family at Eel Ground, Miramichi, Burnt Church, Restigouche and Pabineau communities. Their ancestor could be Thierry Desdames who came to Canada with Samuel De Champlain circa 1600 and was Captain on the Miscou Island. here is his biography: http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/desdames_thierry_1F.html  

John Young lived to a ripe old age according his grand-children. The is documentation where he mediated disputes between land owners and natives of the region. John was also an explorer. He was hired along with a couple of native men to explore the Restigouche River. " From University of Moncton 1. 32-36 Gaspésie:

"Engagement d'Indiens et d'Acadiens par Felson pour explorer la rivière Ristigouche 1785.
Contrat avec John Young, indien Contrat avec Benjamin LeBlanc, père et fils, d'Etienne Bergeron
de Louis Laviolette, dans le même but. Copies 3 feuilles".

John Young was the only one in his family for many generations after to be able to read and write its important for me to mention because later you will see that it helped identify him from other people of the same name. On all the documents either baptism papers or marriage certificates he was the only person to sign his name. He was educated prior to boarding his ship to Canada. what he did in his native land is a mystery so far. Maybe with luck and a bit of research his life overseas will be in the next book.

Chapter 3

The Youngs spreading in North America.

Philippe Young was John and Magdeleine's first born. He became his father's right hand man as we can see documentation where Philippe co-signed for land petitions with his father. Philippe married Elisabeth Grandlouis a Native of Restigouche and had at least seven children, Edouard, Madeleine, Philippe, Noel, Ann, Jean, Stanislas. They resided in the Nipisiguit area as Philippe figures in the 1861 census at the ripe old age of 90.

He was residing with his son Philippe on Indian land in the area of Bathurst possibly where George Walker's establishments were. Which was possibly the land Philippe and his father claimed for their brothers and sisters natives. John Young been among the native people of the area knew what would happen next and he probably forewarned his family and friends.  I haven't been able to find any Philippe Young's living descendants up to today. Philippe also married a second time to Marie Josephte also a Native. His son Philippe married Madeleine Courniviere and had possibly five children: Noel Young, Peter Young, Joseph Young, Francois Young, Thomas Young. I was impressed when I went to the pow wow at Pabineau First Nation and met with Chief David Peter Paul. I was telling Chief David that I had relatives on the reserve and that I was related to the Prisk family through Marie Francois Young and Chief David asked me if I was related to Philippe Young. It took me by surprise because I thought those folks were long forgotten. Mr. Peter Paul went on to tell me that Philippe Young fugured on the Gloucester 1861 census. Here is a picture of the current chief of the Pabineau First Nation:

Etienne Young remained in this area and married Marie Lavigne daughter of Jean Lavigne et Elisabeth Beaudry October thirteen 1812. They were together long before that date but a justice of the peace refused to marry them according to a document written by the missionaries. Those documents are at the Holy-Family Church in Bathurst. I found a copy in a hard cover book at the Smurfit Stone library:
Mariage: Etienne Young sauvage et Marie Lavigne

Le treize octobre dix huit cent douze la publication d'un ban de mariage(et la dispense des deux autres en consequence du pouvoir que nous avons venu de sa grandeur le vingt neuf septembre mil huit cent dix) entre Etienne Young sauvage domicilie a la Sainte-Famille de Nipisiguit, fils majeur de Jean Young inspecteur de bois et de la defunte Magdeleine sauvagesse, son pere et mere du dit nipisiguit d'une part et Marie Lavigne aussi domicilie a la Sainte-Famille de Nipisiguit, fille aussi majeure de Jean Lavigne cultivateur et de Isabelle Baudrille ses pere et mere aussi du dit lieu d'autre part, ne s'etant decouvert aucun empechement au dit mariage nous pretre missionnaire soussigne considerant que les dits contractuers tous deux Catholiques n'avaient pas pu etre validement marie par un juge de paix qui plusieurs annees auparavant avait usurpe ce droit, avons recu leur mutuel consentement suivant la forme presente par notre mere de Sainte Eglise et ce en presence de Charles Doucet ami de l'epoux et de Michel Hache ami de l'epouse, qui avec les epoux n'ont pu signer.

                                

They had up to six children where I've found entries in the registries of either St-Pierre Aux Liens Caraquet, St-Famille, Bathurst or Carleton registers: Athenas Young, Celeste Young, Sebastien Young, John Young, Marguerite Young and Etienne Young who died a bachelor according to Donat Robichaud's archives. The missionary priests travelled far, it could be a year or more before they settlers would see a priest. The used what was sometimes a justice of the piece until the representants of the Roman Catholic Church showed up after travelling long distances in canoes. This is possibly what the firt generation of Youngs looked like:

There isn’t much history on Etienne Young other than speculations. Unlike his father and his step father Jean Lavigne who have left a few clues behind. Etienne was a savage according to the missionaries so back then I imagine how he would have lives his life as a half-breed. With the knowledge he had from his father in the wood business or trapping like his father and being an Indian was probably really good at living from reaps of the forest. There is evidence of him clearing 200 acres of land in the government registrars, March 23 1833 as shown on the picture below. He died at the young age of 44 it would be interesting to find out what sent him to his maker at such a young age.

Marie Francoise Young was first married to Noel Paul, they had two children: Marie Noel and Angelique Noel. She married a second time to Nicholas Prisk and had three children: Francois Prisk, Noel Prisk, Monique Prisk. Here is the marriage records of Marie Francoise and Nicholas Prisk:
                                     

                               


Natalie Young I only found her birth records or else there is nothing to be found on here life or her whereabouts. So far she is like a ghost of the past but she did exist.


Jean Young born 1789 in Nipisiquit and baptized in St-Pierre Aux Liens Caraquet was married to Cecile Pitre they had five children: Mary Young, Adelaide Young, Elisabeth Young, Sara Young and Olive Young. Cecile went on to marry a second time to a LeBreton from Tracadie. There is a lot of confusion surrounding this marriage and its the same old story of people of many generations with the same name and surname confusing genealogist and historians alike. This is a perfect example of this. Here is a copy of a letter apparently written by Cecile Pitre promising to marry John Young.
                                     
                                   

If you feel like doing detective work you are welcome to come up with genuine papers proving that the husband of Cecile Pitre was Jean Young the son of John young and Magdeleine Dedam and not his father who gathered a bit of a reputation.