Our Trailblazing Ancestors - Part 3

William Nicholson (1720-1795) and Lady Janet Smith (1724-?)

William Nicholson & Janet Smith 

  Rebecca Nicholson & William James Moore 

    Margaret Moore & James Charles Campbell 

      John Scott Campbell & Janet Chisholm 

        John Campbell & Sarah Simmonds 

          Flora Ann Campbell Beattie & John William Gamble 

            Julia West Gamble & John Thomas Bragg 

              Russell M Bragg & Dorothy Harrigan 

                Me

William, a stay maker and his bride, Janet were said to have eloped to Nova Scotia aboard the passenger ship Willmington in 1749.  There is no documented evidence relating to Janet’s title of “Lady”.  She may have been the daughter of a peer or the name could simply be a given name.  The two settled in Portaupique, on the Bay of Fundy and raised a family of six Rebecca, Janet, Agnes, John, James Smith, William.  They lost an unnamed daughter in infancy.  William and Janet are buried at Portaupique.

John MacDonald Geddes and Rebecca McLellan (1741-1838)

John M Geddes & Rebecca McLellan  

  Isabella Geddes & James Cook 

    Esther Cook & John Gamble 

      John William Gamble & Flora Ann Campbell Beattie 

        Julia West Gamble & John Thomas Bragg 

          Russell M Bragg & Dorothy Harrigan 

            Me

Grave of Esther Cook Gamble
Castlereagh Pioneer
Cemetery
Castlereagh, Nova Scotia

The origins of John Geddes are a complete mystery. He is recorded on his marriage bond, dated May 7 1773, as "John MacDonald alias Geddes, Halifax, Yeoman, bachelor". This would seem to imply that he had adopted the use of the Geddes surname at some point before his marriage. It is without a doubt that he used the name John Geddes all his adult life.

John's wife Rebecca, had been previously married to Thomas Bibby, whose name appears on the 1767 grantee list for the settlement of Economy on the northern shore of the Cobequid Bay. He died soon afterwards and Rebecca became heir to the family property. It is quite likely that John & Rebecca may have lived upon this property before selling it in 1779. They eventually made their home a few miles down the shore, at Highland Village, a neighbouring community to Great Village, where her parents had settled in 1761.

John "Geddis" served as a Corporal in the 84th Regiment of Foot within the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Highland Emigrants. The 84th was the first Highland regiment to be raised outside of Scotland and the 2nd Battalion was raised in Nova Scotia, New York and the Carolinas during the Revolutionary War and placed under the command of the Major John Small. Because of his rank, historians of this regiment are lead to believe that he must have been a veteran and served elsewhere. It is interesting to note that there were some restrictions to joining the 84th and that you had to be at least "5 feet 3 inches in height, appear healthy, have all his limbs, no rupture, not be troubled by fits and have at least two teeth that met". The 2nd Battalion was based to Nova Scotia and took part in the relief of Fort Cumberland and so this being the case, John was at least active in protecting the Cobequid area of the province that lay so near his home and family. At the close of the war John was discharged at Fort Edward, Windsor, Nova Scotia on October 10th 1783.

Julia West Gamble Bragg

John and Rebecca raised four children, Isabella, John, Joseph and Alexander.  While we have no record of John’s death, we know that Rebecca was a widow when she died in 1838.  They are buried at Highland Village, Colchester County, Nova Scotia.