Edward Winslow (loyalist)
Encyclopedia
Edward Winslow was a loyalist officer and New Brunswick
judge and official.
Edward Winslow was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1746 or 1747, a descendant of Mayflower
Pilgrim
Edward Winslow
. He studied at Harvard College
, graduating in 1765 with an MA. After graduation, as the political tension escalated between Great Britain and its North American colonies over issues such as trade, taxation, and governance, Winslow publicly put his support behind Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson and helped create "a company of Tories" in an effort to keep the peace. By 1774, Winslow was forced to flee Plymouth, and in April 1775, as a member of the British Army
, he was involved in a bloody confrontation at Lexington
against the Patriot militia. In March 1776, he retreated along with the British troops to Halifax
, and by July had been appointed muster master general for the Loyalist forces. It was during the war that Winslow met his future wife Mary Symonds, and by 1783 they had three children: Daniel Murray (1777-1814), Chipman(1778-1783) and Mary (1779-1843). Nine children would eventually follow: Penelope (1783-1836), John Frances Wentworth (1783-1859), Thomas Aston Coffin (1784-1810), Edward (1785?-1820), Hannah (b.1788?), Sarah Ann (1790-?), Christianna (1791-1814), Eliza Chipman (1794-1854), and Catherine (1799-1805).
After the Patriots' victory was secured in 1783, Winslow and his fellow Loyalists were essentially reduced to the status of refugees. He moved his family to Granville in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia
, but spent most of his time in Halifax making plans for the settling of Loyalists throughout Nova Scotia
. Frustrated with the efforts of the Nova Scotia authorities at settling the approximately 35,000 Loyalists, Winslow began to advocate for the creation of a separate colony in the area north of the Bay of Fundy
. In 1783 he was named secretary to Brigadier-General Henry Edward Fox
, who was sympathetic to Winslow's proposal. The British government approved the creation of a new colony, called New Brunswick
, in June 1784.
Winslow and his family spent a few months in Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1785, before moving to Fredericton. In 1787 Winslow's mother and sisters (his father died in June 1784) joined them. Before his appointment to the New Brunswick Supreme Court in 1807, Winslow served in a number of government posts: surrogate general, judge of the inferior court of common pleas, muster master of the King's New Brunswick regiment, secretary to the International Boundary Commission, and deputy surveyor of the King's Woods. Despite the relative financial ease that his position with the New Brunswick Supreme Court offered him, Winslow's family endured financial hardships up until the time of his death. He died in 1815 in Fredericton, New Brunswick
.
William Odber Raymond. Winslow Papers A.D. 1776-1826. Saint John: New Brunswick Historical Society, 1901.
"Judge Edward Winslow." Sibley's Harvard Graduates. Ed Clifford K. Stanley. Vol 16. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 1972, 274-291.
Maude Maxwell Vesey, Manuscript Biography of Edward Winslow, University of New Brunswick Archives, Fredericton New Brunswick.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
judge and official.
Edward Winslow was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1746 or 1747, a descendant of Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
Pilgrim
Pilgrims
Pilgrims , or Pilgrim Fathers , is a name commonly applied to early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States...
Edward Winslow
Edward Winslow
Edward Winslow was an English Pilgrim leader on the Mayflower. He served as the governor of Plymouth Colony in 1633, 1636, and finally in 1644...
. He studied at Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
, graduating in 1765 with an MA. After graduation, as the political tension escalated between Great Britain and its North American colonies over issues such as trade, taxation, and governance, Winslow publicly put his support behind Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson and helped create "a company of Tories" in an effort to keep the peace. By 1774, Winslow was forced to flee Plymouth, and in April 1775, as a member of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, he was involved in a bloody confrontation at Lexington
Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,399 at the 2010 census. This town is famous for being the site of the first shot of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.- History :...
against the Patriot militia. In March 1776, he retreated along with the British troops to Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, and by July had been appointed muster master general for the Loyalist forces. It was during the war that Winslow met his future wife Mary Symonds, and by 1783 they had three children: Daniel Murray (1777-1814), Chipman(1778-1783) and Mary (1779-1843). Nine children would eventually follow: Penelope (1783-1836), John Frances Wentworth (1783-1859), Thomas Aston Coffin (1784-1810), Edward (1785?-1820), Hannah (b.1788?), Sarah Ann (1790-?), Christianna (1791-1814), Eliza Chipman (1794-1854), and Catherine (1799-1805).
After the Patriots' victory was secured in 1783, Winslow and his fellow Loyalists were essentially reduced to the status of refugees. He moved his family to Granville in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia
Annapolis County, Nova Scotia
Annapolis County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia located in the western part of the province on the Bay of Fundy. The county seat is Annapolis Royal.-History:...
, but spent most of his time in Halifax making plans for the settling of Loyalists throughout Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. Frustrated with the efforts of the Nova Scotia authorities at settling the approximately 35,000 Loyalists, Winslow began to advocate for the creation of a separate colony in the area north of the Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...
. In 1783 he was named secretary to Brigadier-General Henry Edward Fox
Henry Edward Fox
General Henry Edward Fox was a British Army general. He also served for a brief spell as Governor of Minorca.-Family:...
, who was sympathetic to Winslow's proposal. The British government approved the creation of a new colony, called New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, in June 1784.
Winslow and his family spent a few months in Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1785, before moving to Fredericton. In 1787 Winslow's mother and sisters (his father died in June 1784) joined them. Before his appointment to the New Brunswick Supreme Court in 1807, Winslow served in a number of government posts: surrogate general, judge of the inferior court of common pleas, muster master of the King's New Brunswick regiment, secretary to the International Boundary Commission, and deputy surveyor of the King's Woods. Despite the relative financial ease that his position with the New Brunswick Supreme Court offered him, Winslow's family endured financial hardships up until the time of his death. He died in 1815 in Fredericton, New Brunswick
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Fredericton is the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by virtue of the provincial parliament which sits there. An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities and cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art...
.
Further reading
Dallison, Robert L. The American Revolution and the Founding of New Brunswick. The New Brunswick Military Heritage Series, Volume 2. Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions and The New Brunswick Military Heritage Project, 2003.William Odber Raymond. Winslow Papers A.D. 1776-1826. Saint John: New Brunswick Historical Society, 1901.
"Judge Edward Winslow." Sibley's Harvard Graduates. Ed Clifford K. Stanley. Vol 16. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 1972, 274-291.
Maude Maxwell Vesey, Manuscript Biography of Edward Winslow, University of New Brunswick Archives, Fredericton New Brunswick.