John Sargent was an American Loyalist

Loyalist (American Revolution)

Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...

 during American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

.

A Methodist merchant from Salem, Massachusetts

Salem, Massachusetts

Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...

, he was the second son of Colonel Epes Sargent, by his second wife, the widow Catharine Browne (she was a Winthrop and a descendant of Governor John Winthrop

John Winthrop

John Winthrop was a wealthy English Puritan lawyer, and one of the leading figures in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the first major settlement in New England after Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the first large wave of migrants from England in 1630, and served as governor for 12 of...

). He is the very first signatory among the Salem Addressers of Governor Thomas Gage

Thomas Gage

Thomas Gage was a British general, best known for his many years of service in North America, including his role as military commander in the early days of the American War of Independence....

 on his arrival in Salem in 1774, and thus during the American Revolution he was proscribed and exiled in the Banishment Act of the State of Massachusetts in 1778. He went to Barrington, Nova Scotia

Barrington, Nova Scotia

Barrington is a municipal district in western Shelburne County, Nova Scotia.Barrington forms the southernmost part of the province and contains Cape Sable, the eastern boundary between the North Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine.- Demographics :...

, where he had three sons and a daughter (having married the widow Margaret Barnard in Boston in 1784) and attended the 7th

7th General Assembly of Nova Scotia

The 7th General Assembly of Nova Scotia represented Nova Scotia between March 1793 to 1799.The Assembly sat at the pleasure of the Governor of Nova Scotia, Sir John Wentworth.In 1793, the Speaker of the House was Thomas Henry Barclay.-Division of Seats:...

, 8th

8th General Assembly of Nova Scotia

The 8th General Assembly of Nova Scotia represented Nova Scotia between May 1799 to 1806, its membership being set in the November 1799 Nova Scotia general election.The Assembly sat at the pleasure of the Governor of Nova Scotia, Sir John Wentworth....

, 9th

9th General Assembly of Nova Scotia

The 9th General Assembly of Nova Scotia represented Nova Scotia between the election of August 7th 1806 and 1811, its membership being set in the November 1806 Nova Scotia general election....

 and 10th

10th General Assembly of Nova Scotia

The 10th General Assembly of Nova Scotia represented Nova Scotia between 1811 and 1818.The assembly sat at the pleasure of the Governor of Nova Scotia, John Coape Sherbrooke...

 General Assemblies of Nova Scotia.

Sargent died in Barrington at the age of 73.

His sons John

John Sargent (merchant)

John Sargent was a farmer, merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Barrington township in the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia from 1736 to 1740 as a Conservative....

, William Browne

William Browne Sargent

William Browne Sargent was a fish merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Barrington township in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1818 to 1826....

 and Winthrop

Winthrop Sargent (politician)

Winthrop Sargent was a merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Shelburne County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1836 to 1840....

also served in the assembly.