Joseph Gerrish was a soldier, merchant, judge and political figure in 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...

. He was a member of the 1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia

1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia

1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia represented Nova Scotia between October 2, 1758 and December 4, 1759, its membership being set in the 1758 Nova Scotia general election....

.

He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of John Gerrish and Sarah Hobbes. He entered business with his father, a Boston merchant. In 1740, Gerrish married Mary Brenton. He served with the 3rd Massachusetts Regiment in the campaign against Louisbourg in 1745. With a partner, he supplied goods to the garrison at Annapolis Royal

Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia

Annapolis Royal is a town located in the western part of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. Known as Port Royal until the Conquest of Acadia in 1710 by Britain, the town is the oldest continuous European settlement in North America, north of St...

. In 1749, he moved 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...

. He established a fishing business which failed and supported his family by farming. He served as justice of the peace and judge of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas. In 1759, he was named naval storekeeper for the royal shipyard. In the same year, he was named to the province's Council. With his brother Benjamin

Benjamin Gerrish

Benjamin Gerrish was a merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia. He was a member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1759 to 1768....

, he helped organize a boycott of the provincial assembly after lieutenant governor Jonathan Belcher

Jonathan Belcher

Jonathan Belcher was colonial governor of the British provinces of Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.-Early life:Jonathan Belcher was born in Cambridge, Province of Massachusetts Bay, in 1682...

 did not renew the debtor's act in 1761. As a result, he was temporarily removed from office but reinstated after Belcher was replaced. In 1766, he was named surrogate judge in the vice admiralty court

Vice admiralty court

Vice admiralty courts were juryless courts located in British colonies that were granted jurisdiction over local legal matters related to maritime activities, such as disputes between merchants and seamen. Judges were given 5% of confiscated cargo, if they found a smuggling defendant guilty...

at Halifax. He married Mary Cradock in 1768 after the death of his first wife. Gerrish died in Halifax at the age of 64.