EDITOR:
This is the press release announcing the winner of the “Who Was The First Scot
in New Brunswick contest”.
Who
Was The First Scot in New Brunswick?
(Fredericton,
NB – December 11, 2013) - The pioneering Scottish lumberman, shipbuilder and
politician, William Davidson, was barely 25 years old when he settled near
Miramichi in 1765. Davidson is generally credited with being the first Scot to
settle in New Brunswick, but was there a Scot who came before him? The New Brunswick
Scottish Portal Project launched the contest “Who Was the First Scot in New
Brunswick?” on January 24, 2013 asking the help of the general public to answer
that question. The contest ran from Robert Burns Day (January 25th)
to Saint Andrew’s Day (November 30th). The person or persons who
provided proof of an individual or family who moved from Scotland to New
Brunswick prior to 1765 would receive either a $500 contest prize or a tablet.
On
January 24tha press conference to announce the details of the
contest and featuring the great-great-great-great-grandson of William Davidson,
Mr. Brad Sturgeon of Fredericton, was held at the Provincial Archives of New
Brunswick in Fredericton.
The
Scottish Portal is an initiative of several Scottish cultural organizations in
partnership with the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. The Portal will be a
virtual showcase of the Scottish settlement and experience in New
Brunswick and has been in development for more than two years.
One of
its major features will be a searchable database of the 1851 and 1861 census, focusing
on Scottish-born immigrants to the province. Other highlights include searchable land
grants and teachers' petitions, passenger lists, family and community histories
as well as publications, oral history interviews, and membership lists from the
various Scottish organizations dating back to the settlement of the province in
the late 1700s.
The
advisory committee for the project received three entries for the contest from
around New Brunswick. However the winner clearly was the submission received
from Chris Robbins of Hanwell, New Brunswick. Mr.
Robbins submitted documentation proving that Andrew Forrester, a
Scottish military officer connected with the settlement of New
Scotland (1629-1632), located at Port Royal, came to the mouth of the Saint
John River in 1632 capturing the French Fort there. Ever so briefly,
Andrew Forrester was in what would become New Brunswick in 1632. With that
entry from Mr. Robbins, William Davidson has been de-throned and Andrew Forrester
now wears the crown as the first Scot to come to New Brunswick. To learn more
about Scottish Portal project please visit www.nbsots.com
- 30 -
For
further information, please contact:
Dan
Taylor
Chair,
NB Scottish Portal Committee (506-470-2385 or taylord@nbnet.nb.ca)
Koral
LaVorgna
Project
Manager, NB Scottish Web Portal (506-261-4744)
The
New Brunswick Scottish Portal Project is a committee of the New Brunswick
Scottish-Cultural Association. The committee is overseen by an advisory Board
consisting of representatives from around the province. To learn more about the
New Brunswick Scottish Portal Project please visit www.nbscots.com
