| Notes |
- From Bryan Cass:
He made a will in Hawkesbury, Prescott, Upper Canada, 16 Aug 1804. "In the name of God Amen. I Josiah Cass of the township of Hawkesbury in the County of Prescott Eastern district of the Province of Upper Canada Esquire being in body but of sound disposing mind and memory Do make and order this to be my last Will and Testament in manner following, To Wit
First. I bequeath my soul to God who gave it
Secondly. I Give and bequeath to my oldest Son Josiah the sum of two shillings Halifax Currency in right of primogeniture.
Thirdly. I Give and bequeath to my Son Joseph P., Elihu and Daniel and to my Daughters Mercy and Amanda all the Children by my first wife the sum of five shillings each, having already provided for them.
Fourthly. All the rest residue and remainder of my Estate real and personal I give devise and bequeath to my loving wife Anna for and during her natural life to use and order as she thinks best.
Fifthly. After the death of my beloved Wife Anna Give devise and bequeath to my Son Moses [their heirs and afsigns forever] and to my StepSon John McIntyre the lot of land No. b in Hawkesbury which I now pofsefs To Wit the northernmost with stock and moveables to John McIntyre subject to these conditions that the said John do and shall provide suitable support and maintenance for his brother Moses and Sisters Margaret, Anna, Elizabeth and Jenny during the time of their minority, and unsettled joined with their Industry Also pay to Moses as specified in the next Article, And to the other members of the Family One half of the Legacies directed above.
Sixthly. I Give and bequeath to my youngest Son Moses the Southernmost half of Wheat grown in lot No. b in Hawkesbury After his Mothers decease and in consideration and in consideration of the front half containing the improvements and movables. John may and shall give Moses a Years provisions: Yoke of Oxen, a Cow, a set of Harrow teeth, Cow Irons, Ax and hoe over and above what is contained in the Fifth Article And Moses to pay One half the Legacies directed to my first Wifes children Also half that hereunder directed to his own Sisters.
Seventhly. I Give and bequeath to Mercy, Margaret, Anna, Elizabeth and Jenny Eight dollars apiece after their Mothers decease if not paid before, to be paid by John And Moses.
Lastly. I nominate Appoint and constitute my beloved Wife Anna and her Son John McIntyre executors to this My last Will and Testament. Witnefs, Whereof I have herein set my hand and seal the Sixteenth day of August in the year of Our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and four And in the forty fourth year of His Majestys Reign. Signed Josiah Cafs
Signed Sealed published & declared ...Josiah Cafs Esq the Testator to be his last Will and presence of us who ...subscribed our names in presence of the Testator & Each Other.
Peter McArthur Phebe McArthur signed Henry Rowley
The foregoing is a true Copy of the last Will and Testament of Josiah Cafs late of Hawkesbury in said District Esquire deceased proved Peter McArthur one of the subscribing Witnefses to the last Will and testament In testimony whereof I have --- Seal of said Surrogate Court to be hereunto affixed at ??? District this 12 th day of February 1805. Signed S. Anderson S. ??."
Josiah's will was probated 12 Feb 1805. Reference: Material by M.J. Barton - ca. 1907
Josiah Cass, U.E.L.
Josiah Cass, U.E. Loyalist was born, February 2, 1743 at Hebron, Connecticut. He was twice married--first, November 28, 1760, to Mercy Pomeroy, who died May 16, 1781, at Machiche, Quebec, and again, April 1, 1782, at Machiche, to Ann McIntyre. He died at Hawkesbury, Ontario, in 1804 or 1805, having pre-deceased his second wife.
My mother says: "Of his birthplace, his youth and his early manhood we have no account. The above dates of births and marriage and the death of his first wife, his second marriage, the birth of six children of his first family and three of the second, are to be recorded by himself in a small Bible now in the possession of the Chatham family. Considering and comparing the traditions still existing among different branches of the family, I have inferred that some of his youthful years must have been spent at Yale."
With reference to another tradition; namely, that he was present at the siege of Quebec, she thinks, though possible, it is improbable. He seems to have lived at different times in Connecticut, VT and New York. In 1775, he states, he was living as a farmer in Charlotte County, Province of York, and in 1777 joined the British army under General Burgoyne, and did duty with Colonel Peter's Regiment, the Queen's Royal Rangers. In October, 1777, he, with the remnant of Colonel Peter's Corps after the disaster to that regiment, was given permission to try to escape to Canada. My mother was not able to ascertain certainly whether they crossed the St. Lawrence and wintered at one of the posts there or whether they did not leave Charlotte County, N. Y. until the following Spring, but, in September, 1778, they, with other Loyalists, had reached Montreal and were conducted by order of the Commander-in-Chief to Machiche, Quebec, a post situated at the mouth of a small stream of that name emptying into the St. Maurice River near the town of Three Rivers, where they arrived on the 14th of September, 1778. Jeptha Hawley, a friend and kinsman of Josiah Cass, also belonged to this band of U. E. Loyalists. Here Josiah Cass acted as school master for a time, and is reported to have helped in the laying out of the town of Three Rivers. In 1781, his wife, Mercy Pomeroy, died. On the first of April, 1782, he married Ann McIntyre, which marriage may be found in the Church Records at Three Rivers. My mother says - "Ann McIntyre, according to the statement of John Josiah, was the widow of a soldier, with one son, John McIntyre". This statement is probably correct, otherwise she would hardly have been with this party of Loyalists. On May 1, 1783, was born a little daughter, whose birth is entered in the records of the Church at Three Rivers. This little daughter was given the name of Mary. The Rector of three Rivers, being a French gentleman and apparently not very familiar with English, often spelled his words phonetically. In this case, the name was written "Marie". This daughter afterwards became the wife of Jacob Marston.
In 1783, Captain Sherwood, having been despatched to the Bay Chaleur to explore the country around the Bay and report as to the suitability for farming and forming settlements, on his return gave such a favourable report that many of the Loyalists decided to go there, and, among them, Josiah Cass. They arrived at Bay Chaleur on August 14, 1784, landing at Paspebiac. A town site was laid out and called New Carlisle (now Paspebiac), and here Josiah Cass and his family lived. He appears to have helped in surveying the townships around as his name appears in the Government returns for this work. A grant of 750 acres was made to him and 100 acres each to his three sons, Josiah, Joseph Pomeroy and Elihu, who had enlisted in Sir John Johnston's Royal Regiment after coming to Canada and served until the Regiment was disbanded at the end of the war.
They appear, however, to have been dis-satisfied with this country and resolved to seek a new home, and in 1788, the surveys on the north shore of the Ottawa and the Township of Hawkesbury on the south shore having been completed, Josiah Cass obtained from John Collins, Deputy Surveyor General, certificates of location in the first and second Concessions of Hawkesbury, four hundred acres. Early in 1790, Josiah and his family, with the exception of the eldest son, Josiah Jr., who had married and whose wife did not wish to leave her family, set out on their journey to their new home. I quote again - "We cannot tell how the family travelled from the Bay of Chaleur, but presume they must have gone by sea to Quebec or some other port on the St. Lawerence River, but, on this western end of their route they employed habitants and their teams to bring them and their effects to their destination. On nearing their location, they purchased some cattle, which they drove before them. Upon arriving in March, 1790, they found the snow very deep, and digging a hole they placed their potatoes in it, covering them with the grain and other things to prevent freezing, and then they proceeded to construct a small temporary dwelling, and also constructed a shelter for their cattle. These cattle were fed on the brush from trees and boiled oats until the Spring opened. They then proceeded with the work of carving out a new home for themselves in the wilderness. Sucess was now assured and progress was rapid. In 1791, another son was added to the family and named Moses, and later two little daughters, Elizabeth and Janet. Here Josiah Cass passed the remainder of his earthly career, and in his official capacity for several years as Justice of the Peace dispensed Justice to the community, in the absence of clergymen performing marriage ceremonies and assisting at funerals. Returning from one of his long trips weary and exhausted from slight exposure he contracted an illness to which he finally succumbed. Here, in 1804 or 1805, he passed from an earthly home of competence and comfort to his final rest. I have not been able to fix exactly the date of his death, but, as the Will was drawn the 16th of August, 1804, and probated on the 12th day of February, 1805, his death must have occurred between these dates.
signed, M. J. Barton.
NOTE: The above summary are recollections dictated by Eliza Anne (Murray) Barton to her daughter Mary Jane Barton, circa 1907.
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1738 - 1804 (65 years)
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