Ernest Stockton Jonah was from Elgin, New Brunswick and was born December 29, 1892. He was the son of Mr. Ezra Jonah. He enlisted November 29, 1914 in the 26th Battalion. He was killed at the Somme September 28, 1916.
You can find his attestation papers by clicking here.
You can view his internment records here.
You can view the 26th Battalions War Diary Entry for that day here.
If anyone has any further information, photos or memories they would like to share please pass them along.
On Sunday we held our annual Antiques Roadshow fundraiser, with a number of very unusual items appearing this year. The highlight was definitely this Canadian made Epergne dating from the 1930's. When the couple first brought the Epergne to the front table, everyone was in awe from it's beauty, and when they said it was Sterling Silver we were even more impressed. (Sterling silver means that it is at least 92.5% pure silver). One of the first things an appraiser has to do when appraising something is to check the details out carefully, and when the appraisers inspected the Epergne they found that it was not Sterling Silver but EPNS (Electroplated Nickle Silver), which means it's silver plated. What does this mean value wise? The appraiser's said that if it was sterling it's value would have been around $12500.00 but since it wasn't it was probably worth $1500-2500.00. Still quite an impressive amount for a server.
Mystery item - Approximately 1" (2.5cm) high. The top screws off with a tube going down the centre of the item. The top of the item has a hole which allowed something to come out of the container.
Some other items of note were a ship's lantern, some early tin toys, jewellery, paintings, a wonderful brass microscope, a boxing trophy and WW2 medals, dishes and cups, and this mystery item, which we couldn't identify. If you have any ideas please post them here.
Special thanks to our appraisers: Mike and Belinda Roth of 1st Choice Antiques from Moncton, and Stuart Liptay of Liptay Auctions.
In case you missed the amazing presentation by Dr. David Black of UNB last night on the Cape Enrage Figurine you can still see the piece Cami Kepke of CTV Atlantic did on the piece. Just follow this link.
http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=949023&binId=1.1145463&playlistPageNum=1
In 1998, an unusual archaeological artifact was found at Cape Enrage, in Albert County, N.B.. This artifact, the Cape Enrage Figurine, is a small image of a stylized human-like head carved into a piece of mammal bone.
Come join us on Saturday, September 10 at 7:30 PM and discover what we have learned about it, and speculate about its provenance, history and cultural affiliation. With special presentation by retired UNB Professor Dr. David Black.
If you have never heard of this amazing artefact then come and find out what makes it so special!
Entrance by free will donation.
With the summer weather finally here, cozying up in a quilt may be the last thing on your mind, but quilts are a hot commodity at the Albert County Museum right now as one of its major fundraisers gets underway.
The 40th annual quilt show and sale is taking place this week, beginning on July 12 and lasting until July 16 at the Hopewell Cape Community Hall at the Albert County Museum, 3940 Route 114, Hopewell Cape, NB.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary the museum will feature a special interactive exhibit called “Stitches Through Time” where visitors will be able to try their hand at quilting. The week will be interspersed with demonstrations as well as full workshops on Friday.
A hand quilting workshop will be offered from 10am to noon and a rug hooking workshop offered from 1pm to 3 pm. Pre-registration for the workshops is required. Call the museum at 734-2003 for details.
“The quilt show is the single biggest fundraiser for us,” said museum curator Donald Alward. “We greatly appreciate the support from those who attend this event, as well as the time put in by our wonderful volunteers to organize and keep this show running.”
This year there are more than 100 unique quilts for sale by a number of local quilters. In addition to the quilts, there are quilt tops, youth, crib & lap quilts, afghans and other sewn articles available.
The show will also once again include a raffle for one of the quilts. Tickets can be purchased throughout the summer and the quilt, which features the design ‘Road to Abbey’s House’, can be shipped anywhere in North America.
Admission to the quilt show is just three dollars per person and includes access to the “Stitches Through Time” exhibit. The Quilt Show & Sale is open each day during the museum’s regular hours, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The Albert County Museum is excited to host our second of five "Opening Windows to Our Past" Diary Explorations, Thursday, June 30 at 7:30 pm. Taking place the last Thursday of every month, the "Opening Windows to Our Past" Series, is going to explore some of the many diaries in the museum's collection. It's a walk through the past as told by the very people who lived it!
Our next diary was written by Benjamin T. Carter (1844-1922). Here is a brief biography as written by Zachary A. Tingley, a student guide at the museum.
It was 1861 in Hopewell Cape Albert County, a young clerk was aiding patrons as they inquired about his father’s masonry work. This young man was Benjamin T. Carter (1844-1922), the son of Christopher and Barbra Carter. Benjamin was baptized at St. John’s Anglican Church in Rustico, Prince Edward Island on 16 March 1845. His family moved to Albert County between 1851 and 1861, the exact timing remains unclear. Nevertheless, in the 1850’s Christopher Carter moved his family to Hopewell Cape in search of work as a stone mason.
Benjamin’s experiences in Hopewell Cape helped shape him into a successful master mariner and community steward. His position in the community allowed him to form intimate relationships with the Bennett family in Hopewell Cape, and this only augmented his status within the community.
Benjamin was first married to a Julia A. Dickson (1850-1870), it was with his first wife that he had his first two, and only, children Charles and Lillian. After Julia died in 1870 Benjamin was left a widower with two children, this was not an ideal situation to be in during the mid-1800s. As a result, Benjamin married again in 1872, his second wife was Althea M. Bennett (1836-1906). Althea was the sister of Henry J. Bennett, R. B. Bennett’s father. The reasons for Althea’s death remain unclear; however, what is clear is that it took some time before Benjamin was ready to marry again. Yet in 1911, Benjamin was married again to his third and last wife Jessie McNaughton. She remained his wife until his death in 1922.
Not much is presently know about Capt. Benjamin Carter’s time as a sea captain; however, Benjamin did receive his captain’s certificate in 1895 in Saint John, New Brunswick. His diaries seem to reveal more about his life as a farmer and community leader in Hopewell Cape rather than as a Captain on the high seas. Capt. Benjamin T. Carter was a father, farmer, captain, husband, and even a sheriff. Capt. Benjamin Carter currently is resting in the Jonah Cemetery in Dawson Settlement, New Brunswick with his first wife Alice.
Come on out Thursday, June 30 @ 7:30pm and find out what he has to say!
The Next Opening Windows to Our Past Series is:
Thursday, July 28 @ 7:30pm
Thursday, August 25 @ 7:30pm
Thursday, September 29 @ 7:30pm
The RB Bennett Commemorative Centre at the Albert County Museum is hosting the 6th annual RB Bennett Day on Saturday, July 2 in celebration of the only Canadian Prime Minister from New Brunswick. Located in Hopewell Cape at 3940 Route 114, just before the famous Hopewell Rocks, activities begin in the morning with the weekly Farmers and Crafters Market and continues with activities planned throughout the day. With the feature presentation at 2pm by noted historian and current Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, Dr. Christopher McCreery.
75 years ago on July 23, 1941, Richard Bedford Bennett, Canada's 11th Prime Minister was elevated into the British House of Lords as the 1st Viscount Bennett, of Mickleham, in the County of Surrey and of Calgary and Hopewell, in the Dominion of Canada. In honour of this momentous occasion, Dr. Christopher McCreery, editor of the recently published book “The Authentic Voice of Canada: R.B. Bennett in the House of Lords.” will speak on Bennett.
The Centre will also offer a presentation on Bennett's rise to the peerage, with notable artefacts on hand from Bennett himself, including his gifts to the Garter King at Arms, Sir Gerald W. Wollaston K.C.B., K.C.V.O. a large impressive silver salver and sterling cigarette case. In addition to these the museum will bring to life the elevation ceremony, through a visual media presentation.
Directly following the activities, the annual birthday cake will be served celebrating RB Bennett's 146th Birthday (July 3, 1870).
The Farmer's Market & Breakfast is from 9am-1pm. Family oriented games and activities will be hosted the whole day (9:30am to 4pm). The main presentations will begin at 2pm followed by cake and homemade ice-cream.
The museum will offer free admission during the day to see all the displays and interactive exhibits.
On Opening Day we opened our fantastic "Steeves Family 250 years in Albert County Exhibit", (Have you been in to see it? It's not to be missed, especially with the guided tour which features stories built on stories built on stories) and we made our major announcement regarding that exhibit. It seems that we never actually posted here what our BIG announcement was... so drum roll...
“The Albert County Museum is pleased to announce as part of the Steeves 250 years in Albert County Exhibit, with the help and support of Libraries and Archives Canada, that all 138 men (and women!) with the family name Steeves who fought in the First World War service records will be digitized and made available in time for the Steeves Family Reunion” ”
These records are an amazing source of information for anyone doing research on their relatives, and are fascinating to read in their own right. They list all the men who enlisted and also the women who served as nurses. The files are huge, some over 75 pages, so they are a wealth of information on each of the people. Here is a sampling of the Attestation paper for a couple of the Steeves. These are just a sampling of the information. Come to the museum to see the rest!
On June 11, 2016, everyone is invited to visit between 10:00am and 4:00pm to share memories and memorabilia from the First World War relating to New Brunswick’s significant contribution. A number of other Museums will be on hand for the day with items from their collections for a great show and tell experience. Besides the Albert County Museum, Resurgo Place (Moncton Museum), Musee Acadien and the New Brunswick Military History Museum will all bring items to help share New Brunswick's stories and answer questions.
The event is not just limited to collections housed in museums either. The public is also invited to bring items and memorabilia from their private collections to show publicly for the day. If you wish to bring along some items, please contact the Albert County Museum in advance at 734-2003 to reserve your space.
The Museum will offer admission with a free-will donation towards the Museum’s Victory Cannon Campaign for the restoration of the two First World War Trophy Cannons that sit prominently next to the highway in front of the museum buildings.
If you're wondering if your items are from New Brunswick, here is a list of all the NB raised Battalions and Batteries:
12th BATTALION C.E.F. (Canadian Expeditionary Force), 8th BATTERY C.F.A. (Canadian Field Artillery), 1st BRIGHTON FIELD. COMPANY CANADIAN ENGINEERS, 26th N. B. BATTALION ("FIGHTING 26th"), 55th N.B. and P.E.I. BATTALION, 2nd DIVISIONAL AMMUNITION COLUMN, R.C.A.S. CORPS, 23rd BATTERY C.F.A., 24th BATTERY C.F.A., 28th BATTERY C.F.A., 64th N.B. and N.S. BATTALION, 104th N.B. BATTALION, 115th N.B. BATTALION, 132nd BATTALION, 140th BATTALION, 145th BATTALION, 165th FRENCH ACADIAN BATTALION, 236th MacLEAN HIGHLANDERS, 58th BATTERY C.F.A., 65th BATTERY C.F.A., 89th BATTERY C.F.A., 4th SIEGE BATTERY CANADIAN ARTILLERY, 6th SIEGE BATTERY CANADIAN ARTILLERY, No. 16 CANADIAN FIELD AMBULANCE, 257 RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION BATTALION, and other various drafts of infantry and engineers.
Last night we explored the 1882-1885 Diary of Emeline Stevens (b.Jan 9, 1861, d.April 5, 1935) who grew up in Memel, Albert County, New Brunswick. It was an amazing look at the life of a young lady in rural Albert County in the 1880's. From her longest trip away from home (60km) to her yearly trips to the dentist, it was a fascinating journey into her life.
In September 1882 she noted seeing the Great September Comet of 1882, an event which no one in the crowd had heard of. A quick trip to the internet informed us of the magnitude of this comet. It was so bright you could see it in the daytime. You can see an actual photo of it to the right.
Her diary also noted 2 important events in Albert County History, the launching of two of Gaius S. Turner's ships, the 1883 launch of the Vandalia (1432 net tonnage) it sunk in 1901, and the 1884 launch of the Constance (1591 net tonnage) it sunk in 1903. The ship launches were huge public events in the county, which people travelling from miles around to see it. She noted that she was 15 minutes late to see the launch of the Vandalia, but still had a good time.
Throughout the diary she listed the books she read, and how she spent her days, from spinning, to sewing, quilting and making socks and mittens to sell. It was an amazing walk through time and her life.
We're really excited about our next scheduled Diary Discovery, Thursday, June 30 @ 7:30 pm Stay tuned to find out whose diary we will be exploring then!
The Albert County Museum is excited to host our first of five "Opening Windows to Our Past" Diary Explorations, Thursday, May 26 at 7:30 pm. Taking place the last Thursday of every month, the "Opening Windows to Our Past" Series, is going to explore some of the many diaries in the museum's collection. It's going to be a walk through the past as told by the very people who lived it!
The first diary to be explored belonged to Emeline Stevens and was recently discovered in the museums collection at last year's Mystery Box Talks. Emeline was the third child of James Stevens and Eleanor Steeves who lived in the small farming community of Memel, NB.
The diary begins on August 20, 1882 and is a fascinating look at daily life in rural Albert County. It records many of the daily routines and activities a young lady working on a farm in the 1880's did. One of the highlights of the diary is the recording of one of the major events to happen in September 1882, so come and hear what she has to say!
The Opening Windows to Our Past Series is:
Thursday, May 26 @ 7:30pm
Thursday, June 30 @ 7:30pm
Thursday, July 28 @ 7:30pm
Thursday, August 25 @ 7:30pm
Thursday, September 29 @ 7:30pm
Donald MacKenzie Moore was from Hopewell, Albert Co., New Brunswick and was born March 19, 1877. He listed his next of kin as C. Archie Moore of Vancouver, BC. He enlisted with the 30th Battalion in Victoria, BC on November 9, 1914. He was listed as Wounded and Missing in Action during the Battle of Festubert in France on May 22, 1915. He has no known grave and is memorialized on the Vimy Monument.
You can find his complete service record by clicking here.
You can view his internment records here.
You can view the 16th Battalions War Diary Entry for that day here. And Here.
You can learn about the Battle of Festubert Here.
If anyone has any further information, photos or memories they would like to share please pass them along.