3 Days Left to Vote on the Ten People of Albert County That Everyone Should Know About?!

There are 3 days left to vote on the 10 people of Albert County that everyone should know about.  Last Chance to make your voice heard!

The 10 people that receive the most votes will be featured in a new exhibit at the Albert County Museum. Voting will close March 4, 2016.

• Richard Bedford Bennett, 1st Viscount Bennett, PC KC (3 July 1870 – 26 June 1947) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He served as the 11th Prime Minister of Canada from 7 August 1930, to 23 October 1935, during the worst of the Great Depression years. Following his defeat as prime minister, Bennett moved to England, and was elevated to the peerage as Viscount Bennett.

• Myrtle 'Molly' Kool (February 23, 1916 – February 25, 2009) was a Canadian-born American sea captain. She is recognized as being North America's first registered female sea captain or ship master.

• William Henry Steeves (May 20, 1814 - December 9, 1873) was a merchant, lumberman, politician and Father of Canadian Confederation.

• Lt Col. Cyrus Peck -  VC, DSO & Bar (26 April 1871 – 27 September 1956) was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Peck was one of the seven Canadians to be awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions on one single day, 2 September 1918, for actions across the 30 km long Drocourt-Quéant Line near Arras, France. Peck was also the only VC winner to be a sitting member of Parliment.

• John Smith - Founder of Albert County John Smith, 2nd, settled at Shepody, Albert County. He was a member of the New Brunswick Legislature, and Justice of the Peace.

• Reid Bros (3) Architects- Were Canadian architects, who founded the California architectural firm, Reid & Reid. Born in Harvey, New Brunswick to William J. Reid and Lucinda Robinson. They were James W. Reid (1851-1943), Merritt J. Reid (1855-1932), and Watson Elkinah Reid (1858-1944) Notable buildings are the Hotel del Coronado, the Riverside-Albert Consolidated School, the Albert County Court House and Victoria Manor (home of Lt. Gov AR McClelan).

• Pierre Thibodeau - Born in 1631 in Poitre, France, Pierre Thibodeau lived on a farm as a child. He moved to Acadia as a young man when he was offered a piece of land in a Seigneury. In 1698, at the age of 67, he left Port Royal to found a new settlement at Shepody.

• Gaius Samuel Turner (August 12, 1838 – April 25, 1892[1]) was a businessman and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Albert County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1879 to 1892 as a Liberal-Conservative. He was born and educated in Albert County, New Brunswick, the son of Isaac Turner and Elizabeth Colpitts. In 1876, he married Lucy E. Stiles. He was a justice of the peace. Turner was a ship builder in Harvey, New Brunswick, and also was a director for the Albert Railway. He was named to the province's Executive Council in 1883 but resigned later that year. He died in office at Fredericton at the age of 53 after a long illness.

• Judson Arthur Cleveland was possibly the most outstanding citizen of Alma for his role in holding the community in place as his saw mill ran despite tiresome bad economic times, providing livelihoods so that families might remain. He was a long-standing champion of Community on the County Council as a warden and councilor. Judson Arthur Cleveland, son of David Cleveland and Mary (Martin), was born 25 Nov. 1867. He married Ella Jane Keirstead Sept. 19, 1900. Judson died 6 Nov. 1951.

• Mary Majka - Born in Poland in 1925 (d.2014) to a Czechoslovakian countess and a Polish school principal,  It was in New Brunswick that she would finally feel at home and it was there that Mary would begin her life’s work, saving wildlife environments, preserving historic sites, and educating Canadians about the natural world.

• Abner Reid McClelan (January 4, 1831 – January 30, 1917) was a Canadian senator and the tenth Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick.Born in Riverside-Albert, New Brunswick, the son of Peter McClelan and Lucy (Robinson) McLelan, he was educated at Mount Allison Wesleyan Academy in Sackville, (now Mount Allison University). He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in 1854 and served until confederation in 1867 when he was called to theSenate of Canada for the senatorial division of New Brunswick. A Liberal, he resigned in 1896 when he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick. He served until 1902. McClelan died in Moncton, New Brunswick in 1917.

• William Andrew Cecil Bennett PC OC (September 6, 1900 – February 23, 1979) was the 25th Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia. With just over 20 years in office, Bennett was and remains the longest-serving premier in British Columbia history. He was usually referred to as W.A.C. Bennett, although some referred to him either affectionately or mockingly as "Wacky" Bennett.

• William James Lewis (September 23, 1830 – June 22, 1910) was a physician and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Albert County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1879 to 1896 and Albert in the Canadian House of Commons from 1896 to 1904 as an Independent and then Liberal member.

• Charles Joseph Osman (April 15, 1851 – 1922) was a businessman and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Albert County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1897 to 1908 as aLiberal member. He was born in England, was educated in Hertfordshire and later emigrated to New Brunswick. Osman married Laura E. Tomkins. He was the manager of a plaster mill and quarries at Hillsborough. He was first elected in an 1897 by-election held after William James Lewis was elected to the Canadian House of Commons. Osman served as speaker from 1907 to 1908.

• Sir George Robert Parkin - Organizing Secretary for Rhodes Scholarship. Born at Parkindale near Salisbury, New Brunswick, he was a graduate from the University of New Brunswick. From 1867 to 1871, he taught at the Bathurst Grammar School. From 1872 to 1889, he was the headmaster of the Fredericton Collegiate School, where the poets Charles G.D. Roberts, Bliss Carman, and Francis Shermancame under his influence. He attended the University of Oxford in 1873–1874. From 1895 to 1902, he was the headmaster of Upper Canada College. He was the organizing secretary of the Rhodes Trust (1902–1922) and the Toronto Round Table Group (1910–1922). Lord Milner was an ardent admirer of Parkin's imperial ideas. He was the author of Imperial Federation: The Problem of National Unity (1892) and a school textbook, Round the Empire. He was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1898 and Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the 1920 New Year Honours for his work with the Rhodes Trust. His daughter Alice married Canadian businessman and diplomat Vincent Massey, who would become governor general of Canada shortly after Alice's death in 1950.He was the maternal grandfather of the philosopher George Grant.

• Harold A. Terris Spitfire pilot ww2/MLA was a military pilot, civil servant, and politician in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. During World War II, Harold Terris served overseas as a Spitfire pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force. After the War, he worked as a civil servant for the province of New Brunswick. In 1987 he was the successfulLiberal Party candidate for the riding of Albert, defeating incumbent Malcolm MacLeod. Terris chose not to seek reelection in 1991.

• Malcolm Noble "Mac" MacLeod (born 8 February 1928) was a Canadian politician. Born in Moncton, he served as a longtime member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick representing the electoral district of Albert from 1970 to his defeat in 1987 when his Progressive Conservatives lost every seat in the legislature. He was the second longest serving Minister of Agriculture in New Brunswick, serving as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development from 1974 to 1985. He served as Minister of Natural Resources and Energyfrom 1985 until the defeat of his government in 1987. Following the election he served as interim leader of the PC Party until the election of Barbara Baird in 1989.

• Judge Albert Watson Bennett was born in Hopewell Cape in 1864.He attended school there and went on to study law in Dorchester. He was admitted to the bar of New Brunswick in 1885 and practiced in the town of Sackville. Several years later he was appointed to the County Court of Westmorland and Kent. Throughout his career he saw many different life situations and witnessed the inequality of health services. When he retired in 1945 he began to seriously consider the state of healthcare in this region. He decided to make a difference by contributing towards creating equally accessible medical treatment for every one. He did this through making a large bequest to the Albert County Hospital. Upon his death in 1963, his estate went to his wife and it was not until she passed away in 1973 that the contribution was bequeathed to the hospital in the amount of $232,000. The following year the fund had accumulated to $359,286.63 with interest. Many improvements, equipment purchases, scholarships and educational opportunities have been made in the spirit of Judge Albert Bennett's vision of improved and quality healthcare for the residents of Albert County through the Bennett and Albert County Health Care Foundation Inc. (formerly the Bennett and Albert County Hospital Foundation).

• Alexander Rogers (February 12, 1842 – July 2, 1933) was a merchant and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Albert County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1875 to 1878 and Albert in the Canadian House of Commons from 1878 to 1882 as a Liberal member. He was born in Hopewell Hill, New Brunswick, the son of William Rogers and Eliza Loughead, and was educated at Mount Allison College. In 1866, Rogers married Bessie Moore. His election to the provincial assembly was appealed twice but Rogers won the by-elections which followed each time. He died at Hopewell Hill at the age of 91.

• John Wallace (November 18, 1812 – January 1, 1896) was a New Brunswick farmer and political figure. He represented Albert in the Canadian House of Commons as a Liberal member from 1867 to 1878 and then from 1883 to 1887 as a Liberal and then as a Liberal-Conservative. He was born in Hillsborough, New Brunswick in 1812, the son of James Wallace and Catherine Copp, and grew up there. His grandparents had come to New Brunswick from Donegal in northern Ireland. Wallace was president of the Albert Agricultural Society and also a justice of the peace. Besides operating a large farm, he also owned a sawmill and was a director of the Albert Southern Railway. Wallace was originally a Liberal. After his election in 1882 was appealed, he was elected again in an 1883 by-election after running as a Liberal-Conservative.He was married three times: to Eleanor Russell in 1846, to Cynthia Foss in 1859 and to Charlotte Stackford in 1872.

• Harry Orliff Downey (May 9, 1897 – April 17, 1974) was a fox rancher and political figure in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Albert in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1931 to 1952 as a Liberal member. He was born in Curryville, New Brunswick, the son of Oscar E. Downey and Rose E. Matthews. Downey was speaker for the provincial assembly from 1944 to 1952.

• Claude D. Taylor (September 13, 1911 – 1970) was a real estate agent and political figure in New Brunswick. He represented Albert in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1952 until his death in 1970 as a Progressive Conservative member. He was born in Edgetts Landing, Albert County, New Brunswick, the son of Douglas Taylor and Bernice Steeves, and was educated at the provincial normal school in Fredericton and at Mount Allison University. In 1938, he married Winnifred Way. Taylor served in the province's Executive Council as Minister of Education and Municipal Affairs from 1952 to 1954 and Minister of Education from 1954 to 1960. Taylor was also a public school teacher for 13 years. Claude D. Taylor School (an elementary school in Riverview, New Brunswick) is named in his honour.

• Heinrich Stief (son of Augustin Stief and Anna Barbara Worner) was born 12 Dec., 1718 in Sirchingen, Wurttemberg, and died between 1778 and 1780 in Hillsborough, Albert Co., New Brunswick. He married Regina Stahleker Feb 25, 1745 in Münsingen, Wurttemberg. The couple are the progenitors of upwards of 250,000 descendants around the world.

• Fred Colpitts (1887-1963) a keenly community minded citizen, spearheaded the breeding of Black, Silver and Platinum foxes in North America. Born in 1887 at Little River, Fred Colpitts spent only a few years at the small country school, then moved to Salsibury. In 1913 he bought three Black foxes and from this small beginning he developed the largest ranch in the British Empire.Through selection and inbreeding, Fred developed the Platinum fox. This breed gained world recognition and attracted visitors from many countries. His Platinum foxes received top sales figures in Montreal, New York and London. One matched pair sold for $5,000.00, winning the highest awards at many major shows across Canada. In 1927 he bought an Alberta dairy farm and moved the registered Holstein herd East. The herd still continues today as the "Little River Holsteins". He was also a founding member of the New Brunswick Branch Holstein-Friesian Association.Colpitts was also a well known lumberman, and during World War II he employed hundreds of men in cutting pitprops for the British Ministry of Supply. Colpitts represented his county as a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1930 to 1939. Colpitts was also instrumental in having Fundy National Park located in Albert County.

Top 10 Historical Events in Albert County in Review - #9 Winning the Victory Loans Competition of 1919

The Ninth Top 10 Historical Event in Albert County was Winning the Victory Loans Competition of 1919 by raising a greater percentage over their set goal than anywhere else in the Province. The county raised $347600.00 with a goal of $110000.00. That's triple the amount! (in today's dollars that is $6.2 million!).

1. First European Settlers in 1699. 

2. The Acadian Expulsion in 1755. Ending 57 years of Acadian colonies in Albert County, this includes the Battle of Petitcodiac, September 4, 1755. 

3. Arrival of the Steeves family in 1766. 

4. The founding of the county 1845. 

5. Development of Commercially Viable Kerosene from Albertite by geologist Abraham Gesner in 1846 which led directly to the petroleum age and the modern world and indirectly to saving all the whales. Thanks Albert County! 

6. The Saxby Gale of 1869, which brought untold destruction of property and the loss of a number of lives. 

7. The Birthplace and Hometown of Canada's 11th Prime Minister RB Bennett (b1870), who founded the Bank of Canada, the CBC and numerous other important Canadian Institutions. 

8. The Tom Collins Axe Murder Triple Trial which directly lead to Canada's Double Jeopardy laws. Double Jeopardy is a procedural defence that forbids a defendant from being tried again on the same (or similar) charges following a legitimate acquittal or conviction. 

9. Winning the Victory Loans Competition of 1919 by raising a greater percentage over their set goal than anywhere else in the Province. The county raised $347,600.00 with a goal of $110,000.00. That's triple the amount! (In today's dollars that is $6.2 million and that's from less than 9000 people!). 

   The cost of fighting the First World War was enormous. To pay for it all, the Canadian government sought new ways to raise funds, such as taxing profits, incomes, and luxuries. Another method was borrowing from Canadians via the sale of war bonds. Between 1915 and 1919 five such campaigns raised a total of over $2 billion dollars. Initially, these drives were rather low-key affairs, but in 1917, with revenues stretched and foreign sources of funds drying up, the bonds became ‘Victory Loans,’ and the campaigns intensified. Canadians were inundated with a flood of publicity, posters, and volunteer canvassers. The campaigns linked buying bonds to the direct support and welfare of soldiers overseas and used a variety of messages to encourage contributions, from well-known poems to emotional imagery. Long-term interest rates of up to 5.5 per cent for terms of up to 20 years were also a powerful inducement.

   The 1919 Victory Loan campaign was slightly different in character; the war had now ended, but the government still needed to pay the consequent costs. The publicity put out by the government’s Victory Loan Committee emphasized that this loan would fund the ‘bridge between war and peace.’ A campaign pamphlet entitled ‘The Clean-Up,’ showed how the 1918 loan had been used and outlined some of the ways the money raised in 1919 would be spent (demobilization, civil re-establishment, land settlements, and so forth).

   As with previous loans, municipalities, private companies, and other groups would win a coveted ‘honour flag’ if they raised a certain amount of money. The flag for the 1919 campaign featured an extra detail – it was called ‘the Prince’s Flag,’ and it incorporated the coat of arms of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) into its design. The Prince himself, then in Canada for his 1919 Royal Tour, presided over a ceremony on Parliament Hill during which he unfurled the first Victory Loan honour flag. A quote from his speech: “I hope every city and district will win my flag,” was subsequently used in publicity campaigns and posters for the 1919 loan.

   Honour flags were not the only prizes available in the 1919 Victory Loan. War trophies – enemy armaments and war material captured during the war – were also distributed as rewards for significant contributions to the campaign. Eleven heavy artillery pieces – German Howitzers – were awarded to the following communities or groups across Canada: Kamloops, B.C.; Redcliffe, Alberta; Saltcoats, Saskatchewan; the Tuxedo Hospital Committee, Manitoba; South Oxford, Ontario; Temiskaming, Ontario; Argenteuil County, Quebec; Stanstead County, Quebec; Albert County, New Brunswick; Yarmouth, Nova Scotia; and Prince County, Prince Edward Island). 

   The Victory Loans Committee for New Brunswick set a goal of $110,000.00 for Albert County, which is a sizable sum for 1919. (This would be equivalent to $2.2 million today (According to Bank of Canada Inflation index)). Albert County not only raised the set goal but surpassed it by $237,600.00 for a final total of $347,600.00. (In today's dollars $6.2 million) This was with a population less than 9000 people! The people of Albert County surpassed their set goal by the largest percentage of any area in the province, and were awarded the War Trophy, the 110 mm K14 cannon! What a testament for the people of Albert County! You can read more about this fascinating cannon here.

10. Founding of Fundy National Park in 1948.

Top 10 Historical Events in Albert County in Review - #8 The Tom Collins Axe Murder Triple Trial

The Eighth Top 10 Historical Event in Albert County was the Tom Collins Axe Murder Triple Trial which directly lead to Canada's Double Jeopardy laws. Double Jeopardy is a procedural defence that forbids a defendant from being tried again on the same (or similar) charges following a legitimate acquittal or conviction.

1. First European Settlers in 1699. 

2. The Acadian Expulsion in 1755. Ending 57 years of Acadian colonies in Albert County, this includes the Battle of Petitcodiac, September 4, 1755. 

3. Arrival of the Steeves family in 1766. 

4. The founding of the county 1845. 

5. Development of Commercially Viable Kerosene from Albertite by geologist Abraham Gesner in 1846 which led directly to the petroleum age and the modern world and indirectly to saving all the whales. Thanks Albert County! 

6. The Saxby Gale of 1869, which brought untold destruction of property and the loss of a number of lives. 

7. The Birthplace and Hometown of Canada's 11th Prime Minister RB Bennett (b1870), who founded the Bank of Canada, the CBC and numerous other important Canadian Institutions. 

8. The Tom Collins Axe Murder Triple Trial which directly lead to Canada's Double Jeopardy laws. Double Jeopardy is a procedural defence that forbids a defendant from being tried again on the same (or similar) charges following a legitimate acquittal or conviction. 

   The area of Albert County known as New Ireland is today nothing more than miles and miles of woodlands dotted by the occasional hunting cabin. Very few signs of settlement of the area by the Irish in the early 1800's still exist, except for the Catholic cemetery located next to the spot where the Catholic church once stood, and the names of the roads, hills, and other locations in the area, like Teahans Corner, which offer a hint of the Irish immigrants who settled this land and called it New Ireland. Father McAuley, the Catholic priest for the area, and much of the county, had supervised the construction of the Catholic church and rectory.

   It was at this church rectory, in the summer of 1906, that a gruesome murder took place, which would lead to the hanging of a man named Tom Collins. A young Irish man who had grown up in England, named Tom Collins, found his way to Albert County around 1905-1906

   He first worked on the docks at Grindstone Island, Gray's Island, and Harvey, where he gained a reputation of being quick tempered, after pulling a knife on another man during an argument. He soon left the docks and went to New Ireland where he was hired by Father McAuley as a handyman. Although he did not know how to chop wood, harness a horse, or do other small jobs a handyman would be expected to do, Tom decided to go and work for the priest, whose cousin, Mary Ann McAuley, took care of the housekeeping at the rectory. 

   Father McAuley, as part of his duties, would often travel to other communities in the county where Catholic parishioners lived, to visit them and hold mass. Soon after Collins was hired, the priest left on such a trip, telling Collins to take his orders from Mary Ann in the priest's absence. That Sunday afternoon, Mary Ann sent Tom to a nearby lake to catch some fish. At the lake, Tom met a family who were having a picnic. He then spent most of the afternoon talking with them and, consequently, did not catch many fish. When Tom returned home, Mary Ann scolded him for not catching enough fish for supper, and then sent him to the wood pit to chop wood. Still angry with Tom, she followed him out to the wood pit and continued to nag him. 
   The next morning, Tom was walking east along the main road, towards the village of Albert, carrying two valises (today we call them suitcases), when he met a wagon heading west and hitched a ride. The driver of that wagon later testified that he had seen the priest's horse and carriage outside of the rectory when he had passed the building earlier that morning, while he was heading east towards Albert. Some people believe that Tom had already killed Mary Ann and was planning on escaping with the horse and carriage, but changed his mind and started walking towards Albert when he realized that people would notice him driving the priest's carriage. Collins then got off of that wagon and hitched a ride on another wagon heading back towards Albert. On this trip back towards Albert, Tom asked if the driver had seen the priest's horse and carriage. He said he was supposed to go with Mary Ann to Albert today but that, after he had harnessed the horse, he went to eat breakfast and when he returned, the horse was gone. As they passed the Kent Road, the driver pointed out that there were fresh wagon tracks on the Kent road. Tom asked where the road went and was told that it went north towards Elgin. Tom then jumped off of the wagon and started walking down the Kent road. Tom's next stop was at a house near Elgin to get a drink of water. When asked where he was going, Tom said he was going to Elgin to find Father McAuley to tell him that thieves had broken into the barn and stolen the horse and carriage along with the best horse harness. Father McAuley testified at Tom's murder trial months later that the good horse harness was still in the barn when he arrived home the next day. As to the conflicting stories he had told about what happened to the horse and carriage, Tom would later say that he lied about the horse being stolen to cover up the fact that he was carrying the two valises with him.
   
   When Tom arrived in Elgin, he went to the train station to find out when the next train to Saint John would be leaving. He learned that he had missed that day's train, and that the next train would not arrive until tomorrow. Tom then left the train station, checked into the Garland Hotel in Elgin for the night and ate supper. 

   When he finished his supper, he went outside and ran into Father McAuley who was walking down the street. Father McAuley had cut short his travels and was returning home early. He asked Tom why he was here. Tom replied that Mary Ann had nagged him about the day he went fishing. Father McAuley asked him if he would return and Tom said that he would go back the next day. So Father McAuley told Tom to come with him, as he knew a place where Tom could stay for the night. However, Collins did not remain there for the night, after Father McAuley left on business, Tom returned to the hotel for his things and began to walk along the railway tracks toward Saint John.
   
   The next day, a local man found the missing horse near the Rectory. Knowing that the horse belonged to Father McAuley's he brought the horse back to the rectory. When he arrived he found that the barn door was open, and that the door to the wood house was also open. He went in the wood house but did not see anything in the wood pit. He then called for Mary Ann to come out of the house, but got no answer. The kitchen door to the house was, strangely, open. 
   
   Later that same day, Father McAuley returned home without Tom and found the missing horse in the barn. Since Mary Ann was not home when Father McAuley arrived he began to search the rectory for her and noticed that his two valises were missing. Next, he saw that someone had tried to break into his closet with an axe.

   Father McAuley unlocked the closet and found the $140, that he kept there for safe keeping, had not been touched. Next, he found that someone had searched through the papers in his office. The man, Jimmy Doyle, who had brought Father McAuley home from Elgin, went to see if Mary Ann was at a neighbour's house and to bring Karen Duffy back to the rectory to get them their supper. It was these two people who would find Mary Ann's body at the bottom of the wood pit in the wood house, her throat slashed from ear to ear with a knife or razor and her head struck near the right ear with a blunt object like an axe. Jimmy Doyle then returned to Elgin to contact the police. Father McAuley and Karen Duffy then searched Mary Ann's room and found that a gold watch, a handkerchief, and several pieces of jewelry, like rings, were all missing. Except for the watch and the jewelry, most of these items would later be found in the valises carried by Tom. The next day, the carriage would be found at the bottom of the field behind the Rectory.
   
   Tom during this time, had not tried to escape to Albert to board a ship and head out to sea, as Sheriff Lynds had suspected, but instead had continued to travel towards Saint John. Strangely, he decided to stay near Saint John, working at odd jobs, instead of trying to escape. In his travels to Saint John, several people thought it was odd that Tom carried two watches, one of which was a gold lady's watch which later was identified as matching the description of Mary Ann's missing watch. During his travels Tom told two stories for how he had obtained the watch. One story was that he got it from his sister before leaving England. Later, he said it was for his girlfriend who had died. 
   
   The police began to search for Collins. For days they could not find any trace of him, then a break came. They called the house outside of Saint John where Tom was working and gave a description that matched Tom. Tom, who had heard the telephone ring and possibly had over heard the telephone conversation, promptly left, without telling anyone he was leaving. He began walking towards St. George, which is located near the American border. He left in such a hurry that he did not stop to get his valise from the house. His other valise had been dumped in the woods near Elgin.
   
   Tipped off that Tom was heading towards St. George the police arrived there ahead of him and were waiting for him to arrive. However, Tom had taken a different route, which bypassed St. George, and he was now heading towards St. Stephen, which is located on the American border. During this trip, Tom met a man who asked him if he was a sailor. Tom replied that he was, and that he had deserted a ship in Saint John and was heading to St. Stephen to try and find work. The police had learned that Tom was now heading for St. Stephen and they soon caught up to him. They passed him on the road and then waited for him in the bushes a few miles down the road. When he passed by, they jumped out at him but Tom started to run, when they fired a shot over his head Tom decided to give himself up. When the detective asked Collins why he had left his valise at the boarding house, Tom fainted. 
   
   The police took Tom to the jail in Saint John. There Tom made a statement to the police. He said that he had got the horse ready to go to Albert that morning, and then had breakfast, but that Mary Ann then said that she did not want to go to Albert because it was too hot. She then started nagging him again about the previous day's fishing, so he left. When asked about the gold watch, Tom first said that he only had a silver watch. Later he said that he had thrown the gold watch away, then he changed his story and said that he had lost it. At the trial Tom claimed that Mary Ann had given him the watch to take to Albert the next day to get it fixed. Although at the trial the question arose why would she give him the watch if she was planning on going to town with him? 
   
   The press during this time had been reporting on every detail of the case from the discovery of the body, to the chase from Saint John to St. Stephen, and Collins' eventual capture. Every detail was read by anxious readers all across the province. The press took an immediate liking to the prisoner. Many members of the general public began to speculate that the murder had not been committed by Collins, but by someone who killed Mary Ann during a robbery of the rectory. After all, the rectory had been robbed several months before Tom had arrived. There was even talk that some people in the community did not like Mary Ann. One story even suggested that Father McAuley had killed Mary Ann because she was pregnant with his child, although that was doubtful, since she was 52 years old at the time. The case attracted so much attention that the Premier of the Province, Lemuel Tweedie, acted as Crown prosecutor during the preliminary trial.
   
   Tom Collins would be tried three times for the murder of Mary Ann McAuley. He is thought to be the first man in Canada ever to be tried for the same crime in three separate trials. All three trials would be held at the new court house in Hopewell Cape, constructed only two years earlier.

   Tom would be detained, during the three trials, in the jail located next to the court house.

   The first trial began in January 1907. It lasted nine days, a very long time for any trial by the standards of the day. Most trials took only one day for a decision to be reached and even other murder trials rarely lasted nine days. Father McAuley took the stand and identified the valises carried by Tom as being the ones stolen from him and that the contents of the valises matched the objects that were taken from the house. However, some of the stolen objects, including the missing jewelry, were not found in the valises. One key piece of evidence was a razor found in the stolen valise, it may have been the one used to cut Mary Ann's throat. Two razors had been stolen from Father McAuley, and he identified the one found in the stolen valise as his, the other was still missing. Although the defense argued that the razor found in the valise was not Father McAuley's but was instead the razor which had been loaned to Tom by Mr. William Williamson. 
   
   The axe thought to have been the one used to kill Mary Ann and also used to smash the closet doors in Father McAuley's bedroom, had been found the previous month behind the commode in Father McAuley's bedroom. During the three trials, many questions surrounding the discovery of the axe would arise. Why had Father McAuley not found the axe? It was the new house keeper who had discovered it. Why had the police not located it in their search? Why had the murderer hidden the axe but not disposed of Mary Ann's body?
   
   During the first trial, the defense did not call any witnesses and Tom did not take the stand. None of Tom's relatives from England attended the trial, however several friends and family from England wrote letters testifying to Tom's good character. Both the defense and the prosecution gave long, well-written summations, lasting a total of five and a half hours. In the end, Tom was found guilty and sentenced to hang. However, his defense was able to successfully argue that the judge, in his charge to the jury, had committed errors, so a new trial was ordered. The second trial of Tom Collins lasted seven days. At this trial Tom did take the stand in his own defense. Tom's defense throughout all three trials was that he was a thief and a liar who had stolen from Father McAuley, but that he did not kill Mary Ann. His lawyers would argue that the evidence against him was all circumstantial and that someone else could have robbed and murdered Mary Ann. The second trial ended in a hung jury. The third trial also lasted seven days, the verdict returned was the same as in the first trial: death by hanging. 
   
   The community was split as to Tom's guilt or innocence. Many people contributed to his defense fund. Four hundred and eighty-eight people had signed a petition asking for lenience, but their pleas would go unanswered. The High Sheriff of Albert County, Mr. Lynds, refused to hang Tom, and threatened to quit if ordered to do so. The hangman arrived by train from Montreal and inspected the gallows. On the morning of November 15th, 1907, Tom Collins, after writing a letter thanking those who had helped him, was taken to the gallows and hanged by the neck until he was dead. His body was then buried in an unmarked grave outside of the jail, which had been his home for over a year. His body was re-interred at a nearby cemetery sixty years later, when the jail and court house became a museum.

   Tom was the only prisoner ever to be hanged at the Albert County Gaol. His case was referenced in the Supreme Court to justify the Double Jeopardy amendment to the Canadian Criminal Code.

9. Winning the Victory Loans Competition of 1919 by raising a greater percentage over their set goal than anywhere else in the Province. The county raised $347600.00 with a goal of $110000.00. That's triple the amount! (in today's dollars that is $6.2 million!).

10. Founding of Fundy National Park in 1948.

Top 10 Historical Events in Albert County in Review - #7 The Birthplace and Hometown of Canada's 11th Prime Minister RB Bennett

The Seventh Top 10 Historical Event in Albert County was the birth of our 11th Prime Minster RB Bennett. Who just happens to be on our list of the Most Historical People in Albert County, so be sure to take the time to vote for the 10 Most Historical People of Albert County . Vote Here. Now the seventh event in the Top Ten Historical Events in Albert County History 

1. First European Settlers in 1699. 

2. The Acadian Expulsion in 1755. Ending 57 years of Acadian colonies in Albert County, this includes the Battle of Petitcodiac, September 4, 1755. 

3. Arrival of the Steeves family in 1766. 

4. The founding of the county 1845. 

5. Development of Commercially Viable Kerosene from Albertite by geologist Abraham Gesner in 1846 which led directly to the petroleum age and the modern world and indirectly to saving all the whales. Thanks Albert County! 

6. The Saxby Gale of 1869, which brought untold destruction of property and the loss of a number of lives. 

7. The Birthplace and Hometown of Canada's 11th Prime Minister RB Bennett (b1870), who founded the Bank of Canada, the CBC and numerous other important Canadian Institutions. 

   RICHARD BEDFORD BENNETT (1870-1947)

   was Canada’s eleventh Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative government from August 7th, 1930 to October 23rd, 1935, a period of tribulation that encompassed the worst years of the Great Depression.

   Born on July 3rd, 1870 to Henrietta Stiles and Henry Bennett, a ship-building family, R. B. Bennett grew up in Hopewell Cape.  His early education was rudimentary, but his mother instructed him in the classics.  After teaching school for a few years, Bennett graduated from Dalhousie University in 1893 and practiced law in Chatham, New Brunswick for four years before moving to Calgary in what was then the Northwest Territories. 

   He served as Member of the Assembly of the Territories for six years before being elected MLA and Leader of the Opposition (1909-1911) in the new Alberta Legislature.   He was president of the Calgary Power Company (1910-1920) and legal counsel for the Canadian Pacific Railway for many years.   Bennett entered national politics and represented the constituency of Calgary East from 1911 to 1917, then Calgary West from 1925 to 1939.

   R. B. Bennett held many portfolios during his years in government including: Director-General of National Service (1914-1917); Minister of Justice and Attorney General (1921); Minister Without Portfolio (1926); Minister of Finance (1926); Receiver General (1926, 1930-1932); Minister of Mines and Interior and Superintendent of Indian Affairs (1926); Secretary of State for External Affairs and President of the Privy Council (1930-1935).  In 1927 he was elected leader of the Conservative Party.  Bennett was an excellent parliamentarian and debater who strengthened his party leading up to the election of 1930.

   PRIME MINISTER 

   Elected Prime Minister of Canada in 1930 with a strong majority, Bennett campaigned on a platform to provide progressive action to deal with the serious economic situation that would become known as The Great Depression.  As the global economic depression continued to worsen, voters turned to governments for security that the economy could not provide.  Traditional government measures which Bennett advocated, such as supporting the dollar and maintaining tariffs for dealing with deflation and unemployment, proved to be ineffective.  Later, the new federal social welfare measures he introduced, such as early unemployment insurance and public work programs, called the “Bennett New Deal”, showed some early results during the last six months of his term, although they shocked many of his Conservative colleagues at the time.  As the Depression continued amid declining provincial revenues that approached bankruptcy, especially in the West, the federal government had to contribute more to relief costs, further limiting Bennett’s programs through loss of government credit and revenues.  As a result, Bennett faced isolation and major dissent across the country and even within his own party.  The blame and responsibility for The Great Depression was attributed to Bennett personally with the Conservatives losing the election of 1935.

   While Prime Minister of Canada R. B. Bennett created many progressive programs.  He passed the Relief Act (1932); created the Canadian Broadcasting Commission (forerunner of the CBC); the central Bank of Canada (1935); and the Canadian Wheat Board (1935).  In addition, Bennett signed the Statute of Westminster making the Canadian Parliament fully independent in its decisions.

   VISCOUNT BENNETT

    After suffering political and personal family losses, feeling no longer wanted as their Prime Minister by the people of Canada, and betrayed by his own Party, Bennett reconsidered a suggestion made to him in earlier years by his old friend Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook) and moved to England to live and continue his law practice.  In 1941 R. B. Bennett was made Viscount (of Mickleham, Calgary and Hopewell) and joined the House of Lords.  His health gradually deteriorated until his death at home in Mickelham in 1947.  He was buried there in the ancient churchyard; the only Prime Minister not interred in Canada.  Noted for his strong personality, decisiveness, and dedication to Canada, Bennett was personally generous with his acquired wealth during his lifetime and, by the direction of his estate, remains a benefactor to Canadians.

8. The Tom Collins Axe Murder Triple Trial which directly lead to Canada's Double Jeopardy laws. Double Jeopardy is a procedural defence that forbids a defendant from being tried again on the same (or similar) charges following a legitimate acquittal or conviction.

9. Winning the Victory Loans Competition of 1919 by raising a greater percentage over their set goal than anywhere else in the Province. The county raised $347600.00 with a goal of $110000.00. That's triple the amount! (in today's dollars that is $6.2 million!).

10. Founding of Fundy National Park in 1948.

Top 10 Historical Events in Albert County in Review - #6 The Saxby Gale of 1869

We are returning to review the Top 10 Historical Events in Albert County. Be sure to take the time to vote for the 10 Most Historical People of Albert County . Vote Here. Now the sixth event in the Top Ten Historical Events in Albert County History in review. 

1. First European Settlers in 1699. 

2. The Acadian Expulsion in 1755. Ending 57 years of Acadian colonies in Albert County, this includes the Battle of Petitcodiac, September 4, 1755. 

3. Arrival of the Steeves family in 1766. 

4. The founding of the county 1845. 

5. Development of Commercially Viable Kerosene from Albertite by geologist Abraham Gesner in 1846 which led directly to the petroleum age and the modern world and indirectly to saving all the whales. Thanks Albert County! 

6. The Saxby Gale of 1869, which brought untold destruction of property and the loss of a number of lives. 

   In December of 1868, Stephen Martin Saxby, a navigator in the British Navy and amateur astronomer, first wrote to a London newspaper warning of a storm that he predicted would hit the eastern seaboard of North America on October 4th or 5th, 1869.

   Saxby predicted that the position of the sun and the moon, relative to the earth, on those dates would cause extremely high winds and huge tides that would cause severe flooding in the affected areas. Very little attention was paid to Saxby's warnings and the people living along the Fundy Coast, who would suffer the most when Saxby's prediction came true and a storm did indeed strike on that date, would not become aware of Saxby's prediction until after the storm had struck the area. 
   
   Saxby's prediction became a reality due largely to chance rather than solid scientific observation. On the date predicted, thunderstorms carrying moisture were moving West to East across the North American Continent. At the same time, a tropical storm from the Caribbean, was moving up along the Northeastern Seaboard heading towards New Brunswick. The two storms met south of Saint John on the morning of October 4th, 1869 and combined to create a cyclone. Wind gusts at sea during the storm reached 200 kilometers per hour. Many of the vessels out at sea were lost, along with their crews. The storm caused severe flooding along the Fundy Coast as the normally high tides at that time of year and the high winds caused by the storm combined to create a surge of water. Over the next two days as the storm traveled up the funnel shaped Bay of Fundy the low lying areas of Albert County and surrounding counties continued to be flooded. The storm brought with it the highest tides ever recorded along the eastern seaboard, along with high winds and heavy rain. Some areas received over 300mm of rain in one day.

   In Albert County residents "battened down the hatches" for what they thought would be just another fall gale. According to legend as the wind and the waves began to rise one lone Indian left his village and started to canoe up the Petitcodiac River. Soon he found it too difficult to battle the current so he landed his canoe at a small creek . He then turned over the canoe and slept under it, the next morning he awoke and found himself a mile inland with no sign of the small creek. As the intensity of the storm grew, breakwaters built out of large boulders were destroyed by massive waves, and many docks were damaged. Lobster traps and other fishing equipment stacked up on shore and on the docks were washed away. In addition boats tied up at the docks or hauled up on the shore were soon smashed by giant waves and dragged out to sea. Other vessels were set adrift only to run aground miles inland from the shore. Across the Petitcodiac River in Memramcook a large ditch had to be dug across the marsh from the river to the spot where a large sailing vessel had been grounded on the marsh by the storm in order to get the ship afloat once again. The dykes which had for years battled against the tide to keep salt water off the marshlands were soon washed over by the extremely high tides, and parts of the dykes were destroyed. The sea water which now covered the marsh killed a large number of livestock because much of the cattle from the farms in the area were still out to pasture on the marsh when the gale struck. Most of the homes in the area were built quite far back from the coastline and were safe, but many of the houses that were built closer to the shore, along with other buildings, were washed away in the storm surge. Another legend tells of how the storm settled a domestic dispute between a new bride and her husband. The new bride had requested that the kitchen window of her new house face north because she liked the view from the north side of the house best, the husband argued that building the house with the window facing north would make the house cold and he instead built the house with the window facing south. When the house was finished the bride left her new husband alone in thehouse, and went back to her mother's house. When she returned after the storm the tide waters had rotated the house around so that the kitchen window was now facing north, so she got her wish after all. 

   In Hillsborough the low lying marshlands below where the Salem & Hillsborough railway museum is now located, became a "lake" of sea water during the storm. The Hon. John Lewis owned a store which was located on this marsh. During the storm the two storey building had its windows and front door driven in, then the store filled with water and mud. Even the dishes on the top shelf were filled with mud. The store warehouse, located near the store, and two other houses which had been built on the marsh were lifted from their foundations and floated farther inland up the artificial "lake" before coming to a rest on higher ground.

   Many farm animals in the area around Hillsborough lost their lives because of the storm, including a group of chickens whose hen house was found after the storm stuck six feet up in the air in a tree. The first human deaths caused by the storm also occurred in Hillsborough when a young couple tried to cross the artificially created "lake" on the marsh flats. The couple were returning home in a horse drawn buggy from a dance when they decided to try and cross the "lake". Before they made it across the marsh the horse and buggy were swept away, in the confusion the man lost sight of the girl and she drowned. He was saved by holding onto a piece of wreckage and floating to safety.

   In Riverview the tidal bore which had long been of concern to the sailors of the Petitcodiac River, now because of the high tides and wind became a powerful destructive force. The storm caused a tidal bore which has been estimated to have been ten feet high. The tidal bore traveled up the river and destroyed the bridge crossing between Riverview and Moncton.

   Further up the Petitcodiac River tragedy struck again. Jacob and Ellen O'Brien and their six children lived in a small house at the Salisbury end of Coverdale. The family was awakened in the middle of the night by the sounds of the roaring gale. They soon discovered that their house was surrounded by water, so they frantically built a small raft out of two fence rails, and latticed it with kindling sticks, they then set out for the safety of the shore.

   The two smallest children were placed on the raft while the other children were told to hold onto the sides of the raft. Once the family had cleared the shelter that the house provided against the wind and raging waters, they were swept up by strong currents. The currents proved too strong for the children, they each lost their grip on the raft and were swept away one by one in front of their parents. The next day the parents and the two small children returned to find that the house was still standing. Every year in the fall when the tides of the Bay of Fundy reach their highest levels and hurricanes travel up the coast from the Caribbean, the residents of Albert County cast their eyes out into the Bay of Fundy and begin to retell the stories of the Saxby Gale.

7. The Birthplace and Hometown of Canada's 11th Prime Minister RB Bennett (b1870), who founded the Bank of Canada, the CBC and numerous other important Canadian Institutions.

8. The Tom Collins Axe Murder Triple Trial which directly lead to Canada's Double Jeopardy laws. Double Jeopardy is a procedural defence that forbids a defendant from being tried again on the same (or similar) charges following a legitimate acquittal or conviction.

9. Winning the Victory Loans Competition of 1919 by raising a greater percentage over their set goal than anywhere else in the Province. The county raised $347600.00 with a goal of $110000.00. That's triple the amount! (in today's dollars that is $6.2 million!).

10. Founding of Fundy National Park in 1948.

The Forestdale Heritage Week Talks @ 2pm - An Update

From all accounts the drama at Forestdale Nursing Home yesterday was not to be missed. Kathleen and Paul Kyle, along with Kathleen's mom, Mary Steeves did a 20 minute drama (in costume) about William Henry Steeves. William Henry Steeves was a Father of Confederation and a strong candidate for our Top Ten Most Historical People of Albert County. There are rumours of a video of the event, which we're hoping to get a link to. 

Today at 2pm,  Dawne McLean is going to talk about the Reid Brothers with photos. The Reid Brothers were architects who designed many prominent buildings in Albert County and around the world. 

Tomorrow, at 2pm Donald Alward, Manager and Curator at the Albert County Museum is talking about R.B. Bennett, Canada's 11th Prime Minister. 

Then Friday, at 2pm Dawne McLean will be talking about Abner R. McClelan. McClelan was a Canadian senator and the tenth Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick.

Don't forget to vote for Albert County's 10 most historical people here. 

Who Do You Think Should Be the Ten People of Albert County That Everyone Should Know About?

It's New Brunswick’s Heritage Week 2016!  The Heritage Week theme this year is ‘Leadership & Legacy’ and Albert County has produced its fair share of leaders. 

Over the past few weeks we compiled an extensive list of potential candidates and after several debates we narrowed the list down to what is on the website and now we want you to make the final choice.  

The 10 people that receive the most votes will be featured in a new exhibit at the Albert County Museum. Voting will close March 4, 2016.

1. Richard Bedford Bennett, 1st Viscount Bennett, PC KC (3 July 1870 – 26 June 1947) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He served as the 11th Prime Minister of Canada from 7 August 1930, to 23 October 1935, during the worst of the Great Depression years. Following his defeat as prime minister, Bennett moved to England, and was elevated to the peerage as Viscount Bennett.

2. Myrtle 'Molly' Kool (February 23, 1916 – February 25, 2009) was a Canadian-born American sea captain. She is recognized as being North America's first registered female sea captain or ship master.

3. William Henry Steeves (May 20, 1814 - December 9, 1873) was a merchant, lumberman, politician and Father of Canadian Confederation.

4. Lt Col. Cyrus Peck -  VC, DSO & Bar (26 April 1871 – 27 September 1956) was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Peck was one of the seven Canadians to be awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions on one single day, 2 September 1918, for actions across the 30 km long Drocourt-Quéant Line near Arras, France. Peck was also the only VC winner to be a sitting member of Parliment.

5. John Smith - Founder of Albert County John Smith, 2nd, settled at Shepody, Albert County. He was a member of the New Brunswick Legislature, and Justice of the Peace.

6. Reid Bros (3) Architects- Were Canadian architects, who founded the California architectural firm, Reid & Reid. Born in Harvey, New Brunswick to William J. Reid and Lucinda Robinson. They were James W. Reid (1851-1943), Merritt J. Reid (1855-1932), and Watson Elkinah Reid (1858-1944) Notable buildings are the Hotel del Coronado, the Riverside-Albert Consolidated School, the Albert County Court House and Victoria Manor (home of Lt. Gov AR McClelan).

7. Pierre Thibodeau - Born in 1631 in Poitre, France, Pierre Thibodeau lived on a farm as a child. He moved to Acadia as a young man when he was offered a piece of land in a Seigneury. In 1698, at the age of 67, he left Port Royal to found a new settlement at Shepody.

8. Gaius Samuel Turner (August 12, 1838 – April 25, 1892[1]) was a businessman and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Albert County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1879 to 1892 as a Liberal-Conservative. He was born and educated in Albert County, New Brunswick, the son of Isaac Turner and Elizabeth Colpitts. In 1876, he married Lucy E. Stiles. He was a justice of the peace. Turner was a ship builder in Harvey, New Brunswick, and also was a director for the Albert Railway. He was named to the province's Executive Council in 1883 but resigned later that year. He died in office at Fredericton at the age of 53 after a long illness.

9. Judson Arthur Cleveland was possibly the most outstanding citizen of Alma for his role in holding the community in place as his saw mill ran despite tiresome bad economic times, providing livelihoods so that families might remain. He was a long-standing champion of Community on the County Council as a warden and councilor. Judson Arthur Cleveland, son of David Cleveland and Mary (Martin), was born 25 Nov. 1867. He married Ella Jane Keirstead Sept. 19, 1900. Judson died 6 Nov. 1951.

10. Mary Majka - Born in Poland in 1925 (d.2014) to a Czechoslovakian countess and a Polish school principal,  It was in New Brunswick that she would finally feel at home and it was there that Mary would begin her life’s work, saving wildlife environments, preserving historic sites, and educating Canadians about the natural world.

11. Abner Reid McClelan (January 4, 1831 – January 30, 1917) was a Canadian senator and the tenth Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick.Born in Riverside-Albert, New Brunswick, the son of Peter McClelan and Lucy (Robinson) McLelan, he was educated at Mount Allison Wesleyan Academy in Sackville, (now Mount Allison University). He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in 1854 and served until confederation in 1867 when he was called to theSenate of Canada for the senatorial division of New Brunswick. A Liberal, he resigned in 1896 when he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick. He served until 1902. McClelan died in Moncton, New Brunswick in 1917.

12. William Andrew Cecil Bennett PC OC (September 6, 1900 – February 23, 1979) was the 25th Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia. With just over 20 years in office, Bennett was and remains the longest-serving premier in British Columbia history. He was usually referred to as W.A.C. Bennett, although some referred to him either affectionately or mockingly as "Wacky" Bennett.

13. William James Lewis (September 23, 1830 – June 22, 1910) was a physician and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Albert County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1879 to 1896 and Albert in the Canadian House of Commons from 1896 to 1904 as an Independent and then Liberal member.

14. Charles Joseph Osman (April 15, 1851 – 1922) was a businessman and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Albert County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1897 to 1908 as aLiberal member. He was born in England, was educated in Hertfordshire and later emigrated to New Brunswick. Osman married Laura E. Tomkins. He was the manager of a plaster mill and quarries at Hillsborough. He was first elected in an 1897 by-election held after William James Lewis was elected to the Canadian House of Commons. Osman served as speaker from 1907 to 1908.

15. Sir George Robert Parkin - Organizing Secretary for Rhodes Scholarship. Born at Parkindale near Salisbury, New Brunswick, he was a graduate from the University of New Brunswick. From 1867 to 1871, he taught at the Bathurst Grammar School. From 1872 to 1889, he was the headmaster of the Fredericton Collegiate School, where the poets Charles G.D. Roberts, Bliss Carman, and Francis Shermancame under his influence. He attended the University of Oxford in 1873–1874. From 1895 to 1902, he was the headmaster of Upper Canada College. He was the organizing secretary of the Rhodes Trust (1902–1922) and the Toronto Round Table Group (1910–1922). Lord Milner was an ardent admirer of Parkin's imperial ideas. He was the author of Imperial Federation: The Problem of National Unity (1892) and a school textbook, Round the Empire. He was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1898 and Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the 1920 New Year Honours for his work with the Rhodes Trust. His daughter Alice married Canadian businessman and diplomat Vincent Massey, who would become governor general of Canada shortly after Alice's death in 1950.He was the maternal grandfather of the philosopher George Grant.

16. Harold A. Terris Spitfire pilot ww2/MLA was a military pilot, civil servant, and politician in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. During World War II, Harold Terris served overseas as a Spitfire pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force. After the War, he worked as a civil servant for the province of New Brunswick. In 1987 he was the successfulLiberal Party candidate for the riding of Albert, defeating incumbent Malcolm MacLeod. Terris chose not to seek reelection in 1991.

17. Malcolm Noble "Mac" MacLeod (born 8 February 1928) was a Canadian politician. Born in Moncton, he served as a longtime member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick representing the electoral district of Albert from 1970 to his defeat in 1987 when his Progressive Conservatives lost every seat in the legislature. He was the second longest serving Minister of Agriculture in New Brunswick, serving as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development from 1974 to 1985. He served as Minister of Natural Resources and Energyfrom 1985 until the defeat of his government in 1987. Following the election he served as interim leader of the PC Party until the election of Barbara Baird in 1989.

18. Judge Albert Watson Bennett was born in Hopewell Cape in 1864.He attended school there and went on to study law in Dorchester. He was admitted to the bar of New Brunswick in 1885 and practiced in the town of Sackville. Several years later he was appointed to the County Court of Westmorland and Kent. Throughout his career he saw many different life situations and witnessed the inequality of health services. When he retired in 1945 he began to seriously consider the state of healthcare in this region. He decided to make a difference by contributing towards creating equally accessible medical treatment for every one. He did this through making a large bequest to the Albert County Hospital. Upon his death in 1963, his estate went to his wife and it was not until she passed away in 1973 that the contribution was bequeathed to the hospital in the amount of $232,000. The following year the fund had accumulated to $359,286.63 with interest. Many improvements, equipment purchases, scholarships and educational opportunities have been made in the spirit of Judge Albert Bennett's vision of improved and quality healthcare for the residents of Albert County through the Bennett and Albert County Health Care Foundation Inc. (formerly the Bennett and Albert County Hospital Foundation).

19. Alexander Rogers (February 12, 1842 – July 2, 1933) was a merchant and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Albert County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1875 to 1878 and Albert in the Canadian House of Commons from 1878 to 1882 as a Liberal member. He was born in Hopewell Hill, New Brunswick, the son of William Rogers and Eliza Loughead, and was educated at Mount Allison College. In 1866, Rogers married Bessie Moore. His election to the provincial assembly was appealed twice but Rogers won the by-elections which followed each time. He died at Hopewell Hill at the age of 91.

20. John Wallace (November 18, 1812 – January 1, 1896) was a New Brunswick farmer and political figure. He represented Albert in the Canadian House of Commons as a Liberal member from 1867 to 1878 and then from 1883 to 1887 as a Liberal and then as a Liberal-Conservative. He was born in Hillsborough, New Brunswick in 1812, the son of James Wallace and Catherine Copp, and grew up there. His grandparents had come to New Brunswick from Donegal in northern Ireland. Wallace was president of the Albert Agricultural Society and also a justice of the peace. Besides operating a large farm, he also owned a sawmill and was a director of the Albert Southern Railway. Wallace was originally a Liberal. After his election in 1882 was appealed, he was elected again in an 1883 by-election after running as a Liberal-Conservative.He was married three times: to Eleanor Russell in 1846, to Cynthia Foss in 1859 and to Charlotte Stackford in 1872.

21. Harry Orliff Downey (May 9, 1897 – April 17, 1974) was a fox rancher and political figure in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Albert in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1931 to 1952 as a Liberal member. He was born in Curryville, New Brunswick, the son of Oscar E. Downey and Rose E. Matthews. Downey was speaker for the provincial assembly from 1944 to 1952.

22. Claude D. Taylor (September 13, 1911 – 1970) was a real estate agent and political figure in New Brunswick. He represented Albert in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1952 until his death in 1970 as a Progressive Conservative member. He was born in Edgetts Landing, Albert County, New Brunswick, the son of Douglas Taylor and Bernice Steeves, and was educated at the provincial normal school in Fredericton and at Mount Allison University. In 1938, he married Winnifred Way. Taylor served in the province's Executive Council as Minister of Education and Municipal Affairs from 1952 to 1954 and Minister of Education from 1954 to 1960. Taylor was also a public school teacher for 13 years. Claude D. Taylor School (an elementary school in Riverview, New Brunswick) is named in his honour.

23. Heinrich Stief (son of Augustin Stief and Anna Barbara Worner) was born 12 Dec., 1718 in Sirchingen, Wurttemberg, and died between 1778 and 1780 in Hillsborough, Albert Co., New Brunswick. He married Regina Stahleker Feb 25, 1745 in Münsingen, Wurttemberg. The couple are the progenitors of upwards of 250,000 descendants around the world.

24. Fred Colpitts (1887-1963) a keenly community minded citizen, spearheaded the breeding of Black, Silver and Platinum foxes in North America. Born in 1887 at Little River, Fred Colpitts spent only a few years at the small country school, then moved to Salsibury. In 1913 he bought three Black foxes and from this small beginning he developed the largest ranch in the British Empire.Through selection and inbreeding, Fred developed the Platinum fox. This breed gained world recognition and attracted visitors from many countries. His Platinum foxes received top sales figures in Montreal, New York and London. One matched pair sold for $5,000.00, winning the highest awards at many major shows across Canada. In 1927 he bought an Alberta dairy farm and moved the registered Holstein herd East. The herd still continues today as the "Little River Holsteins". He was also a founding member of the New Brunswick Branch Holstein-Friesian Association.Colpitts was also a well known lumberman, and during World War II he employed hundreds of men in cutting pitprops for the British Ministry of Supply. Colpitts represented his county as a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1930 to 1939. Colpitts was also instrumental in having Fundy National Park located in Albert County.