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#19 In the Northeast 1763-1775The first British settlement in the northeast of the province was made by William Davidson. Davidson was from the north of Scotland and came to the Miramichi in the summer of 1764. In 1764 there was not a single house in the whole of what is now Northumberland County. In 1765 Davidson obtained a grant of one hundred thousand acres on the southwest branch of the Miramichi River. In 1772 Davidson was joined by John Cort from Aberdeen, Scotland. By use of a crossnet these two men caught between four and five hundred thousand pounds of salmon yearly. Davidson built a three hundred ton schooner named The Miramichi to export the fish.
In 1767 a Mr. Walker from northern Scotland came to Bay Chaleur. One of his group a Mr. Young married an Indian woman. Walker was commonly called Commodore Walker settlers at Alston Point. Walker also had a large house at Younghall and a fishing camp at Big River. Walker became very rich in the fur trade and also sent yearly cargoes of salmon and cod to the West Indies and the Mediterranean. During the years 1767 and 1768 returning Acadians took up lands at Nepisiguit, Caraquet, Miscou, Burnt Church, and Bay du Vin.
background by Cleadie / man with quill graphic by J. O'Donovan
Page mounted: 11 Sep 1999
Updated:Sunday, 01-Apr-2007 11:35:51 MDT