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Authority record
Kingston Peninsula Heritage

Calder, Doris Ethel (Patterson)

  • 1
  • Person
  • 1941-

Doris Ethel Calder (née Patterson) is a resident and historian of the Kingston Peninsula. She was born on November 3rd, 1941, and currently lives in the Patterson family home in Long Reach with her husband, John. Both her mother, Winnifred Ethel Crawford, and her father, George Gordon Patterson, are direct descendants of Loyalist settlers.
Calder is as an authority of local history with a natural gift for storytelling. This disposition can be traced back to her childhood, when she would tell stories to captivated peers in the woodshed behind her school. Much of the rest of her childhood was spent working and playing on the family farm.

After high-school, Calder left the Peninsula for a few years. She graduated from Acadia University in 1963 and received a B.Ed. at the University of New Brunswick the following year. In 1964, she married John Calder. The young couple then embarked on an adventure, hitch-hiking through Europe and Africa, where they worked and explored. When the grand tour came to an end, Doris and John settled in Long Reach, where they have remained ever since, serving as keen-eyed witnesses to patterns of life and their generational transformations.

In addition to being an oral historian, Calder is the author of All Our Born Days: A Lively History of New Brunswick’s Kingston Peninsula (Percheron, 1984). All Our Born Days is the definitive account of life on the Peninsula. This book stems from more than forty-five interviews conducted by Calder, documenting the memories of local residents.

Wetmore Family

  • 1.4
  • Family
  • 1615- present

Thomas Whitmore, born in 1615 in England left Bristol, England, with his family in 1639 to settle in the Bay Colony of Massachusetts and eventually to move to the Middletown, Connecticut area. There, the spelling of the family name changed to "Wetmore". Edwin Marshall Wetmore and the six Wetmore fathers preceding him in direct line of ancestry sired a total of 82 children, an average of 11.7 per father. The range was from 6 to 17. Three mothers were involved in one case and two in another, but the largest family, 17, was the product of one mother.
The above information was compiled by Stanley F. S. Wood in April 1988.
The first three generations of Edwin Marshall Wetmore's descendants produced a total of 90 children in 32 families, an average of 2.8 children per family.

Wood family, Sunnybrae Farms (Carter's Point)

  • Family
  • 1736-Present

Loyalist John Wood Sr. (1736-1817) immigrated from N.Y. or PA, U.S.A. to Saint John, New Brunswick in August 1783. John Wood Sr. is believed to have been born in Midlothian, Scotland. While his official immigration date to the U.S.A. is unknown, it is known that he served as a private in Captain Simon Kollock’s Company of the Loyal American Regiment beginning on the 11th of May 1780 until the 1st of July, 1782. With the help of his son, Robert Wood Sr., he obtained land along the Kennebecasis River in the Parish of Kingston on 12 May 1786. John Wood Sr. married Isabella/Isobel Thorborne (1726-1810), with whom he had two children: Robert Wood Sr. (1761-1827) and Isabella Wood, who married a McMichael

Upon his arrival in Saint John with his father and the Loyalists in 1783, Robert Wood Sr. (1761-1827) drew lot P391 at the corner of King and Germain Streets. Having previously been a merchant in New York, Robert Wood Sr. quickly built a home and a tobacconist shop on this property by 1784, and was made a freeman of the City in 1785. He carried on with this business until 1815, and in 1820 the property was sold to James Scoullar. After succeeding in finding land for his father, Robert Wood Sr. became very active as a bail bondsman in the 1790’s. To cover many of the bonds, his clients mortgaged their property to him; after making good on the bond, the land was returned to them. Records of such transactions are available upon request. Robert Wood Sr. married Rachel [last name unknown], (1769-1842), who gave birth to three children, John Wood Jr. (1793-1842), Robert Wood Jr. (1794-1822), and James Wood (1800-1849).

Robert Wood Jr. (1794-1822) lived in Saint John and worked in his father’s tobacco and bail bonds businesses. Robert Wood Jr. and Elizabeth Hay (1800-1878) married on the 16th of December 1818 in Saint John in the Church of Scotland. Robert Wood Jr. died just before the birth of his son, James Robert Wood (1823-1907), in August 1822.
Subsequently, his widow, Elizabeth Hay, married Thomas Fowler Sr. on the 11th of November 1830. Elizabeth’s second marriage (to Thomas Fowler Sr.) resulted in the birth of six daughters, Sarah, Joanna, Margaret, Eliza, Macey, and Louise, who all grew up with their step-brother, James Robert Wood on the farm in Carter’s Point.

 James Robert Wood (1823-1907) spent the majority of his life as a farmer, though in his younger days he was licensed to scale lumber at the Glen Lyon sawmill. James also tended the river boats (steaming between Saint John and Fredericton) at Carter’s Point before the wharf was built. James Wood married Amanda Malvina/Melvina Purdy (1827-1904) on the 22nd of September in Indiantown, Saint John.

James Robert Wood bought his step-father, Thomas Fowler’s land and house and moved in to the property with Amanda Purdy (Wood) and their four children in 1873, which marked the beginning of the Wood family farm “on the top of the hill”. James Robert Wood and Amanda Purdy (Wood) were parents to Sarah Elizabeth Thompson Wood (1848-1924), Elmina Augusta (Miney) Wood (1850-1942), Annie Jane Wood (1854-1858), and Thomas Frederick (Fred) Wood (1859-1953).

Elmina Augusta (Miney) Wood, born October 8th 1850. She married farmer Samuel Theodore Holder (1844-1935) on the 20th of May 1868.
Theodore also operated one of the St. John River rowboat stops for many years. Together, Samuel Theodore Holder and Elmina Augusta Wood had seven children; Robert Clyde (Rob) Holder (1869-1961), William Purdy (Will) Holder (1871-1952), Warren Theodore Holder (1873-1949), Annie Amanda Malvina/Melvina Holder (1876-1950), Minnie Augusta Holder (1882-1979), Frederick Allen (Freddie) Holder (1884-1884), and Bessie Elmina Holder (1885-1990).

Thomas Frederick (Fred) Wood of Carter’s Point was born on the 17th of June 1859 and died the 17th of January 1953 and is buried in Carter’s Point Cemetery. He spent his life developing and running his Carter’s Point farm.

With help from the family the farm expanded and prospered and was well known and admired in the area. Great effort and pride was taken in providing the highest possible quality produce and in carrying out the mixed farming operation efficiently. The woodlot on the property was worked in the winter to provide firewood, kiln wood, and logs. When the river ice was thick enough, a supply was cut and hauled up the hill to the sawdust-insulated ice house; this provided refrigeration for the summer months. Electricity was not available in this area until 1951.
Fred regularly accompanied the farm produce to the market (Saint John, about 20km down the river) on the river boats.

Fred married Lettie Marcia Wetmore (1866-1954) on the 30th of October 1888 in Clifton, Kings Co..
Marcia was licenced to teach in the province of New Brunswick and had some teaching experience prior to her marriage. In 1884 she taught for half a year, and taught the whole of 1885 [Ref. Teaching Contract with School District No.7, Parish of Westfield].
For a long time she undertook the provision of room and board for the local school teachers as well as clergymen and hired farm labourers. In addition she and daughter, May, used a small room in the main farm house, to provide Post Office service for the community.
Fred and Marcia’s children were:
I. May Harding Wood, born 5 May 1891 in Carter’s Point, Kings Co., N.B., died October 27 1961 in Saint John, N.B., buried in Carter’s Point Cemetery, Kings County, NB.
She never married and spent her entire life in her parental home. She busied herself with embroidery, crocheting, tatting, and knitting work which found ready buyers when offered for sale, and which took many prizes in competitions at fairs and exhibitions.
As her mother aged, May took over increasing responsibility for running the household, eventually taking full charge.

II. Robert Marshall (Rob) Wood, born 23 June 1892 in Carter’s Point, Kings County, died April 18 1986 in Oromocto New Brunswick.
He devoted practically his whole life to the farm except for the two year period in which he attended the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Truro. Following graduation in 1917 he took over the actual cultivating operations of the farm, and his father continued to look after the buying, selling and the general financial management.

He was also talented in woodworking, and made many pieces of furniture, including an altar table for nearby St. Alban’s Church, trays, book racks, doll’s cradles, etc. In addition, he made a number of rowboats.
Later in life he took up writing descriptions of conditions in earlier days and of his experiences and observations through life. Some of these writings were published in the Kings County Record, a few in the Saint John Telegraph Journal, and a few were accepted by the Provincial Museum (in Saint John) along with audio tape recordings of similar material.
Rob was instrumental in having the Westfield-to-Harding’s Point ferry service installed.

III. Frank Leslie (Les) Wood born 12 February 1894 in Carter’s Point, Kings County, N.B., died 21 March 1974 in Fredericton, N.B., buried in Fredericton, N.B. (Fredericton Rural Extension, Wood’s Lot).

Les set the pattern for the four brothers by being the first to seek education beyond the Carter’s Point one-room school. After working side by side with brother Rob in re-clearing and developing much of the farm, he attended the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, graduating with honours in 1915 (recipient of the Governor General’s Medal for highest standing). For a while he worked for the N.B. Dept. of Agriculture, then returned to schooling by attending the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph. Following graduation (BSA Degree) in 1921 he took up permanent employment with the N.B. ept. Of Agriculture in Fredericton where he made his new home. Eventually he became the Director of Poultry Services for the province of New Brunswick. He was a Fellow of the Agricultural Institute of Canada.
For two months in 1930, as representative for N.B., he attended the Fourth World’s Poultry Congress in London, England accompanied by his wife Inez.
Les created a training course in Poultry Husbandry that was adopted by the Federal Dept. of Agriculture for use across Canada and was made available to all armed service personnel during World War II. It was so popular that Les had to read and mark over 20,000 examination papers (mostly at home, as this was considered an extracurricular activity). In recognition of this special service over and above his regular duties, he was in 1948 invested as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), “for meritorious work in agriculture during the second World War”, -- of national significance.
A further honour to him, awarded posthumously, was his being inducted into the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame, headquartered at N.S.A.C.
Les was very active in church activities, particularly Wilmot United Church in Fredericton where he served for many years as follows:-- Elder, Clerk of Session, Teller, Treasurer, and Superintendent of Sunday School.
For 13 years he was a member of the Fredericton School Board.
Les, together with his family, maintained close contact with those on the farm at Carter’s Point. They spent at least July and August of every year there, “camping” first in a large tent, then in an additional cabin, and finally in a good sized cottage located about 200 metres from the farm house complex.
He married Inez Evans Johnston, (1894-1974), on the 23rd day of August, 1922.
Children:
Marcia Jean Wood, born 23 August 1924 in Fredericton, N.B., died 11 June 1999 in Montreal, Quebec, buried 15 July 1999 in St. Hubert Quebec.
She married James Henderson (Jim) Gass, (born 19 November 1923 in Sackville) on the 7th of May 1949 in Fredericton New Brunswick.
Frederick Robert Lloyd Wood, born 22 November 1927.
Douglas Johnston (Doug) Wood, (1931-1981).

IV. Elmina Augusta (Gussie) Wood, born 23 January 1896 in Carter’s Point, Kings Co., N.B., died 20 March 1995 in Oromocto N.B., buried 1995 in Carter’s Point Cemetery, Kings County N.B.
Gussie grew up on the family farm amd attended teacher’s college at the Provincial Normal School in Fredericton.
She taught for about 11 years in various N.B. rural schools. Gussie worked at the Provincial Protestant Orphanage Home on Manawagonish Road, Saint John for 9 years, 8 of which were as Assistant Superintendent. A severe case of Rheumatic Fever forced her to leave this endeavour in 1938.
From 1940 to 1981 Gussie cared for niece Rosalyn as well as for brothers Rob and George, in and around Carter’s Point. In about 1983 she moved to the Young’s Cove Home along with brother Rob. She was very active in helping others in the Home in many ways, and remained there until her death at age 99.

V. Stanley Freeman Spearin (Stan) Wood, born 5 March 1898 in Carter’s Point, Kings County, N.B., died 16 June 1991 in Fredericton, N.B., buried in Moncton, N.B. (Elmwood Cemetery, Oulton’s Lot).
Stan grew up on the family farm in Carter’s Point, and served a short time in the 9th Siege Battery of the Canadian Army towards the latter part of World War 1.
He graduated from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in 1918 with the Governor General’s Medal for highest standing. He continued his education in Guelph, graduating from the Ontario Agricultural College with a BSA degree in 1923.
His entire working life was spent with the N.B. Dept. of Agriculture, most of it in Fredericton. He served as Director of Livestock, Director of the Extension Branch, and finally Administrative Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture. He was a Fellow of the Agricultural Institute of Canada, honorary member of the N.B. Institute of Agrologists, the Canadian 4-H Council, and of the Canadian Society of Animal Science. He was a recipient of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal for service to the agricultural industry.

Stan was an Elder of St. Paul’s United Church in Fredericton, a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Fredericton, and also a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International.
He was an active curler in the Fredericton curling club and served for many years on its executive.
Stan built a cottage on the family farm property at Carter’s Point which he and his wife Emily visited regularly. After Emily’s passing, he continued going there every summer until his 92nd birthday.

He married Emily Blanche Oulton, (1898-1975), on the 9th of August 1930 in Moncton, N.B..

VI. George Thomas Frederick Wood, born January 6th 1901 in Carter’s Point, Kings County N.B., died December 4th 1981 in Fredericton N.B., buried in Carter’s Point Cemetery, Kings County, N.B.
He was the youngest of the T. Fred Wood family and grew up along with the others on the family farm. After attending the Carter’s Point one-room school he followed the pattern of his 3 older brothers and graduated in 1920 from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Truro.
Although he spent most of his life in farming activities, he was also a jack-of-all-trades. His farming career was centered not only on the Wood family farm but also at “Point House”, a private farm complex located about 5km down river from Carter’s Point, where he took full charge as a caretaker over all operations there for quite a number of years.
For an extended period of time George personally delivered a great deal of the farm produce to customers in Saint John. He had a regular truck route in the city and developed a sizable market there due to his very pleasant personality and friendliness extended to all.

In addition, George was a carpenter. He built his own house which still stands on the family farm property, a summer vacation cabin for his brother Les, and constructed and repaired numerous other farm-related buildings and items.
On 24 November 1942 he was granted the license and authority to perform the duties of Lay Reader (and Catechist) in the Anglican Church parish of Westfield; this was granted by William Henry Moorhead, D.D., Bishop of Fredericton. George’s wife, Olivia, died after only 5 ½ years of marriage and just 16 days after the birth of their daughter, Rosalyn.
He married Olivia Josephine Lambert, (22 October 1901-26 December 1940), on the 29th of June 1935 in Saint John, New Brunswick.

George and Olivia’s children were:
Rosalyn Lambert Wood, born 10 December 1940 in Saint John, N.B., Resided in Grovedale, Alta.,.
She married Colin Alexander Murray, married 13 July 1963. Together they had three children, Shawn Alexander Murray (11 September 1966), Megan Rosanna Grace Murray (20 January 1971), Kathleen Marcia (Kathy) Murray (4 June 1972).