In York County, New Brunswick, an organizational meeting for the proposed District Convention was held on October 26, 1927, at the central room of the Parliament Buildings. Six county branches were represented, i.e. Devon, Fredericton, Barker's Point, New Maryland, Lower Kingsclear and Durham. The officers elected in that first meeting were Mrs. Frank Shortill, President and Mrs. H.W. Estabrooks, Secretary.

In 1935, this District was comprised of 18 branches: Barker's Point, Burton, Devon, Fredericton, New Maryland, Lakeville Corner, Millville, Currieburg, Burtt's Corner, Lower Kingsclear, Stanley, Williamsburg, Maugerville, Otis, Keswick Ridge, Sheffield, Nashwaak Bridge and Lincoln.

In 1951 the Loyalist District Women's Institute was divided into Districts No.1 and No.2. Institutes on Fredericton side of the St. John River in York County, and five Institutes below the bridge over the Nashwaak River, make up Loyalist District No.1. Loyalist District No.2 consists of the remainder on the Devon side of the St. John River and four branches in Northumberland County.

Sources: Marianne Grey Otty. : "Fifty Years of Women's Institute in New Brunswick" (1961)

The Nashwaak Bicentennial Association was organized in December 1981 for the primary purpose of commemorating the contributions of Loyalist settlers in the Nashwaak Valley of New Brunswick to the development of the province and Canada in general and of Central New Brunswick in particular. To accomplish this aim, members of the association undertook to conduct historical research on the settlements along the Nashwaak, the early settlers, their social life, industries, schools, churches, and other aspects of local development. It was their hope to perpetuate a continuing interest in these Loyalist settlers and their descendants long after the bicentennial celebrations had concluded. While the association had decided initially to focus exclusively on the Loyalists, the research plan was later expanded to include all settlers of the Nashwaak area.

In June 1984 the association released the product of its research, a book entitled "And the River Rolled On." The following month a "Homecoming Week" was held, also in celebration of the bicentennial. In 1986 the Nashwaak Bicentennial Association produced a companion volume to "And the River Rolled On," "Nashwaak Families 1785-1885," that contains a listing of names of early Nashwaak settlers.

In October 2007, the association held a meeting to wind up its business and officially disband.

The Father Morriscy Medicine Co. Limited, incorporated in 1908 in Montréal, Québec, held the patent to the medicinal remedies formulated by the Reverend William Morriscy of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

William Morriscy was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1841, where he studied medicine for two years with a licensed physician. When James Rogers was made Bishop of the Diocese of Chatham, New Brunswick, he persuaded Morriscy and others to relocate there to study for the priesthood and to teach at Saint Michael's Academy in Chatham. Morriscy taught for three years and was ordained in 1864. After serving briefly at Caraquet and teaching again for a time, he became parish priest at West Bathurst, remaining there for two years. In 1868 he was appointed parish priest of Renous, and, in 1877, of Bartibog where he remained for the rest of his life.

At Bartibog Morriscy's medical practice soon became more famous than his pastoral work. At times he was consulted by more than 20 patients a day. He treated people of all faiths free of charge and was a believer in herbs and balsams as well as conventional medicine. Some considered him the best diagnostician in the province. In 1881 the province passed a medical act, restricting the practice of medicine to licensed physicians. It was widely believed that the exception made for "clairvoyant physicians" was specifically intended to allow Morriscy to continue his practice. He died in 1908, well loved and deeply respected.

Sources:
Dictionary of Miramichi Biography by W. D. Hamilton, 1997

The Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission was created on 22 January 1964 by an international agreement signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson of the United States and Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson of Canada. The agreement established the park, located on the site of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's summer home on Campobello Island in New Brunswick, as a memorial to the close and neighbourly relations between the peoples of Canada and the United States.

Franklin Roosevelt was stricken with poliomyelitis at his summer home on Campobello, in 1921. He returned only in 1933 and 1939, although his family continued to visit until 1952, when the cottage was sold to the Hammer family of New York State. In 1963 the Hammer family donated the cottage and 20 acres of land to allow for the establishment of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, which was officially dedicated on 20 August 1964. Comprising 1,134-hectares (2,800 acres), the park contains the Roosevelt summer cottage which is open to visitors, who may also enjoy the extensive grounds and the panoramic ocean view.

Source: Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission Web site: www.fdr.net/frmain.htm

Merchant and entrepreneur, William Fotherby Burditt (1849-1931) was born on 30 May 1849, at Saffron-Walden, Essex, England, to the Rev. Thomas Burditt (1811-1881) and Anne Maria Fotherby Burditt (1817-1859), later of Tenby, South Wales. He had 6 siblings, namely, Thomas Henry (b. 1842), Anna Mary (1844-1939), George Deane (b. 1847), John Frederick (1851-1894), Eleanor (1855-1901), and Francis Noel (Frank, 1858-1940). William Burditt left Britain in June 1868 and settled in Saint John, New Brunswick. On 5 July 1870 he married Eliza Lury Duval, the daughter of school inspector Edmund Hillyer Duval. Seven of their children, William F. Burditt, Jr. (1873-1950), Mary Louise Burditt (Flewwelling, 1874-1948), Nellie Burditt (b. 1878), Arthur F. Burditt (1880-1970), Eleanor F. Burditt (1878-1947), and Edith Constance Burditt (1885-1975), reached adulthood.

From November 1870 to April 1874, William F. Burditt and his family lived in Nova Scotia, probably near Lawrencetown. They were living at Sackville, N.B., in July 1874, when Mary Louise (May) was born, but left there in November of the same year for Saint John. He was employed out of province for a couple of years and then returned to Saint John. He worked in partnership with Arthur P. Tippet under the firm name Arthur P. Tippet & Co. in the late 1870s and early 1880s. The business functioned as manufacturers' agents for the sale of fine salt, vinegars, soap, lard, oil, macaroni, and other foodstuffs. With Arthur P. Tippet, he co-founded the Saint John firm of Tippet, Burditt and Co. Ltd., in 1883, that sold agricultural implements and machinery, and he formed W. F. Burditt & Co. that sold similar merchandise (1890s). By the early 1920s, he was manager of the lumbering firm Frost and Wood Co. Ltd.

William F. Burditt's major contribution to Saint John was his guidance of the redesign of the city centre, and his creation of the new town plan. His models for civic systemization were widely copied throughout Canada. William F. Burditt served as vice-president of the Saint John Board of Trade and was active in the Saint John Exhibition Association. On invitation of the Canadian government, he attended the Centenary Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876. W. F. Burditt was a member of the Good Roads Association, the Natural History Society, the Saint John Art Club, the Fortnightly Club, the Free Kindergarten Association, and Germain Street Baptist Church. He also served as chairman of school trustees in East Saint John. William F. Burditt died at Saint John on 6 November 1931. His wife, Lury, predeceased him, passing away on 15 May 1928.

William F. Burditt's father was a Baptist preacher, who lived for many years at Tenby, Wales. His sister Anna Mary Burditt never married. She lived in Luton where she taught school, attended Park Street Baptist Church, and ran a book shop for many years in partnership with her brother, Frank Burditt. William F. Burditt's brother, John F. Burditt came to New Brunswick in 1869. He studied at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, graduating in 1877. He furthered his education at Newton Theological Seminary, Newton, Massachusetts. For a number of years, under the auspices of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, he served in India and elsewhere. He died on 4 August 1894, in India, leaving a wife and 5 children, who probably made their home at Newtown, Massachusetts, following his death.

William F. Burditt's son, William F. Burditt, Jr., studied electrical engineering at the Pratt Institute, in New York, and mechanical engineering at Cornell University, graduating in 1898. He was employed by Prentiss Co., of New York; was proprietor of W. F. Burditt Machinery Company, New York City, in 1907; and became president of Loy & Nawart Co., of Newark, in 1912. In 1919, he co-founded Service Machine Co., of Elizabeth, New Jersey, retiring from the company in 1949. He married Katherine Adina Smith in 1902, and they had no fewer than 4 children, Katherine (Donaldson), Ruth B. (Thomas), Arthur K., and Allen G. and raised a foster son, Francis Mills. William F. Burditt, Jr. died 24 January 1950.

William F. Burditt's younger son, Arthur F. Burditt, married Lila Agnes White in 1918, and they had no fewer than 6 children: Alice Geraldine (b. 1919, m. MacLean), Albert William (b. 1921), George Dwight (1922-2012), Doris Duval (b. 1925, m. Hoar), Dr. Anna Mary (1929-2007), and Charlotte Evelyn (b. 1939, m. Sutherland). Daughters, Mary Louise (May) Burditt, Eleanor F. Burditt, and Edith C. Burditt remained in Saint John. Mary Louise married John Witcombe Flewwelling, a printer, on 20 June 1907. Eleanor F. Burditt, a nurse, died unmarried on 11 May 1947. Edith Burditt, a graduate of Acadia Ladies Seminary of Music, served as organist of the Edith Avenue Baptist Church (Saint John) for a number of years. She died unmarried at her residence on Bayside Drive on 11 July 1975, age 90.

The York-Sunbury Historical Society was formed in 1932 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Major W.G. Clark was the first president. The aim of the Society was "to gather and preserve objects and traditions of historical interest in the region of central New Brunswick, especially the counties of York and Sunbury, and to read and publish papers dealing with the same." A library and museum were begun in the Fredericton Post Office in 1932 and moved to the Officers' Barracks in 1934. The society published "The Officers' Quarterly". The York-Sunbury Historical Society provided the much needed service of collecting and preserving records before the Provincial Archives was established. In 1968 the bulk of their collection was transferred to the Archives. The society is active in 2003.

The Kindness Club, a non-profit, international humane organization for children, was founded in 1959 by Mrs. Aida Flemming of Fredericton, New Brunswick. Based upon Dr. Albert Schweitzer's philosophy of reverence for life, the club's primary objectives are to educate children to be kind to animals and people and to respect the environment. In 1963 the Kindness Club Foundation Inc. was incorporated by letters patent to oversee the work of the Kindness Club. Both children and adults are eligible to join the Kindness Club, either as individual members or as part of a branch club or a Kindness Club class. Branch clubs are formed at animal shelters, libraries, or community centres and are located throughout Canada, in the United States, and in India, England, the West Indies, Belize, Ireland, Australia, Korea, Japan, and elsewhere.

The Kindness Club is affiliated with many Humane Societies and Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCAs) across Canada and in the United States, and is a member of the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, the World Societies for the Protection of Animals, the Canadian Nature Federation, and Zoocheck Canada. Supported financially by donations, the Kindness Club sponsors an annual essay contest in New Brunswick schools; organizes nature walks and education classes to teach kindness to animals and pet care; and produces a newsletter. In 2001 its main office is located at 66 Brunswick Street, Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Source: The Kindness Club Web site: www.smythe.nbcc.ca/kindness

Loyalist John Ward was born in Peekskill, New York, on 8 November 1753, probably to Elizabeth Strange and Edmund Ward. He immigrated to New Brunswick with the Loyal American Regiment at the end of the Revolutionary War, settling permanently at Parrtown, later renamed Saint John. He became engaged in commercial pursuits there, which included a wholesale liquor business, a general mercantile establishment, lumber milling, iron founding, a steamer service on the St. John River, and selling timber abroad. His sons, John (1783-1875), Charles (d. 1882), and Caleb (d. 1821) joined him in the family firm, which for many years, was located at the corner of South Wharf and Ward streets. John Ward was also involved in municipal and provincial politics, sitting as an alderman for the city of Saint John, from 1799 to 1809, and later as a member of the House of Assembly for Saint John County and city. He also served as a justice of the peace and as an officer in the militia.

In 1814 the firm of John Ward & Son commissioned the construction of the 391-ton ship "Waterloo," the first square-rigged vessel built at St. Martins (also known a Quaco), N.B. Constructed by James Moran and launched in 1815, the "Waterloo" was engaged in the timber trade until 1826 when it was sold. Over time, the firm, which was later known as John Ward & Sons, owned a number of other vessels and was involved in shipbuilding activities on Quaco Bay. John Ward's contributions to the local economy was acknowledged by his fellow citizens, and he was given the appellation, "Father of the City." Following his death on 5 August 1846, his sons, John and Charles, continued the family business into the 1850s.

Sources: "John Ward," Dictionary of Canadian Biography" on-line; Esther Clark Wright, "The Ships of St. Martins," and Daniel Johnson, "Vital Statistics from New Brunswick Newspapers"

The Women's Institute was founded in 1897 by Adelaide Hoodless of Stoney Creek, Ontario. Alma Jane Porter, of Andover, New Brunswick, was instrumental in introducing the organization to New Brunswick women. Between 1911 and 1960 hundreds of branches of the Women's Institute were established across the province.

New Brunswick's involvement in the Women's Institute began on June 12, 1911 in Andover. Mrs. James E. Porter (nee Alma J. Watson), invited leaders from the Ontario Department of Agriculture to tell local farmers and their wives about Women's Institutes. Mrs. Porter, whose husband had been an M.L.A. from Victoria County had become conscious of the loneliness of farm women during her constituency travels. Following James Porter's retirement from political life in 1903, he returned to his farming, and lumbering interests. His progressive ideas necessitated trips to Ontario and Quebec and during those trips Mrs. Porter learned about the Women's Institute. After initiating the organization, Mrs. Porter continued to take an active interest in the Women's Institute until her death in 1951 and was called the "Mother of the Women's Institutes in New Brunswick".

The Richmond Women's Institute was formed on June 9, 1912. Mrs. Alma J. Watson of Debec was the first president. Members were drawn from Debec, MacKenzie Corner, Green Road, Limestone, Speerville, Park Mountain, Oak Mountain, and Maple Dale. The meetings were held monthly at members' homes, local churches or the I.O.O.F. Hall in Debec. The Richmond Women's Institute had adhered strongly to the aims of the Federated Women's Institutes of Canada; - "to promote an appreciation of rural living, to develop informed citizens through the study of national and international issues (particularly those affecting women and children) and to initiate national programs to achieve common goals."