Every Saturday in December seemed to have a project related to Christmas. Today was the day to make the fruit cakes. Gram and Sadie arrived with the three large round cake tins. Mum carried in all the ingredients from the back pantry and the cutting and mixing went into high gear accompanied by lots of talk and laughter. Dad was assigned the task of keeping a good fire going to heat the water in the wash boiler as this is where the steaming of the cakes would take place but I might add he took no part in making the fruit cake.

Since Daniel Keith was an excellent cook and being without peer in New Canaan as a baker of bread, he would probably have helped with the making of the Christmas Pudding and the baking of it in his large stone baking oven outdoors near the kitchen door. It has been stated that his family of twelve sons and two daughters consumed on an average one barrel of flour per week.

Daniel served in the Queen’s Rangers in Virginia and New York from 1781 to 1783 and came to Saint John with the Loyalists in 1783. According to his application for an additional grant of land, dated 28 June 1817, he was aged fifty six years at that time and was born in Dublin, Ireland and had resided in the Parish of Brunswick in the County of Queens for upwards of seventeen years. He was married with a family of fourteen children and had received a grant of 300 acres in New Canaan in August of 1815.

His children married into the families of Alward, Cannon, Clark, Corey, Humphrey, Mullin, Price, and Starkey

Tragedy struck the home of George and Abigail Keith on May 10, 1816 in Butternut Ridge, when their two young daughter disappeared.

John Keith’s son Benjamin was born in 1817 and was a famous wrestler. 

In 1979, Fred Amos, Gerald Keith and Myrtle K Perry published the book, “The Descendants of Daniel and Elizabeth (Disbrow) Keith” with lots of detailed information. The 542 pages hold thousands of names and dates. It can be found in several research institutions in New Brunswick.

Queries

Query 1016
Tisdale: Does anyone have a photo of Thomas E. Gilbert Tisdale, who was the Dutch vice-consul 1872-1875 and was also consul for Panama. He was a well known merchant in Saint John and was also involved with insurance and was for some time Deputy Water Sheriff and Secretary of the Saint John Agricultural Society.
    -Karen Green., Box 361, 1917 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6J 1M7. E-mail to kbgreen@direct.ca.

Query 1017
Mitton - Beaman: I am seeking information on William Ezra Mitton who was listed in the 1871 Elgin, Albert County census as a 15 year old farm laborer living with the Beaman family.
    -Gary R. Mitton, RR#2 Harriston, Ontario, Canada, N0G 1Z0. E-mail to spotted@sprint.ca.

Query 1018
Fraser - Aubin: John Fraser was born circa 1822 in East River, Pictou County, Nova Scotia. His parents were from Scotland. He married Josephine Aubin in Grand Falls, New Brunswick on May 12, 1879. He may have been a Reverend with the Episcopalian - Anglican Church.  He died in Grand Falls on Nov. 16, 1894. I am searching for any information on John and his parents. 
    -Lily Fraser, 42 Glen Eyre Court, Fredericton, NB, Canada, E3C 2P7. E-mail to lfraser@nb.sympatico.ca.

Query 1019
Kievenaar - Wedderurn - Allan: Henry A. Kievenaar was born 23 March 1826 in Holland and died 8 February 1869.  He was supposedly the Dutch Consul to the Maritime Provinces. His wife Ellen J. Sullivan was born 1824 died 1882. His son, Henry, who died in 1899 is buried in Boston, Massachusetts and is listed in the Saint John Globe as a former prominant citizen of Saint John. His daughter Barbara married Mitchell Allan, the son of Allan and Dorothy Wedderburn.
    -M. A. Ames Fox, P.O. Box 187, Decherd, TN, 37324  U.S.A. E-mail to amesfox@alscomputers.com