I recently discovered a collection of old grant registers and record books available online at Family Search. The films include an index by county and grantee and copies of the original grant books and registers. I did not see any petitions listed. I was able to quickly locate two early grants which I previously had to acquire from the Dept. of Crown Lands. For information on navigating these records, see my new page under the Resources Tab: Land Grant Registers Online
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The homesteads of our Ripley ancestors were located on the traditional territory of the Mi'kmaq people. Although the British signed several treaties with the Mi'kmaq, their lands were never formally ceded. The lands along the Maccan and Nappan Rivers were later settled by Acadian families during a period of French settlement. The struggle for dominance between the French and English in North America (and globally) came to a head in the Seven Years War (1756-63), known in French Canada as The War of Conquest. After the fall of the French-controlled Fort Beausejour and the expulsion of the Acadians, the British began to issue large land grants in what later became Cumberland County. At present, I lack the historical background and deep cultural understanding required to do justice to a discussion of pre-British settlement and displacement. However, I am educating myself. While I'm interested in the places our Ripleys settled, I also sympathize with the original inhabitants who were displaced.
The modern communities of Amherst, Nappan, Maccan, and Fenwick are located on land originally granted in just two large parcels. The first grant of approximately 26,750 acres, was made 29 Jul 1757 and established Amherst Township. The grant named 41 individuals who received grants of 500 acres each plus provisions made for a schoolmaster. (Old Record Book 1, p. 231) The largest grant within the Amherst Tract was a 1000-acre parcel granted to Col. Henry Denny Denson on 5 Aug 1767. (Old Record Book 6, p. 685 and Old Record Book 7, p. 230) The 1000 acres passed from Denson to his son-in-law Robert Fletcher and then to Thomas Cochran. In 1782, the 1000 acres were leased by Ripley Progenitor Robert Ripley and his wife Isabella Bean. The second grant of 20,000 acres was made 11 Jul 1764 to Captain Adam Gmelin. (Old Record Book 6, p. 537). The communities of Nappan, Maccan, and Fenwick are located on lands once granted to Gmelin. In 1769, Gmelin's property was auctioned in a court-ordered sale to settle an unpaid debt to J. F. W. DesBarres. DesBarres obtained the northernmost 8,000 acres and Lt. Governor Michael Francklin obtained the southernmost 12,000 acres. I've done a bit of re-arranging in the homestead section to make this more clear. Under the Homesteads Tab, you'll now see a Homesteads Overview page and I have moved the pages about Landlord Desbarres and Captain Gmelin and the Gmelin Line dispute into the Homesteads Overview section. |
AuthorHi there! My name is Mallory Burton and I started researching the Ripley family in 2011. I'd describe myself as a careful amateur who's more interested in story than names and dates. I hope you enjoy my website and blog. I also have a public Mallory/Ripley tree on Ancestry with over 4,000 names. To contact me, please comment on any one of my blog posts. Archives
May 2024
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