Life in St. George

New Brunswick and Charlotte

The maritime provinces of Canada began as Acadia in the 1600s and slowly grew at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes. The end of the revolutionary war saw nearly 14,000 loyalist refugees immigrate from 1783 to 1785.(1) Majority of these men were not gentlefolk, but long-settled yeoman Americans, three fourths of whom came from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.(2) This laid the groundwork for a relatively homogeneous culture of low class workers.

New Brunswick was made a province of British North America in 1784, until the establishment of Canada in 1867.(3) It was one of the first four provinces, along with Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Since then it has developed alongside Britain and America increasing in population, industry, and culture.

Village of St. George looking over the basin toward the wharf, about 1890. (4)

St. George History

St. George was a small town, especially when compared to its American neighbors across the Bay. However, its industry was extensive as “by the mid-1800s five shipyards, ten sawmills and seven granite mills were operating in and around St George.”(5) The town’s coming of age was in 1904, with its official incorporation. Besides fishing and lumber, granite quarries made up a critical part of the small town’s economy.

"Wherever you go in and around the town, you'll catch glimpses of the old - of the town's shipbuilding past in the crumbling wharves in the lower basin, of its granite past in buildings and monument and abandoned quarries, of its mining past in the deserted mine at Mount Pleasant."

The Town of St. George, History

St. George, New Brunswick in 1954. (6)

The First Great War

The demographics of Canada made for zealous and interesting experience in the first world war. In previous decades, immigration of United Kingdom born people meant a very large population of Canada was highly motivated in the cause of supporting their mother country. This was particularly true in the Maritimes, where the immigrants were a larger percent of the population. For those Canadian born for many generations, England was still regarded as their family and ally. Of the almost 620,000 who were enlisted, only about 424,000 went overseas in the Canadian Expeditionary Force.(7) Canada, as well as the United States served as an important production center in supporting the war efforts, protected from immediate danger and already well industrialized. Of Samuel’s children, only George Webster served, but doubtless the entire family was engaged through their work in food or goods production.

Celebrating VE day in St. George May 8 1945 (8)

The Second World War 

World War II presented a similar situation for New Brunswick and the Leavitt Family. At this point several of Samuel’s sons had immigrated to Maine and Connecticut. On both sides of the border, their ages lead to drafting but not service. New Brunswick became host to training bases, military air strips, and munitions factories, while civilians aided with victory bonds, blood donations, gathering and recycling materials, and much more.(9) This family lived through the most critical and challenging times of Western history, and would do their, albeit small, part in aiding the fight for freedom.

The Fishing Industry

Samuel and several of his sons were fishermen, which was and is still one of the staple industries of the province, especially in shore-side towns like St. George.

In the southeastern shore of New Brunswick, where Charlotte County is located, lobster was the cash catch. There was an abundance of lobster, and the cost of setting up canneries was low, attracting outsides processing companies. By 1880, there were nearly 100 of these canneries, and their smokestacks dominated the coastline. After its peak in 1887 however, the industry began to decline in value, plummeting after the 30s and Second World War. The popularity of fresh lobster contributed to this, as did the lack of modern processing methods to compliment a changing industry.

The introduction of the sailing schooner at the start of the 19th century was an innovation that allowed larger operations, and the pinky schooner, introduced shortly thereafter, allowed voyages of a few days or up to a week, allowing fishermen to reach cod banks further out to sea. By the 20th century the Fairbanks motor replaced sails, and an overhaul by the provincial government post WWII made the more efficient trawler a staple method of industrial fishing.

While the fishing industry suffered for some time, as it failed to keep up with industrialization and technological advancement, better days came. Samuel and his sons were passing away or retiring just as the 1960s were proving a time of recovery and growth, as catches soared and large new processing plants were being built.(10)

The Pulp Industry 

Forestry has also been a major industry of New Brunswick, used as a raw material export, supply in ship building, and in pulp and paper. In fact, the first paper mills in New Brunswick were opened in St. George at the start of the 20th century. The communities in which mills were opened displayed rapid population growth, and created job growth through construction, hiring millers, and increasing demand for loggers and transportation.(11)

The industry proved to be a boon to the province during the Great Depression. During the second part of this challenging decade, the forest industries continued to grow and expand, aided by the collapse of the largest lumber operators. While this may otherwise have been catastrophic, it allowed paper companies to gain control of Crown land and promoted great faith in the future of pulp and paper.
Bertha Leslie’s husband Charles worked in a pulp mill, as did her adopted brother George Webster Leavitt. The strength of pulp during the depression was no doubt a comfort and boon to both of their families, as well as the community at large.(12)

 Interior of the St. George pulp and paper mill, ca. 1946-50. (13)

Exterior of the St. George pulp and paper mill. (14)

Being Baptist 16 
The presence of religious denomination on the Canadian censuses make it clear that the Leavitt family, Samuel, Rosanna, and their children were all Baptist throughout their lives. The first Baptist church in St. George was built in 1845, and still stands today, though it has been moved from its original location.(15) A protestant sect, Baptist belief and practices focus on scripture, a fatherly God, and a Christ who dwells in all believers.(16) The Leavitts demonstrated themselves to be a family of faith, children continuing in the faith of their fathers.

St. George Baptist chapel before being moved. (17)

(1) Acheson, T. W. A Study in the Historical Demography of a Loyalist County. Ottawa: York University, 1968.
(2) Nelson, W. H. "The Loyalists of New Brunswick by Esther Clark Wright (Review)." The Canadian Historical Review 37, no. 2 (June 1956): 180-81. Accessed December 12, 2018. Project Muse.
(3) "History." Government of New Brunswick. March 14, 2016. Accessed December 12, 2018.
(4) 1890. Leonard Allison Photographs Collection, Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, St. George. Historical Pictures of St. George. Accessed December 13, 2018. (5) "Visitor Information: History." Town of St. George. Accessed December 15, 2018.
(6) St. George, New Brunswick - 1954. "Images of Canada St. George and Its Neighbours". By David Goss and Elizabeth Toy.
(7) “Canada and the First World War,” Canadian War Museum. Accessed 15 December 2018. (8) Celebrating VE Day in St. George, NB - May 8, 1945. "Images of Canada St. George and Its Neighbours". By David Goss and Elizabeth Toy. (9) “New Brunswick During WW II.” Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. Accessed 15 December 2018.
(10) "New Brunswick's Fisheries of the Past." Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. Accessed December 12, 2018.
(11) "New Brunswick’s Forests of Old." Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. Accessed December 12, 2018.
(12) Parenteau, Bill. "The Woods Transformed: The Emergence of the Pulp and Paper Industry in New Brunswick, 1918-1931." Acadiensis XXII, no. 1 (Autumn 1992): 5-43. Accessed December 12, 2018.
(13) Howard, Albert. Interior of the St. George Pulp and Paper Mill. 1946-50. RootsWeb, St. George. In St. George Historical Pictures. May 22, 2013. Accessed December 13, 2018. (14) Image Express Ltd. Exterior Views of the St. George Pulp and Paper Mill. St. George. RootsWeb, St. George. In St. George Historical Pictures. 2002. Accessed December 13, 2018.
(15) "Visitor Information: History." Town of St. George. Accessed December 15, 2018.
(16) “The Baptist Faith and Message.” Southern Baptist Convention. Accessed December 15, 2018.
(17) St. George Baptist Church. "Images of Canada St. George and Its Neighbours". By David Goss and Elizabeth Toy.