Margaret Marshall Saunders and her Freeman Background.

 

          You can find a story about Marshall Saunders on the Inter-net; look for Beautiful Joe Park in Meaford, Ontario. She became famous because she was the first Canadian female writer to sell a million copies of a book about a poor little misused dog. Her father was a Baptist Minister; her mother’s maiden name was “Freeman”. Her parents met at Milton, a Sawmilling/ Lumbering/ Shipbuilding/ Industrial Village, and part of the town of Liverpool, NS.

It was 1861 that she was born in her grandfather’s home. The Neo-Classical house still stands at #384 High. #8 in 2002.The house is shown in the photo.

Samuel Freeman, (1795-1875) builder of this house was the most important “Lumber Baron” in this village at the time.

          It was in 1760 that a group of 149 New England proprietors with mostly Pilgrim background accepted the offer for free land and opportunities in Nova Scotia. These were Plymouth Rock descendants, causing this area to be created by many with “Mayflower Passenger” claims.

          The town they created was Liverpool, an area 10 miles in width, and 14 miles in depth that contained 100,000 acres. Virgin forests of pine, spruce and hemlock were awaiting harvest, and hardwoods of maple, oak and birch to be made into ships for the seven seas.             

          Elisha Freeman (1701- 1777) in N.E. was an expert in the operation of sawmills, logging, and the use of waterpower. The river that flowed through this town created a great harbour.  This river, later named “The Mersey”, had a source of power above tide level just two miles from the town site. Elisha and his sons created a sawmill industry at the power site.

He had recently widowed, his six sons had followed him in trade.  The next 100 years saw the Freeman’s as owners of at least 3 of the 5 mills built at this site. The Falls received a new name “Milton”. The Samuel Freeman house shown on Page one is one of at least fifteen Freeman family houses still existing in 2002 in the half mile below and the half mile above this stretch of Highway #8. The sawmills have all disappeared.

The most famous of this family was Margaret Marshall Saunders. A park, called Tupper Park exists near the original “Falls”. A Plaque on a native stone in this park is shown here.

 

 

 

          The descendants of many Freeman families have shown their mettle. A partial list is offered here, many ventured into Medicine, others Engineering, and others Education.

Three sons of Elisha’s grandson, Zoheth (1) Freeman became early MD’s, all training in Cincinnati, Ohio. Zoheth (2) (1826-1898); Edwin (1834-1904); and Andrew P. (1842- 18xx). Zoheth (2) was followed into medicine by a son Leonard, and grandson Leonard Freeman, also practicing in Cincinnati.

          (It is interesting to note that Zoheth (1) as a young married father created the first public school in Milton, the year was 1828, he and 42 fathers created that school.) He was an uncle of Marshall Saunders. Her mother would have attended that school.

          A grandson of Zoheth (1) was Howard Stanley Freeman who started life as a civil engineer, and became a school principal in late life. His brother Clarence Porter Freeman (1875-1942) was a Dental Surgeon.

Dr. Ingram Bill Freeman (1835-xxxx) was the son of Surveyor Whitman Freeman, and practiced in Cornwallis, NS, and St. John, NB.

Others were Dr. Max Lee Freeman, (1887-xxxx), in India, DD.  Rev. John D. Freeman, (1864-1943); he preached in NB, and Ont.

Dr. Charles H. Freeman, (1875-1951); an MD in Moose jaw, Sask.

Dr. Stewart G. Freeman, (1862-1932); DD, he practiced in Texas.

Rev, Thaddeus S. Freeman. (1867-1898) was a  Christian Church Minister in Logansport, Indiana. He was also Chaplain with Adm. Dewey at Manila Bay, and he died in route home, after the campaign.

Rev. Edward Raymond Freeman, (1878-xxxx). He preached in Manitoba, there he met and married Flor
a Linkletter.

          This is Tupper Park, in Milton, Nova Scotia.

 

          The plaque for Marshall Saunders is mounted on this stone. The plaque for many years had been proudly displayed within the lobby of Milton’s Post Office. It was about ten years ago that Canada Post decided to downgrade Post Offices in smaller communities. Milton at this time had only 2500 population, and had gone from an industrial town to a bedroom community. New owners of the grand old houses were coming from “Away” and buying these Neo-Classical and Gothic Revival houses of wood, their boards having been manufactured here in Milton.

          A search was created to find a suitable flat-sided native stone. The gem found was the result of the melting of glaziers after the last ice age. The terrain in this area is very rocky, all caused by the melting of that period, and the materials that may have been brought from as far away as Hudson Bay.

          The Mersey River is in the background and beyond can be seen the outline of a church. This is the back end of the Milton Baptist church. It replaces the 1856 church that had been the ordaining church for her father. It was at nearby Acadia University that young men trained at theology, gained experience by serving smaller communities, eventually to be ordained as pastors.

          Edward Manning Saunders and Maria Kesboro Freeman were married at the Baptist Church at Milton Dec. 30, 1858. Maria was the daughter of Samuel and Mercy (Knowles) Freeman. Samuel was a third generation Freeman of Milton, a most prominent “Lumber Baron” of the Milton Industry. The shipyard of Samuel Freeman and Sons was located where Pine Grove Park exists today, 2002. They were very important Merchants, Lumber Producers, Shipbuilders, Exporters and Importers.

          It was several years later, after a daughter had been born in Grandfathers home, that Rev. Edward Saunders moved his family to Ontario, and preached in Baptist churches there. Margaret Marshall Saunders made them proud parents.

 

HHW, 2002.