He is noted on a Wilmot, NS muster roll in 1784 and was granted 100 acres there in 1785; in neither instance do the records indicate that he had family with him. The baptisms of his two daughters, Rhonda (b. March 1785) and Phoebe (b. 1787), in July 1790 and April 1791 respectively, at Wilmot, NS, suggest that he must have taken up the land grant and lived in Wilmot for some time. Bedford's wife's name was Mary but her surname has not been determined. In 1791 and 1792, muster rolls at Remshag (now Wallace), NS indicate that Bedford, a carpenter, was there, but he had no family with him. It is speculated that his wife died about 1791 but this has not been confirmed.
By the time of his marriage to Charlotte Harper (b. 20 Jan. 1770, d. 25 Oct. 1836) in Sackville, New Brunswick, on 26 August 1794, Bedford was settled in Sackville Parish. Charlotte Harper was the youngest daughter of Yorkshire farmers Christopher and Elizabeth Harper who arrived, with their family, at Fort Cumberland in the spring of 1775 aboard the Ship "Jenny". Bedford and Charlotte had seven children:
1. John, b. 1795 and d. Sept. 1873
2. Mary Ann, b. about 1800
3. Christopher, b. about 1803 and d. 2 Dec. 1876
4. William, b. 27 Feb. 1805
5. Sarah, b. 30 Sept. 1808 and d. 30 June 1884
6. Mary, b. about 1817 and d. July 1875
7. Bedford, b. about 1818 and d. 1870
Bedford and Charlotte lived in Wood Point, just outside Sackville, where he had a small shipyard. The New Brunswick Shipping Registers indicate that he built ships in 1824 and in 1825, although since the Registers do not begin until 1824, it is possible that he constructed vessels before that year. It is not known what business Bedford was engaged in between 1825 and his death on 14 October 1848, age 86 years. He served as a Captain in the 2nd Battalion Westmorland militia. Bedford Boultenhouse is buried in the Westcock Cemetery, Sackville, NB.
Bedford Boultenhouse's sons were also shipbuilders. First son, John, began building ships in 1835 and continued to practice his trade until 1853. William began his shipbuilding career in 1828. During the 1830s he built three schooners and in the late 1840s he built three other vessels. The youngest son, Bedford, first appears in the Registers in 1846 and during the 1850s he constructed a number of medium-sized vessels.
Christopher was the most prolific shipbuilder of the brothers. He built fifteen ships between 1824 and 1840, at Wood Point. He may have shared a shipyard at Wood Point with his brother William and it is likely that William took it over when Christopher moved his operations to Sackville in the early 1840s. At Sackville, Christopher established a large shipyard on the banks of the Tantramar River, close to the present day Via rail station. From that location, he built over forty ships, the last one being in 1875. He was a prominent and respected businessman by the 1860s and at times employed hundreds of men in his yard.
Christopher Boultenhouse was married first to Rebecca Harris (b. about 1804), on 2 March 1824. They had ten children:
1. John, b. about 1825, d. 9 January 1849
2. Jane, b. about 1827, d. 12 May 1849
3. James, b. about 1827, d. January 1855
4. William, b. about 1829, d. 1860 (at sea)
5. Mary M., b. about 1831
6. Amos, b. about 1833, d. 13 June 1859
7. Charles, b. about 1835
8. Sarah, b. about 1837
9. Bedford, b. about 1839
10. Elisabeth, b. about 1844, d. 1871
Rebecca died on 15 January 1849. Christopher then married Arabella Morice (b. about 1823), on 29 October 1850. They had two children:
1. Ellen, b. about 1854, d. Nov. 1886
2. William, b. about 1860. d. Oct. 1884
Christopher died on 2 December 1876 and Arabella died on 4 September 1880. They are both buried in the Westcock Cemetery, Sackville, NB.
SOURCES:
Chignecto Post , Sackville, NB, 1870 - 1878
Chignecto Post and Borderer , Sackville, NB. 1878 - 1896
Federal Censuses for Westmorland County, NB, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891.
Journals of the House of Assembly of the Province of New Brunswick , 1858 - 1867
Marriage Register, Westmorland Co., 1850
New Brunswick Courier , 1849; 1850
New Brunswick Shipping Registers , St. John, 1824 - 1883; Sackville, 1874 - 1925
The Transcript , Sackville, NB, 1880 - 1882
Wright, Esther Clark, The New Brunswick Loyalists , Fredericton, N.B. : [s.n.], 1955
For further information, inquiries or corrections please contact the Tantramar Heritage Trust. Email tantramarheritage@nb.aibn.com
