1783-1865
Ireland - Prince Edward Island
Linda Nielsen did most of this research.
There is a terrific site devoted to Prince Edward Island, from which much of this comes:
http://www.islandregister.com
Fulton Underhay was also a most helpful and knowledgeable person - his page
The Descendants of Valentine Needham and Catherine Hughes
on the PEI site
is the source of much of the family information.
Sarah Needham Bates emigrated to Canada in 1832.
According to the reminiscences of Jennie Bothwell Bratney, granddaughter of Sarah N Bates, Valentine was the brother of Sarah. Here is all she wrote on the matter: “Valentine Needham, a brother of Sarah Bates, Senior, was taken off a ship and forced to stay on Prince Edward Island. In course of time became very wealthy.”
In 1811, the ship Belisarius, enroute from Dublin to New York, had the misfortune to encounter the British warship Atalanta. Sixty-two people were taken off; 17 were impressed into service; 2 were left in Halifax after promising to remain there (they did not regard that promise as binding); the remaining 43 were “removed to a sloop, which sailed with them to the island of St John's, with directions that they should be put on the estate of Lord James Townsend.” [The "Shamrock" of August 10, 1811 - quoted in an article on the PEI site: http://www.islandregister.com/1811belisarius.html]
The list of passengers removed from the Belisarius for settlement on Townshend’s land included: Valient, Cath. and Eliza Needham
Fulton Underhay, who does a lot of genealogy on PEI, was kind enough to use his contacts and one of them (John Murphy) was kind enough to share this:
A few years ago, I obtained a copy of a handwritten story by William Needham, the son of Valentine Needham. The original is in the PEI Archives; Accession No. 2702 Item No. 1055. Unfortunately, the Archives only has the first page. Here is my transcription, including the grammar and punctuation, as best I can make it out:
"Wm. Needham's Statement re Abell + Pierce/ 29 June 1892
Wm Needham. Valentine Needham, my father, left Dublin in 1811 on board an american Merchant Ship bound for State of New York. The American War had not then broken out but there was a strong warlike feeling at the time and when they were within about a days Sail of New York an English Man encountered them + hailed them + made them heave to and sent a boat's Crew on board who obliged all men capable of bearing arms to Surrender and go on board took them on board the Man of War. Then the old men + women were let go + these [illegible] the orders at first were to take the Men and leave the women but they could not Part them then the Commanding Officer gave orders to take the men + their wives + young children. My father had two children alive then + they were taken with father + mother. They were all taken to Halifax and released there. Lord James Townsend (Admiral Townsend) was in Halifax with a Man of War vessel at that time. He owned Lot 56 and hearing of these families being there he made them an offer to give them land therewith the usual term of lease + also to give them Homes [illegible] maintenance. There were 14 families who agreed to this offer. They were put on board a [illegible] vessel that was [heading?] to Halifax at the time + brot in that vessel to Bay Fortune + [illegible] --- they were landed there + the agent Abel got [illegible] to give each... "
That's all there is of that. The next page probably described Abel's murder.
John Murphy also said: Their transport to PEI was made in the Aeolus. I believe Lord James Townshend was the master of the Aeolus and one of the midshipmen was Frederick Maryatt who later wrote about the event in his semi-fictional work, "A Naval Officer".
Cath. might possibly be Valentine’s wife - according to Fulton Underhay, her name was Catherine Hughes, b ~1780. But is Eliza a daughter or a sister? According to William’s account (above) there should have been two children. . . .
~~~~~~~~~~
So - - cobbling together the various information, a timeline:
~1783 Valentine Needham born, Co Wicklow, Ireland
1xxx - married Catherine Hughes
The birthdate for Catherine is usually given as “about 1780" but that makes her pretty old to be the mother of some of these children. The last, Elizabeth, was possibly born in the late 1820s - early1830s (she married 1851), which would make Catherine in her 40s or 50s.???
bef 1811 - 2 children born - one possibly Eliza?
1811 - taken off Belisarius, settled in PEI, Lot 56
1813 - daughter Sarah born
~1816 - son William born
In 1819, 1821, 1822 Valentine Needham was a constable in Bay Fortune, P.E.I.
1819:
From The Prince Edward Island Royal Gazette February 27, 1819, page 3
Hillary Term 1919
The Honourable the Justices of His Majesty's Supreme Court of Judicature have been pleased to appoint the following Persons to be Fence Viewers and Constables, of the different Districts annexed to their names for the ensuing Year.
Fence Viewers Constables
Bay Fortune
John McKie, sen. Valen. Needham
William Dingwell Joseph Coffin
1821
Fence Viewers and Constable List, P.E.I. - 1821
Bay Fortune
Joseph Coffin John Aitken
William Burke William Webster
Valentine Needham
1822
From the Prince Edward Island Royal Gazette, 1822.
Hilary Term 1822
The Honourable the Justices of His Majesty's Supreme Court of Judicature, have been pleased to appoint the following Persons to be Fence Viewers and Constables of the different Districts annexed to their Names for the ensuing Year.
Fence Viewers Constables
Bay Fortune
James Aitken Valentine Needham
Joseph Coffin James Coffin
1820 - son Edward born
1822 Dec 11 - son James born
18xx - daughter Elizabeth born
In 1829, there was a Needham (the first name is illegible) listed as a lieutenant.
The Prince Edward Island Calendar – 1829
An almanac, printed in 1829. LaVerne Chappell - rlchap@cadvision.com has transcribed all lists in it containing names of members of government, the courts, clergy, militia, road commissioners, various societies, etc.
The PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND CALENDAR For The Year Of Our Lord 1 8 2 9
Lieutenants
[?] M'Ewen
[?]d Douglas
[?]ld M'Donald
[?]d M'Ewen
[?]rd Clarke
[?]h Needham
In 1840, there was a Henry Needham Mackay listed as a lieutenant in the First King’s County Regiment.
1841 census - some parts missing - including Lot 56 in which Valentine lived
1851 census - I think maybe there is no PEI census this year?
1855 Apr 25 - wife Catherine died
buried Bay Fortune United Church Cemetery
1861 census - sons William and Edward were also on this census, William in Lot 48, Edward in Charlottetown
1861 PEI Kings, Lot 56
I am assuming that the younger people with him belong to son James’s family because (1) James is not listed elsewhere on this census, and (2) James is listed as living in Lot 56 in the 1881 census.
Valentine Needham - farmer - 110101 / 120100
under 5 (1856-61)- 1m, 1f John 1861, Hannah Jane 1858
5-16 (1845-56) - 1m, 2f Lemuel 1856, Sarah Elizabeth 1854, unknown girl A
21-45 (1816-40) - 1m, 1f James 1822, Elmira 1831
over 60 (bef 1801) - 1m Valentine 78 (1783)
not vaccinated 4 / total in family 8 / married 3 / single 5 / births this year 1
Bible Christians 8
acres leased 100 / years left on lease 84 / years expired 50 / rent / prop Thomas H –
land - 2nd quality / arable acres 30 / bushels of wheat 10 / barley 30 / oats 250 /
buckwheat 0 / potatoes 300 / turnips 45 / clover seed 0 / tons hay 6
yds of cloth fulled 12 / not fulled 20 / pounds of butter 100
horses 2 / cows 7 / sheep 17 / hogs 11
native to Ireland 1 / British provinces 1 / this island 6
In 1864, Valentine Needham (age 83?) was postmaster in Bay Fortune.
Hutchinson's Prince Edward Island Directory, 1864 - Appendix
Post Office Department
Post Offices in Prince Edward Island, with Postmaster's names, and times of mails leaving Charlottetown.
Eastern Mails
Monday and Thursday, at 7 P.M.
Bay FortuneValentine Needham
That same year (in that same directory) there was a listing for Edward Needham, tanner and currier, in Charlotteotwn (Great George n Euston)
1865 March 12 - Valentine Needham died
buried Bay Fortune United Church Cemetery
Forward to: Valentine's ChildrenNEEDHAM, Valentine.d. Bay Fortune {Lot 43}, 12 March 1865, aged 82 years, a native of County Wicklow, Ireland,and a resident of Bay Fortune for 54 years. (Presbyterian, 18 March 1865) - from “A Century of Farewells” found in "A Biographical Dictionary of Prince Edward Island Immigrants, 1800 - 1900" Volume two, page 398 (Info provided by Fulton Underhay)
questions, comments, additions, corrections?
contact me at: lee@leesgenes.com
Page last updated 27 May 2011