The Stawell, Green, Wenman, Peirce, Pike, and Gerrish FamiliesLast Updated 06 April, 2007
oshua Schwartz married Elizabeth Stawell and settled in Lunenburg. Elizabethwas born in Lawrencetown, near Dartmouth Nova Scotia. Her heritage was easy to uncover. Once found, it turned out to be a rich one indeed. The Stawell
Barony had its origins with the Norman knight Sir
Adam, who came to England with William the
Conquerorin 1066. For his services Adam was given lands and a manor called "de
Coveston" or "de Cothelstone" and the manor of "de Stawelle" in Moorlinch,
County Somerset. In 1661, during the English Civil War,
the Stawell family fought with the Royalists against Cromwell, and Sir John
Stawell was imprisoned for several years
on this account. The royal line was restored in 1681, and in 1683 King Charles
II rewarded John's son for his father's
loyalty by crowning him "Baron Stawell of Somerton, County Somerset". The barony
expired in 1760 because there was no male heir. By special act of Parliament,
the Barony was awarded to Mary Stawell, daughter of the last male Baron with the
right of inheritance by her male heirs. She married Henry Bilson-Legge and had a
son, Henry. The Barony became extinct again
in 1820 with his death, and has not since been claimed. Elizabeth Stawell's
particular line takes a slightly different direction. Anthony Stawell
was sent as a soldier by the Crown to put down a
revolt in Ireland in 1600. He and his family settled in County Cork, at Coolmain
Castle (the painting, at right, depicts it in 1860).
The family lived there through six generations leading up to Reverend William
Stawell , Rector of the parish of
Kilmalooda in 1786. His son, William Stawell, was appointed an Ensign in His
Majesty's 48th Regiment of Foot in 1811
and was sent to Portugal for service in the Peninsular Wars. Ironically, Parish
records in Cork show that a child, presumably William died and was buried there
as a child in 1798. Had the record been more accurate, he might have been able
to claim the Barony in 1820. Ensign William Stawell
had an illustrious military career against
Napoleon in the Peninsular Wars of 1812-1814, culminating in
his receipt of the War Medal with Four Clasps for outstanding service (one with
three clasps is shown at left). In 1816, Ensign Stawell was promoted to
Lieutenant and reposted to the British garrison at Halifax until 1818, when, due
to the disbanding of his regiment, he was placed on half pay status, the
equivalent of today's Active Reserve.. He remained in this status until his
death in 1868. The British War Office kept close tabs on him throughout this
period, and so we have substantial information about his marriage, children, and
health. Lieutenant William Stawell married Elizabeth Green, daughter of the Hon. Benjamin Green, Treasurer pf tje Province of Nova Scotia. She was a great-grand daughter of the Reverend Joseph Green, Minister of the the Parish at Salem Village (now Danvers, Massachusetts) and Reverend Joseph Gerrish, Minister of the First Parish at Wenham Massachusetts. Rev. Green, successor of the infamous Reverend Samuel Parris, is remembered for reversing the convictions of those persons accused of witchcraft in that town. His son, the Hon. Benjamin Green Sr. accompanied Lord Peperrel as Secretary in the British expedition to siege Fortress Louisburg in 1745. In 1749 he was called to serve under Lord Cornwallis in the newly formed government of Nova Scotia Province. He was instrumental in the migration of the Foreign Protestants from Germany to Nova Scotia. He was a founding member of St Paul's Church in Halifax His son, (and Elizabeth's father) Benjamin was one of the twenty original land grantees of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He married Susanna Wenman, daughter of Richard Wenman, representative for Halifax in the Nova Scotia Assembly from 1765-1770. 
Lieutenant William and Elizabeth Stawell had two children who lived to maturity. William Eustace Stawell became a primary school teacher but later was afflicted by insanity and died unmarried. In 1849 Wenman Blankley Stawell married Mary Romans Bremner, daughter of John Bremner and Elizabeth King of Lawrencetown, and lived in his father's home. We can thank Wenman for several manuscripts that chronicle his and his father's life, and the family's claim to the Stawell Barony. Wenman and Mary had three children: William Eustace Stawell spent his life insane, being admitted to the Asylum in Dartmouth in 1869 and remaining there for the remainder of his life. Henry Stawell married Ellen MacDonald from Cape Bretton Nova Scotia, and settled in Halifax. After Henry's death in 1904, his family traveled west to Calgary Alberta and eventually to Tacoma Washington. Ellen died in 1933 in Calgary. Elizabeth, as we have seen, married Joshua Schwartz of Lunenburg Nova Scotia. It is a sad note on the nature of the times that nowhere in Wenman's papers or official records is the date of birth or death of Elizabeth recorded. Only the year of her birth are known. The year of her death can only be inferred. Wenman and Mary experienced serious marital difficulties, and in 1860, Wenman was admitted to the Insane Asylum in Dartmouth. He remained there until the death of his father in 1868. His will condemns Mary as being "notoriously guilty of gross sin and the author of painful family misfortune". His father eventually removed William Eustace and Elizabeth from Mary's home and took them to live with him at the home of George Hiltz, a family friend. Henry was farmed out, possibly to a fishing family in Lunenburg. Lieutenant William Stawell was acutely aware of the situation of the Stawell Barony in England. He preferred to be addressed as "Lord Stawell" by his friends in the British Army, and he kept in close touch with his father and uncles, who held title to the lands in Coolmain and Oldcourt Ireland. Son Wenman was careful to document his father's claims in a document entitled "Declaration of the History and Pedigree of our Family for the information and advantage of my true and lawful son, Henry Stawell", which he presented to his son in 1895, shortly before his death. In it, he describes the nature of the family ties to the Stawell family of Cork Ireland, explains his father's reasons for not returning to Ireland at the death of his Uncle Eustace to claim his title, and asserts his own claim to these titles for the benefit of his son. This document is in the possession of a descendant of Henry Stawell who graciously agreed to share it with the compiler for this family history. |
|
|
