# History of Islands & Islets in the Bay of Fundy, Charlotte County, New Brunswick/Chapter 4

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CHAPTER IV. INDIAN ISLAND.
HIS lovely little island-gem rests in the waters of the Passamaquoddy; but subject to the rushing tidal waters of the Bay of Fundy, in common with Deer Island, and all the smaller islands adjacent to has been known by almost as many names as a lord, duke or earl, or even a prince of royalty, the red rover of forest and stream called it Jeganagoose; then it received the name of Fish Island; anon Perkins' Island; again LeArterail; finally, to stop this erratic love of aliases, it obtained the present name Indian Island, which sounds a little more euphonious than Jeganagoose and yet it is rather singular that civilization delights in thus complimenting the descendants of those savage tribes by naming towns, villages, islands, and even railroad stations after them.
Indian Island has Campobello on its south-east, Deer Island on the north-west, and Moose Island on the west and south-west. It holds about a central position among them. Nothing can surpass the beauty of its situation and the view of the surrounding islands—the Passamaquoddy Bay, the towns of Eastport, Lubec and the bee-hive hamlet at Wilson's Beach on Campobello from this island—is exceedingly delightful. A view of Indian Island, too, from Fort Sullivan, the American fort at Eastport, and which, with lofty head, overlooks the surrounding waters (for Eastport is built upon Moose Head Island, as New York is upon Manhattan) and the islands in them, enables the beholder to look over it to advantage. Its form is oblong, extending about a mile in length, and contains in area about 150 acres.
Although compared in size to Moose Island, Campobello, or Deer Island, it may appear too small to demand ​Page:History of islands & islets in the Bay of Fundy, Charlotte County, New Brunswick; (IA historyofislands00lori).pdf/78 ​claimant might probably go into it with the determination of the "Tichborne claimant," and with similar results—all but Newgate!
Our Indian Island Robinson Crusoe, James Chaffey, was born in Somersetshire, England, went to London, learned the trade of a goldsmith, and, with the love of adventure strong in his bosom, determined to leave his native England, and see the new wtfrld, and gain a" firm foothold for himself on the western hemisphere, the great continent of America. He first found his way to Philadelphia. Had that city, at that time, presented to the eyes of the young adventurous goldsmith, the amazing world of wealth and the world's productions, as in this, ths Centennial exhibition of them, it may be—!
presumed that he would have become one of its But Philadelphia in 1760 was not the Philaand, after a brief sojourn there, with delphia of 1876 the spirit of travel, adventure and trade within him, he came down east, settled, as has been said, on Indian Island, and at once entered into the fur trade with the Indians. Neither Deer Island nor Campobello ( and
easily
citizens.
venturing the assertion, until successfully contradicted) nor Moose Island (Eastport) can boast, as can lovely little Indian Island, of having the first house erected on The first house and the first store that astonished it. the wondering eyes of the Passamaquoddy Indians were built by James Chaffey, the Somersetshire boy and the London goldsmith, at that time, the Indian fur-trader of Passamaquoddy Bay. An unmarried man at the time, with no white associate of either sex to cheer him in his solitude, it must have required an uncommon share of courage and love of adventure to reconcile him to an isolated existence, surrounded by day and by night with the wild whoops of treacherous savages made yet more wild and frightful, situated on the little forest island, and surrounded with the rips, and tides, and fogs of the ever-changing, evereddying, ever-whirling, rushing, foaming, seething waters of the Passamaquoddy As fortune is laid to follow the brave, so Chaffey was In destined to experience a change in his condition. the year 1768, a man by the name of John Lefontaine came from Port Pioyal to the island. Lefontaine, or, as! ​Page:History of islands & islets in the Bay of Fundy, Charlotte County, New Brunswick; (IA historyofislands00lori).pdf/80 ​In Charlotte County, Neir Brunswick.
77
jSoarished weapons, and ordering Chaffey's wife to give best in the house to eat, with uplifted toma-
them the hawks,
and drawn
knives,
threats
and
threatening
gestures, ordered Charley to obey. True to that firmness of resolve which had ever distinguished him, he passed
through the trial of his courage and national fidelity and the Indians, as if kept at bay and ruled by an invisible power, left the house without
triumphantly
accomplishing their purpose
man by the name of Goldsmith (in happy agreement with the name of the trade lie learned), established salt works on the island or rather was agent and manager for a company formed for the purpose. It was no inconsiderable enterprise, as the salt was manufactured from sea- water boiled up in large kettles. The business was prosecuted until all the Through the
influence of Chaffey, a
wood on the island was consumed in boiling the kettles, and so had to desist. The island at the beginning of those unfortunate salt-works was clothed with a magnificent growth of all kinds of wood common to the country, and Chaffey's aid in thus denuding the island of its valuable trees has beeji a source of regret to the people of the island, even to this day. His death occurred in 1796, leaving a widow and a large family in bereavement. Hon. William Todd (deceased), of St. Stephen, N. B., married several years ago a descendant of .Mr. Chaffey. Mow Indian Island began to receive ^resh and new acquisitions. Scotchman by the name
A
of Daniel McMasters, from St. Andrews, established a then, Col. Thomas Wyer, also of St. store fish
Andrews, prosecuted the same business, then the lateJohn Wilson, of Chameook, traded in fish and lumber then a Mr. Freeman did a large business and about this time a Mr. Henderson, who had been Collector of Customs at Snug Cove, Campobello, was removed from his situation to Indian Island, and sat, like a modern Matthew, at the receipt of customs there. This was This was the important embargo about the year 1811. epoch and, the new customs' officer is said to have performed his duty with vigilance and impartiality never deviating from the strict line of rectitude. It was then that flour, principally, and goods of all kinds were mysteriously (a secret known only to expert smugglers) run
ii ​Page:History of islands & islets in the Bay of Fundy, Charlotte County, New Brunswick; (IA historyofislands00lori).pdf/82 ​"
In Charlotte County,
New
Brunswick.
79
ST
hands of the Yankee
but such
is
ait
instance of the
fortune of war.
Another incident, by way of
reprisal,
may
be men-
A
scow, loaded with barrels of tar, was lying at Eastport, which was brought oyer to the island, ran the Several boats, blockade, and was moored at a wharf. when full of men, crossed over to re-take the tar, Joseph Freeman, Cant, of Militia, with a small band of his men, fired into them. The Eastporters, instead of An old catching the tar, it seems, caught a tartar Irishman, by the name of John Doyle, was one of Capt. Freeman's firing party, who, elated with the result of what .was in reality a bloodless victory, gave vent to his tioned.
enthusiasm in a poetical effusion of forty lines. a specimen of the whole, we give the following
patriotic
As
"My gun
being not well-loaded
It gnapp'd, being all in vain; balls came whistling round
The
my
ears
Just like a shower of hail. still we drove them to their boats Y/ithout either dread or fears,
But
And quickly we were re-inforeed By Deer Island volunteers,
The poet Doyle
in the following verse feels
it
his duty
compliment the Campobello lads also on their readiness to assist in the tar-y conflict and thus he sings to
"The Campobello
heroes, too, Behavedkwith courage bold,
Commanded by George Anderson,
Who
scorned to be controlled. a valiant soldier For his King and country's cause, And he made the Doodle Dandies
He
is
Submit to British laws."
And
then the Irish melodist goes on to sing of the "Deer Island boys," "health to" Capt. Lloyd, to Capt. Freeman, to Capt. Anderson," to the "Bucks of Garry owen," and to the "Indian Island boys." It is a truly patriotic song, and had our poet hero, John Doyle, only lived to have presented it to the British Grenadier Band, to be sung in Boston at the time of the great "Musical Jubilee," his bliss, earthly, would have been complete but it is to be hoped his song now, no longer of earth earthy, is one of the sweet anthems of Heaven of triumph over death and the
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