PROSPECT FARM.
Thompson Trueman, the youngest member of the family, was married in March, 1823, to Mary Freeze.He was only twenty-two years old, and young looking for that age.He used to say in later life that he married at just the right time.His wife was a daughter of Samuel Freeze, of Upper Sussex, King's County.Her mother was Margaret Wells, daughter of Williams Wells, of Point de Bute.
The Freezes came from Yorkshire to Cumberland in the DUKE OF YORK, the first vessel that landed Yorkshire emigrants at Halifax.Charles Dixon, the founder of the Dixon name in Sackville, with his family, came out at this time.The Freeze family, when they arrived in Nova Scotia, consisted of William Freeze, sen., his son William, with his wife and two children.Wm.Freeze, sen., remained in this country only a short time.It was supposed the vessel in which he took passage for England was lost, as his family never heard of him again.
The son, William, was a mason by trade, but settled on a farm in Amherst Point, now occupied by the Keillor brothers.He remained in Cumberland until the first of the present century, and then removed to Sussex, King's Country, N.B.He had become rather discouraged in his efforts to reclaim the salt marsh, and came to the conclusion that it would never be of much value.
It is said that Mr.Freeze and his two sons started in a small boat for Kentucky.When they got as far as the mouth of the Petitcodiac River, they turned their boat up the stream, going with the tide to the head of the river.Leaving the boat, they plunged into the forest and tramped for some distance.At last they concluded they had lost their way and were not likely to reach Kentucky on that route.After some consultation, the father climbed to the top of a tall tree, and from this altitude the rich interval lands of the Upper Kennebecasis were full in view.
"There is a valley," said Mr.Freeze, "and there is where my bones are to be laid."Here Mr.Freeze got a grant of nine hundred acres of land, enough to make farms for himself and his four sons.William, a son, was a great reader and student.He was very fond of mathematics, and it is said that sometimes when he and his boys would go to the field to hoe, he would take a stick and mark on the ground a mathematical figure, and then demonstrate it for the benefit of his boys.The dinner horn would sound, and no potatoes had been hoed that morning.John, another son, was a fine singer and took great pleasure in giving singing lessons to the young people in the neighborhood.The Freezes could all sing, and most of the men were handy with the mason's tools, which led some wag to say that the Freezes were all born with stone hammers in one hand and a note-book in the other.Charles, the fourth son, was a half-brother and inherited the home farm.Charles was a great reader and was very fond of history.He was eccentric in some ways and would take long journeys on foot.
He did not take kindly to railway travel, and his nephews liked to tell about his planning one day to go by rail instead of walking, but going to the station before the train arrived, he said he "couldn't be detained" and started away on foot.
There were two daughters.Miriam married Matthew Fenwick, of Maccan, N.S., who afterward moved to the Millstream, in King's County, and was the first to plant the Fenwick name in that county.
Mary was the wife of Thomas Black, of Amherst (brother of Bishop Black).They had a large family.The youngest son, Rev.A.B.Black, died in 1900.The history of the Blacks in this country was written by Cyrus, another member of the family.
Samuel, the eldest son of William Freeze, was married three times, and had a family of twenty-one children--seven by his first wife, Margaret Wells, of Point de Bute; eight by his second wife, Bethia Wager, of Dutch Valley; and six by his third wife, a Miss Scott of Petitcodiac.
The first family were all daughters.The tenth child was the first son born.Mr.Freeze elected several times to represent King's County in the Legislature at Fredericton, and while attending to his duties there he was taken with the illness that ended in his death.
The following letter is among the old papers at the Prospect, written by Samuel Freeze shortly after Polly's marriage:
"SUSSEX, KING'S COUNTY, "February 25th, 1824.
"DEAR SON AND DAUGHTER,--
"I received yours, favored by Mr.Stockton, and am happy to hear that you are all well, with a small exception, such as human nature is subject to.
"I am sorry to hear that the crop of hay has failed so much the last season, which must be a great injury to that part of the country.Ibelieve that we will make out with what hay we have.You speak of driving oxen to St.John.The southerly weather that we had about the 12th of this month has raised the water and ice to such an unusual height that it has swept almost all the publick bridges downstream in this parish, which cuts off our communication from St.John by sleigh or sled, in a great measure, or I would have written the butcher, and then could have probably given you a satisfactory answer; but it is not the case.
"Mr.R.Stockton informs me that you can get 4 1/2d.at your own barn.
I think that, as the road is, you had better sell them for the 4 1/2per lb., than to risk the St.John market, as there is but very little shipping in at present, and they get what they want from a less distance, and the butchers will take every advantage if they have not been contracted for.This is my opinion, but do as you think proper.
