Canadian References to Brudenell, Loyalist 1780's
DIGBY, Nova Scotia - selected CHURCH RECORDS (1787-1896) from - http://www.rootsweb.com/~canwgw/ns/digby/vital/deathshttp://www.rootsweb.com/~canwgw/ns/digby/vital/deaths -
· BRUDENELL, ____________? - child of Rev E W Brudenell - buried Aug 5 1788, Trinity Anglican Church, Digby
I don't know the above family, but the child's death date 1788 means Rev. E.W. Brudenell was most likely a recent Loyalist ("Tory" in America) who arrived in NS during or just after the Rev War ended in 1783. Up to 25,000 Loyalists left NYC, Boston, or Philadelphia in 1783 and 1784 to make their way north to Canada. The English were not prepared for such a huge number all arriving at once, so many of the early folks stayed in a tent for the first winter - brrrrr !
I have the feeling this same Rev. Brudenell - or perhaps a father, brother, or cousin - made his way to Prince Edward Island, just north of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and Canada's smallest province (about 5,500 km², just 135,000 citizens, with all kinds of beautiful sandy beaches and warm summer waters to splash in). They may have been there before the 1780's when the Rev. was in Digby, NS, but I suspect he went from the USA to NS, then to P.E.I. from Nova Scotia sometime in the1790's. Since Ontario was opening up after Toronto (York) was founded in 1795, I am guessing he made his way there sometime between 1795 and, say, 1810. This is pure speculation, but an 'educated guess'. A look at the many copious records in Ontario should reveal more info.
The surname Brudenell was never very common in Canada; there are only 4 surnames in the phone listings - www.canada411.com - of which 3 are in Ontario, between Pickering (suburban Toronto) and south-west of there, in London. The fourth lonely one is on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, about halfway up the inland (east) coast. It might be worthwhile for the curious among you to call these few people and ask them more about how the family got to Canada. Something tells me Digby NS will pop up in the conversation, or maybe PEIBy the way, Ontario Time is the same as U.S. Eastern (NY) Time; British Columbia is Pacific Time, same as California.
The Brudenell's must have made a great impression on future generations, since the wonderful site on Canadian geographical names - http://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/english/cgndb.htmlhttp://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/english/cgndb.html - has 6 places in PEI named after them, including the charming village of Brudenell, plus another 3 names in Ontario. If you go to the official website of the Government of Prince Edward Island - http://www.gov.pe.cahttp://www.gov.pe.ca - I am sure that somewhere under the link for TOURISM or RESORTS you will find the Brudenell River Golf Resort, which they promote shameslessly. It's on the eastern side of PEI. You can drive to PEI from NS - via New Brunswick - without stopping now; since June 1997, the world's longest bridge (13 km/8 mi) over ice-filled waters [only in the winter], known as Confederation Bridge, will get you there in about 15-20 minutes. In the old days, it could take hours waiting for a ferry to arrive, get on board, sail across, and disembark. Check the PEI government website I mentioned above for prices of the crossing (you only pay once for the return crossing).
If you should be thinking about visiting NS or PEI to look up Brudenell information, contact 1-800-565-0000 for NS tourist info - they know everything. If you are not in USA or Canada, try the NS government website - www.gov.ns.ca - for many links. You can make reservations and order tourist material on-line. Remember, if you arrive by car ferry at Yarmouth, NS, it's about a one hour drive north to Digby, and another 4-5 hours (with no stops) to get to PEI. If you plan to cover both provinces, I strongly recommend you give yourself 7-10 days at the very least - especially if you plan to do some family genealogy, or just lie on the beach ! Good news - one American dollar will buy you about $1.55 Canadian at current rates. Canada is probably the best travel bargain in the world right now (hey, stop with the free advertising - Ed.).
I hope some of this trivia will be useful to those posting here.