Dettlieb Christopher Jessen (February 25, 1730 – August 12, 1814) was one of the founding fathers of

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia Lunenburg is a port town on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. Founded in 1753, the town was one of the first British attempts to settle Protestants in Nova Scotia. The economy was traditionally based on the offshore fishery and today L ...

, and helped the village through

Father Le Loutre's War Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755), also known as the Indian War, the Mi'kmaq War and the Anglo-Mi'kmaq War, took place between King George's War and the French and Indian War in Acadia and Nova Scotia. On one side of the conflict, the Briti ...

, the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

and the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. He was

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

born. After his emigration to Canada, he became a militia leader, judge, and politician in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. His first name also appears as "Detleff". He represented Lunenburg County in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia ...

from 1785 to 1793. Dettlieb Christopher Jessen was born in

Holstein Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...

and came to Halifax as one of the

Foreign Protestants The Foreign Protestants were a group of French Lutheran and German Protestant immigrants to Nova Scotia. They largely settled in Halifax at Gottingen Street (named after the German town of Göttingen) and Dutch Village Road as well as Lunenburg. ...

in 1751, settling in Lunenburg two years later. He was a wine

cooper Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * Cooper (video game character), in ...

. Jessen served as

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the local militia, reaching the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. He was also present for the defence of the town through the Lunenburg Campaign (1758) during the

, in which he wrote one of the rare log books of a militia troop defending against Mi'kmaq attacks. On one of the patrols of the Lunenburg peninsula, Jessen discovered two British soldiers that were scalped and a 10-year-old boy that was captured.Journal of Captain Christopher Jessen
participation in the Lunenburg Campaign (1758) During the

, Jessen was again involved with defending the town in the

Raid on Lunenburg (1782) The Raid on Lunenburg (also known as the Sack of Lunenburg) occurred during the American Revolution when the US privateer, Captain Noah Stoddard of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and four other privateer vessels attacked the British settlement at Lu ...

. He initially fired at the Privateers from his home (corner of Lincoln and King), which the privateers returned fired, filling his home full of bullets, eventually smashing all the windows and looting the place. Major Jessen escaped and assembled with a militia behind the hill overlooking the town. A militia from La Have under the command of Major Joseph Pernette also advanced toward Lunenburg to join Major Jessen. Captain Stoddard sent a message to Jensen and Pernette that if they advanced on the town, all the homes would be burned. To ensure his threat was not idle, Major Stoddard burned down Col. Creighton's home.MacMechan, p. 68 His house was spoiled and robbed in the raid. He was also a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

, a judge in the Inferior Court of Common Pleas, registrar of deeds and a customs collector. Jessen married Francisca Barbara Rudolf in 1755. Toward the end of his life, Jessen presented the church with a church bell and silver communion service c.1813. Before he could hear the bell himself, he died in Lunenburg at the age of 84. He is buried in the crypt of St. John's Anglican Church.Dettlieb Christopher Jessen - Canadian Biography On Line

Gallery

File:Communion Silver, St. John's Anglican Church, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada.jpg, Jessen gave St. John's the silver

chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. Re ...

flagon A flagon () is a large leather, metal, glass, plastic or ceramic vessel, used for drink, whether this be water, ale, or another liquid. A flagon is typically of about in volume, and it has either a handle (when strictly it is a jug), or (more ...

, and

paten A paten or diskos is a small plate, used during the Mass. It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium. Western usage In many Western liturgical denominations, the p ...

(1814), St. John's Anglican Church, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada Image:D. Christopher Jessen, Deputy Provost Marshall, to Freeholders of Lunenburg Township and County - election writ for the second assembly.png, Election writ for the second assembly, 27 August 1759, issued by Dettlieb Christopher Jessen

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jobs, Steve 1730 births 1814 deaths Nova Scotia pre-Confederation MLAs Colony of Nova Scotia judges

Gallery

See also

References