Edward Winslow (February 20, 1746 or 1747 – May 13, 1815) was a loyalist officer and

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) 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. It is the only province with both English and ...

judge and official. Edward Winslow was born in

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth (; historically known as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore, and culture, and is known as ...

in 1746 or 1747, a descendant of

Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, r ...

Pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on Pilgrimage, a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the a ...

Edward Winslow Edward Winslow (18 October 15958 May 1655) was a Separatist and New England political leader who traveled on the ''Mayflower'' in 1620. He was one of several senior leaders on the ship and also later at Plymouth Colony. Both Edward Winslow and ...

and the son of Edward Winslow (scholar). He studied at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, graduating in 1765 with an MA. After graduation, as the political tension escalated between Great Britain and its North American colonies over issues such as trade, taxation, and governance, Winslow publicly put his support behind Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson and helped create "a company of Tories" in an effort to keep the peace. By 1774, Winslow was forced to flee Plymouth, and in April 1775, as a member of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, he was involved in a bloody confrontation at Lexington against the Patriot militia. In March 1776, he retreated along with the British troops to Halifax, and by July had been appointed muster master general for the Loyalist forces. (He was subsequently named in the

Massachusetts Banishment Act The Massachusetts Banishment Act, officially named the "Banishment Act of the State of Massachusetts", was passed in September 1778 "to prevent the return to this state of certain persons therein named and others who have left this state or either o ...

of 1778.) After the Patriots' victory was secured in 1783, Winslow and his fellow Loyalists were essentially reduced to the status of refugees. He moved his family to Granville in

Annapolis County, Nova Scotia Annapolis County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia located in the western part of the province located on the Bay of Fundy. The county seat is Annapolis Royal. History Established August 17, 1759, by Order in Council, Annapoli ...

, but spent most of his time in Halifax making plans for the settling of Loyalists throughout

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 father Edward Sr. died in 1784 and was buried in the

Old Burying Ground (Halifax, Nova Scotia) The Old Burying Ground (also known as St. Paul's Church Cemetery) is a historic cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located at the intersection of Barrington Street and Spring Garden Road in Downtown Halifax. History The Old Buryi ...

. Frustrated with the efforts of the Nova Scotia authorities at settling the approximately 35,000 Loyalists, Winslow began to advocate for the creation of a separate colony in the area north of the

Bay of Fundy The Bay of Fundy (french: Baie de Fundy) is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its extremely high tidal range is the hi ...

. In 1783 he was named secretary to Brigadier-General

Henry Edward Fox General Henry Edward Fox (4 March 1755 – 18 July 1811) was a British Army general who served brief spells as Governor of Minorca and Governor of Gibraltar. Family He was a son of Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland and Lady Caroline Lennox (1723–17 ...

, who was sympathetic to Winslow's proposal. The British government approved the creation of a new colony, called

, in June 1784. Winslow and his family spent a few months in Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1785, before moving to Fredericton. In 1787 Winslow's mother and sisters (his father died in June 1784) joined them. Before his appointment to the New Brunswick Supreme Court in 1807, Winslow served in a number of government posts: surrogate general, judge of the inferior court of common pleas, muster master of the King's New Brunswick regiment, secretary to the International Boundary Commission, and deputy surveyor of the King's Woods. Despite the relative financial ease that his position with the New Brunswick Supreme Court offered him, Winslow's family endured financial hardships up until the time of his death. He died in 1815 in

Kingsclear, New Brunswick Kingsclear is an unincorporated rural area 20 km west of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. The area includes forests, Saint John River shoreline, agricultural land, small businesses, rural residences, and the Mactaquac Dam. Access is via the ...

Family

It was during the war that Winslow met his future wife Mary Symonds, and by 1783 they had three children: Daniel Murray (1777-1814), Chipman (1778-1783) and Mary (1779-1843). Nine children followed: Penelope (1783-1836), John Francis Wentworth (1783-1859), Thomas Aston Coffin (1784-1810), Edward (1785?-1820), Hannah (b.1788?), Sarah Ann (1790-?), Christianna (1791-1814), Eliza Chipman (1794-1854), and Catherine (1799-1805).

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''Atlantic Canada Virtual Archives: Edward Winslow LettersThe Winslow Papers at the University of New Brunswick Harriet Irving LibraryWinslow Homestead In Massachusetts
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Winslow, Edward 1740s births 1815 deaths United Empire Loyalists Harvard College alumni Harvard College Loyalists in the American Revolution Year of birth uncertain Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Colony of New Brunswick judges

Family

Further reading

External links