John Robert Grant, Summerville, Nova Scotia

Captain John Robert Grant (1729–1790, aged 61) fought in 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 ...

and then became an

American Loyalist Loyalists were colonists in the Thirteen Colonies who remained loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolutionary War, often referred to as Tories, Royalists or King's Men at the time. They were opposed by the Patriots, who support ...

and the first British settler of Summerville, Nova Scotia.

Family

First Reformed Dutch Church of Long Island, New York

Captain Grant was born in Strathspey, Scotland, along with John Small. Grant's wife Sarah (1743-1807) came from the well-known Bergen family of New York, who descended from Hans Hansen Bergen. They married on August 30, 1759 in New York and had 12 children. They attended The First Reform (Dutch) Church, where they were married and many of their children were baptised. Portraits were made of both John and Sarah but their location is unknown. Sarah was the daughter of Meighiel (Michael) Bergen and his first wife Femmetje (his second wife was Catelyntie). In 1767, Bergen lived on the south side of the town of

Jamaica, Queens Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is mainly composed of a large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis to the east; St. Albans, Springfi ...

, his mill was on a pond in present-day

Springfield Gardens, Queens Springfield Gardens is a neighborhood in the southeastern area of the New York City borough of Queens, bounded to the north by St. Albans, to the east by Laurelton and Rosedale, to the south by John F. Kennedy International Airport, and to the w ...

. Because he was a loyalist, Bergen eventually requested protection from Britain. After their marriage, John and Sarah settled on Bergen's farm in Queens. Bergen left money in his will to John and Sarah's oldest son, Bergen's grandchild, Michael Bergen Grant.

Career

Grant fought in the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...

and served in the

42nd Regiment of Foot The 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot was a Scottish infantry regiment in the British Army also known as the Black Watch. Originally titled Crawford's Highlanders or the Highland Regiment and numbered 43rd in the line, in 1748, on the disband ...

(Black Watch) (the same regiment as

Major General John Small John Small (13 March 1726 – 17 March 1796) was a career Kingdom of Great Britain, British military officer from Scotland who played a key role in raising and leading the 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants) during the American ...

who settled the neighbouring Douglas Township,

Hants County Hants County is an historical county and census division of Nova Scotia, Canada. Local government is provided by the West Hants Regional Municipality, and the Municipality of the District of East Hants. History Formation The county of Hants ...

after the war). During the war, he served briefly under

John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair Field Marshal John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair (20 July 16739 May 1747) was a Scottish soldier and diplomat. He served in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession and, after a period as British Ambassador in Paris, became a ...

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

. He then fought in the

Battle of Fontenoy The Battle of Fontenoy was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought on 11 May 1745 near Tournai in modern Belgium. A French army of 50,000 under Marshal Saxe defeated a Pragmatic Army of roughly the same size, led by th ...

. During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

, he was in the 1758 Battle of Fort Ticonderoga, where he was wounded. He fought again in the American Revolution in the

Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yo ...

(1776), the

Battle of Martinique (1779) The Battle of Martinique, or Combat de la Martinique, was a naval encounter on 18 December 1779 between a British 13-ship squadron under Admiral Hyde Parker and a three-ship French division under Admiral Lamotte-Picquet near the island of Mart ...

and the

Battle of Havana (1762) The siege of Havana was a successful British siege against Spanish-ruled Havana that lasted from March to August 1762, as part of the Seven Years' War. After Spain abandoned its former policy of neutrality by signing the family compact with ...

. He later became a captain of a Queens County, New York militia. In 1763, the Governor of New York

Cadwallader Colden Cadwallader Colden (7 February 1688 – 28 September 1776) was a physician, natural scientist, a lieutenant governor and acting Governor for the Province of New York. Early life Colden was born on 7 February 1688 in Ireland, of Scottish pare ...

sent him in command of the 2nd New York regiment to

Fort Herkimer Fort Herkimer was a colonial fort located on the south side of the Mohawk River, opposite the mouth of its tributary West Canada Creek, in German Flatts, New York, United States. It should not be confused with Fort Dayton, which was located on the ...

to serve Sir William Johnson.

Nova Scotia

He arrived in Nova Scotia on the transport HM Berwick, 1 July 1783 after evacuating his home in New York.p. 17
/ref> He brought to Nova Scotia 7 of his children and 9 slaves, all of whom were buried on his property. Captain John Grant died in Summerville in 1790 at the age of 61. The Grant homestead was on what now is called Loyal Hill.

Links

Capt. John Grant's Company muster, 6 January 1764, New York Muster Rolls, p. 488Captain John Grant by Brian McConnell

References

Sources

The Bergen Family; Or: The Descendants of Hans Hansen Bergen, One of the ... By Teunis G. Bergen
*
West Hants Historical Society - John Grant
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, John Robert 1729 births 1790 deaths Loyalists who settled Nova Scotia