Jonathan Binney, Old Burying Ground, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Jonathan Binney (January 7, 1723/24 – October 8, 1807) was a merchant, judge and political figure 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 ...

. He was a member of the 1st to 3rd Nova Scotia House of Assemblies from 1758 to 1765. He arrived in Nova Scotia in 1753. His father-in-law was Henry Newton. Binney was buried, along with his two sons Stephen and

Hibbert Hibbert is a surname. Its origin can be traced back to the Old Germanic given name ''Hildeberht'', which is composed of German elements ''wikt:hild, hilde'' (battle or strife) and ''berht'' (bright or famous). Today it might be translated to "bright ...

, in the Old Burying Ground in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

. He was born in

Hull, Massachusetts Hull is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, located on a peninsula at the southern edge of Boston Harbor. Its population was 10,072 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Hull is the smallest town by land area in Pl ...

, the son of Thomas Binney and Margaret Miller, and went into business in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. Binney married Martha Hall in 1746 and they had a child Stephen Hall. Martha died and Jonathan moved to Halifax, leaving his only child in Boston. There he married Hannah Adams Newton and they had another son they named Stephen Hall. Two days later, Jonathan's first son, also named Stephen Hall, died in Boston at age 11 and was buried at

King's Chapel King's Chapel is an American independent Christian unitarian congregation affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association that is "unitarian Christian in theology, Anglican in worship, and congregational in governance." It is housed ...

. Jonathan and Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres met the

Mi'kmaw The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the nort ...

chiefs at

Arichat, Nova Scotia Arichat is an unincorporated place in the Municipality of the County of Richmond, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the main village on Isle Madame on the southeastern tip of Cape Breton Island. Toponym The name derives from a Mi'kmaq word meaning ...

, in 1761, and concluded a lasting peace. Binney was named to the province's Council in 1764. In the same year, he was appointed collector of provincial duties and magistrate at

Canso The Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) is a representative body of companies that provide air traffic control. It represents the interests of Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs). CANSO members are responsible for supporting ov ...

. In 1768, he became customs collector and judge for St. John's Island (later

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

). He was named judge in the Inferior Court of Common Pleas for Halifax County in 1772. When

Francis Legge Francis Legge (c.1719-15 May 1783), was a British military officer and colonial official in Nova Scotia during the 18th century. He served as Governor of Nova Scotia from 1772 to 1776. During the American Revolution, Legge raised the Royal Nov ...

became lieutenant governor, he had Binney and his family arrested because Binney often paid himself first with the funds collected on behalf of the government. Binney successfully brought his case against Legge before the Board of Trade in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and his debts were forgiven by the Nova Scotia assembly. In 1784, Binney was accused of certifying

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

fishermen as Nova Scotians so that he could sell them fishing licenses. He died in Halifax, leaving his belongings to his two sons Hibbert and Stephen. File:Hibbert Newton Binney.png, Jonathan's son Hibbert Newton Binney, buried in the Old Burying Ground, Halifax File:Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society (1880) (14594017919).jpg, Jonathan Binney's son Stephen Hall Binney (1760–1836), buried in the Old Burying Ground, Halifax

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Binney, Jonathan 1723 births 1807 deaths Nova Scotia pre-Confederation MLAs Colony of Prince Edward Island judges Colony of Nova Scotia judges People from Hull, Massachusetts