Blissfield is a
geographic parish in
Northumberland County,
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.
For governance purposes it is divided mainly between the village of
Doaktown and the Greater Miramichi rural district,
with small areas along the eastern and western borders belonging to the
incorporated rural communities of
Miramichi River Valley and
Upper Miramichi, respectively.
All are members of the Greater Miramichi Regional Service Commission.
Prior to the
2023 governance reform, the parish was divided between a much smaller village of Doaktown
and the
local service district Local service district may refer to these administrative units in Canada:
* Local service district (New Brunswick)
A local service district (LSD) was a provincial administrative unit for the provision of local services in the Canadian province o ...
of the parish of Blissfield.
Origin of name
Blissfield was named in honour of
John Murray Bliss
John Murray Bliss (22 February 1771 – 22 August 1834) was a Canadian jurist, politician and administrator.
Biography
Father
John Murray Bliss was born in Massachusetts, the son of Massachusetts loyalist Daniel Bliss, a lawyer and British sold ...
,
was Administrator of the province prior to Lieutenant-Governor
Howard Douglas
General Sir Howard Douglas, 3rd Baronet, (23 January 1776 – 9 November 1861) was a British Army officer born in Gosport, England, the younger son of Admiral Sir Charles Douglas, and a descendant of the Earls of Morton. He was an English ...
's arrival. Neighbouring
Blackville Parish was named in honour of
William Black William Black may refer to:
Politicians
* William Black (Ontario politician) (1867–1944), speaker of the Legislature of Ontario and Conservative MLA
* William Black (Canadian politician) (1869–1930), Progressive party member of the Canadian Hou ...
, Administrator of the province due to Douglas's absence at the time both parishes were erected.
History
Blissfield was erected in 1830 by the three-way split of
Ludlow Parish, Blissfield in the middle and Blackville to the east.
Boundaries
Blissfield Parish is bounded:
[ Remainder of parish on maps 68, 76, 77, 85, 86, 96, and 97 at same site.][ Remainder of parish on mapbooks 216, 217, 230–232, 246–248, 262–264, 279–281, and 295–297 at same site.]
* on the north by a line beginning at a point on the
York County line near McConnell Brook, then running north 72º east by an
astronomic bearing to the northeastern corner of
Blackville Parish, a point 537
chain
A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...
s (10.8 kilometres) from the
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...
line through Quarryville on a line running north 22º west from the mouth of the
Renous River;
* on the east by a line running north and south
from the mouth of Donnelly Brook, which is on the southern bank of the
Southwest Miramichi River
The Southwest Miramichi River is a river in New Brunswick, Canada.
The river has its origin in Carleton County, at Miramichi Lake in the Miramichi Highlands (a part of the Appalachian Mountains). Its two branches join near the hamlet of Junip ...
west of Upper Blackville Bridge;
* on the south by the
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
and
Sunbury County lines;
* on the west by a line running north and south from the mouth of Big Hole Brook, which is on the western edge of
Doaktown
Evolution of boundaries
When Blissfield was erected the eastern line extended to the
Westmorland County line, putting part of modern
Harcourt Parish in Blissfield.
In 1845 the Kent County line was changed to run southwesterly instead of southeasterly, now meeting the line between
Queens
Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
and
Sunbury Counties. A triangle of wilderness at the southeastern corner was transferred to Kent County.
Communities
Communities at least partly within the parish.
bold indicates an incorporated municipality; ''italics'' indicate a name no longer in official use
* Amostown
* Blissfield
* ''Gilks''
* Grand Lake Road
* Hazelton
*
McGraw Brook
* Renous Forks
* Storeytown
*
Weaver Siding
*
Doaktown
** Russelltown
** South Road Settlement
Bodies of water
Bodies of water
[Not including brooks, ponds or coves.] at least partly within the parish.
*
Bartholomew River The Bartholomew River is a tributary of the main Southwest Miramichi River in New Brunswick, Canada.
The Bartholomew River begins in the hills between the Main Southwest Miramichi and Dungarvon Rivers at approximately N46.60, W66.30, in western N ...
*
Cains River
The Cains River is a river in New Brunswick, Canada. It is 113 kilometres long.
The Cains River has its origins in the " Bantalor Wildlife Management Area" in the eastern part of York County, near the boundary with Sunbury County. Generally flo ...
*
Dungarvon River
* Gaspereau River
*
Renous River
*
Southwest Miramichi River
The Southwest Miramichi River is a river in New Brunswick, Canada.
The river has its origin in Carleton County, at Miramichi Lake in the Miramichi Highlands (a part of the Appalachian Mountains). Its two branches join near the hamlet of Junip ...
* Devils Back Lake
* Little Lake
* Shakey Lake
Islands
Islands at least partly within the parish.
* Mercury Island
* Pine Island
* Weaver Island
* Brown Bar
* Wasson Bar
Other notable places
Parks, historic sites, and other noteworthy places at least partly within the parish.
* Big Rocky Brook Protected Natural Area
*
Doak House Provincial Park
*
Doaktown Airport
* Dungarvon Whooper Spring Woodlot Protected Natural Area
* McGraw Brook Picnic Site
* Plaster Rock-Renous Wildlife Management Area
Demographics
Parish population total does not include former incorporated village of
Doaktown. Revised census figures based on the 2023 local governance reforms have not been released.
Population
Population trend
Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data
Language
Mother tongue (2016)
See also
*List of parishes in New Brunswick
The Canadian province of New Brunswick is divided by the ''Territorial Division Act'' into 152 Parish (administrative division), geographic parishes, units which had political significance as subdivisions of County, counties until the Municipaliti ...
Notes
References
{{coord, 46, 35, 24, N, 66, 03, 18, W, name=Blissfield Parish, New Brunswick, display=title, region:CA-NB_type:adm3rd_scale:100000
Parishes of Northumberland County, New Brunswick
Local service districts of Northumberland County, New Brunswick