New Brunswick Historical Timeline - International Institute

A Framework of Useful Dates for New Brunswick

1604	First formal attempt to colonize Acadia.
13 Oct 1710	British capture Port Royal and rename it Annapolis Royal.
11 Apr 1713	Treaty of Utrecht: British title to Newfoundland and mainland Nova Scotia established. France retains Ile-Royale, Ile St-Jean and lands north of Chignecto Isthmus.
17 Jun 1745	Louisbourg surrendered to British
18 Oct 1748	Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, Louisbourg returned to France.
9 Jul 1749	Halifax founded.
Jun 1755	British capture French forts in Chignecto, begin expulsion of Acadians from Nova Scotia.
26 Jul 1758	British recapture Louisbourg.
13 Sep 1759	Battle of the Plains of Abraham at Québec city.
10 Feb 1763	Treaty of Paris ends Seven Years War. France cedes Canada and remaining colonies in Acadia to Great Britain..
7 Oct 1763	Royal Proclamation of 1763: establishes boundaries and governments for new colonies, Canada renamed Province of Québec.
5 Sep 1774	1st Continental Congress meets at Philadelphia.
Sep 1775	American Army invades Canada, takes Montréal, attacks Québec.
1775	American Privateers raid settlements at the mouth of the Mirimichi and St. John rivers, destroy Fort Frederick.
1776	Eddy Rebellion in Nova Scotia; November: Seige of Fort Cumberland.
17 Nov 1777	American privateers plunder Simonds, Hazen and White settlement at mouth of St. John river.
1778	Major Gilfred Studholm and a body of British troops build Fort Howe on the hill above Portland Point, replacing Fort Frederick at the mouth of the St. John river.
3 Sep 1783	Treaty of Paris (Treaty of Separation) end of American Revolution.
Nov 1784	New Brunswick and Cape Breton become separate colonies.
Oct 1785	Writ issued for Provincial election: all males of full age who had resided in the province for at least three months could vote.
4 Jan 1786	First elected Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick meets in Saint John. Church of England established. Counties set up for local government.
1790-1811	Some original Counties start to keep Registers of Marriages, in some cases these are in records kept by the Justices of the Peace.
1791	The Marriage Act of 1787, takes effect. Justices of the Peace lost the privilege to perform marriage ceremonies.
26 Dec 1791	Canada or Constitutional Act. (passed 10 June) in force. Province of Québec split into Lower Canada and Upper Canada.
19 Nov 1794	Jay’s Treaty signed between United States and Britain, the first step in establishing the border between New Brunswick and the United States.
1807	Britain abolishes slave trade.
1812	The registration of marriages is now required; all original counties start keeping Marriage Registers. This theoretically ended 31 December 1887.
1812	War of 1812. American privateers appear in the Bay of Fundy; June, United States invades Upper Canada.
11 Feb 1813	104th Regiment start march from Saint John to Québec, made in 16 days without a man lost.
24 Dec 1814	Treaty of Ghent, ends War of 1812-1814 between Britain & USA.
18 Jun 1815	Battle of Waterloo.
1816	First river steamship, General Smythe, runs between Fredericton and Saint John.
7 Oct 1825	Mirimichi Fire starts.
1827	First Bay of Fundy steamship runs between Digby & Saint John.
1833	Britain abolishes slavery throughout the empire.
1843	Commercial and financial depression in USA.
1845	Potato famine in Ireland, 8 million emigrate.
1848	Gold discovered in California.
1848	Winter - peak of depression in UK.
12 Jul 1849	“Battle of York Point”, Saint John. Safety-pin patented.
1849	Britain repeals Navigation Act which had confined colonial trade to ships built/registered in Britain or her colonies.
1851	Gold discovered in Australia.
1851	Provincial census asks for date of entering province.
22 Nov 1852	First submarine telegraph in America laid between Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick and Carleton Head, PEI.
1854	Reciprocity Treaty with USA.
1854	Crimean War begins.
1857	Economic Downturn in Saint John Shipbuilding.
1859	Steam fog horn, invented by Robert Foulis at Saint John in 1854, installed at entrance to Saint John Harbour.
1 Aug 1860	European and North American Railroad line from Shediac to Saint John completed, 108 miles.
1860	Sir. Charles G.D. Roberts, first Canadian poet to be knighted.
12 Apr 1861	American Civil War or War Between the States starts.
1861	Provincial census.
6 Mar 1863	Anti-Confederation government was elected in New Brunswick under A.J. Smith.
Apr 1865	American Civil War ends.
1865	United States abrogates Reciprocity Treaty.
Dec 1865	Fenians threaten invasion along the border with New Brunswick, threats continue throughout 1866.
Apr 1866	A.J. Smith forced to resign as Premier.
12 Jun 1866	Pro-Confederation government was elected in New Brunswick.
1 Jul 1867	Confederation. British North America Act establishes the Dominion of Canada with New Brunswick Nova Scotia, Ontario and Québec John A. Macdonald, Prime Minister.
11 May 1870	Dominion of Canada pays £300,000 for Rupert’s Land.
15 Jul 1870	Manitoba made province of Canada.
1871	Federal census.
1871	Treaty of Washington leads to removal of British troops from Canada except for a garrison at Halifax and naval base at Esquimalt in British Columbia.
9 Nov 1872	First intercolonial train between Halifax, Saint John.
1873	Federal election—PM Hon. Alexander Mackenzie.
1 Jul 1873	Prince Edward Island joins Canada.
1873	Depression in USA begins, quickly spreads to Canada Depression 1873-1879, consequences felt until 1890s.
1875	Miss Grace A. Lockhart, first woman in Canada to received B.S. degree, from Mount Allison University.
1 Jul 1876	(Sunday) First Intercolonial trains between Halifax and Québec City [Levis].
20 Jun 1877	About 2.30 p.m., Saint John Fire starts on York Point. It devastated 246 acres, destroyed 1,600 buildings, took 19 lives, with losses estimated at $27,500,000.00.
1880	First Boer War (1880-1881).
1881	Federal census.
1882	Miss Harriett Stewart, first woman in Canada to be awarded B.A. degree, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick.
1888	An Act to Provide for the Registration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages (50 Victoria, Ch.V) passed April 5, 1887, came into force on 1 January 1888. The Provincial Secretary was denoted as Registrar General.
31 Jan 1889	First C.P.R. telegraph office opens Saint John, joining Atlantic and Pacific in a continuous Canadian telegraph system.
2 Jun 1889	C.P.R. train from Montréal (through Maine) arrives Saint John, New Brunswick.
3 Jun 1889	First C.P.R. train reaches Halifax.
1891	Federal census.
1 Mar 1898	Intercolonial train into Montréal.
1899	Second Boer War (1899-1902).
1900	First, and oldest chapter of Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire (I.O.D.E.) formed at Fredericton, New Brunswick.
1901	Federal census, death of Queen Victoria.
1905	Alberta and Saskatchewan become provinces of Canada.
15 Apr 1912	Marconi’s Wireless Telegraph (radio) spreads the news of Titanic sinking.
4 Aug 1914	Start of First World War.
1916	Temperance or Prohibition laws passed in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and most other Canadian provinces, except for Québec.
6 Dec 1917	Halifax Explosion, first relief train arrive 8 December.
11 Nov 1918	End of First World War.
1920	USA passes the Volstead Act—Prohibition begins in USA.
1927	Lindbergh flies Atlantic.
1929	Wall Street crash—Great Depression begins.
1 Apr 1932	R.C.M.P. Become New Brunswick Provincial police force.
5 Dec 1933	USA repeals Volstead Act—end of Prohibition.
1935	Separate Lists of Voters prepared for every Federal Election after this date. Records of the Chief Electorals Officer (NA, RG 113).
3-10 Sep 1939	Start of Second World War.
Aug 1940	National Registration under War Measures Act.
14 Aug 1945	End of Second World War.
1 Jan 1947	Canadian Citizenship Act comes into force.
1949	Newfoundland and Labrador join Confederation.

For fuller details of any event, consult The Fitzhenry & Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts & Dates, comp. Jay Myers, revised L. Hoffman and F. Sutherland (Richmond Hill, Ontario: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1991).

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The original content for this article was contributed by The International Institute of Genealogical Studies in June 2012. It is an excerpt from their course Research: New Brunswick Ancestors by Althea Douglas, MA, CG(C). The Institute offers over 200 comprehensive genealogy courses for a fee ($).