Fletcher Genealogy

The Fletcher family does not have direct lineage to my genealogy, but I’ve decided to include it here because of their influence and associations with many of my relatives.  I’ve also noticed this area of the Fletcher genealogy is disjointed amongst the various resources and could benefit from some summary.  This is not intended to be comprehensive. 

Unless otherwise noted, information on this page was harvested out of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia: A Sequel to Campbell’s History, by George Stayley Brown and John Roy Campbell.

Please feel free to contact me if you have comments or questions at: jrkho5@sbcglobal.net

 

Thanks,

Jim Kowald

 

 

Dr. Thomas Fletcher    1702/3 - 1761

Thomas Fletcher is listed as the Bishop of Kildare from 1745 until he died in 1761. (Wikipedia)

Thomas Fletcher, M. A. a Fellow of All-Souls College, in 1739, was chaplain to the Duke of Devonshire, Lord Lieutenant, and became Treasurer of Christ Church, Dublin. He was presented on October 4, and was instituted October 15. (FF.) On May 26, 1744 he was raised to See (aka bishopric) of Dromore by patent dated May 30 and consecrated on June 10 by the Primate, assisted by the Bishops of Meath and Down.  He was translated to Bishop of Kildare by Letters Patent on May 14, 1745. (From Fasti Ecclesle Hibernicae: The Succession of the Prelates and Members of the Cathedral Bodies in Ireland. Vol III. By V. Henry Cotton, Archdeacon of Casiiel.  by The Province of Ulster, Dublin: Hodges and Smith, Grafton-Strest, Booksellers to the University,  F. & J. Rivington, London; and John Henry Parker, Oxford, MDCCCXLIX.  Printed at the University Press by M. H. Gill, Dublin.) (See also The British Chronologist: Comprehending Every Material occurrence, Ecclisiastical, Civil, or Military, relative to England and Wales, etc., Vol. II, published in 1775.)  (See also A History of the Queen’s County, Vol. I, by John O’Hanlon and Edward O’Leary.)

Note that he is a Doctor of Divinity [DD], not a medical doctor as his grandson would later become.

I have not discovered who his wife would have been.  There is another source out there that suggests that he was not married.

Children are George and Philip.  There is a Thomas Fletcher that was a noteworthy printer that arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1765. While it is possible that this could be a third son, I have not found any direct evidence supporting this.

Died in Dublin, Ireland on March 18, 1761 and is buried in the cathedral of Christ Church.  A monument to Bishop Fletcher is in St. Mary’s Church, Dublin, located on the south side of the choir and of the altar.  It is a plain, white marble tablet with the inscription, “dedicated to the memory of Thomas Fletcher, Bishop of Dromore, who was translated to the See of Kildare and Deanery of Christ-Church, 28th June, 1745, and died March 18th, 1761.”

 

 

Dr. George Fletcher     c1725 - ?

Son of Dr. Thomas Fletcher, Bishop of Kildare, and brother of Philip.

Most sources refer to him as “Dr.”, but I do not know if he is Doctor of Divinity like his father and brother or a medical doctor like his son.

Dr. George Fletcher is a descendent of the Bishop of Kildare, Ireland and there is a monument in the cathedral of Christ Church, Dublin, Ireland.  The earliest arrivals in west or southwest Nova Scotia family began in 1761/2.  (Campbell’s History)   I’m going to suggest that these two dates are related…Did George Fletcher emigrate to Nova Scotia with his family following the death of his father?  This was not an uncommon destination in this time period.

Possibly married Elizabeth Fletcher?  (This is tentative and from an LDS source.) 

He had three sons: Hon. William Fletcher, Thomas Fletcher?, and Dr. Richard Fletcher. 

 

 

Dr. Philip Fletcher   c1730 – 1765

He is the son of Dr. Thomas Fletcher, Bishop of Kildare, and brother of George.

Also a Doctor of Theology (M. A.) collated [Instituted as a Cleric] February 9, 1744.  Also noted as being a Church Treasurer in 1743-1744.

Installed March 1, 1746, he became a Canon of Kildare and in the same year was elected Dean of that Cathedral.

He died in 1765.   (From Fasti Ecclesle Hibernicae and other sources.)

There is no suggestion that Philip and his family ever came to Nova Scotia.

There is a record of a Vicars of Aghalee, Ireland in 1778, which would suggest him being a son of Philip.

 

 

Hon. William Fletcher    abt 1745  - 1823

Oldest son of Dr. George Fletcher. 

He was a farmer in the Ohio District located north of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

He was appointed Judge in 1807 and has some noted opinions regarding duels.

William had a son William who married Francisann, 2nd daughter of Archibald Hamilton-Rowan.

I would speculate that son William and Francisann had a son also named William.  There are vital records showing a William Fletcher from the Ohio area marrying Emily Churchill (Born in 1814, daughter of Benjamin Churchill) and they had 9 children: George W., Edward, Coleman, Emily, Lala, Melissa, Rachel, and Mary. (For more info, please see Large Branches and Small Twigs website by David Cann.)

 

 

Thomas Fletcher     1747 - 1808

Information regarding the 2nd son of Dr. George Fletcher is speculative.

Various sources place his birth as early as 1738, but more likely in 1747, Londonderry, Ireland.

Married Jean Vance in 1773 in Masstown, Nova Scotia.

A man named Fletcher, not specified as Thomas but most likely it is him, enlisted as a First Lieutenant in the Militia on August 28, 1775, probably the 84th Royal Highland Emigrant Regiment with Captain, soon Lt. Col., Ranald MacKinnon.  (History of Nova Scotia, Murdock)

One of the first to settle onto Acadian land after the expulsion of the French, around 1775.  (From Canadian Genealogy. I have some doubts regarding the accuracy of this source as they say the Acadian Expulsion began in 1775, but historically it is 1755, and they misspell Acadian.  However, their story regarding Thomas Fletcher settling in the area is still quite plausible.)

Died on July 1, 1808 in Glenholme, Nova Scotia.

Please note that Masstown, Glenholme, and land from the Acadian Expulsion are all in the same immediate area. 

 

 

Dr. Richard Fletcher     1749? - 1818

The 3rd and youngest of Dr. George Fletcher’s three sons.

Born:  September 19, 1746 or 1749, Christened at Ss. Peter & Kevin, Dublin, Ireland.  (This is tentative and from an LDS source.)

Died: 1818, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

 

Spouse:  Mary (MacKinnon) Fletcher in 1791, probably in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, daughter of Ranald MacKinnon (See below).  She may have been born in 1773. 

Children:

          William Fletcher

          George Stephen Fletcher

          Mary (Fletcher) Huntington  (Married Bela Huntington, son of Miner Huntington, in March of 1818. They had 2 children: Richard and Martha.)

          Charlotte Letitia (Fletcher) Brown  (Charlotte was born in 1801 and died on Nvember 30, 1843, buried in Frost Park.  She married Hon. Stayley Brown.  See Nova Scotia Genealogy for image of the original April 13, 1825 Marriage Bond.  They had 6 children: Margaret, John A., Mary, George S., Annie, and Charles E.)

          Isabella Antonia (Fletcher) Eakins (Married Robert S. Eakins.)

 

Father’s name:  Dr, George Fletcher       Birth place:  Queens County, Ireland

Mother’s name:  Elizabeth Fletcher?  (This is tentative and from an LDS source.) 

Siblings:        Hon. William Fletcher        

                    Thomas Fletcher?

More information can be found on David Cann’s website: Large Branches & Small Twigs.

Dr. Richard Fletcher is the third son of Dr. George Fletcher. 

He had a farmstead located along the coastline somewhere between Cape Forchu and Darling Lake or Beaver River Corner; an area near Lovitt’s Grove.  He was the western neighbor of Israel Lovitt.  (Mr. Lovitt’s eastern neighbor was John Cann.)  Dr. Fletcher is listed amongst Yarmouth County’s earliest land owners.

In 1786, Dr. Fletcher is appointed a surgeon to the 6th Regiment of Foot and they were ordered to North American Station.  He retired from the service in 1796.

Dr. Fletcher married Mary MacKinnon in 1791.  Mary was born in 1773 and is the daughter of Ranald MacKinnon of Argyle, Nova Scotia.  Mary lived on the farm past Richard’s death until 1840. Mary was noted for her literary ability.  On January 1, 1822 she became one of the original shareholders for the Yarmouth Book Society which later became known as Milton Library.  (Note that James B. Dane was President of Milton Library later in 1848.)  In 1828 Mary helped establish and became the first President for an independent Ladies Branch of the British & Foreign Bible Society for the Yarmouth and Argyle areas.  She passed away in 1849.

Upon retirement, he moved to Shelbourne, Nova Scotia.  However, he moved back to Yarmouth in 1809.

He did own interests in shipping.  (However, I don’t have specific details about this.)

Dr. Fletcher was appointed a Magistrate in 1810.

In 1811 Richard was among the original stockholders (Along with Thomas Dane) of the Inland Navigation Co., an insurance company.

Found Runic Stone, aka Fletcher’s Stone, on his property in 1812.  Nicknamed the Fletcher Stone (Link takes you to an 1892 article by K.G.T. Webster), it unfortunately has all but been proven to be a hoax.  See also The Yarmouth "Runic Stone" Explained.   There is more discussion in the book The World’s Greatest Unsolved Mysteries by Lionel and Patricia Fanthorp, available in Google Books.

In January of 1816, the Yarmouth and Argyle Branch of the British & Foreign Bible Society began and Richard was a Vice President.  (Note that Thomas Dane was Secretary.)

 

 

Ranald MacKinnon     abt 1737 - 1805

Father of Mary MacKinnon, wife of Dr. Richard Fletcher

Portrait of Ranald MacKinnon from Kim Stacy’s article as found on Wikipedia

 

Ranald was born in Skye, Scotland.

He joined the Montgomery Highlanders at about the age of 20 in 1757 as an ensign.  They were soon sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia and they fought the French at Fort DuQuesne (now Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania).  Promoted to Lieutenant and was wounded in 1760 while fighting the Cherokees.  In 1762 they were sent to Newfoundland to take St. John’s from the French.  After the end of hostilities in 1763, Ranald accompanied survey parties along the southwestern coastline of Nova Scotia where he became familiar with Argyle.

Ranald married Letitia Piggott on November 20, 1766. 

He was appointed Magistrate for the district in 1766 and for 40 years held the office of Collector of Customs and Excise.

For having served in the King’s Army, Ranald was awarded extensive land grants (Both land and islands) in the area of Argyle, Nova Scotia. 

In 1775, he received a commission as Captain for the 84th Royal Highland Emigrant Regiment.  In 1776 he was made Lt. Colonel and placed in command of the Loyal Militia of southwestern district of Nova Scotia.

The 84th Regiment under Mackinnon on September 4, 1778 led the Raid on Cape Sable Island.  They surprised American Privateers during the night and destroyed their ship.  MacKinnon was highly praised by Brigadier General Eyre Massey which embarrassed MacKinnon who requested that it not be inserted in the record since he only did his duty. Kim Stacy (1994). No One harms me with impunity - the History, Organization and Biographies of the 84th Highland Regiment (Royal Highland Emigrants) and Young Royal Highlanders during the Revolutionary War 1775-1784. Unpublished manuscript. p. 29

Ranald passed away in Shelburne on April 28, 1805.

 

 

William Fletcher   abt 1791  - 1812/3

Son of Dr. Richard & Mary Fletcher.

William joined the British Royal Navy in 1807 as a Midshipmen and served aboard the HMS Cleopatra, a 32 gun 5th Rate Frigate stationed out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, built in 1780 and under the command of Captain Robert Laurie.  Later in 1808 he served on the HMS Columbia.  (I have not found much about this ship.)  In 1810 he was promoted to Lieutenant and commanded the HMS Gauchapin, a 16 ton brig operating in the area of Antigua and the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean.  William James in his Naval History of Great Britain, Volume VI, pages 48 -50, takes us further.  He recounts a battle between British and French ships of war near Lorient, France on the 22nd of May in 1812, specifically the 3rd-Rate, 74 gun, HMS Northumberland.  He concludes the story with:

“The fire from this single battery had done the Northumberland as much injury in the hull, as all the fire to which, in running along the coast engaging the ships and batteries, she had previously been exposed. Her loss, in consequence, amounted to four seamen and one marine killed, one lieutenant (William Fletcher), three petty officers, 19 seamen, and five marines wounded; of whom four were wounded dangerously and 10 severely.”

This would imply that our Lt. William Fletcher was reassigned to the Northumberland sometime between 1810 and 1812 and that he met his end in battle against the French.  However, according to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia: A Sequel to Campbell’s History, by George Stayley Brown and John Roy Campbell, William Fletcher died in Antigua of yellow fever in 1813. 

William was never married nor had any children.

 

    

Left: HMS Cleopatra, built in 1779.

Right: HMS Northumberland, launched in 1798, in battle with the French on May 22, 1812. 

(Images from Wikipedia)

 

 

George Stephen Fletcher    1803 - 1854

Son of Dr. Richard & Mary Fletcher.

Christened at Christ Church in Shelburne, Nova Scotia on October 28, 1803.

Married Rebecca Harding, daughter of Israel Harding. (See Nova Scotia Genealogy for image of the original June 20, 1831 Marriage Bond)

George died in Melbourne, Australia in 1854.

George S. Fletcher emigrated from Nova Scotia with his wife, 4 daughters and 3 sons.  They departed on December 13, 1852 on the Packet Schooner Brilliant for Australia.  From Yarmouth Reminiscences, Lawson, 1902.

Passengers and Crew of the Brilliant included:

          Thomas V. B. Bingay, Master

          James Moody, Mate

          George S. Fletcher, Sailing Master

          Edwin Wetmore, Cook & Steward

          William Perry, Assistant Cook

          Crew: George A. Wetmore, Jacob Wetmore, Henry Allan, William Halstead, C. John Bond, Richard Fletcher (son of Capt.)

          Passengers: Mrs. T. V. B. Bingay, Elizabeth Moody, Thomas Bingay, Charles Bingay, J. W. Bingay, George Bingay, John B. Bingay, unknown Roberts, Mrs. G. S. Fletcher (Rebecca), Sarah Fletcher, Laleah Fletcher, Stephen Fletcher, Ranald Fletcher, Charlotte Fletcher, and Margaret Fletcher. 

The New Zealander newspaper (Vol. 8, Issue 663 of August 21, 1852) lists many, many ships that are preparing to bring immigrants south in an article headlined “English Shipping Laid On for the Australian Colonies”, including the Brilliant.  The schooner Brilliant is also referenced in the 1937 book Wooden Ships and Iron Men, the Story of the Square-Rigged Merchant Marine of British North America, Their Ships, Their Builders and Owners, and the Men Who Sailed Them by Frederick William Wallace.  (Published by Charles E. Lauriat, Co., 91 Franklin Street, Boston, Massachusetts.)   On page 61 is the following entry: 

 

Yarmouth Schooner Sails for Australia

“Fired by the tales of life and opportunities in the new El Dorado of the South, a number of residents of Yarmouth, NS., bought the new packet schooner Brilliant, of 112 tons, to take them to Australia.  The Brilliant sailed from Yarmouth on Dec. 13th, 1852, and arrived at Melbourne on April 11th, 1853, via the Cape of Good Hope.  She had twenty six passengers, seven of whom were women.  The undertaking of such a lengthy voyage in such a small vessel speaks volumes for the courage and hardihood of the Bluenose men and women of that day.  When they wanted to make a shift, they made it their own craft, and the monotony and hazards of months at sea deterred them not.  Natural-born seafarers, they invariably reached the destination they headed for, and usually none the worse for the experience.”

 

Here’s a related, obscure notice that I found out of Melbourne Australia’s General Post Office, from the Office of Unclaimed Mail, published in the Victoria Government Gazette, No. 33, June 15, 1853.  Lying unclaimed in their office is a letter addressed to Fletcher, Captain G. S. of the Schooner Brilliant.  Who the letter is from or what the contents may be are not noted.

 

More information regarding the Schooner Brilliant:

Apparently, she stayed in Australian area waters as seen in the various shipping intelligence reports of area newspapers.

 

The Brilliant may have been lost along America’s west coast in 1872 while in the employ of the Mendocino Redwood Lumber Company. (Suggested by the shipwreck history in the Medocino Redwood Company website.)

 

 

Capt. Richard Harding Fletcher    1834 - 1886

Son of George & Rebecca Fletcher.

Born in 1834 in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. 

In 1852 through 1853, sailed with the Schooner Brilliant as a member of the crew (as noted above) and eventually returned to Nova Scotia.

Married Francis “Fannie” Locke Dane on October 24, 1856 in Hebron, Nova Scotia.

Richard & Fannie had 4 children: George M., Sarah Rebecca, Atilla or Atpre, and Ernest.  (Please see Fannie’s page for information regarding the children.)

Fannie, with her first 2 children, immigrated to Appleton, Wisconsin with her parents Thomas and Elizabeth Frances Dane and their children in April of 1860.  It is unclear where husband Richard was at this time.  The entire family is in Appleton for the 1880 Census, but it appears that they split up shortly after that; after son George M’s death.    Fannie and son Ernest stay in Appleton; Richard and daughter Sarah go to South Dakota.  I’m not certain of Atilla’s whereabouts.

Captain Fletcher was the Master of the Brig Victor, which father-in-law Thomas Dane had interests, when in October of 1859 it was driven ashore as it left Androssan, Scotland and became a total wreck.

Died on February 6, 1886 and is buried in Mr. Hope Cemetery in Watertown, South Dakota. 

 

 

 

For an interesting side story, please see my information about George S. Fletcher’s brother, Richard O. Fletcher.

 

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