“Dr.” Jonathon Locke 1731 - 1825?

All that remains of Jonathon’s grave marker may be the stone that is flush with the grass, closest to the camera.

Wife Abigail’s marker may be the larger stub next over.

For more about the Locke’s Burial Ground in Lockeport, Nova Scotia, please go to son Jonathon’s page.

Born: Varies between researchers from 1726 in Boston, MA to 1731 in Chilmark, MA.

Died: age 94 (Probably 1825) In Lockeport, Nova Scotia, buried in Locke’s Burial Ground

Spouse: Abigail (Perry) Locke, Probably married in Attleboro, MA. She was born March 16, 1727.

Children: Jacob Locke, born abt 1749. (See below)

Samuel Locke, born in 1755. (See below)

Ann Locke (Never married, no children, buried in Locke’s Burial Ground.)

Jonathon Locke, born in 1758.

Mary (Locke) Craig, born in 1763. (See below)

Abigail (Locke) Stewart, born in 1767. (See below)

William Locke, dates unknown, married maiden name Felton.

Father’s name: Jonathon Locke

Mother’s name: Sarah or Mary (Norton) Locke

Sibling: Samuel Locke

Syd Locke suggests that Jonathan was an infant when his father passed in 1731 and was then raised by his grandfather, Samuel Norton, father of mother Mary Norton. Recall that Mary remarried and may not have been around to raise Jonathan’s children.

In 1758, Jonathon is noted as living in Chilmark, Massachusetts and moved to Shelburne County, Nova Scotia and in 1761 founding the town of Lockeport. Early land records show Jonathon and his son Jacob as “Old Settlers”. Some of these older records distinguish between an old settler and a Loyalist, so there is the possibility here that the Locke’s are being noted as not-Loyalists.

There is a newspaper clipping I found at the Shelburne County Genealogical Society Research Centre & Library of an article by Marion Robertson, dated August 9, 1962 (which newspaper is not noted) from a series of articles about the pioneers of Lockeport, Nova Scotia. This one is fourth in the series and talks about American Privateers. Here are some of the hi-lites: “During the long years of the American War of Independence, hundreds of American Privateer-men harried the shores of Shelburne County, robbing the homes and the warehouses and the boats of the New England settlers, leaving havoc and distress behind them.” “The thieving of the privateermen was very surprising…for the New England settlers were sympathetic with the Revolution and did all in their power to help distressed Americans…” The article then focuses on William Porterfield, John Matthews, Thomas Hayden and Jonathon Locke. The article reports that on October 13, 1776 a “privateer sloop gone in at Port Matoon. They have taken a small schooner from Ragged Islands with some fish…they tell me they lost near £200. Mr. Matthews is carried off in the prize.” In August of 1779 [they, including Locke] were again robbed and wrote to Alexander McNutt, who had gone to Salem to salvage some of his own losses from the privateermen [and] to inform the Council of Massachusetts Bay of the robberies. [Copy of the letter is as follows, keeping the original spellings, punctuation, etc. intact:]

“These lines Comes with my respects to you, & to acquaint you of the Robery done to this Harbour. There was a guard of men put upon every house and houses stript, very Surprisingly to us. They came in here early in the morning of the 20^th day of August last [1778], and they said they were from Penobscot and were torries bound to Halifax. They came to my house first and wanted some refreshment, accordingly we let them have what they wanted; and then they went away and stayed on an island till the tide run so that they could come at my boat, then they come and took my boat and put a guard upon my house and went a robing. They took about 19 quintals of cod fish and four barrels of salt, three salmon nets, 60 lbs of butter, one green hyde, five dressed skins and some cheese and a great many other things. The boat cost me fifty pounds Halifax Currency. Then they went to Mr. Matthews and robed him, and went to Mr. Locke and robed him. These things are very surprising that we in this harbour that have done so much for America and given part of our living to them, and have concealed privateers & prizes too from the British Cruisers, in this Harbor. All this done for America and if this be the way that we are to be paid I desire to see no more of you without you come in another manner but I hope the America Gentlemen that grants our commissions or are bondsmen would take these Notorious Rascalls in hand for this Robery. Sir, be so kind as to inform some of the Council of the affair, that we might have some restrictions, otherwise we shall not be able to help the American prisoners, and more Sir, if you find out who these be, and whether we are like to have anything, be pleased to write.

William Porterfield,

John Matthews,

Thomas Hayden,

Jonathan Locke.”

There is no record that he succeeded in getting redress for his friends, but Alexander McNutt was permitted the next year on June 22, 1780 to export from the State of Massachusetts Bay to Port Roseway for the benefit of fourteen families living there.

“Dr.” Jonathon Locke converted to Christianity at the age of 25 under the preaching of Henry Allen (or Alline), he became a Baptist. The first gospel service in Lockeport was apparently held in his cabin on January 11, 1782 and he became a deacon of the famous black Loyalist, Rev. David George of Shelburne in the mid-1780’s.

Daughter Mary Locke married Rev. John Craig in Lockeport, Nova Scotia. Rev. Craig took over the church and field of Shelburne about 1795. He was born in Dublin, Ireland and 1749 and died in Shelburne, Nova Scotia on December 13, 1837. Mary and John had 6 children: Mary, Jonathon, Phoebe Burton, Samuel, Margaret, and Elizabeth. Both are buried in the old Locke Burial Ground. (See Jonathon’s page for more information about the old Locke Burial ground.) Daughter Margaret went on to marry William Loud Hupper, a harbor pilot and farmer, and they settled in Port Clyde, Maine. The Huppers had at least one daughter, Lucretia Hupper, born September 15, 1818. Margaret passed away when Lucretia was 15 years old and father William did remarry. Lucretia adopted Mormonism and moved away from the family to Illinois. More can be found regarding Lucretia Hupper at: http://www.mowerfamily.org/life/hupper.html

I am placing the title Dr. within quotation marks because there is no evidence of him having any medical training or having received a doctoral degree in any subject. There are accounts that phrase it this way, “…having some medical skills.” So I will treat it like a nickname.

Abigail Perry and her parents, Jacob (b. 1701) & Abigail (Smith) Perry (b. 1705) are also from Massachusetts, possibly Attleboro. Like the Lockes, they moved to Lockeport, Nova Scotia in the early 1760’s. Abigail is buried in Lockeport’s Pioneer Cemetery. (See pictures at top of page.) She worshipped with Rev. David George, a black loyalist. (See Mary Elizabeth (Ryder) Locke’s page for more information.) She later became the first person baptized in the Lockeport harbor in 1799. Jacob Perry is the son of Nathaniel and Sarah (Carpenter) Perry. Abigail Smith is the daughter of Daniel and Abigail (Preston) Smith.

Son Jacob, born after 1749, first married Viss Vernon and had two children: Ebeneezer and Jacob. Secondly, Jacob married Margaret Barry without any children. (As per Ann Capstick). According to Christ Church Baptisms, Jacob and Margaret had at least one daughter named Margaret, baptized September 3, 1820.

Viss Vernon is likely the daughter of Nathaniel and Margaret Vernon. I’ve found notes for an Augustus Vernon in Christ Church Baptisms, son of Nathaniel and Margaret Vernon and the dating makes it likely that he is her brother. Nathaniel Vernon is noted in Roll of Officers of British American or Loyalist Corps with the Philadelphia Light Dragoons, British Legion Cavalry and as having been promoted to Lieutenant in 1777 and later a Captain in the British Legion Calvary in 1781. The above mentioned Christ Church Baptisms notes Nathaniel as a half-pay Captain on May 17, 1807.

Jacob and Viss’ son Ebeneezer, according to Anglican records, became a Shelburne mariner and married Elizabeth Boole on December 18, 1806. Continuing with the Christ Church Baptisms, I find that Ebeneezer and Elizabeth likely had 8 children: John Berry (bp Nov. 15, 1807), Elanor or Eleanor Jane (bp July 16, 1809), Jacob (bp Oct. 27, 1811), George Frederick Augustus (bp Jan 10, 1814), Catherine Ann (bp Nov 30, 1815), William (bp Dec 12, 1817), Thomas Perry (bp April 23, 1820), and Samuel (b May 10, 1826). Sometime between 1818 and 1829 Ebeneezer married secondly Catharine Guyan. Child of Ebeneezer and Catherine is: James Bradford (bp April 14, 1829). I’m noticing that there is an overlap in the dates and attributions of children and parents. Historian Bruce Locke believes there are recording errors and notes specifically that Elizabeth should be James Bradford’s mother instead of Catherine. As late as 1815, Ebeneezer is noted as being a mariner from Shelburne. There is some suggestion that Ebeneezer retired from being a mariner after 1817 and was farming in Sandy Point in 1820 and farming on McNutt’s Island by 1826.

Jacob and Viss’ son Jacob married Catherine Guyon and their children were Peter Guyon (bp Feb. 7, 1816), Eben or Ebeneezer Jacob (bp Oct. 21, 1818), Vernon (bp Sept. 20, 1829), and James Cunningham (bp April 10, 1836). These are per Christ Church Baptisms. Ann Capstick adds two more children, Abram and Catherine.

The marriage of a Catherine Guyan to both Ebeneezer and Jacob is confusing and not well supported. The most logical reconciliation of this would be Bruce Locke’s supposition of recording errors in the Christ Church Baptisms. James Bradford as son of Ebeneezer and Elizabeth and no second marriage for Ebeneezer (to Catherine) makes sense.

Ann Capstick adds a number of names and dates of marriages for many of these individuals. However, Ms. Capstick’s note that Eben (1818) married “Fannie” Pye should actually be Mary Janet or Jennet as per another Nova Scotian historian, Ruth Legge. Ruth has found the marriage reported in both the Novascotian and the Acadian Reporter. They say that Eben Jacob Locke, of Shelburne, married Miss Mary Janet, fourth daughter of Mr. Leonard Pye of Liscomb Harbour on November 12, 1851. Ms. Legge also confirmed this through St. Paul’s Anglican Church records in Halifax. The marriage is further supported by the Canadian 1881 Census showing Eben J. Locke married to Mary and living in Halifax as a Master Mariner. They have 2 children, William Henry and Alphonzo, and a dressmaker named Malinda Pye lives with them. Mary Janet and Malinda Pye are sisters.

Below are my pictures of grave markers from Lydgate Cemetery near Lockeport of sons and daughters of Jacob Locke and Catherine Guyon and some of their families.

Left: Albert Locke 1840 - 1908 and his wife Sarah (Lloyd) 1838 - 1914.

Right: Enos C. Locke, drowned at sea in 1936, born about 1882

Left: Peter Guyan Locke 1877 - 1943 and wife Myrtle 1883 - 1961

Right: Jerusha Locke 1894 - 1938

Left: John F. Locke 1843 - 1905 and wife Latitia 1842 - 1925 with son J. Henry 1880 - 1934

Right: John H. Locke 1871 - 1944 and his wife Alice A 1879 - 1908

Left: William Locke 1868 - 1937 and wife Addie B. 1873 - 1955

Right: Will and Addie’s children Winifred M. 1898 - 1908 and Eulalie Webber 1896 - 1975

Son Samuel Locke had a son named Jonathan. I believe that they moved to the Massachusetts area and the marker below from Hampton, New Hampshire’s Ringswamp Cemetery could be Samuel’s son. Other markers there include Nathaniel Locke (Possibly another son of Samuel), Nathaniel’s wife Lydia and 3 of their children. My point is this is not the Jonathan Locke that is my direct relative.

Daughter Abigail married Isaac Stewart or Stuart on December 24, 1818. They had a daughter Nancy that went on to marry Mr. Williams. Abigail passed March 24, 1861.

Back to the Genealogy Main Page.