Historical and Genealogy Research SEELYE, Justus According to Seelye family history Justus Seelye was a Loyalist who came to New Brunswick in 1783 on the ship “Sally” with a wife and children. Unfortunately, although there are two sailings listed for the ship “Sally” there is no passenger list for either of the sailings from New York that arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick, only the total number of passengers. The first sailing arrived on 3 August 1783 and the second one on 17 October 1783. There were 114 people on the first sailing and 144 on the second sailing. No proof for the Seelye family arriving on the “Sally”. All the available passenger lists have been recorded by David Bell, law professor at the University of New Brunswick, in his book American Loyalists to New Brunswick, The Ship Passenger Lists, (2015). The “Sally” is mentioned on page 16 but there is no one listed as the captain of the company nor any passengers, either by numbers or by names. However, the late Dr. Esther Clark Wright, in what has become almost a Bible for Loyalist researchers, The Loyalists of New Brunswick (1955), mentions one Justus Seelye on page 326. He was from Connecticut, was a Sergeant in the King’s American Dragoons, received a lot on the west side of Saint John Harbour, Carleton lot 310 and his place of residence was listed as Charlotte County. Other members of the King’s American Dragoons arrived in the summer of 1783 and went up the St. John River and formed the settlement at Prince William, above Fredericton. A list of those men who received grants there is available but Justus Seeyle was not among them. Loyalist city lots were drawn by a lottery system and on 18 May 1785 Justus Seelye received Lot 310 in Carleton, West Saint John. This city lot was 1.9 acres – larger than most of the lots in the central peninsula (drawn in Aug 1784) or those west side lots which were closer to the harbour. Some family lore states that he built a saw mill there but no evidence of this has yet been found. Later in 1785, as can be seen from the petition below, Justus and family moved down to Charlotte County – the next county west of St. John County and which today borders on the state of Maine. Numerous land petitions were made by both Justus and his eldest son, Orange Seelye, for land in Charlotte County. The Land petitions in detail are available from the Provincial Archives but their website has an outline of who petitioned with whom and for which area of the Province. Petitions were intended to prove that the persons submitting them were of age, had arrived as a “refugee” or “Loyalist” and were able to cultivate the land. From PANB microfilm F1028 Justus and Orange Seelye, John Gill, James Hunt and Freeman Smith “ask to be confirmed in their lands at Deadman’s Cove [this later became known as Seelye’s Cove], about five miles from Beaver Harbour, where they have settled, built and improved the land”. This petition was recorded as received by the Provincial Government 12 April 1785. A later petition omitted some of the men and contained only the names of Justus, Orange and Freeman Smith. The Surveyor-General, George Sproule, commented “the lands are vacant in the situation applied for within…a plat to be…with the several lots marked on it…the plat is enclosed – 15 February 1786. Complied with.” In yet another petition, this one minus Orange Seelye, dated 30 December 1785 “, they are refugees and wish to form a settlement…one mile east from Beaver Harbour and south of the lands assigned to the Friends [the Quakers].” In support of this petition are the words of the Chief Justice pf New Brunswick, Joshua Upham, a former Major in the King’s American Dragoons, who wrote “Justus Seelye, within named, served as a Sergeant in the late Regiment of the King’s American Dragoons and I believe him to be an honest, industrious man”. The only other petition with the name Justus Seelye included was one by Charity (male) French made in Saint John County in 1799. In that year alone Charity French made four petitions but other than his Parrtown lot granted in 1785 he received no land for any of them nor for the other six he made in other years. Justus Seelye did not receive anything from that petition. The next step was to find exactly what land Justus Seelye did receive. The Crown Land index book indicates that he got lot 111, Seely Cove, Pennfield, 324 acres on 9 November 1787. PANB record below gives the date of the grant as 21 January 1788. On the same day, in the grant to John Gill, Justus got lot 319, S E, Beaver Harbour, Pennfield, 13 acres. Included in that grant was Orange Seelye who got lot 108, S E, Beaver Harbour, 6 acres. Index to New Brunswick Land Grants, 1784 - 1997 (RS686) Other names on this grant (30): BROWN, Asha *   6  acres
 CAIN, John    7  acres
 COOK, Thomas    6  acres
ELDRAGE, William    6  acres
 FAIRLAMB, Samuel    6  acres
 FERRIS, Soloman    7  acres
FRENCH, James    6  acres
GARRISON, John    6  acres
HALSEY, Elisha    10  acres
HAND, Samuel    7  acres
HART, Samuel    6  acres
HASIN, John    8  acres
KENDRICK, Thomas    8  acres
LIPPENCUT, Richard    3  acres
MARKS, John    6  acres
MCCOLLUM, John    7  acres
PRATT, Elizabeth    6  acres
PRATT, James    10  acres
RUSSEL, Joseph    6  acres
SANGER, Eleazer    6  acres
SEALYE, Justus    13  acres
 SEALYE, Orange    6  acres
 SIMPSON, Drummond    10  acres
STOUT, Peter    6  acres
 THOMAS, Evan    7  acres
 WALLACE, Jonathan    6  acres
WOOD, Thomas    11  acres
 WOODWARD, Isaac    6  acres
 WOODWARD, Robert    6  acres
 WOODWARD, Samuel    7  acres Other names on this grant (34): BROWN, Asa    189 acres
BROWN, Benjamin Field    189 acres
DENNIS, John    189 acres
FAIRLAMB, Samuel    189   acres
FIELD, George    191  acres
FRENCH, Thomas    194  acres
GIBERSON, William    191  acres
GILL, John    189  acres
HAMPTON, Abner    189  acres
HORNER, John    189  acres
KNIGHT, Joshua Sr.    189  acres
LIPPENCUT, Richard    183  acres
MEAD, Richard    189  acres
RANKIN, John    191  acres
REGISTER, Daniel    189  acres
SMITH, Freeman    189  acres
STILWELL, Samuel    189  acres
STOUT, Peter    191  acres
STRICKLAND, Amos    191  acres
STRICKLAND, John    281  acres
THOMAS, Evan *   189  acres
TOMLINSON, Joseph    189  acres
WALTMAN, Peter    189  acres
WHITE, Amos    189  acres
WILLIAMS, Joseph    189  acres
WOOD, Thomas    194  acres
WOODWARD, Anthony    193  acres
WOODWARD, Isaac    189  acres
WOODWARD, Jacob    189  acres
WOODWARD, Jesse    382  acres
WOODWARD, Jesse Jr.    189  acres
WOODWARD, Nimrod    189  acres
WOODWARD, Robert    191  acres
WRIGHT, Elias Sr.    189  acres The relationship between Justus Seelye and Orange and Stuart/Stewart Seelye can be seen from these obituaries. New Brunswick Courier 21 March 1835 “Died at St. George 20th ult (Feb) Orange Seelye, age 68, came with his father Justus Seelye, one of the Loyalists in 1783.” St. Andrew’s Standard 11 August 1838 d. St. George, Charlotte Co., Sunday 5th inst., advanced age, Stuart SEELYE, of apoplexy, loyalist, emigrated from Connecticut with his father at age 13. Stuart Seelye’s son, Edward, related this biographical sketch, focused primarily on the Millliken family of his mother, Rebecca Millliken. What is of interest here is that he refers to his grandfather, Justus Seelye, as having served during the Revolutionary War in Thompson’s Light Horse – which was Lt. Col. Benjamin Thompson’s Troop of the King’s American Dragoons. This comment confirms the support given to Justus Seelye by Joshua Upham to his petition and the careful work done by the late Dr. Esther Clark Wright, when she mentioned that Justus had served in the King’s American Dragoons. Date September 19 1878
County Charlotte
Place Saint Stephen
Newspaper Saint Croix Courier

Justus SEELYE was of English descent, his wife, Sarah STUART of Scotch descent. They were natives of Hartford, Connecticut and at the time of the American Revolution, in affluent circumstances. Justus Seelye was offered a commission to join the rebels. He contemptuously refused, saying he would stake his life and fortune in behalf of his Sovereign, and in consequence thereof was compelled to leave his home and take refuge in the woods armed with a brace of horse pistols and after several hairbreadth escapes succeeded in reaching a British garrison and voluntarily listed a common Sergeant in Thompson's Light Horse Dragoons. He served through the war and was rewarded with confiscation of his property, his real estate said to be worth $4,000 and with a distressed and persecuted family sought refuge in New Brunswick, and on the 18th day of May 1783, landed from the transport ship "Sally" at Saint John before there was a house built within the bounds of the present city and only one house in Carleton opposite the harbor where Justus Seelye laid the foundation and built the first saw mill in the Province of New Brunswick. His family consisted of his wife Sarah Stuart and three sons, Orange SEELYE, Stuart SEELYE and Justus SEELYE, the two former settled in St. George, N.B. The writer's father, Stuart Seelye married Rebecca Milliken who was born at Castine, as before noticed, she was the mother of 18 children of whom some mention will be made at the close of this narrative. My grandfather, Justus Seelye removed to Upper Canada with his wife and youngest son Justus. He visited New Brunswick in 1812 and at that time Canada was threatened by the United States, he refused to prolong his visit in St. George, but hastened in return, saying that he must go and help defend his family and dear bought country, and when he arrived home his son Justus was drafted for actual service. His father volunteered to take his son's place and was accepted. He was employed making gun carriages, served some nine months but owing to a threatened demonstration of the enemy, he wrought beyond his strength; his once iron frame gave way under mental care and bodily toil; he died in camp the night of the memorable battle of Lundy's Lane. Thus, passed away the spirit of a brave man, devoted to his family, his country and his God. The writer's father, Stuart Seelye, cultivated a farm in St. George, followed lumbering in the winter and by industry supported a very large family while the country was in a wilderness state, but for want of efficient schools were deprived of the ordinary means of education, which he lamented as one of the greatest afflictions connected with leaving his native country, but he hoped better privileges would attend his posterity. Thus, he lived in hope and died in hope of a glorious mortality, the 15th August 1838 in the 69th year of his age. About six years after the death of Stuart Seelye, his dwelling was consumed by fire and the youngest branches of the family, with the exception of one, subsequently settled in the United States and our widowed mother took refuge under the roof and protection of the writer, where she enjoyed comparative repose ten years, resigned to the will of God, and on the 22nd of September 1854, in the 76th year of her age, fell asleep in the arms of her Redeemer. The three eldest sons of Stuart and Rebecca Seelye were subject to great hardships in the lumber woods from an early age. The writer camped out twenty winters in succession and in common with his two elder brothers stood in the breach of political strife. ... The late Colonel Henry SEELYE was the eldest of the family, he was eventually unsuccessful in business and moved to California and in 1858, 64 years of age, rested his bones on the Pacific Shore. All of his family, with the exception of two. have settled in the States. Philo SEELYE was the second son of Stuart and Rebecca Seelye. He held the deacon's office in the Baptist Church in St. George some thirty years, on the 9th Jan. 1857, passed away in the 62nd year of his age. His family has also settled in the States. The writer, Edward Seelye, is the third son, 62 years of age, he claims to have his share of afflictions, has buried six children, two only survive, a son and a daughter who with their mother remain in St. George, N.B. The writer was successful in business, built a mill in St. George at the expense of $ 4,000, mortgaged his property to pay the bill. Owing to his integrity refused to support some political aspirants, incurred displeasure and some of the baser sort of the community were prompted to deeds of daring and crime. The operation of the mill was conducted by his son and was the principal means of support, it took fire and was consumed. The writer sought employment in the United States. (abridged) “. The life of Justus Seelye in New Brunswick, from the evidence given by the land petitions, land grants, sons’ obituaries, and grandson’s information, is that of a Connecticut soldier in the King’s American Dragoons, who came to New Brunswick in 1783 as a Loyalist. He petitioned for, and received, land in the parish of Pennfield, Charlotte County, NB. His sons, Orange and Stuart/Stewart, also petitioned for, and obtained, land in this area of Charlotte County. These two men remained in New Brunswick, and some sources indicate so did another son, Philo, but no evidence has been found of him obtaining land or selling land in Charlotte County nor of his life or death in the Province. Justus Seelye left New Brunswick some time before 1800 for reasons which are not known. What did he do with his property here? A search was made of the Charlotte and St. John County Land Records. No record was found of Justus Seelye either buying or selling land in St. John County. The search was made up to the late 1830s. If the Carleton lot remained in family hands perhaps it was never registered or sold until many years later – the mandate of this work did not include going into other Seelye family members land records in Saint John. In the Charlotte County records, there was only one deed which involved Justus Seelye, Senior. This was from Book B, page 234-5. This was a sale of the Lot 111, 324 acres, which he had received in 1788. Justus sold this land on 15 May 1795 to Eleazer Sanger, a man who had also been included with Justus Seelye in the earlier grants. This is the land shown on NB Cadastral map #63 below (this in an enlarged segment taken from the overall map which can be made available if required) with the Justus Seelye land shaded in blue. Note that the cove marked “Seelye’s Cove” was the cove referred to in some of the land petitions as Deadman’s Cove. There was no evidence of the sale of his Lot 318 of 13 acres in Beaver Harbour up to the late 1830s. Charlotte County Deeds Book B page 234 Deed # 677 Conclusions From a detailed search of the New Brunswick land records, primarily in Charlotte County from 1784 to the late 1830s, there was only one man by the name of Justus Seelye who was listed as a Grantor. Justus Seelye did not show up on the Grantee index. This Justus Seelye was the Grantor selling the Lot 111 which he had received in 1788. The 324 acres in this grant was in the area which later bore his name, Seelye’s Cove. Justus Seelye was part of a large group of Loyalists who petitioned for land in this area, none of the individuals asked for a specific amount of land, and there is no indication as to how each man was allocated the number of acres he received. Justus, who had served in the King’s American Dragoons, may have had more military service than others, he also had sons of an age to work the land and had said that he wanted to establish a new settlement near the “Friends” or Quakers – the land he received was located next to that of Joshua Knight, the leader of the Quaker Settlement in the Beaver Harbour area of Charlotte County. Justus Seelye was living in Charlotte County New Brunswick in 1795. He also petitioned for land in Saint John in 1799. No further evidence of Justus Seelye was found in New Brunswick. The only Justus Seelye found was the man discussed in this report. There was no evidence that there were two different men with the name Justus Seelye living at the same time in early Loyalist New Brunswick. There is no information as to why he, as a Loyalist, returned to the United States. However, in the early 1800s there are petitions by a Justus Seelye for land in Upper Canada (Ontario). They could be made by him or by his son, Justus Azel Seelye. An Ontario researcher might be able to follow the land petition/land grant trail in Ontario to discover which Justus was making the claims. Justus Seelye’s grandson, Edward Seelye, stated that he knew that his grandfather had gone to Ontario and had died there. Some family lore stated that Sarah Stuart, wife of Joshua, married as her second husband a Mr. Bentley and returned to Charlotte County, NB and died there – no record of her death in the newspapers of the day nor does she have a tombstone still standing. Sandra Keirstead Thorne 14 June 2017 Sandra Keirstead Thorne BA BEd MEd sandrajethorne@gmail.com 57 Highland Drive Hampton, NB E5N 5C6 REBECCA MILLIKEN (Wife of Stuart Seeley, son of Justus Seelye) The following is a biographical sketch written to a friend in New Brunswick by the late Edward SEELYE, relative to some of his race, the peculiar trials they endured at the time of the old French War and the American Revolution, trials common to many of the loyalists who landed in St. John, May 18th, 1783 which we believe will in some measure solve the problem of their indomitable perseverance in settling and improving the country. - About the year 1690 during the time of the French war, Dominicus JORDAN was the owner of Cape Elizabeth, the peninsula which now forms the Harbour of Portland, Maine, and owing to his position, a man of some influence, became a mark for the Indians who were instigated by the French to deeds of cruelty towards the British settlers. They surrounded his house in the dead of night when he was aroused from his slumbers by their war whoop to behold his infants dashed against the walls and himself and the rest of the family reserved for the torture of the tomahawk and scalping knife. The entire family was slaughtered with the exception of two children, his little son, Dominicus, eight years old and his sister, six. These two children were taken from Cape Elizabeth through the woods in winter time on snowshoes to Quebec. They grew up to man and womanhood among the Indians, the boy always retaining the memory of his early home and the murder of his family and fostered in his mind a desire and determination to return to the place of his birth, but dared not entrust his sister with his secret design lest through her imprudence his thoughts might be divulged. She seemed to have had no recollection of the place of her birth and was contented to remain with the Indians. She married an Indian chief and became lost forever to her kindred. Dominicus Jordan became an active and skilful hunter and was highly esteemed among the tribe with which he was connected and by stratagem effected his escape. He never spoke of having any recollection of his former home to the Indians, yet they were suspicious that he had not forgotten all, and seemed to fear that he would attempt to escape and some years after he became of sufficient age to hunt alone they would not allow him to do so, but after watching his maneouvers for a long time their suspicions were allayed by his punctual return to the encampment at night. Then he commenced to prepare for his escape by concealing each day he went to hunt a part of his lunch in a hollow tree and also a small portion of his ammunition, and occasionally he would prolong his stay in the woods to a late hour in the night, and upon one or two occasions remained in the woods all night, until at last when his magazine contained sufficient store for the journey, he took his leave of the Indians, after a residence with them of 13 years, sought his way back to his native place. But Oh! how changed the scene. He alone of all his race stood stranger on the spot of his once happy home with vivid collections of the past, sat down and wept o'er his dead father's bones. In short time however, with manly fortitude peculiar to his race, he formed new acquaintances, married, and joined the inhabitants in their farming operations which was carried on at great disadvantage owing to the Indian aggression which still continued. A log garrison was built in which the inhabitants took shelter at night; the men were obliged to keep their fire-arms by their side while working in the field. One day while Dominicus Jordan was at work in his field in sight of the garrison, he was surrounded by the Indians, a hundred in number who had been watching some time for an opportunity to take him alive if possible. He seized his gun and in the act of cocking it a bullet from the Indians shot his thumb. The blood wet the powder in the pan which circumstance saved him from being taken. The Indians did not know that the powder was wet, and knowing his skill as a marksman, they feared to approach too near while he ran towards the garrison, and as the foremost Indian neared him, he would turn and threaten the Indian in their own tongue until he drew near the garrison, with almost supernatural speed and with a matchless bound sprang into the window which was raised by his faithful wife, fell to the floor with the blood flowing from 21 wounds caused by the Indian tomahawk which was thrown at him. The garrison windows were closed and the Indians retired to the woods and watched three days expecting to see him carried out dead, in the event of which they intended to storm the garrison. They entertained a superstitious fear of Dominicus Jordan more than of fifty ordinary pale face. He understood their tongue and mode of warfare and after the peace they often spoke of him to the English settlers, making known their design of storming the garrison etc., saying of him, 'Sarlain no kilum he all one devil.' Phebe JORDAN was a granddaughter of Dominicus Jordan and the wife of Benjamin MILLIKEN who lived at Castine, Penobscot River, at the time of the American Revolution, he was comparatively in affluent circumstances. An officer of the American army offered to procure a commission for him in the American service, he indignantly refused to take up arms against his Sovereign upon which the officer demanded his sword, a gold hilt, the gift of his father, Benjamin Milliken. He took down his sword, laid it upon a block and with an axe chopped off its blade, presented it to the officer saying, 'You can demand no more than the execution part'. The officer was vindictive and subsequently came with a band of rebels and made him prisoner, put him in irons and sent him on board one of the sloops of war that composed the fleet of 21 sail that had commenced the siege of Penobscot, when the fort in progress of building was but three logs high. The British troops built the fort and fought the enemy three weeks, during which time Benjamin Milliken remained prisoner in irons and his house was being plundered by the rebels, while his wife was in a feeble state of health, near her confinement. Their silver plate and other valuables were concealed in her bedroom when the officer of a gang entered the house and attempted to force his way into the bedroom, one of the female domestics placed her hand upon the latch of the door, the officer drew his sword and nearly severed her fingers. She stood firm holding up her dripping hand before his face saying, 'There sir is better blood than runs in your veins.' They succeeded however in plundering the house of every comfort and then drove the cattle belonging to the estate into the kitchen and slaughtered them leaving the offal in the floor. On the 21st day of the siege three British frigates of war hove in sight. The American fleet, unable to escape, ran ashore, released their prisoners, set fire to their fleet and made their escape into the woods. That night, the 2nd Oct. 1779, Rebecca MILLIKEN daughter of Benjamin and Phebe Milliken was born. In a few days after Benjamin Milliken reached home to share the afflictions of his family. After the war Benjamin Milliken's property was confiscated and he, with his family sought a home in the wilds of New Brunswick, in a state of abject poverty, and after a few years of care and toil, rested his bones in St. Patrick, County of Charlotte, no more to endure the miseries of civil war.