James Fraser JP ( – 14 October 1822) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

-born businessman, judge and political figure in

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 ...

and

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. He represented Northumberland County in the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick () is the deliberative assembly of the New Brunswick Legislature, in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. The assembly's seat is located in Fredericton. It was established in Saint John ''de jure'' ...

from 1795 to 1818.

Early life

He was born in Farraline, Dores, the only son of Alexander Fraser and Miss Cameron. Fraser was educated in

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

and came to Nova Scotia in 1780.

Career

In Nova Scotia, he helped establish a business with fellow Scot, James Thom, catching and exporting

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

in the

Miramichi The name "Miramichi" was first applied to a region in the northeast of New Brunswick, Canada, and has since been applied to other places in Canada and the United States. Although other interpretations have been suggested, it is believed that "Mirami ...

region of New Brunswick in 1785 and also supplied goods to people who had settled in that area. He and his partners also became involved in the timber trade and shipbuilding. Fraser also served Northumberland County as justice of the peace and justice in the Inferior Court of Common Pleas. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the New Brunswick Assembly in 1791 before being elected four years later, serving from 1795 to 1818. Around 1810, although still operating in the Miramichi area, he moved his residence to Halifax. He was member of the

North British Society The North British Society (also known as "The Scots" and "Scots Club") was founded in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1768, the oldest Scottish heritage society outside Great Britain. North British is an adjective used as an alternative to "Scottish". ...

. In 1818, he was named to Nova Scotia's

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

Personal life

In 1802, Fraser was married to Rachel Otis DeWolf (b. 1773), the daughter of

Benjamin DeWolf Benjamin DeWolf may refer to: * Benjamin DeWolf (politician) (1744–1819), Nova Scotian politician * Benjamin DeWolf (merchant) (dead after 1836), Nova Scotian politician and merchant {{hndis, DeWolf, Benjamin ...

and Rachel (née Otis) DeWolf (aunt of

William Hersey Otis Haliburton William Hersey Otis Haliburton (September 3, 1767 – July 7, 1829) was a lawyer, judge, and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Windsor Township in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1806 to 1811, and represented Hants Cou ...

through her sister of Susannah (née Otis) Haliburton). Together, they were the parents of eight children: * Sarah Rachel Fraser (b. 1803), who married Hon.

Charles Stephen Gore General Sir Charles Stephen Gore (26 December 1793 – 4 September 1869), also styled as the Honorable Charles Gore, was a British general. Early life Gore was a son of Arthur Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran and, his third wife, the former Elizabe ...

, third son of the

Arthur Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran Arthur Saunders Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran, KP, PC (Ire) (25 July 1734 – 8 October 1809), styled The Honourable Arthur Gore from 1758 to 1762 and Viscount Sudley from 1762 to 1773, was an Irish peer and politician. Early life Arran was the el ...

, in 1824. * James DeWolf Fraser (1805–1852), who married Catharine Prescott, a daughter of Charles Ramage Prescott, in 1839. * Harriet Amelia Fraser (1806–1880), who married Col. Dixon in 1826. * Amelia Isabella Fraser (1808–1837) * Frances Mary Fraser (1809–1827) * Dr. Benjamin DeWolf Fraser (1812–1888), who married Elizabeth Coster in 1841. * Catharine Fraser (1813–1880), who married the Rev. Thomas G. Suther,

Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney The Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Created in 1865, the diocese covers the historic county of Aberdeenshire, and the Orkney and Shetland island groups. It shares with the Roman Cat ...

. * Mary Hulbert Fraser (1813–1822). Fraser died in

Windsor, Nova Scotia Windsor is a community located in Hants County, Nova Scotia, Hants County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a service centre for the western part of the county and is situated on Nova Scotia Highway 101, Highway 101. The community has a history d ...

on 14 October 1822 and was buried in the Old Burying Ground in Halifax.

Descendants

Through his eldest daughter, he was a grandfather of Eliza Amelia Gore (1829–1916), who married

William Hay, 19th Earl of Erroll William Harry Hay, 19th Earl of Erroll (3 May 1823 – 3 December 1891), styled Lord Hay between 1823 and 1831, and Lord Kilmarnock from 1831 to 1846, was a Peerage of Scotland, Scottish peer. Early life William Harry Hay was born on 3 May 1823. ...

in 1848 and who served as

Lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

for twenty-eight years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, James 1760s births 1822 deaths 18th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Year of birth uncertain Colony of New Brunswick judges Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Nova Scotia