Joseph Gerrish (September 29, 1709 – June 3, 1774) was a soldier, merchant, judge and political figure in

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 was a member of the

1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia The General Assembly of Nova Scotia was established by a proclamation of the Governor in Council on May 20, 1758. A writ for the election of the 1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia was issued by May 22, returnable at the convening of the assembly o ...

. He is buried in the

Old Burying Ground (Halifax, Nova Scotia) The Old Burying Ground (also known as St. Paul's Church (Halifax), St. Paul's Church Cemetery) is a historic cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located at the intersection of Barrington Street and Spring Garden Road in Downtown Halif ...

. He was born in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, the son of John Gerrish and Sarah Hobbes. He entered business with his father, a Boston merchant. In 1740, Gerrish married Mary Brenton. He served with the 3rd Massachusetts Regiment in the

Siege of Louisbourg (1745) The siege of Louisbourg took place in 1745 when a New England colonial force aided by a British fleet captured Louisbourg, the capital of the French province of Île-Royale (present-day Cape Breton Island) during the War of the Austrian Succ ...

and then wounded at the

Battle of Grand Pré The Battle of Grand Pré, also known as the Battle of Minas and the Grand Pré Massacre, was a battle in the mid-18th century King George's War that took place between New England forces and Canadian, Mi'kmaq, and Acadian forces at present-day G ...

. With a partner, he supplied goods to the garrison at

Annapolis Royal Annapolis Royal is a town in and the county seat of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The community, known as Port Royal before 1710, is recognised as having one of the longest histories in North America, preceding the settlements at Plym ...

. In 1749, he moved to Halifax. He established a fishing business which failed and supported his family by farming. He served as justice of the peace and judge of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas. In 1759, he was named naval storekeeper for the royal shipyard. In the same year, he was named to the

Nova Scotia Council Formally known as "His Majesty's Council of Nova Scotia", the Nova Scotia Council (1720–1838) was the original British administrative, legislative and judicial body in Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Council was also known as the Annapolis Counci ...

. With his brother

Benjamin Benjamin ( ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right") blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) was the younger of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel, and Jacob's twe ...

, he helped organize a boycott of the provincial assembly after lieutenant governor

Jonathan Belcher Jonathan Belcher (8 January 1681/8231 August 1757) was a merchant, politician, and slave trader from colonial Massachusetts who served as both governor of Massachusetts Bay and governor of New Hampshire from 1730 to 1741 and governor of New ...

did not renew the debtor's act in 1761. As a result, he was temporarily removed from office but reinstated after Belcher was replaced. In 1766, he was named surrogate judge in the

vice admiralty court Vice admiralty courts were juryless courts located in British colonies that were granted jurisdiction over local legal matters related to maritime activities, such as disputes between merchants and seamen. American Colonies American maritime act ...

at Halifax. He married Mary Cradock in 1768 after the death of his first wife. Gerrish died in Halifax at the age of 64.

Legacy

* Gerrish Street, Halifax, was named for Joseph Gerrish. In 2006 the street was renamed Buddy Daye Street. There remains a Gerrish lane perpendicular to Buddy Daye Street.

References

“Old Boston families, number two: the family of Capt. John Gerrish,” New England Hist. and Geneal. Register, LXVII (1913), 105–15.
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gerrish, Joseph 1709 births 1774 deaths 18th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly Colony of Nova Scotia judges Merchants from colonial Massachusetts 18th-century American merchants