Joshua Mauger (April 1725 – 18 October 1788) was a prominent merchant and slave trader in
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
(1749–60) and then went to England and became Nova Scotia's colonial agent (1762). He has been referred to as "the first great merchant and shipowner" in Halifax. He was a member of
St. Matthew's United Church (Halifax)
St. Matthew's United Church is a United Church of Canada church in Downtown Halifax, downtown Halifax Urban Area, Halifax, Nova Scotia. The church was founded at the same time as the original colony in 1749 as a home for the various groups of diss ...
. Along with prominent merchant Captain
Ephraim Cook (mariner), Mauger pushed Governor Lawrence for an elected assembly (1757).
Life
Joshua Mauger, born in the early 18th century in Jersey, had his baptism on 25 April 1725. He was the son of José Mauger and Sarah Le Couteur. He went to sea with his uncle, Matthew Mauger, whose daughter he'd marry and have a daughter with.
[Namier, L. B. (1985). The House of Commons, 1754-1790 (p. 119). United Kingdom: History of Parliament Trust.]
He eventually became master of his own ship. Initially, Joshua Mauger conducted business in
Louisburg, Nova Scotia, but after the French regained control in 1749, he shifted his operations to Halifax.
In Halifax, he was active as a merchant, trading fish and lumber to the
West Indies
The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
in exchange for rum, molasses, and sugar.
By 1751, he served as an agent victualler to the
British navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
at Halifax.
[Smith, T. W. (1899). The Slave in Canada. Canada: Nova Scotia Historical Society.] On 15 May 1752, an advertisement appeared in the
Halifax Gazette
The ''Halifax Gazette'' was Canada's first newspaper, established on March 23, 1752, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was published weekly by John Bushell, who had been carrying out a project that had been initiated by his partner Bartholomew Green, ...
stating, "Just imported, and to be sold by Joshua Mauger, at Major Lockman's store in Halifax, several Negro slaves, as follows: A women aged thirty-five, two boys aged twelve and thirteen respectively, two of eighteen and a man aged thirty."
In 1754, Mauger established shops at
Pisiguit
Pisiguit is the pre- expulsion-period Acadian region located along the banks of the Avon River (known as the Pisiquit River to the Acadians) from its confluence with the Minas Basin of Acadia, which is now Nova Scotia, including the St. Croix Ri ...
,
Windsor,
New Minas
New Minas is a Canadian village located in the eastern part of Kings County, Nova Scotia, Kings County in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley. As of 2021, the population was 4,662.
Geography
New Minas borders the town of Kentville to the west and the ...
,
Horton, and other places where he traded goods and spirits to the French and Native peoples.
The merchant and shipowner, along with
John Fillis
John Fillis (c. 1724 – July 16, 1792) was a merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia. He was a member of the 1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia and later represented Halifax County from 1768 to 1770, Barrington Township from 1772 to 17 ...
, constructed the earliest rum distilleries in Nova Scotia.
[The Atlantic Region to Confederation: A History (p. 128). (1994). United Kingdom: University of Toronto Press.] In Halifax, he ran a
distillery
Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective boiling of the mixt ...
that manufactured rum, which was then distributed to the army and navy.
His distillery was located between the
Royal Naval Dockyard and the grounds of the Halifax Naval Hospital.
[ Akins, T. B. (1895). History of Halifax City (p. 221-236). Canada: Nova Scotia Historical Society.] Mauger encountered some difficulties with
Governor Edward Cornwallis regarding illicit dealing. Mauger, the agent victualler, was accused by the government of secretly turning Halifax into a storage point for Louisburg goods while illicitly trading. The Governor ordered a search of Mauger's stores for
contraband
Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") is any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It comprises goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes of the leg ...
from Louisburg.
Around 1761, after returning to England, the merchant served as the
Nova Scotia Assembly's agent in London, only to resign the following year when he secured a parliamentary seat in Britain.
In 1764, Captain Francis Peabody set up the
township
A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
known as
Maugerville
Maugerville ( ) is a New Brunswick unincorporated community located on the east bank of the Saint John River in Maugerville Parish, Sunbury County, in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The settlement is located on provincial Route 105, 16 ...
in
Sudbury County,
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 ...
, where he established a community of about 400 English settlers, mostly colonists from Massachusetts. Through the efforts of Joshua Mauger, who had influence and great interest in the new county formed on the banks of the
Saint John River, the area was secured for the earlier settlers. He was the first name listed among the land grantees.
Mauger served as a
Member of parliament and was twice elected for
Poole
Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...
in
1768
Events
January–March
* January 9 – Philip Astley stages the first modern circus, with acrobats on galloping horses, in London.
* February 11 – Samuel Adams's circular letter is issued by the Massachusetts House of Re ...
and
1774. In 1769, he was appointed as a Director of the
French Hospital.
Death
Joshua Mauger died on 18 October 1788.
Legacy
Maugerville, New Brunswick (q.v.) is named for him. He is the namesake of Mauger Beach (later known as "Hangman's Beach") on
McNabs Island. The beach on McNab's Island was initially owned by Mauger, as he owned large amounts of land.
[Payzant, J. M. (1985). Halifax: Cornerstone of Canada. Canada: Windsor Publications.]
See also
*
List of MPs elected in the British general election, 1768
This is a list of the 558 MPs or members of Parliament elected to the 314 constituencies of the Parliament of Great Britain at the 1768 British general election, the 13th Parliament of Great Britain and their replacements returned at subsequent ...
References
1725 births
1788 deaths
Jersey people
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Poole
British MPs 1768–1774
British MPs 1774–1780
18th-century British slave traders
Pre-Confederation Nova Scotia people
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