Harvey has been home to very interesting people from the early days through to the present. Below are biographies of some of the most famous.
John McGeorge- John McGeorge was one of the founders of Lake George. He and his family survived primarily on hunting and fishing. One day in 1822, McGeorge shot a deer outside of his homestead. An Indian appeared demanding the deer. He had been tracking the animal for three days and his family was starving. McGeorge refused to part with any of the meat and the Indian went back into the woods.
The following day, McGeorge's brother-in-law John Rae noticed that McGeorge's cow was out of its pen. Rae went over to investigate. He and McGeorge went out to the barn, and saw two Indians by the door. There was a flash of light and McGeorge fell to the ground, fatally wounded. A "Hue and Cry" was ordered for the arrest of Peter Pennard. A huge manhunt was formed and Pennard was captured. There are conflicting stories as to whether he was acquitted or hanged. The rifle that killed John McGeorge is owned by the Joslin family, whose great-great grandfather was one of Pennard's captors. McGeorge was buried in the MicMac Cemetery in Lake George.
Sarah Emma Evelyn Edmundston- Sarah Edmundston was born in Magaguadavic in the early 1840's. Her father Isaac had wanted boys but ended up with only one son and four daughters. Sarah and her sisters grew up wearing pants and doing what would normally be referred to as "men's chores". Her father was planning to marry Sarah off to a well-to-do neighbour, so she left home to stay with her mother's relatives in Salisbury, New Brunswick. A book she had read as a child, and her father's opinion of women helped her to make the decision of what career she would chose: one that would have her disguised as a man.
She took the alias of Franklin Thompson when she was selling books in Saint John. Her work later took her into the States where, after the fall of Fort Sumter, she joined the Flint Union Greys as a male field nurse. She somehow managed to survive the hardships of disease and death while under fire in a hospital tent.
During the Battle of Bull Run, Sarah had a chance encounter with a former admirer, John Vance of Saint John. Later she heard of his murder, and vowed to avenge the death of her friend. She set out on what would be her most dangerous mission ever: that of a secret agent. Some of her disguises included a Negro, an Irish peddler, a rebel cavalryman, and a clerk. In 1865 she wrote a book entitled "Nurse and Spy in the Union Army". The book can be found in the rare book section of the archives in the Harriet Irving Library on the U.N.B. Campus.
Sarah met her future husband, Linus Seelye of Saint John, near the end of her career, and they were married in 1868. She was the first woman in the Civil War to receive a pension. On September 5, 1898 Sara Emma Evelyn Edmondson Seeyle died and was buried with full Military Honours in the Grand Army Section of the Washington Cemetery in Houston, Texas. On March 19, 1990, she was inducted into the New Brunswick Women's Hall of Fame.
Don Messer- Don Messer was born in Tweedside, just outside of Harvey Station in 1909, and was the youngest in the family. When Don was only a young boy, he founded a great love for the fiddle and the Scottish songs that were so prevalent in his family and around the area. He would play with his uncle and three cousins and neighbours around the area, particularly at Halford's Dance Hall. At the age of sixteen, Don left for Boston to visit an aunt. It was there that he learned the scales and how to read music from a professor. After Don returned, he began his old routine of playing private parties and halls again.
Then came the golden opportunity, a chance to play on the new radio station CHSJ. Don picked up nineteen other musicians, including Julius "Duke" Neilson and Charlie Chamberlain. They named themselves the "New Brunswick Lumberjacks". They toured over much of the Maritimes and part of the States. Eventually they made an audition for CBC radio. They were picked up and soon the broadcasts were reaching across the country. After the show was not renewed, Don spent much of his time at Tweedside.
An offer came in 1989 to air a show in Charlottetown at CFCY radio. Don Messer and his Islanders were born. The show ran until 1956. They enjoyed phenomenal success and became beloved in the hearts of thousands. They were then offered a contract with CBC T.V. in 1956 for the "Don Messer Show". It was a hit. The Butcha Dancers were created and Harvey's own Jan Smith was once among them. "Don Messer's Jubilee" was cancelled in 1969 after much protest.
Don Messer died in 1973. His memory lives on in Harvey through his family that still lives here, his surviving friends, and others who loved his music. A monument was erected in his memory in Tweedside.
Inez Davis- During the late 1920's a little bit of royalty was brought to Harvey. Inez Davis, a schoolteacher in Harvey, tutored the children of the Prince and Princess of Mahidol of Siam. She had first heard about the job while working for the late President Woodrow Wilson's daughter, Jessie, and her husband, Professor Sayre. The Prince was studying medicine at Harvard where Professor Sayre worked. Mrs. Sayre asked Miss Davis if she would like to work for the Royal Family, and she said she would. This was the beginning of a round-the-world trip that would end two years later when the Royal children were old enough to go to school, and Miss Davis returned to Harvey. Once home she continued to teach.
Miss Davis remained in contact with the Royal children after she returned home. They continued to send her messages from Siam.
Reference - Excerpt from Harvey and Area 1968 to 1992, published by the Harvey Improvement Association, 1992.
Wendy Nielson- Born and raised in Harvey Station, Wendy is a graduate of Harvey High School. She has become one of Canada's great sopranos. Wendy is highly acclaimed for her appearances in the opera, concert and recital platforms. She has sung major roles at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in addition to other engagements across North America and Europe, including her recent debuts at Carnegie Hall and with the New York Philharmonic. Critics praise her extraordinarily rich, vibrant voice and she receives rave reviews for her winning style. Wendy enchants audiences with her beguiling voice and her engaging presence. Wendy lives in Cambridge Narrows, NB with her husband and son. She is also a vocal instructor and is deeply committed to helping young Canadian singers.
Wendy Nielson last performed in Harvey at a High School benefit concert in June 2001.
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