History Bytes

See also: People of Note

  In 1837 the Stanley Land Company started giving out ads in Scotland encouraging young men and their families to move to their land. In May 1837, about 160 people from the Wooler area set sail across the Atlantic on the Cornelius of Sunderland to Saint John. They arrived in June 1837 and 26 of the families head from Saint John to Fredericton by the steamboat called the “Waterwitch”. Upon their arrival to Fredericton they were told the Stanley Land Company ran out of funds and no longer were continuing the work. The 26 families went and talked to the Lieutenant Governor Sir. John Harvey and asked to purchase land outside of Stanley. The Lieutenant Governor said they could go work on the road to St. Andrews and draw lots upon it and in return the community would be named after Sir. John Harvey. Over the next few years the living conditions were extremely difficult there was no roads for wagons and everything had to be carried by men on their backs. Diseases such as diphtheria and typhus took the lives of several people.

  In 1869 the section of the railroad between Fredericton and Saint John was completed and ran straight through Harvey. This brought a sudden change in economy, hotels were being constructed to house all of the travelers and stores were being built as well. Also in 1869, the Harvey Railway passenger station was built and in 1909 there was an extension built on to it. Slowly over the years, the railway died down and in 1962, the railway station was to be demolished.

  On November 9, 1966 Harvey was legally incorporated as a Village by the Minster of Municipal Affairs.

Early Settlers

• Brockway
• Cleghorn
• Coburn
• Craig
• Little
• Messer
• Smith
• Swan
• Patterson
• Piercy

More History

• Harvey Parish established in 1838.
• Manners Sutton established in 1855, named after Lieut. Gov. Manners Sutton.
• Tweedside settled in 1850; before this it had been named Ensor Settlement.
• Brockway Settlement established in 1818 named for Rheuben Brockway, First Settler
• Thomaston Corner named for Richard Thomas
• Wilmot, Named after Lemuel Allan Wilmot who helped the settlers in 1838 and was commissioner of lands in Harvey and Cork areas.
• The Briggs and Little Woolen Mill, York Mills, Started in 1857 by George Lister.
• Magaguadavic Settled in 1831
• Magaguadavic is an Indian word, Magcecaatavik, meaning river of big eels.
• Magundy settled in 1822
• New Market settled in 1839
• Acton settled 1842, named for John Emerick Edward Dalbert, Baron of Acton.
• First School in Harvey area started where George Pollock now lives
• Junior High School built in 1960
• Harvey Recreation Centre built in 1972.
• St .James church built in Harvey in 1893, sold to United Baptist Church in 1983
• First Presbyterian Church formed in Harvey in 1840
• The Baptist Church formed in Harvey in 1979
• United Pentecostal built in 1952, second church built in 1976
• Seventh Day Adventist Church began in 1911, church built 1951
• Brockway Union Church dedicated 1890
• The Brethern Assembly, Thomaston Corner built in 1930
• All Saints Anglican Church, Magaguadavic built in 1869
• Lake George United Church land bought from Alexander Lawson in 1854 for 5 shillings
• St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church, Lake George built in 1878
• St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, Newmarket built in 1833 on land donated by Patrick McDermott
• Presbyterian Church Acton dedicated in 1868
• The Roman Catholic Church, Cork built in 1861, blown down in 1869 by Saxby
• W.W.E Smith store started in 1869
• Watson’s store opened in 1892, known then as Farmers Trading Co.
• The Harvey Creamery built in 1934, closed around 1969
• The first registered Jersey cow brought to Harvey by Robert Byers in 1911.
• Don Messer born May 9th/1909- Died March 29th/1973
• Royal Bank opened June 26th/1919, Manager was Russell Cruickshank
• Fire Department formed 1944
• Lions Club formed 1968
• Masonic Lodge formed in 1948
• Eastern Star stared in 1951
• Curling started in 1961
• Golden Age senior Citizen club formed in 1965
• Hospital opened in 1948, new hospital opened in 1965
• Swans nursing home opened in 1964 by Herb and Allene Swan
• Lake George Mining company formed in 1876
• The telephone came to Harvey October 30th /1934
• Electricity came to Harvey in 1936

See also: People of Note