Saint John

During the French colonial period the only serious attempt at settlement at the mouth of the strategic St. John River occurred in 1631, when Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour erected a fortified trading post as a base for his commercial interests. Permanent English settlement began with the arrival of pre-Loyalist settlers from New England in the 1760s. Later, in 1783-4, some 18 000 Loyalists arrived, establishing themselves on the east side of the harbour, in Parr Town, and on the west side, in Carleton. In 1785 the two took the name of Saint John (from the river); with the new city being officially granted a royal charter on 17 May 1786, making it the first incorporated city in Canada.

The St. John River, which the city derived its name from, was first referred to by the Maliseet as Wolastoq, which means 'the good river.'

Its French name, in translation St. John River, was bestowed by the Du Gua-Champlain expedition after the date of discovery, the feast of St. John the Baptist, 24 June 1604.

Source: Hamilton, William B. (1996) : Place Names of Atlantic Canada, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, pp. 129-130.

Related Sites:

• City of Saint John

Moncton

The area, first settled by the Acadians, was variously known by descriptive names such as 'La Chappelle' (the chapel), 'Le Coude' (the elbow), and 'Terre-Rouge' (for the red banks of the river).

Following the expulsion of the Acadians, the lands were resettled in 1765 by Pennsylvania German emigrants. The new settlers landed at a location called by the French Panacadie, but renamed Halls Creek for John Hall, captain of the ship which brought them from Pennsylvania. Known also for a time as 'The Bend', it was renamed for Robert Monckton (1726-1782), commander of the British expedition against Fort Beauséjour in 1755, and for a number of years was so spelled. In 1786, the 'k' was omitted by clerical oversight in official documentation, and therefore the name Moncton prevailed.

Source: Hamilton, William B. (1996) : Place Names of Atlantic Canada, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, p. 104.

Related Site:

• City of Moncton

Bathurst

First known as 'Nepisiguit', and later 'St. Peters', it was renamed in 1826 by Lieutenant-Governor Howard Douglas (1776-1861) for the colonial secretary, Henry, third Earl of Bathhurst (1762-1834).

Source: Hamilton, William B. (1996) : Place Names of Atlantic Canada, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, p. 49.

Related Site:

• City of Bathurst

Edmundston

The city is built about the junction of the Madawaska and the St. John rivers. It was first named Petit-Sault, for the falls at the mouth of the Madawaska. It was renamed in 1850 for Sir Edmund Head (1805-1868), who served as lieutenant-governor of the province (1848-54). It fell to Head to introduce the concept of responsible government to the then colony. By gradually initiating his ministers and the general public in the principles of parliamentary procedure, he was able to achieve this objective without many of the problems experienced elsewhere. In 1854 he went on to succeed Lord Elgin as governor-in-chief of Canada.

Source: Hamilton, William B. (1996) : Place Names of Atlantic Canada, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, p. 71.

Related Site:

• City of Edmundston