Sebastian Zouberbuhler (c. 1710 – January 31, 1773) was one of the founding fathers of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
Early life edit
Born in Switzerland in 1709 or 1710,[1] Zouberbuhler's father was Reverend Bartholomew Zouberbuhler. In November 1734 he went to Charles Town, South Carolina, to survey land for a new settlement. He promised to bring 100 families to Fort Moore, within eighteen months.[2] Sebastian organised a group of one hundred people, most probably religious followers of his father, to emigrate from the Appenzell region in Switzerland to the United States.[3] He returned to Switzerland to recruit more emigrants but was unsuccessful.[4]
He worked as an agent for Samuel Waldo, who speculated in land, in South Carolina and Massachusetts. In 1743, Zouberbuhler and Waldo were found guilty by a committee of the Massachusetts General Court for neglecting German Protestants for whom they helped settle what is now considered Maine.[1]
Zouberbuhler served in the 2nd Massachusetts Regiment in the Siege of Louisbourg (1745). Zouberbuhler traded lumber, cattle and coal in Louisbourg during its British occupation, investing both Waldo and his own money. He moved to Halifax in 1749 or 1750 after Louisbourg was returned to the French. He still traded in Lousibourg, representing Joshua Mauger, selling ships to French residents and importing coal into Halifax.[1]
Lunenburg edit
In 1753, Zouberbuhler was appointed as a justice of the peace and judge of quorum for Lunenburg.[1][5] The town was suspicious of a Halifax merchant in this role, and his popularity decreased further when he recommended licencing taverns to regulate the trade of rum into the town to stop smuggling. In December 1973, a rumour spread in the town that Jean Pettrequin received a letter from the British government confirming that the town was not receiving all of the supplies that the local government allotted to them. Townsfolk seized Pettrequin to try to find the letter, but Zouberbuhler, along with Patrick Sutherland and others, freed him. A mob seized Pettrequin again, who then claimed that Zouberbuhler had the letter. Zouberbuhler hid from the mob in a blockhouse, protected by soldiers assigned by Sutherland. A subsequent investigation confirmed that Zouberbuhler was never in possession of the supposed letter.[1]
Political life edit
Zouberbuhler was defeated in his first attempt to be elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in 1758. The following year he ran again and was successful, representing Lunenburg Township.[1] He was reelected in 1761. On October 19, 1763, he was named to the Nova Scotia Council.[6]
Later life edit
Zouberbuhler was involved in the Lunenburg timber trade and purchased land in Halifax and Lunenburg county. He purchased 125,000 acres with Alexander McNutt and four others between Annapolis Basin and St. Marys Bay, Nova Scotia. He tried using his position as a councillor to obtain 20,000 acres, but this was blocked by the Board of Trade and only obtained 5,000 acres.[1]
He gave a large donation to build a school in Northwest, Nova Scotia. Shortly before his death, he transferred his two parcels of land to James Boutineau Francklin.[1]
Personal life and death edit
Zouberbuhler advocated for a German-speaking Church of England minister in Lunenburg and opposed Lutheran and Calvinist ministers coming to the town.[1]
He died, probably of gout, in Lunenburg on January 31, 1773.[1] He was buried in the crypt of St. John's Anglican Church (Lunenburg).
His remaining property was given to his daughter, Catherine Silver. A statement in his will that he would repay a loan he made in South Carolina was set aside after it was declared that the statement was made when Zouberbuhler was unable to make legal decisions anymore.[1]
References edit
Citations edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Mackenzie, A. A. (1979). "Zouberbuhler, Sebastian". biographi.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
- ^ Jones Helsley 2019, p. 26.
- ^ Penner 1997, p. 282.
- ^ Penner 1997, p. 283.
- ^ Muir 2016, p. 23.
- ^ Elliott, Shirley B. (1984). The Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia, 1758-1983: a biographical directory (PDF). Halifax: Province of Nova Scotia. p. 245&240. ISBN 0-88871-050-X.
Works cited edit
- Jones Helsley, Alexia (2019). Lost Aiken County. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4396-6626-5.
- Muir, James (2016). Law, Debt, and Merchant Power: The Civil Courts of Eighteenth-Century Halifax. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781487512309. OCLC 959713746 – via Project Muse.
- Penner, B.R. (1997). "Old World Traditions, New World Landscapes: Ethnicity and Archaeology of Swiss-Appenzellers in the Colonial South Carolina Backcountry". International Journal of Historical Archaeology. 1: 257–321 – via Springer Link.