Job Stanley

     Job Stanley was born between 1765 and 1768 at Cape Ann, Essex Co, Massachusetts; Until 1840, the town of Gloucester covered the entire Cape, so by saying he was born on Cape Ann, circa 1768, he was born Gloucester. No record of birth can be located there as of 2000.^1,2,3,4 He married Unknown before 1790. Job Stanley married Isabella Dyer, daughter of Solomon Dyer and Isabella Eldridge, circa 1795 at Barnstable Co, Massachusetts. Job Stanley died on 6 January 1854 at Mispec, Saint John Co, New Brunswick.⁵ He was buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Saint John, Saint John Co, New Brunswick.
     By 1798 and 1800, Job and wife Isabella were residents of Provincetown in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. Job "Stanly" is listed in Provincetown, along with his wife and two daughters under the age of 10 in the 1800 census, but no sign of John Stanley. There are no land records in that area under the name of Stanley.
     Job "Standly"did purchase land in Newmarket, New Hampshire on 16 May 1801 for $350 from Paul Chapman, both of Newmarket. Job was called a mariner. but sold it in 1802 to Paul Chapman for $200.
     Job's son Andrew's death indicates he was born at Mount Desert, Maine about 1810. There are many Stanleys in the area of Mount Desert and Cranberry Isles, but as yet, cannot find a connection.
Another document, dated April 1822, concerned Job's three eldest sons and their petition for land - Lots 7, 8, and 9, all part of the original grant to Charles Schoenwolf and others in 1786. Solomon was listed as ae 25, Job as 22 and Joseph as 20, all unmarried. These ages differ slightly from further census records. Also stated was that they had been in the province of New Brunswick "upwards of 14 years...[and] never receiving any allotment of land". They mentioned that this land had never been cultivated or cleared. Worth mentioning was the fact that both Solomon and Job signed their last name as STANDLEY and Joseph made his "mark".
     The 1851 census at Simonds Parish [p. 45] show Job ae 87, a fisherman and wife Isabella ae 84, both born in the U.S. and entering New Brunswick in 1812.^6,7
     Job's petition for land on Cape Breton in 1812 indicates: "Petition to Nepean: Petitioner was born at Cape Ann, Massachusetts, has lived in New Brunswick two years. He has a wife and seven children. He asks land at Cape North, adjoining the lot of Thomas Burnet. Note: There is vacant land at Cape North, but the situations are not known at this office."³
     The Memorial of Job Stanley dated at Saint John 3 May 1821 shows he was a farmer at that time and he and his family had resided on Lot #2 for nearly four years. At that time he had built a house, and a fish house, had cleared about five acres. Part of the cleared acreage was actually within Lot #3 but he hadn't realized at the time [NB Land Petitions film #F4191, p. 662]. On 7 Jun 1842, Both Job and "Belta?" (definitely not Isabella or Bella) arrived in Boston on the ship "Banner" from the port of St George in New Brunswick. Job was aged 74 and Isabella, 69.² He appeared on the census of 1851 at Simonds Parish, Saint John Co, New Brunswick;      Job Stanley, 87 (which would make him born about 1765), b. "States", fisherman, entered New Brunswick in 1812. His wife, Isabella, was 84, who was also born in the US, and entered in 1812. They were the only family inhabiting the house, and had one other building on site. They were listed next to the Daniel Thomas family as well as the William Thomas family.⁸