1761 James Sayre, son of the Reverend John Sayre, a Church of England minister, and Mary Bowes, was born on September 7 in Philadelphia. [1]
1779 "On 8 July 1779 Major-General William Tryon and a body of British troops occupied Fairfield. Tryon's decision to burn the homes of pro-revolutionaries inadvertently resulted in the destruction of loyalist homes as well, including that of John Sayre. Destitute, Sayre, his wife, and their children fled to Flushing, N.Y.; by 1781 they had reached New York City. There Sayre joined forces with loyalists seeking refuge in the province of Nova Scotia." [2]
1790 James Sayre and Polly Sayre were married on March 17 in Trinity Church, Saint John, New Brunswick. [3]
On 17 March 1790, in Trinity Church, Saint John, James [Sayre] married Polly Smith, a loyalist from Rhode Island. She was a daughter of Dr Nathan Smith, a physician who would serve as mha for Saint John City from 1795 to 1802. The couple were to have five sons and five daughters. They settled in Maugerville, where James had a general store and small milling business.
1838 Polly Sayre died. "d. Dorchester Island (West. Co.) Friday eve., 7th inst., Polly Sayre w/o James Sayre, Esq., age 68, born Martha'a Vineyard, Mass. d/o Dr. Nathan Smith who came with his family to this Province at the close of the American Revolution, left husband and children." [4]
1849 James Sayre died on March 22 at Dorchester Island, New Brunswick. [5]
[1] Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online (University of Toronto/Université Laval, 1987), Biosketch of James Sayre, [CanadianBiographyOnline].
[2] Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online (University of Toronto/Université Laval, 1987), Biosketch of James Sayre, [CanadianBiographyOnline].
[3] Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online (University of Toronto/Université Laval, 1987), Biosketch of James Sayre, [CanadianBiographyOnline].
[4] Daniel F. Johnson, New Brunswick Vital Statistics from Newspapers, Volume 7 Number 1500, New Brunswick Courier, December 15, 1838, [NewBrunswickArchives].
[5] Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online (University of Toronto/Université Laval, 1987), Biosketch of James Sayre, [CanadianBiographyOnline].