Daniel Belding

     Daniel Belding was born on 29 May 1754 at New Haven, New Haven Co, Connecticut.¹ He was the son of Jared Belding and Dinah Thomas. Daniel Belding was born on 29 May 1760; This date from family Bible.² He married Mabel Bristall, daughter of David Bristol and Mabel Thomas. Daniel Belding died on 8 December 1846 at Chance Harbour, Saint John Co, New Brunswick, at age 92; The announcement appeared in the newspaper as John Beldon, aged 86, "Came to this country one year after landing of the Loyalists, many years ship master out of this port, member of established church, left aged widow."² He was buried at Graveyard Point, Chance Harbour, Saint John Co, New Brunswick.³
     He was military Daniel was listed as being part of the Royal Artillery of Saint John on 4 May 1793" - from Generations", New Brunswick Genealogical Society, Issue 19, March 1984, p. 38.⁴ The family lived on St. James Street in Saint John until 7 September 1807 when he sold the property to William Godsoe for £100, and removed to Chance Harbour. [Saint John Land Deed 1478]. Daniel erected his house by a cove, later called Old Place Cove. Daniel worked as a pilot and from this point of land he watched for sailing ships bound for Saint John, putting out from there to guide them safely into the harbour. His account book dated 1797 show he received fees for his pilot service as well as bringing home supplies from Saint John. It also showed he traded fish and lobsters. Some of the old stones from his fireplace, and a few collapsed walls are all that remain of his house. His next house was bigger and built on Outside Hill, near a creek.
This creek became known as Belding's Creek for three generations - and since then as Thompson's Creek. In 1956 this property was owned by Hazen Thompson (5th generation descendant) and Harry Shaw. [Most of this info was taken from "The Tides of Discipline" by Ethel Thompson, 1978.]⁵ Daniel Belding joined the militia of the New Brunswick Regiment in 1809 in advance of the scare that led to the War of 1812. He appears on the muster list of Menzies Company in which he served.⁴ On 27 July 1819, Daniel Belding and Samuel Belding petitioned the Crown for Lots 25, 26, 27 and 28 in Little Dipper Harbour. The document states "That your petitioner Daniel Belding is a Loyal refugee born in the now United States of America and came to the Province at the peace of 1783. That he is married and has five children, one of whom is the other Petitioner, Samuel Belding. That the said Samuel Belding, thirty-one years of age, is unmarried and that neither of your Petitioners have ever had any grant or allotment from the Crown in this Province." The document continues to say that they had resided at Little Dipper Harbour for the past fourteen years on land Daniel Belding had purchased from Charity French for thirty pounds. The land had been a wilderness, and had since built a home, a barn, several "outhomes" and had cleared and improved about 40 acres. It is highly likely that Daniel Belding was the youngest son of Jared Belding b. c1716 and his wife Dinah Thomas of New Haven, Connecticut. Their children are listed as Dinah, b. 1748, Mary b. 1750, Martha b. 1753, and two sons, Jared and Samuel, both who died in December 1778 on Long Island while with the British army. These two were likely older than Daniel. There are no birth dates for these sons, and where the information was found that they died is not known as it was not sources within the family history found within the history of New Haven.
The Thomas family also went to Saint John County settling not far away from the Belding family. The other clue was that Jared Sr had two sons named Jared and Samuel who were lost during the war, and Daniel named his two sons the same.
While only the conclusion of this writer, I shall add Daniel as son of Jared Belding.⁶ He The Belding name lives on today in Chance Harbour as Belding Cove is now a preserve.⁷