M. before 1820 in (probably) Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Husband: Job Bevan
D. 17 Dec 1868 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
One day in 1809, a ship sailed into Canada, carrying passengers from England seeking a new life. Among them was a 10-year-old girl, Rebecca Pepperell, and as the ship docked, she saw for the first time the place she make her home — Charlottetown, Prince Edward island.
Rebecca was born in 1798 in St. Albans, England to William Pepperell and Mary Browne, one of eight children, seven of whom were girls. Her parents were originally from Durnford, in Wiltshire County, and didn’t have roots in St. Albans. By the time Rebecca was 6-years-old, her family had moved to the city of Bristol. It isn’t certain if there were any other places in England where they lived during her early childhood.
There’s no record of what prompted the Pepperell family to resettle in Canada in 1809, but conditions in England may have had something to do with it. The beginning of the industrial revolution meant a shift in what skills were needed to make a living, plus a population boom was making cities like Bristol crowded. As with others from Europe before and after, finding a more secure future was likely a motivation for the Pepperells to become immigrants.
Prince Edward Island was going through a transition when young Rebecca arrived. Once called Île d’St-Jean, the first colonists to settle there were French. After England took over Canada in 1763, families from Scotland and loyalists from the American colonies were encouraged to come. But around 1810, a new group of people started moving in, and they were from England. With the English becoming well-established there, it must have given the Pepperell family a sense of familiarity.
Charlottetown in the early 19th century.
Sometime before 1820, Rebecca married a soldier from Bath, England named Job Bevan. After Job’s military service ended, he made a living as a carpenter. They would have eight children born between 1820 and 1845. Rebecca was a member of St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Charlottetown, where her father was a sexton and her husband was a beadle.
Job died on January 6, 1862, and Rebecca was listed as his widow in the 1864 directory, living in a house on Prince Street near Kent. She passed away on December 17, 1868. Her obituary said she died after "a long and painful illness." She was buried in the Old Protestant Burying Ground in Charlottetown.
Rebecca's descendants would scatter widely across Canada and the U.S. One daughter moved to Boston, a son went to New Jersey, another daughter to Seattle, and another son to Victoria, British Columbia.
Children:
1. Maria Bevan – B. 5 Oct 1820, Halifax, Nova Scotia; D. 14 Dec 1888, Boston, Massachusetts; M. (1) John Baird, 15 Jan 1838, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; (2) Charles W. Hughes (1819-?), 15 Jun 1842, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
2. William Bevan – B. 26 Mar 1823, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; D. 26 Feb 1880, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; M. Hannah Vessey (1825-1904), 16 Jan 1846
3. James Job Bevan – B. 1827, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; D. 17 Oct 1859, Trenton, New Jersey; M. Sophia Elizabeth Wiseman, 11 Nov 1858, Trenton, New Jersey
4. Sarah Ann Bevan – B. 3 Oct 1830, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; D. 26 Nov 1924, Seattle, Washington; M. Daniel McKinnon (1833-1895), 20 Oct 1854
5. Job Bevan – B. 18 Mar 1834, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; M. Abigail Treneman (~1837-?), 5 Aug 1858
6. Rebecca Bevan – B. 9 May 1837, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; D. 12 Apr 1868, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; M. Charles Rodd (1839-1905), 26 May 1864
7. John Bevan – B. 18 Apr 1841, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; D. 17 Sep 1842, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
8. Charles Frederick Bevan – B. 17 Jan 1845, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; D. 3 Jun 1926, Victoria, British Columbia; M. (1) Mary Gill (1847-bef 1877), 12 Nov 1868; (2) Mary Helen Moody (1843-1900); (3) Hattie Ann Gray (1857-1929), 23 Nov 1908, Victoria, British Columbia
Sources:
Records of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Records of Prince Edward Island Heritage Foundation
Obituary of Job Bevan, January 1862
Obituary of Rebecca Bevan, December 1868
The Island Register (website)
Job died on January 6, 1862, and Rebecca was listed as his widow in the 1864 directory, living in a house on Prince Street near Kent. She passed away on December 17, 1868. Her obituary said she died after "a long and painful illness." She was buried in the Old Protestant Burying Ground in Charlottetown.
Rebecca's descendants would scatter widely across Canada and the U.S. One daughter moved to Boston, a son went to New Jersey, another daughter to Seattle, and another son to Victoria, British Columbia.
Children:
1. Maria Bevan – B. 5 Oct 1820, Halifax, Nova Scotia; D. 14 Dec 1888, Boston, Massachusetts; M. (1) John Baird, 15 Jan 1838, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; (2) Charles W. Hughes (1819-?), 15 Jun 1842, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
2. William Bevan – B. 26 Mar 1823, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; D. 26 Feb 1880, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; M. Hannah Vessey (1825-1904), 16 Jan 1846
3. James Job Bevan – B. 1827, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; D. 17 Oct 1859, Trenton, New Jersey; M. Sophia Elizabeth Wiseman, 11 Nov 1858, Trenton, New Jersey
4. Sarah Ann Bevan – B. 3 Oct 1830, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; D. 26 Nov 1924, Seattle, Washington; M. Daniel McKinnon (1833-1895), 20 Oct 1854
5. Job Bevan – B. 18 Mar 1834, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; M. Abigail Treneman (~1837-?), 5 Aug 1858
6. Rebecca Bevan – B. 9 May 1837, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; D. 12 Apr 1868, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; M. Charles Rodd (1839-1905), 26 May 1864
7. John Bevan – B. 18 Apr 1841, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; D. 17 Sep 1842, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
8. Charles Frederick Bevan – B. 17 Jan 1845, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; D. 3 Jun 1926, Victoria, British Columbia; M. (1) Mary Gill (1847-bef 1877), 12 Nov 1868; (2) Mary Helen Moody (1843-1900); (3) Hattie Ann Gray (1857-1929), 23 Nov 1908, Victoria, British Columbia
Sources:
Records of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Records of Prince Edward Island Heritage Foundation
Obituary of Job Bevan, January 1862
Obituary of Rebecca Bevan, December 1868
The Island Register (website)
