Charles Edward Ratchford, merchant and barrister

Two Nova Scotia # 9 on cover piece mailed to Amherst, Nova Scotia. Remaining portion of address reads Ratchford Esq, Amherst. This cover piece must certainly be dated between the issuance of the 2c stamp on May 15, 1863 and Confederation in 1867. It is a rare franking with two 2c stamps. 2c was the inter-county rate. Perhaps the letter mailed within Cumberland County weighed more than the allowed 1/2 oz and so was assessed double.

This letter was mailed to Edward Charles Ratchford, a merchant in Amherst (or possibly to his son.) There is no date stamp or backstamp to show its origination.

Hutchinson's Nova Scotia Directory, 1864/65 for Amherst has Ratchford C. E., merchant.

Hutchinson’s Nova Scotia Directory, 1866-1867 for Amherst, Ratchford, Charles E. merchant.

Charles Edward's grandfather, Thomas Ratchford, was born on June 19, 1741, in East Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts the son of James Ratchford and Margaret Balls. Thomas' father died when he was 14 leaving him and his mother destitute. His father's inventory taken in May 1755 consisted of household goods and a whipsaw. In 1759, an account of the estate of James Rachford of Bridgewater was recorded which included administration fees and support to the widow. It was represented as insolvent and no further estate could be found.

Around age 20, Thomas emigrated to Nova Scotia with a group of New England Planters.

He and Desire Gore were married on 26 April 1762 in the township of Cornwallis. Desire was the daughter of Moses Gore and Desire Burris formerly of Roxbury, Massachusetts and New London, Connecticut. Thomas received one share in the second Cornwallis grant of 38,917 acres, given December 31, 1764.

Thomas and Desire had at least two children, Margaret (1762–1852), who married Elisha De Wolf, MPP on 22 Sep 1779 in Horton, Kings County, at age 17, and James, born 5 December 1763 in Cornwallis.

Thomas died 26 December 1814, aged 73. He was buried in the Old Burying Ground in Wolfville, with his wife's family.

Thomas' son, Charles Edward Ratchford's father, Col. James Ratchford, married on 9 September 1790 Mary, the daughter of Silas and Mary Crane, of Parrsborough. They had five sons and three daughters. Charles Edward was their youngest.

Thomas and his son James were industrious and prosperous merchants and settlers as noted in an 1883 newspaper article.

"At the time of the landing of the loyalists in the Parrsboro district the commercial supremacy of the Bay of Fundy and Minas Basin was held by the Ratchfords at Partridge Island, and for a long time after the landing at St. John and on this shore Ratchfords were king. It is said that the first Ratchford—James—began business with £5, and during his lifetime accumulated over £80,000, which was left to eight children. The country for miles around was under their control, and long after Mill Village, now called Parrsborough, was considerable of a settlement, one could not drive into it without crossing some of the Ratchfords' property." Something About Parrsboro, The Halifax Herald, Halifax, Mon, Oct 29, 1883, page 3.

James Ratchford died in 1836. The 14 May 1836 edition of the New Brunswick Courier reported: "d. Parrsborough, N.S., 4th inst., age 73, James Ratchford, Esq early inhabitant, emphatically Friend of the Poor and firm supporter in cause of religion."

The James Ratchford family home, now The Ottawa House By-the-Sea Museum, is owned and operated by the Parrsborough Shore Historical Society.

Charles Edward Ratchford was born there in 1812. In 1836, he married Caroline Yates (born February 2, 1813, the daughter of Christopher C. Yates M.D. and Anna Miller) of Albany, New York, USA and brought her back to Parrsboro to meet his very successful merchant family. At one time the Ratchford importing business brought goods from 163 ports to Partridge Island affording the family a large home, servants, schooners, and hotel.

But by the time the Charles Ratchfords began a family, the merchant business was dwindling and Charles, being a barrister, moved to Amherst, briefly opening a store on Ratchford Street and solicited for public service contracts from local politicians.

Caroline Yates

Carolyn Ratchford and her sister Katherine Yates were graduates of the Troy Female Seminary founded by Emma Willard in Troy, New York. They envisioned a comparable school for young women in Amherst. In the 1850’s Amherst was full of industrialists who wanted their daughters to be prepared for an elite role. Charles Ratchford acquired funding from the provincial legislature in the early years of the Amherst Female Seminary to establish and run the school. In the seminary’s first year, probably 1850, nine young women qualified at the Seminary to become teachers and six were already teaching in rural districts.

Carolyn and Kate advertised in the British Colonist as well as the Islander. They provided” board and washing” with instruction in reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, history, grammar and composition, philosophy, astronomy, botany, and of course embroidery. For an extra fee one could also learn piano or Spanish guitar, singing, drawing and French. Each of two terms was five months. The Ratchfords advertised exercise and if requested, riding, and promoted Amherst as a healthy part of the country within walking distance of public worship. Carolyn also boasted of some impressive references such as Thomas DeWolf and Rev. Charles Tupper. The school employed 6 women instructors including a French teacher.

Charles and Carolyn’s family was young when she began the Seminary; Julia A was born in 1837, Mary Alida in 1840 and Charles Edward Jr. in 1845. Carolyn’s partner and sister Katherine (1813-1889) never married.

Charles Ratchford died March 24, 1880, in Parrsboro.