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The Official History of the
Seeton Family of Nova Scotia
(updated
December
2009 - Please Note Important Changes)

The founder of
this branch of the House of Seton was the 3rd son of George
Seton 7th Lord Seton, Sir John Seton of Barnes. Sir John's
son and heir also called Sir John Seton, 2nd Baron of Barnes,
purchased the land and estate of Moneylagan in Ireland and from
him descend the Seton/Seaton/Seeton's of Nova Scotia.
Later, another
John Seton younger of Barnes, married Anna Lothian and had son's
who remained in Ireland after the family's estate was lost to
the acquisitious Viscount Granard. His brother, Hannibal
Seaton was noted in rolls in Moneylagan, while their father Sir
John Seton was in Shrule, Co. Longford, c1659.
Descended from
John Seton and Anna Lothian was Thomas Seaton / Seeton /
Seton, and of Thomas Seaton was also know very little. We
do know from Nova Scotian family notes from his son James, that he had three
children: Mary, Thomas and James. While there are precious few
records remaining for this period in Ireland, his sons are listed on the
Freeholder's List for 1796 in the Barony of Dungannon. James Seeton's
records in the Londonderry and Glenholm, Nova Scotia, state that
he came from Ireland, that he was of Scottish descent, and that
he had had a brother Thomas and a sister Mary.
Thomas Seaton (senior) died in 1811, aged 84 years and was
buried in the Presbyterian Graveyard in the Town or Townland of Glebe (Derryloran also called
Donaghenry), in the Civil Parish of Donaghenry, Donaghenry Old, County Tyrone,
Ulster, Ireland. Of his three children: 1st a daughter Mary who died early
in life at 19 years of age; 2nd his eldest son and heir also called Thomas (3rd)
who died shortly after his father; and of course his 2nd son James Seeton, who married Martha Crawford
of County Tyrone and who later emigrated to Nova Scotia and from whom descends the Seeton's
of Nova Scotia.
(Note: Thomas may also have had
other children who remained in Ireland who also utilized the spelling of Seeton
as their family-name - noticed for George Seeton/Seaton who married Mary Coulter
(called "Grimble or Trimble" in error) and
who immigrated to America in the mid-to-late 1800's and his brother John Seeton
who ended up in Australia circa the same time frame).
The family were
ardent Freemason's, and Presbyterians, tradition's carried on
for generations. It was maintained that the family were a
branch of the House of Seton, that the famed Mary Seton who had
served Queen Mary Stuart was a sister of our ancestor, that we
had originated in Seton, Scotland, and that there was a
connection to a "Title and a castle in the Highlands",
etc.... With the
family records and Bible having been lost in a fire at the Seeton
Farm in Nova Scotia, researches into the origins for which
branch of the family we descended from have taken generations to
restore.
The history of
the Seton family with the Estate of Barnes and of Ireland is a
long one, where it was recorded:
Sir Alexander got from his royal uncle,
Robert Bruce, important grants of land for services rendered by
his father, and also certain honorable and uncommon additions to
his paternal coat of arms. A little later he received another
grant — this time of the Barony of Barnes, in East Lothian, for
his own services, particularly in Ireland, whither he had
accompanied the king's brother, Edward Bruce.
" The appeal of the Irish chieftains for deliverance from their
English conquerors, the Scottish expedition to Ireland, the
crowning of Edward Bruce as King of Ireland in 1316, his
victorious march at the head of a small army of Scotchmen, with
very little native assistance, from Carrickfergus to Limerick,
his unsuccessful siege of Dublin, his retreat northward, and his
final defeat and death with nearly all of his followers at the
battle of Dundalk, on October 5, 1318, is one of the most
chivalrous episodes, as it was one of the most ill-advised
measures, in the history of Scotland.
"Sir Alexander Seton was one of the thirty-nine nobles and
others who assembled in Pariiament at the Abbey of Arbroath on
April 6, 1320, and addressed that famous letter to Pope John
XXII. at Avignon, which is one of the most spirited and
patriotic documents in history. It induced the Holy See to
recognize the independence of Scotland and the title of King
Robert Bruce.
" Sir Alexander was a benefactor of the monasteries at
Haddington, and looked only to pass his remaining years in piety
and repose; but the peace of the kingdom was violently broken by
the attempt of Edward Baliol to seize the crown after the death
of Bruce, and during the minority of his son David II.''
The Estate of
Barnes having been in the family possession almost as long:
Of William Seton, 1st Lord Seton; "Lord
Seton belonged to the third Order of Saint Francis, and dying in
February, 1409, was buried in the Church of the Franciscan
Friars in Haddington, to whom he left by will six loads of coal
weekly, out of his coal-pit of Tranent, and forty shillings
annually, to be charged to his estate of Barnes. His widow is
described as a virtuous and energetic woman, who got husbands
for four of her daughters, and built a chantry on the south side
of the parish church of Seton, prepared a tomb for herself
there, and made provision for a priest to say mass perpetually
for the repose of her soul."
Sir John
Seton, 1st Baron of Barnes (d 05.1594). Knight of the Order of St.
James of Calatrava in Spain (St. Jago) and of the Kings personal bodyguard,
a Gentleman of the BedChamber and Master of the Kings Household under King
Philip II of Spain, the highest Honour that he could bestow upon a subject.
He was recalled home to Scotland by King James VI, and so
distinguished was he that he was recalled by his King; not
wanting to have so noble a subject be lost from his Court and
Kingdom. He was appointed Treasurer, Master of the Kings Horse,
and Master of the Kings Household (1586) and an
Extraordinary Lord in the College of Justice as Lord Barnes (1588) in place
of his younger brother Alexander Seton who at that time was Lord Urquhart, (later Lord Fyvie
and 1st Earl of Dunfermline, and Chancellor of Scotland) and who was promoted to President of the College
of Justice.
Sir John
Seton was proprietor of most of the land around Aimsfield.
He resided at the Castle of Hailes and Garleton while he waited
on his own Castle to be built.
He began the building of the Castle of Barnes on a grand-scale,
intending it to become a Court based on the Spanish-style square
courtyard, but died before it rose above the vaulted
first-level. Sir John Seton died in 1594,
and was buried in the nave of the old church of Haddington, where
now a grand carved
monument can be seen in the Seton's of the Barnes' burying place. The farm of Amisfield Mains, formerly
called Harperdean Mains was originally two farms; the west part of it was called
"The Barnes". Amisfield Mains formed part of the estate of Seton's of
the Barnes.
The 2nd Sir
John Seton of Barnes was a
Gentleman of the Privy Chamber and officer of the Court of King
Charles I. He succeeded his father and was a noted
companion of the Marquis of Montrose in 1646. He acquired land
in Ireland from Sir Robert Gordon of Lochinvar, the estate of
Monylagan (Mionylangain or Moneylagan), Clongish Parish, in Co.
Longford, before 1646 and is occassionally referred to as Sir
John Seaton of Mionylangain, Longford. He is noted in the
Funeral of Chancellor Seton in 1622, and he later acquired the
lands of Hailes from the heirs of Hercules Stewart of Whitelaw
(d. 1594). With the acquisition of the Castle and Estate
of Hailes, he left his father's work at Barnes unfinished.
Sir John
Seton's son from his first wife (a daughter of Baron Ogilvy of
Poury), Alexander Seton, travelled to Ireland and while visiting
his father's estate met and married a daughter of the family of
O'Ferrall's, or the O'Ferrall's of Buoy, Lords of Annaly in Co.
Longford, Ireland, and was known as Alexander Seton of Monylagan
(or Mionylangain). Later, he was accused of having
collaborated with the "Ferrell's" who had been known to
have acted against the British Monarchy in the interest of
Ireland, and was imprisoned in Dublin before being transferred
to the Tolbooth in Edinburgh, from which imprisonments he became
gravely ill and later died, predeceasing his father and leaving
no issue; Seton Estate in Ireland however, remained in the hands
of the Seton's of Barnes.
He was
succeeded by his son Sir George Seton (of Hailes) from
his third marriage to the daughter of Sir John Home of North
Berwick. There were continual legal actions between the
Seton's of Barnes and the Seton's of Garleton, over encroaching
on the lands of Barnes, during the late 17th century and noted
in Edinburgh court records.
The Seton's of Barnes became generally
known as the Seton's of Hailes (or Hallis) after their
acquisition of that Castle (from the heirs of Hercules Stewart),
and who also had later acquired Crichton Castle, albeit briefly,
from James Stewart, brother of Lord John Stewart, Prior of Coldingham. In 1650, Hailes was largely dismantled by
Cromwell's forces during the raids in Scotland, along with many other
Seton strongholds, and left in ruins.
Sir George Seton
"quitted" Hailes Castle
during Cromwells sacking of Dunbar, and was later reimbursed by the
Government to the sum of 4,700 "in
English money for troops quartered on his tenants and for damage caused by
them", in 1650. He pursued the Irish Estate of his father noted in
legal proceedings records in Edinburgh.
The ruined castle and estate of
Hailes
was eventually sold by Sir George Seton, 5th of
Barnes in 1700 to Sir David Dalrymple, of the
noted legal family (who's son became Lord Hailes) and who died in 1721.
George Seton
(Seaton) of Barnes pursued the Irish Estate from Sir Arthur
Forbes, Viscount Granard, when Forbes assumed ownership of that
estate in Ireland as he was expanding his territory there.
The courts records in Edinburgh noted for years during the 18th
century, and the estate was finally lost to Forbes. The
Seton/Seaton/Seeton descandants (such as Hannibal Seaton) having
to locate elsewhere throughout Ireland.
Some of the
descent of the Seton's of Barnes were Vice-Admirals and
Governor's of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Carribean,
and also Governor's of Gibraltar (the son of Anne Seton and John
Don - General Sir George Don); in the late 1700's and early
1800's.
For the Seeton family of Nova Scotia, some of
them are buried in Ireland as per the Headstone inscription
from Dungannon as follows:
Here lieth the body of Mary Seaton who departed this life May 9th 1781 aged
19 years. Also Thomas Seaton who departed this life 14th May 1811 aged 84
also his son Thomas who departed this life 19th June 1818 aged 44 years.
Also Jane Seaton also departed this life 18th Novr. 1828 aged 103 years.
It is likewise recorded for the Seeton's in Nova Scotia that James Seeton, 1st of Nova Scotia, had a brother Thomas and a
sister Mary. We know that James was the youngest of his family, and the
above inscription confirms that, by the death-date of his father, brother and
sister. James was born circa 1776, was married to
Martha Crawford of County Tyrone in 1808 in Donaghmore, County
Donegal by the Rev'd Samuel Dill. He and his family immigrated to Nova
Scotia, Canada, leaving from the port of Belfast in either May 1821 or the 22nd of June 1822 and
arriving in St. John's New Brunswick in either June 1821 or the 22nd of July, 1822
respectively. There are two stories regarding their crossing, which are
both currently under research. Nevertheless. they
remained in St. John's for only one month before settling at Londonderry, Nova
Scotia (now called Glenholm, just north of Truro) and he died there in his
82nd year, in 1858.
Our family then, descends
from Thomas Seton (Seaton), who’s descendant, James Seeton (also spelt "Seaton" and
"Seton")
was raised in County Tyrone and married in Donaghmore, County Donegal,
Ireland.
James married Martha Crawford of
nearby County Tyrone,
in 1808. James was a Presbyterian, and an active freemason like most of
the family. They
were married in the Donaghmore Presbyterian Church in Co. Donegal by the
Reverend Samuel Dill, Presbyterian, and had seven children, the first four
children were born in Ireland: Mary Ann (1810), Andrew (1812), James
(1814) and Elizabeth (1818). In 1820 and 1821, James attempted to gain a
grant of land in the colony of Nova Scotia and was unsuccessful. However,
in June of 1822, after liquidating his assets, he left on a ship with his family
from Belfast, Ireland and landed in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, in July,
1822. There he remained with his family for one month before acquiring
land in what was then called Londonderry, Nova Scotia, just north of the city of Truro. James and Martha had three
other children in Nova Scotia:
John-William Seeton, Joseph Seeton, and Robert Barry Seeton.
The family is listed on
the 1838 Census for Londonderry, Nova Scotia, held in the National Archives in
Ottawa, Canada.
Of the family in Nova Scotia, some remained
there and
others left for America. However, before the death of James Seeton Sr.,
the principle family had relocated from the farm at Londonderry to that of Meagher's Grant
near Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia.
Besides farming, the family in Nova Scotia were also involved in
land investing and in various business
ventures, including Robert and Joseph Seeton's merchant and
shipping business which held the contract for the overseas mail in the
mid-to-late 19th century and having a marital-alliance with the
Inman family of the famed shipping line, and The Old Public House in downtown Halifax, which
miraculously survived the Halifax Explosion during World War I. Robert and Joseph were both younger
sons of James Seeton, and their older brothers', Andrew and James,
acquired lands in various parts of Nova Scotia, also finally settling
in Meagher's Grant.
Author's note: The senior line
of the family of Nova Scotia, then, follows that of Andrew Seeton and Matilda
Porter and which line I will follow along with shortly. The family farm at Meagher's Grant,
known as the Seeton Farm was passed to James Seeton (3rd), who had my grandfather Harold there in "The
Grant", before passing it to the Bayers family. Harold (d.
Nov, 1963) had, as his oldest son, Robert Seeton, my father, and I (website
author Kenneth Robert Seton) am Robert's oldest son and now live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Some of the Nova Scotia family
buried in the Cemetery at Meagher's Grant, Nova Scotia are as
follows:
SEETON, Aldon R. b.
d. 1863 age 10
SEETON, Rupert b. d. 1875 age 4 mos
sons of James & Sophia SEETON broken stone
SEETON, Fenwick Willliam b. d. June 14,
1867 age 4 mos,
son of Andrew & Matilda SEETON
SEETON, Frances b. 1864 d. 1940
SEETON, James b. d. Nov. 9, 1901 age 87
SEETON, James E. b. 1870 d. 1936
SEETON, Emma M. b. 1872 d. 1939
SEETON, John W. b. 1844 d. 1907
VAUGHAN, Margaret b. 1859 d. 1903
SEETON, Joseph H. b. 1846 d. 1922
SEETON, Annie L. b. 1855 d. 1951
SEETON, Lottie Maggie b. d. Dec. 30, 1880
age 1 mo
daughter of Howard & Ruby SEETON
SEETON, Mary b. Oct. 2, 1834 d. May 29,
1918
wife of James SEETON
SEETON, Maud b. d. May 4, 1900 age 23
daughter of James & Mary SEETON
SEETON, William S. b. March 26, 1879 d.
Jan. 11, 1943
buried at Crescent City, California, USA
SEETON, Frederick E. b. Jan. 6, 1886 d. Aug. 18, 1963
buried at Gays River, NS
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