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Down by the Old Mill Stream: A Stymiest Chronicle

by Carl W.W. Stymiest, U.E.

591 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); includes companion C.D.; catalogue #01-0285; ISBN 1-55212-883-0; US$41.50, C$49.95, EUR34.00, £24.00

A comprehensive geneaological history of the Stymiest family, from 1198 to the present day.

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about the book      about the author      Introduction and Table of Contents      catalogue info

About the Book The history of the STYMIEST family surname has been an exciting 40-year research venture. Special acknowledgements to my late father, Carlyle (Bud) William Stymiest, (New Brunswick, Canada); his brother, Donald Garfield Stymiest, (Ontario, Canada); and Barbara Gayle Stymiest, (Ontario, Canada) for their assistance and motivation to complete this pursuit. The notes from Eldon James Stymiest (Tabusintac, New Brunswick, Canada) was initial inspiration to seek-out the illusive pre-North American STYMIEST surname. After numerous hours researching the archives in Europe, Canada and the United States; 27 Stymiest generations have been ascertained; all of which tell their own story. Did you know there are over 100 different STYMIEST surname spellings? SCHTEINMETSE, SCHTEINMETZE, SHTEINMETZER, STAMATS, STAMATZ, STAMEAST, STEEMANS, STEENIS, STEENMETS, STEENMITS, STEENMUTS, STEIJNMETS, STEIMETS, STEIMIT, STEINMETS, STEINMETSE, STEINMETSEN, STEINMETSS, STEINMETZ, STEINMETZE, STEINMETZLER, STEINSMA, STEINWITS, STEJNMETS, STEMAN, STEMETZ, STEMMITS, STEYAERT, STEYMAS, STEYMAR, STEYMER, STEYMETS, STEYMITTS, STEYNAERTS, STEYNMENTZ, STEYNMESTS, STEYNMETS, STEYNMETSE, STEYNMETSEN, STEYNMETSSEN, STEYNMETSZEN, STEYNMETZ, STEYNMOTT, STEYNMUTSEN, STEYNMUTZEN, STEYNNETS, STEYNS, STEYNWITS, STEYNWITZ, STIEMER, STIEMSTRA, STIENIS, STIJMETS, STIMAC, STIMAS, STIMEK, STIMENTZ, STIMES, STIMEST, STIMETS, STIMETZ, STIMIEST, STIMIS, STIMISON, STIMMEIST, STIMOST, STIMUS, STUYMETS, STUYMUTS, STYMA, STYMACHER, STYMACKS, STYMAS, STYMAST, STYMAT, STYMATE, STYMEE, STYMEETS, STYMEIST, STYMELS, STYMEN, STYMENTS, STYMER, STYMES, STYMESON, STYMEST, STYMETS, STYMETTS, STYMETZ, STYMIER, STYMIEST, STYMIGHT, STYMIS, STYMISH, STYMIST, STYMITCHS, STYMITE, STYMITS, STYMMELIUS, STYMNX, STYMOST, STYMREST, STYMSTRA, STYMUS, STYMUSH, STYMUST, STYMUTT, STYMY, STYNEN, STYNITS, STYNMES, STYNMETS, STYNMOTT, STYNMUTH The above all connotations of the present-day surname spellings: STYMIEST-STYMEST-STYMEIST-STYMUS   Praise "Down by the Old Mill Stream has has dedication and passion stamped as an invisible watermark on every one of its 600 pages...Included with the book, which reminds one of a major city telephone directory by its size, is also a complete version CD ROM...Includes substantive charts, but is more than being a simple list of names and dates. The unique dynamics which define the Stymiest family take shape in many forms: copies of original signatures, family photos, letters, memoirs, time lines and remembered stories." -Sandra Devlin, "Missing Links" columnist   Reader Review by Lima (Stymiest) Branch If you are interested in history, you will find something for you in Carl Stymiest's Down By The Old Mill Stream: A Stymiest Chronicle. Carl has extensively researched and compiled a "must have" book for members of his very extended family, as well as those who have roots in the Miramichi-Tabusintac-Bay du Vin area of New Brunswick and genealogists looking for high-quality research material. The 600-page book with accompanying CD-Rom is truly a wonderful resource. The CD-Rom contains a gallery of pictures, biographies of many Stymiests and Stymiest connected people, and easy access to the direct line back through 27 generations to the first recorded Stymiest. I had a fairly basic understanding of my family's history. I had visited the old graveyard near the first Stymiest home in Tabusintac. I had listened with interest to the stories told by my father and visiting relatives (and what stories they were - the family being well known for its storytellers), and I grew up in Tabusintac where many Stymiests lived or "came from". I had even spent time with Uncle Eldon while he explained to me that there had been a number of generations who lived in the United States before coming to Canada as Loyalists, and that the family was originally from Holland, but when I received my copy of Down by the Old Millstream, I had access to so much more. I had expected a genealogy but this book is far beyond that. It is a history, a collection of official documents, diaries, letters, maps, and correspondence between our ancestors and the government of the day. One particularly interesting chapter contains details about world events, including notable dates, interspersed with events in the lives of various Stymiests, from 1198 until 2001. The book covers life in Europe from Generation 1 - Steynmests, Michaelius Johannes born 1198 continuing on to Casparius Johannes Steynmets II who left Holland for America in 1631. There then were a number of generations who lived in New York and New Jersey from this time to 1783 when Benjamin Stymiest II and his brother Jasper came to New Brunswick as United Empire Loyalists. Family life in early New Brunswick is described vividly. Carl took the basic history and with a fantastic attention to detail has compiled a work that goes far beyond history. We can return to Down by the Old Millstream time after time, depending on our interest. We can discover the many ways our name has been spelled over the years, or way of life the family had when they were living in the Dutch colonies or learn about distant cousins, living in many parts of North America and beyond. The genealogy section is clear, easily read, well ordered and would be of great assistance to any genealogist, Stymiest or Stymiest-connected as are many families in New Brunswick. For example, there is reference to over 120 Willistons. A number of Stymiests married Murrays and there are more than 100 Murrays listed. Other family connections include O'Brien, Wasson, Palmer, Spence, Skidd and Jardine. I was fascinated by the brief "Family Trivia" section which includes the story of Casparus Steynmets II's wife who was fined for wearing her petticoats too short; thereby exposing her ankles. This section also details that various Stymiests families built sawmills and gristmills in the U.S. and Canada and that a Stymiest ancestor died on the Plains of Abraham. One of the very interesting entries is the diary of Clementine who lived between present-day Neguac and Tabusintac and tells the story of family life there in the early 1800s which I would love to have every New Brunswick student read. She tells about candle making, cooking over a fireplace, spinning and weaving cloth for all of the family's clothes, and enjoying skating coasting and having an ice boat. In his introduction, the author expresses his hope that all will enjoy Down By The Old Mill Stream. I can truly say that my family and I certainly have enjoyed the book. Thanks Carl. Well done.

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About the Author Carl Stymiest, (nom-de-plume Karl Joseph) was born June 2, 1943 in Chatham (Miramichi) New Brunswick, Canada. He co-authored and published with the late James A. Fraser Loggieville... on the Miramichi (Miramichi Press), Chatham (Miramichi) New Brunswick in 1964 (second printing in 1965) Carl graduated from Teacher's College, Fredericton, NB, in 1965 and taught in Chatham for two years. He then moved to Toronto, where he taught for one year before marriage, and he settled in Vancouver. Carl received his B.Ed. (1974) and his M. EnEd. (1994) at the University of British Columbia. After 31 years of teaching and writing, Carl chose early retirement and entered into partnership of a mens wear business, The Windsor Knot Clothing Co., Inc. During his varied teaching career, Carl managed to author no less than 14 published titles in B.C. He also has been published by the National Library of Poetry in Canada and the International Society of Poetry in the United States in two anthologies: Sands of Time (1997) and The Sounds of Silence (1998). In 1997, 1998 and 2000, he consecutively was awarded the Editor's Choice Award for Excellence in Poetry. He was appointed a Distinguished Member in the International Society of Poets in 1997. Further publications may be found in anthologies released in 1999 and 2000, including Tides of Memory (Spring 2000); America at the Millennium: Best Poems and Poets of the 20th Century (Spring 1999); The Consuming Flame (June 2000); Colors of the Past (July 2000); Shades of Gray (July 2000); From the Mountaintop (August 2000); Time After Time (October 2000); Visions (as Karl Joseph), a contemporary audio-tape poet series, published by the International Society of Poetry in October 2000; and Awakening to Sunshine (Fall 2000). In 1999, Carl was published in two National Canadian poetry anthologies: A Cherished Moment and Beneath the Winter Sky. He is currently completing his own anthology of poetry to be published soon; as well as this latest edition of the history of the Stymiest family. Carl attributes his 40-year interest in genealogy to his father, Carlyle (Bud) William Stymiest; his uncle, Donald Garfield Stymiest; and their cousin, Eldon James Stymiest.

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Table of Contents and Introduction

Table of Contents

Dedication
Preface
The Complaint: A POEM
Introduction
Did You Know? ("Stymiest Family Trivia")
Notable Dates in the "Stymiest" Family History (1198-2001)
Prologue
A Tribute To Our Ancestors: A POEM
Part I: Europe: In The Beginning
Part II: America: The New World
Part III: Settling in New York and New Jersey
Part IV: The American Revolution: A Time of Discontent
Part V: Canada: A Loyal Beginning
Part VI: The Miramichi: Claiming The Wilderness
Part VII: The Paper Trail
Epilogue
Casparus Johannes Steynmets II- WHO'S WHO
Bibliography- Primary Sources
APPENDIX A: Dutch New Amsterdam Map-1610
APPENDIX B: Jasper Stymest & Milcah McKeil References
APPENDIX C: Property of Casparus Steynmets II New Amsterdam (Map)
APPENDIX D: Casparus Steynmets: His Story (by P. H. Hoffman)
APPENDIX E: Map of Bergen-1660
APPENDIX F: Casparus' Log to the New World
APPENDIX G: Manhattan Purchase
APPENDIX H: New Netherlands in 1644
APPENDIX I: Beginning of The Indians' Decline-LI, NY
APPENDIX J: Map of Gravesend - 1666, Long Island, NY
APPENDIX K: Map of Tabusintac, NB
APPENDIX L: Dugald Campbell Plan of Tabusintac, NB-18040
APPENDIX I: Old Loyalist Burial Ground
APPENDIX II (A): Letter (p.1) 21 June 1802
APPENDIX II (B): Letter (p.2) 21 June 1802
APPENDIX III (A): Migration Map of the Stymiest Family
APPENDIX III (B): Modern Migration Map of the Stymiest Family
APPENDIX III (C): Benjamin Stymiest II's Grant (Lot # 2-Bay du Vin, NB)
APPENDIX III (D): Map of Fox Island (1803-1816)
APPENDIX IV (A): Original Land Grant #968
APPENDIX IV (B): Lot #3- Escuminac Meadows
APPENDIX V (A): 1802 Letter (p.1) to Jonathan O'Dell
APPENDIX V (B): 1802 Letter (p.2) to Jonathan O'Dell
APPENDIX V (C): 1802 Letter (p.3) to Jonathan O'Dell
APPENDIX V (D): Map of Benjamin Stymiest III & John B. Willistons' Grant
APPENDIX VI: Letter From the Justice of the Peace
APPENDIX VII (A): Benjamin Stymest III's Grant # 1735, P.1
APPENDIX VII (B): Benjamin Stymest III's Grant # 1735, P.2
APPENDIX VII (C): Benjamin Stymest III's Grant # 1735, P.3
APPENDIX VII (D): Map of Benjamin Stymiest III's Land Grant
APPENDIX VIII: Charlotte Taylor's Letter
APPENDIX IX: House of Christoffel Steynmets: 1699
APPENDIX X: The Ties That Bind
APPENDIX XI: The Stymiest Mills
APPENDIX XII: Clementine Stymiest's Diary
APPENDIX XIII (A): Kinship & Relationship Chart
APPENDIX XIII (B): Kinship & Relationship Chart
APPENDIX XIV: Letter to Wilhelma Spence from Mary Baader Spence, P.1
APPENDIX XV: Inventory of Estate of Peter Stymest
APPENDIX XVI: Royal Charter of Reformed Protestant Dutch Church-1696
APPENDIX XVII: Pioneer Families-Steynmets et al
APPENDIX XVIII: America's First Families: Roll of Honor Certificate
Index

Introduction

50th. Wedding Anniversary of
Carlyle (Bud) Stymiest and
Bessie (Tait) Stymiest),
July 1979.  

"History with its flickering lamp
stumbles along the trail of the past,
trying to reconstruct its themes, to
revive its echoes and kindle with pale
gleams the passion of former days."

-Sir Winston Spencer Churchill

The recorded past is available for all to discover. We can define our personal heritage at any time it is convenient to do so. The recent past and present is not as easy to discover. Have you ever wondered why your grandmother and grandfather treasured a faded photograph, a worn Bible, or a pressed rose in an old family book? Why the holidays spent with your mother's family were different from those spent with your father's? Remembering and preserving these memories, customs, and traditions establish a families heritage. Many families have done the research necessary to preserve their family story. This is my contribution to the "Stymiest Chronicles and Memoirs"; a timeless record to be reflected on; a compilation of those who came before us and to those who will follow. Allow your imagination to take you to a tiny village or hamlet near Bay du Vin, Tabusintac, or Miramichi in New Brunswick, Canada. Then listen, ever so quietly, and your heart may hear the rippling, bubbling waters singing ever so sweetly:

DOWN BY THE OLD MILL STREAM

The desire to know where ones ancestors came from and what kind of people they were is an ancient one. The answer to these questions seems to fill a genuine need for a sense of continuity; a need that is especially true today. As the pace of change increases and we move from place to place, job to job and experience to experience, it is nice to know we have roots somewhere. To those of us descended from Casparus Steynmets II and his four wives, this book is about our roots.

My interest and curiosity in the "Stymiest" family heritage was piqued at a very early age while sitting for hours on old verandahs, listening to many wonderful stories of my great-grandfathers, grandfather, father, and countless other relatives born in and around the Miramichi and Tabusintac villages of New Brunswick. I especially remember at an early age, my father relating the following story.

My grandfather, Adam Garfield Stymiest, I was told, was once lost in the deep woods of northern New Brunswick. He had been scouting the area for his employer (the A & R Loggie Co.) when he was approached from behind by a huge, hungry-looking, black bear. I distinctly remember dad saying, "grandaddy nearly crapped his pants when he turned and saw the gigantic bear following him." He then said, "grandaddy, being such a brave man; saved himself by brandishing his huge pocket knife, frightening the enormous bear away." "The knife in question," dad said "was given to grandaddy by his father as a Christmas present when he was but a young boy living in Tabusintac." With a smile, and a wink of his eye, dad continued by saying, "each took off in opposite directions never to see each other again." Of course dad was quick to add, "we must remember grandaddy Stymiest tended to exaggerate on occasion." This 'tall-tale gene' apparently was a common trait carried down through the generations by all great Stymiest storytellers. As an aside, the pocket knife referred to here, was handed down to my father, (Carlyle (Bud) William Stymiest), who in turn passed it on to me; truly, a Stymiest heirloom. Family stories such as this continued throughout my childhood.

However, it was during the 1960s while researching,"Loggieville....on the Miramichi"; with noted historian, Dr. Louise Manny, Newcastle (Miramichi), NB that I first uncovered numerous clippings, articles, and references to records regarding the Stymiest family name. At the suggestion of Dr. Manny, I kept separate journals of these records and references; and have continued to add to them over the 40 years of my research. Following several trips to the New Brunswick Museum in St. John and the New Brunswick Archives in Fredericton; a picture of the Stymiest family emerged and took shape. Certain records enticed me further south to the United States; particularly New York and New Jersey. Here I was able to research many archives which led to even more exciting materials. I soon discovered my journey was not about to end here. As I continued the evasive trail of our Stymiest ancestors, I found myself under the tutelage of the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City where I was given passage and crossed the ocean to Europe. Here I began to establish our roots in Germany (Bavaria), France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and finally Holland (The Netherlands).

The late Eldon J. Stymiest of Tabusintac, New Brunswick, a cousin of my fathers contributed much to this work with his earlier notes, queries and letters. These were invaluable to my research; and although errors were found; attempts have been made to correct these with sources dutifully cited. My uncle, Donald G. Stymiest of St. Catherines, Ontario, whom I owe a great debt in connection with this project, provided much of the motivation; as well as the aforementioned notes and information from Eldon Stymiest. For years my Uncle Don and I discussed the possibilities of completing such a project. During one of these discussions I relayed to him that I had obtained a copy of an original land grant to Benjamin Stymiest, II (Sr.) from King George III. To make a long story short, this acquisition proved to be the all important piece of evidence showing where the Canadian "Stymiest" family had originated. This discovery was the catalyst and from this point onwards, I was truly hooked.

The research and compilation of the Stymiest family story has now grown and encompasses approximately twenty-seven generations dating back to the 1100s. It includes thousands of ancestors and descendants in Canada, Europe, and the United States. From the beginning, I have tried to prevent it from being a simple list of names and dates which one tends to see in family trees. For a start, many of the names have faces, thanks to the care with which some family members have guarded ancient photographs and tintypes of former ancestors. Many of the places Casparus Steynmets II and his descendants lived have been located on old maps found in collections of several Canadian and American Archives. I have tried to create brief narrative histories for those parts of the family where information would support it. Admittedly, as we get near the present, the narratives get rather thin, but thinking this over; perhaps the more recent stories could be added-to in time by another aspiring genealogist in the family. I have also attempted to capture how various individual stories relate to local, national, and major world historical events.

Imagine, for a moment a Stymiest ancestor living during the time when Joan of Arc was burned at the stake; or a great-great-great(x)-grandfather attending the same Holland University as the Great Master, Rembrandt; or a great-great(x)-grandfather sitting outside his humble home discussing Martin Luthers' nailing of his 1517 treatise to the door of the University of Wittenberg; or closer to home, a (10x) great-grandfather standing on the shores of Manhattan with Peter Stuyvesant in New York. Yes just imagine; many Stymiests', as you will see, have been on the move for countless years and their movements reflect regional as well as personal circumstances.

Use of the word 'memoir' in my introductory title is a conscious choice reflecting the thousands of memories that have helped write this story. Oral tradition and recollection flourish to a greater extent than I ever thought possible. I am very grateful to all those who have forwarded family information and treasures included in this "effort to record for all posterity," as my Uncle Don would say. I have received hundreds of letters, faxes and e-mails in answer to my requests for information. In many cases I was provided with lengthy personal and family biographies which clearly took time to assemble. One thing which impressed me in the preparation of this chronicle; is the kindness shown by so many of you, when I was frequently a complete stranger. Another important outcome while compiling this history, is the number of new cousins (from all over the world) which now keep in close contact with me.

Before delving into the chronicled legacy of the Stymiest Story, a word or two about accuracy and sources. Much of the information is taken directly from archival records and documents around the world. I have attempted to record and cite all sources at the time when information came to light. With over 39,000 names and dates however, errors in the transcription of material is bound to occur. Where discrepancies do occur within the writing itself, you will see a section entitled, "Author's Notes." Please oblige me and advise of any errors you may discover, so that subsequent editions can be corrected and/or noted. Where possible I have avoided footnotes, preferring to incorporate a source within the text; which is the current journalistic writing procedure of the day. I would be less than honest if I did not say how proud I feel, to have had the opportunity to meet or speak with so many of you; to have worked with you in producing a lasting legacy and chronicle of our families. I hope all of you enjoy Down By The Old Mill Stream: A Stymiest Chronicle. Feel free to add to it as you wish; for the story is but a small, yet personal slice of our North American Heritage.

Sincerely,
Carlyle William Wayne Stymiest (Steynmets)
#2601-930 Cambie Street
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 5X6
June, 2001

There is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors
and no slave who has not had a king among his."

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Catalogue Information

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