EAGLE
family
of Sunny Bank
| Henry Eagle, of Irish origin, was born in Mirimichi,
New Brunswick about 1815. He arrived on the Gaspe
Peninsula in 1849 and resided temporarily in Barachois.
On Nov. 10, 1854 he purchased a 50 acre tract of land
from John Eden Sr., a Gaspe merchant. The land he
purchased was lot 20-B, part of that originally granted
to John Patterson in 1764, which John Eden had seized as
payment of a debt. Initially Henry and his family lived
in a log house, but he soon constructed his permanent
residence very near the site of Sharon (Eagle) Reeder's
present home. Three of Henry's eleven children grew up and remained in Sunny Bank. Jane, his first-born, married William Grant, and Isabel, his last child married James Palmer. John Henry, his only surviving son, married Ellen Buckley of Bridgeville and remained on the homestead. Infant mortality seems to have been even more severe in the Eagle family than average. Five of Henry's children died under the age of 12. The worst catastrophe to strike the family was in 1862 when diphtheria took three of their young children. His son, John Eagle, had nine children and only three of them survived infancy. The Eagle family operated a forge for some years. First it was located in a shed, and later moved into the original Eagle house. John Eagle's house burned on Feb. 15, 1928 and they rebuilt nearby. During the latter years of his life John operated a small grocery store within his house. This latter dwelling is presently owned by Terry Miller. |