New Brunswixk Historical Tidbits St. Andrews
By Mitch Biggar
By the year 1790 the small community of St. Andrews was a thriving town. The active industires at the time were shipbuilding, and lumbering. As a result of these booming industires a strong commerce center grew. The town's growth was mainly due to one man, an industrialist named Robert Pagan.
Robert had three brothers named William, John, and Thomas. The four brothers were from a sucessful Scottish merchant family. The family had immigrated and founded St. Andrews during the Revolutionary War. The Pagan familys diverse commercial interests included lumber, fishing, dry goods, and shipbuilding. Later on they company established a weekly packet service from St. Andrews to Saint John.
Robert Pagan was also active in politics and represented Charlotte County in the House of Assembly for thirty-five years. By 1810 Pagan was one of the richest men in New Brunswick and helped found the province's first bank as well as St. Andrew's first Presbryterian church. Robert Pagan died in 1821.
This page was designed by Irene Doyle September 1999