Martin Bent Huestis [H12-11] (1843-1931) m. Victoria Marie Huestis

• Melissa A. Huestis (1869 - 1948)
• Josephine Victoria Huestis (1871- 1961)
• George Johnson Huestis (1873 - 1931)
• Ethel Stuart Huestis (1876 - 1966)
• Annie Campbell Huestis (1878 - 1960)
• Sadie Mills Huestis (1881 - 1950)

(This essay is written by Alan Huestis. I am very pleased to have notes (in italics) and pictures from Daphne Butler Irving (now living on PEI), and a note from Susan Harris, both great-grand-daughters of Martin Huestis.)

Of all of the sons of Joshua Huestis it is Martin who is most identified with Wallace. He succeeded his father as Postmaster and general government official; I see his name in many of the records as he registered the births and deaths of Wallace folk. At some point he left for Halifax to work in the Methodist Book Room in Halifax, perhaps under his older brother, Rev. Stephen Huestis. He later operated his own bookstore in Kentville, and then returned to Halifax and worked the rest of his life in the insurance industry.

Martin Huestis had astonishingly good health for his long life, although for this he could credit his genes. Thomas lived to be 93, and his son Nathaniel lived to be 100. Joshua Huestis (Martin's father) lived into his 80's as did many others of that generation.

We are most indebted to Martin Huestis for the series of essays that he wrote for the Halifax newspaper in 1927. He wrote about his family, and life in Wallace in the 1840's and 50's, during the boom years of the shipbuilding industry. Those essays are posted on this site's main page. Here's a shortcut to them.

I have several items on Martin to reproduce here. The first is his obituary from the Halifax Herald, 15 October 1931. They don't write sentences (or obituaries) like these anymore . . :

HUESTIS, MARTIN BENT (died Oct.14, 1931 in Halifax, N.S.)

There passed peacefully away yesterday in the Victoria General Hospital, following a period of illness which in relation to his long life of eighty-eight years was but short, Martin Bent Huestis, member of a family noted for their longevity, his late brother, Rev. Dr Stephen F. Huestis, known throughout the Maritime Provinces among those who were members of the old Methodist Church of Canada, and honoured by them, having been over 90 when he died. During the month of September Mr Huestis was ill at the home of his daughter, Mrs George K Butler, wife of the Superintendent of Schools, with whom he had spent the last year and a half, but on Friday a sudden and ominous change necessitated his removal to the Victoria General Hospital,and it was immediately apparent there that this was the precursor of death. So it speedily proved - quietly, as though entering upon natural rest, the good old man, whose silvered head was honoured wherever known, entered on the sleep which knows no earthly waking, and news of his passing will be received widely with a keen and intimate sense of loss.

Martin Bent Huestis was of sturdy United Empire Loyalist stock, and the son of the late Joshua Huestis and his wife Lydia (Fulton), of Wallace, Cumberland, where he was born, and where he received his early education. As a young man he was appointed to the managership of the Federal Life Insurance Company, and held that post up until the time of the amalgamation of the Company with the Sun Life Insurance Company, when he retired altogether from the business.

Shortly thereafter he went to Brooklyn, NY and there he has since made his home with his daughters, Mrs Frederic D. Wright, and the Misses Melissa and Annie Campbell Huestis. About a year and a half ago, as intimated, he came to Halifax for a visit to Mrs Butler, and friends who met him from time to time were delighted to note his amazing appearance of vigor, despite his great age, and the alertness of his mind. Time, indeed, dealt kindly with him, and it was well-nigh incredible that he could have passed by so many years of man's allotted span. It was on September 26 that he passed his eighty-eighth birthday being then, however, confined to the house by the illness which was really not so much illness as the inevitable failure of the bodily organs incident to age.

Mr Huestis married Victoire, daughter of the late Rev. George Johnson, a highly esteemed Methodist minister of this province, whose death about three and a half years ago was a grievous blow to him. There survive the three daughters already mentioned, and 2 others, and also one son. The daughters are Mrs Butler, already mentioned, and Mrs H.J. Woodside, of Ottawa, and the son is George J. Huestis, Collector of Customs, Picton, Ontario.

This next piece is from a commercial publication called the "Biographical Review" published in 1900. This was a commercial publishing venture undertaken by the Boston Biographical Review Company , and it appears to be a precursor of the more modern Who's Who publications. These biographical review magazines were published for states, provinces and communities all over North America. I suspect that the information contained in this sketch is drawn almost entirely from interviews with Martin himself. All I have is a copy of Martin's entry, which I reproduce below.

MARTIN B. HUESTIS, provincial manager for the Federated Life Association at Halifax, was born at Wallace, NS, 1843, son of Joshua and Rebecca (Fulton) Huestis. He is a grandson on the paternal side of Thomas Huestis, a native of Westchester County, New York, who at the time of the American revolutionary War removed from New York to New Brunswick. Subsequently he removed to Wallace, NS, where he resided for the remainder of his life, dying at the venerable age of ninety-three years.

Thomas Huestis was twice married - first to Phoebe Maybee, who bore him five children, of whom the eldest was Joshua, father of the subject of this sketch. All five are now deceased. By his second wife Thomas had three children, all now living; namely John, Jasper and Charlotte. The two first named are bachelors and reside together on the old Huestis homestead at Wallace. Charlotte is the widow of John Read.

Joshua Huestis was born at Wallace, NS in 1788. His regular occupation was farming but he also held the position of Postmaster for fifty years, and was besides for many years custor or chief magistrate of the town - in fact, from the time of his attaining the age of 21 until his death at eighty-one. His integrity and general capacity must, therefore, have been held in high esteem by his fellow-townsmen. He was a Liberal in politics.

Joshua married for his first wife Sarah Black, who bore him seven children, of whom there are now two survivors - William B. and Sarah, the latter being the wife of Angus Livingstone. By his second wife, Rebecca, who was a daughter of William and Lydia (Arnold) Fulton, of Wallace, her father being a farmer there, he had ten children, eight of whom are now living; namely, Stephen, Lydia, Phoebe, Annie, Susan, Martin B., Mary Adeline, Julia Elizabeth, and George A. The first named of these, Stephen, now the Rev. Stephen Fulton Huestis, was educated in the common schools and at Mount Allison College, Sackville, NB. Being ordained to the Methodist ministry, he preached for several years, and in 1884 became the steward of the Methodist Book Store at Halifax, which position he now holds. He married Louise F. Archibald, of Truro, NS, and has five children - (Rev.) Charles H., Albert Edward, Archibald, Harry E. and Florence, their last named being the wife of the Rev. George Dawson, of Prince Edward Island. Lydia Huestis became the wife of the Rev. A.W. Nicholson of New Glasgow, NS and her children are: George R., Ella, and Matilda. Phoebe Annie is the wife of A.E.C. Holland of Prince Edward Island. Susan is the wife of Conrad W. Morris, of Wallace, NS, by whom she had four children - Frank, Edward, Conrad and one other. She married first Henry Morris, a brother of her current husband, and of that union she has one child living, Thomas B. Morris. Mary A. Huestis is the wife of Evan Kennedy, MD, of New Glasgow, NS, and has three children - Cora, Rena and Walter Scott. Julia Elizabeth is the wife of the Rev. John E. Warner, of Granville Ferry, NS, and the mother of three children. George A. Huestis married Lydia Webster and has three children.

Martin B. Huestis was educated in the public schools of Wallace. Subsequently, he succeeded his father as Postmaster at that place, which position he held for ten years. He was then for seven years assistant steward of the Methodist Book Store at Halifax, after which he engaged in the book business for himself in Windsor, where he remained for eight years. In 1888 he entered upon his present position as provincial manager of the Federated Life Association with headquarters at Halifax, and has since conducted the business of that office in a capable and satisfactory manner. In politics he is a Liberal.

He was married in 1868 to Victoria M. Johnson, daughter of the Rev. George and Victoria (Cater) Johnson, her parents being natives of England. Of this union there have been six children - Lizzie Starr, Josephine Victoria, George Johnson, Ethel Stuart, Annie Campbell and Sadie Mills. Annie Campbell Huestis at the early age of eleven years began to show talent as a writer, and has since contributed to various magazines both in the United States and Canada. Both Mr and Mrs Huestis, with their family, are members of the Methodist church.

Martin Bent Huestis [H12-11] (1843-1931) m. Victoire Marie Johnson

Victoire, her mother, was a Cater, or de Cater, who came with her father and brother from London, before that France, to Annapolis Royal, married Rev. Johnson, and had one daughter, Victoire Johnson Huestis. (Daphne)

Melissa Star Huestis (1869 - 1948) was born in Wallace during the years that Martin was postmaster and telegrapher there. She had been a music teacher in her adult life, and passed away at her home in Grafton, near Berwick, NS, at the age of 78.

Melissa Star gave piano concerts around the southern circuit, and taught at a women's college in Georgia. My mother remembers that she would not do dishes as it might injure her hands. I have photos of her with Jo and Annie and their father in New York. (Daphne)

Josephine Victoria Huestis (1871- 1961 ) in 1902, at the age of 30, married Henry Joseph Woodside, age 43, a bachelor and journalist at that time. He had been born in Dawson, Yukon and was living in Bruce County, Ontario at the time of his marriage.

Josephine married Lt Col. Henry Joseph Woodside (6 Nov. 1860?) to Nov.1929. A dashing man, and was of a choleric nature. (Daphne)

George Johnson Huestis (1873 - 1931) died in a car accident just a month after his father passed away. Here is part of his obituary, as printed in the Halifax Herald on 16 Nov 1931:

The newspapers of Ontario pay high tribute to Mr Huestis' character and official probity and efficiency. He was appointed Collector of Customs at Picton in 1921, and had been associated with the Customs department for thirteen years before going to Picton from Belleville, where he had been stationed for two years. He had served in many parts of Canada as a relieving officer and was highly valued by the department. He was a valued member of St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Picton, and was to have sung at a concert at the church on the evening of the day of the fatal accident. He was a veteran of both the South African War and the Great War, enlisting for service in the latter with the Princess Pats, but being transferred to other battalions. He was an ardent worker in the Canadian Legion, and throughout Canada news of his death under such grievous circumstances will be received with deepest regret, and with profound sympathy for his relatives. It was on his return to Canada after the War that he went to Belleville, whence, as intimated, he was transferred to Picton.

I have letters from his sisters who were horrified and greatly embarrassed at the nature of his death, smashing his car into a tree, with young ladies with him (they surmised?) He was gassed in the first world war and came home "very wild". (Daphne)

Ethel S. Huestis (1876 - 1966) married George Butler in 1899. He was a school teacher who became Supervisor of Schools for Halifax. They had three sons: Kenneth, Keith and Frederic. Frederic was an educator and was principal of Queen Elizabeth High School in Halifax when he retired.

She was my grandmother, who taught me to crochet, taught me poems and finger games, and in later life had a kidney disease that kept her in bed a lot. She kept her steel box full of poems, stories and a play, next to her in bed. As a woman poetess, and with three active boys, the eldest with severe (untreated) epilepsy, she could only write at night or next to the stove, in stolen moments. At night in the dark, she didn't turn on her light as her husband, George Killam Butler, who was Superintendent of Schools for Halifax, needed his sleep, so she cradled her notepad and with her fingers measured out the spaces to write, and next day, transcribed them onto her typewriter. She was considered a minor poet of Nova Scotia, published a small book called "Little Thunder's Wooing", and was active in the Nova Scotia Literary Society.

My dad, Keith Huestis Butler, went to school at 10 (stuttered badly and was very shy) and graduated at 15. Dalhousie and then McGill for his PhD at 22 in chemical physics. Fellowship to M.I.T. in '28. Married in Oct '29, worked for Dupont, in New Jersey and Delaware in research labs until '44 when he moved to Salem, Mass. Sylvania (now GE) research in fluorescents and became head of the lab there. Wrote a technical book in retirement in Truro ,N.S. Died 1985.

Keith had two children:
- Daphne Margaret, (1930's - ), a painter , married Ronald Irving. Mother of three children, six grandchildren. Keith, (1950's) an architect; Martha Elizabeth, (1960's) an actress, teacher, director; and Anne Daphne, (1960's) a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
- Eric Keith Butler, (1930's - ) hand surgeon, lives in Menlo Park, California and Pownel, PEI. Married to Suzanne Rocca. Two children, Christopher and Stephanie. . . . (Daphne)

Annie Campbell Huestis (1878 - 1960) was a Canadian poet. Her work is profiled in this web page.

Martin and Victoire Huestis, and daughter Annie Campbell Huestis

An eccentric character if ever there was one. Her poetry was published at 13. (see website above) She came to visit us in Wilmington, Delaware and immediately captured my interest as she believed in fairies. She would arrive and make a trip to Woolworth's dept. store with us, and tell my younger brother and myself that we could have anything we wanted. We looked and looked and debated, and usually chose small and rather foolish things to take home. Then at the end of each visit, she borrowed money from my dad to get back to New York. In later years she dyed her hair auburn to keep her job at the N.Y. library, and when it began to show gray roots, would wear a felt hat, all the time. Imagine in a fairly strict household, where we children were fed first in the kitchen, and allowed to sit at table only if we were quiet, and then put to bed on the dot of seven, seeing an aunt with her hat on at the dinner table! Endlessly fascinating. She got into spiritism in the late thirties and was going to read my future with Tarot cards one day, but my mother would not let her, and there was an interesting discussion around me -- I was intrigued, that grown-ups would get so argumentative with each other. One time in Halifax at my grandmother's house, she and grandmother had a row. Out went Aunt Annie, saying,"I will NEVER come to this house again!" "Fine!!" said grandmother. And I was instructed to come away from the door, as they continued to part shots down the steps. She waited till we were about to leave for our home in Pennsylvania, and appeared to say goodbye. She always sent wonderful children's books at Christmas. I could, at twelve, do dishes better than she could, as she lived in a boarding house all her adult life. There was mention of a lost love in the war, but I don't know more than that. (Daphne)

Sadie Mills Huestis (1881 - 1950) married Fred Wright in 1910. He was born in Belmont, Colchester County but was then living in Brooklyn, NY and working as a gym teacher. Her sisters and her father lived with her at times, as told in the obituary above.

Sadie (Huestis) Wright, my grandmother, was born in 1881 and died in 1950. Sadly for me, she died before I was born. I gather she was lots of fun. Like Aunt Ethel and Aunt Annie, she too wrote poetry, but mostly of the humourous Ogden Nash sort. She was also somewhat musical, though she didn't pursue it as a career. Her husband, my grandfather, taught Physical Education at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents and brother and sisters (other than Ethel who was safely anchored in Halifax, writing poetry under the covers and tending her children) all seem at one time or another to have descended on my long-suffering grandparents for protracted periods of time. It was a rich cast of characters, from what I heard at my mother's knee. I remember Aunt Annie and Aunt Jo, but only in a very foggy early childhood sort of way. Aunt Annie was very gifted, but also very eccentric, by the time I knew her. (Susan)