Our ancestor, Samuel Marshall, a stauch Loyalist, escaped to Shelburne in Nova Scotia at the outbreak of the Revolution. Samuel Marshall was born in 1757, probably in England. He was a merchant with the East India Company, residing in New York City about the time of the American Revolution. It is said that he may have previously lived in North Carolina. We have only sketchy information about Samuel before he moved to Nova Scotia.

Samuel Marshall married Sarah Sheldon, of Nova Scotia, around 1790. Samuel and Sarah had children: Edward b.1792 and married Mary Murphy; Sarah b. abt 1794 and married John Patch (our line); Catherine b. abt 1795 and married Samuel Campbell; John, who died young; and Samuel Marshall.

There was also a daughter of Samuel's, Olivia born 1801 and died 21 Oct 1898 at the age of 97 years, 6 months and five days in Digby, Nova Scotia, fifty miles from Yarmouth. Olivia married Sabine Savary on 21 Nov 1821, moving to Digby at that time. Her obituary states, "She was the daughter of Samuel MARSHALL ,a loyalist , who was MPP for Yarmouth from 1811-1813 and one of the firsy two Church Wardens in Trinity Church in that town." Sabine and Olivia had four children: Judge A.W. Savary of Annapolis, Mrs.R.P. McGivern of Saint John, Mrs. James R. Garden of Plympton and Miss Savary of Plympton.

While in Shelburne, Samuel attended Christ Church (Episcopal), where his children were baptized. Samuel later relocated in Yarmough, where he served as Church Warden in Trinity Church (Episcopal).

The old log Trinity Church was torn down, this is the newer building built on the same site.

It is said that Samuel and Sarah separated after the birth of their five children. It is possible that Olivia was the daughter of a second marriage. Sarah remained in Yarmouth and raised the children. Sarah Sheldon's parents are unknown. It is known that Sarah had a brother named Benjamin. She was possibly related to Moses Sheldon b. 1716 in Northampton, MA and died 1807. He was a petitioner in Nova Scotia from Durham, CT in 1760. This Moses was the son of Ebenezer Sheldon b.1677 in Northampton, MA and Mary Hunt b. 1679 in Northampton, MA.

It is known that Samuel Marshall died in Nova Scotia in 1813.

Sarah Marshall, daughter of Samuel and Sarah Sheldon, was born about 1785 and was christened at Christ Church in Shelburne in 1796. Sarah married Captain John Patch b. 1781 in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and died 1861 in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

Captain John Patch and Sarah Marshall had children: Joanna (our line); Joseph, Theresa, Sarah; Catharine; John; Edward; Matilda; George and Eliza.

Captain John Patch was born the same year his father, Captain Nehemiah Patch, was killed in a shipwreck off Seal Island. In his early years, Captain John worked as a fisherman and sailor. His experience with ships led him to the invention of the screw propeller. He worked on the idea for over thirty years but the scientific gentlemen to whom he showed the plan, scoffed at him, declaring that the invention was impractical.

Captain John, along with Butler brothers, Robert and Nathan, worked in the winter of 1832-33 near Kelly's Cove to produce the screw propeller. That summer, Captain John applied the screw propeller to a small boat, crossing the Yarmouth Harbor several times and found it to be a success. In 1824, Captain Patch applied the screw propeller to a larger vessel, a 25 ton sailing vessel, the Royal George. Though the wind died on the journey, the Royal George, using the hand-cranked propeller, continued on its trip to Saint John.

Screw Propeller

Captain John was encouraged by his friend, Captain Robert Kelley, owner of the Royal George, to go to England and patent his invention but Captain John, believing he had plenty of time, first went to Washington to patent his screw propeller. It is unclear exactly what happened. Descendants of Captain John said that on his way from Yarmouth to Boston, he was befriended by fortune seekers, who, using the means of alcohol, had him sign over all of his rights to the invention. Another story says that he was met with scoffers in Washington who discouraged him from patenting such a useless invention. Yet a third story says that a lawyer in the patent office discouraged Captain John and then the lawyer later sold the invention to a British peer.

Regardless of the reason, Captain John Patch never received recognition for his invention, other than the recognition he received in Yarmouth. He never made a penny on his invention. Paddlewheels were still the primary method of propelling vessels and there was little interest in propulsion at that time. However, in 1837, a screw propeller was used on the Archimedes, a British ship and in the 1840's the screw propeller became the primary means of propulsion for the British fleet.

Captain John made improvements to steam engines but he continued his interest in propellers and in October 1848, while working in Boston, he was the subject of an article in Scientific American, which published an illustration of what Captain John called the "Double Action Propeller". The article stated that Captain John would like to find an enterprising ship owner to try one on a large scale but the new invention was never developed and Captain John returned to Yarmouth.

By 1858, Captain John was financially destitute and lame and sick unable to work, at the age of 77 and living in a Poor House. Over one hundred Yarmouth citizens submitted a petition to the Nova Scotia legislature requesting a pension for Captain John who "conceives he has rendered essential service to the world at large", in his invention of the screw propeller. The petition included a declaration from the Butler brothers who wrote, "We assisted him in making the machinery for the first trial, which took place in 1833. We accompanied him in a small boat to which the propeller was attached and crossed the harbor several times." The petition for a pension was refused and Captain Patch remained in the poorhouse, where he died three years later. The screw propeller is still the primary means of ship propulsion today.

Captain Nehemiah Patch, father of Captain John Patch, is the son of Captain John Patch and his second wife, Lydia Butler. Captain Nehemiah was born 1740-1742 in Ipswich, MA. There are three Nehemiah Patch's, one born about 1738 in Hamilton,one born in 1740 in Ipswich and one born about 1756 in Hamilton. Our Nehemiah was a Loyalist and moved to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 1775. Captain Nehemiah married Lydia Butler, born in 1760 in Windham, CT on 3 Jun 1779 in Yarmouth.

Two short years after their marriage, Captain Nehemiah Patch was killed when his schooner, Polly, was shipwrecked on Seal Island, 15 miles to the west of the Cape in the fall of 1781. Captain Nehemiah, as well as all hands aboard were drowned at sea. Seal Island is on the eastern entrance to the Bay of Fundy, in the Cape Sable area southwest of Shag Harbor. It is one of the most isolated islands in Nova Scotia.

The area of Cape Shore is laden with dangerous ledges which underrun the sea at various places and drop into deep water. The entire southern coast of Nova Scotia is fringed with these ledges, many rising just shoal enough to cause breakers only during mean tides or gales. In a fog or dark night, in heavy rain or snow, a ship might be at 16 fathoms and a few minutes later, strike a ledge in 14 feet of water. In heavy wind, the ship will pound to pieces very quickly or back off and founder in deep water.

Cape Sable is an area dreaded by navigators due to the terrors of the ledges and rips caused by the tides. Fog is continuous in the area and the Cape, being in close proximity to the Gulf Stream is within the zone of furious storms. The number of wrecks and disasters around the Cape will never be accurately known as the vessels founder or go to pieces immediately, while the chances for survivors in life boats is small.

Yarmouth residents grow up to the tales of shipwrecks and death, most of which involve the notorious Seal Island and the ship-killing rocks around it, called the "Sea Wolves" by Champlain in 1604. The first wreck on Seal Island came in 1676. Every spring fishermen visited the uninhabited island to collect and bury the dead from the winter's wrecks. It wasn't until 1816 that people inhabited the island and even then they were driven to do so in order to try to assist stranded mariners, who often managed to get to the island only to freeze before spring. It wasn't until 1830 that a lighthouse was established on the island.

The shipwreck of Captain Nehemiah Patch's Polly is one of the earliest chronicled in the area. There are over 60 vessels recorded as having been wrecked around Cape Sable in the 45 miles between Yarmouth and Cape Sable.

A schooner is defined: "Originally, a small, sharp-built vessel, with two masts and
fore-and-aft rig. Sometimes it carried square topsails on one or both masts and was called a topsail schooner."