Jacob Ellegood

Who was Jacob Ellegood?

Jacob Ellegood was a farmer and political figure in New Brunswick. He represented York County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1793 to 1801.

He was born in Virginia, where he owned two plantations. Ellegood was a justice of the peace and a colonel in the local militia. He married Mary Saunders, the sister of Chief Justice of New Brunswick, John Saunders. Ellegood supported the British governor and raised a loyalist regiment but was taken prisoner in 1776. At the end of the Revolutionary War, he received a land grant on the Saint John River where he settled with his family. Ellegood purchased Benedict Arnold's property at Fredericton when Arnold left the colony. He was named a magistrate and supervised road building in the area. He died on his property in 1801.