AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE FIRST HILLSBORO BAPTIST CHURCH Read before the N. B. Eastern Association, July, 1893, and published by request of that body. In May, 1763, a few years after the taking of Quebec by the English and in the same year in which the “Treaty of Paris,” was signed at Paris, which marked the close of “The Seven Years’ War,” six German families left Pennsylvania to settle somewhere in a northern climate. “They sailed in a sloop commanded by Capt. Hall. After a long and wearisome passage, they arrived at a place now called Hillsboro, July 1, and landed at a small creek on the north side of Gray’s island.” Among these adventurers was a family by the name of Steeves. Hendrick Steeves and his wife, Rachel, had seven sons—Jacob, John, Christian, Frederick, Lutrick, Henry and Matthias—names still cherished among the Steeves and given to present generations. Mr. and Mrs. Hendrick Steeves, with their seven sons, stopped at Hillsboro, built a log house and made this their headquarters. The sloop after landing the Steeves family, proceeded up the Petitcodiac to a place afterwards called “The Bend,” and later Moncton. Here the remainder of the party was landed. The names of these families were Jones, Trites, Ricker, Lutz and Somers. After this the sloop left on her homeward voyage promising to return the next spring. The Steeves family at Hillsboro began to clear land and make for themselves a home. As the season was too late when they arrived to sow grain they planted a few turnips, and contented themselves by fishing and hunting and making preparations for the coming and untried winter. When the winter came it was cold and stormy, and seemed extremely severe to those accustomed to a warmer climate. They looked forward to the coming of the spring with great hopefulness. Soon the snow and ice began to melt, the forests were clothed in green robes and June, with her warm and gentle breath stirred new life in this lonely and discouraged family. Eagerly did they now look for the returning sloop, but were doomed to disappointment. The summer passed, the autumn with its beautifully tinted leaves came, and the winter with its biting blasts returned, but no vessel arrived to cheer these isolated settlers. After the first winter the most trying times in their experience came. Their provisions were about gone, and there was no place to procure more; the remainder of the seed they brought with them they had just planted; and no vessel came to supply their growing needs. What they passed through the second summer and winter, hoping against hope that the sloop would return; and then at last giving up all hopes of her coming back. Manfully and heroically meeting the difficulties which arose when they had only a few turnips and such fish and game as they could procure—all this can be better imagined than the stern facts can be recorded.