Thomas Barnaby facts for kids

For the Midsomer Murders character see Tom Barnaby

Thomas Barnaby (born March 7, 1841 – died March 23, 1907) was an important leader, also known as a Micmac chief. He was from the Eel Ground First Nation community near Newcastle, New Brunswick. Thomas Barnaby played a big part in changing how leaders were chosen in his community.

Thomas Barnaby: A Community Leader

A New Way to Lead

For a long time, leaders in the Eel Ground First Nation were chosen based on family tradition. This meant that leadership often stayed within the same families. However, a new law called the Indian Act of 1876 suggested that communities could hold elections to choose their leaders.

Even with this new law, the traditional chief, John Julian, continued to lead until he passed away. After his death, in 1888, the community held an election. Thomas Barnaby was chosen as the new chief, winning by just one vote! This was a big step in changing how leaders were picked.

Leading with Wisdom

People thought Thomas Barnaby was a very wise and helpful leader for his community. Even after he was no longer chief, government officials, like the district Indian superintendent, would often ask for his advice. This shows how much they respected his knowledge and ideas.

There are no written records from the community itself about his time as chief. However, when Thomas Barnaby passed away, many people attended his funeral. This large gathering showed how much he was respected and how important he was to the Eel Ground First Nation community.