Willing to help with Nova Scotia (or Canada in general) Research

Question

G'day everyone! At the moment I'm going through quite a few records on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, but I've also done a ton of work in Cape Breton (where I'm from). I'm volunteering with the Mahone Bay Museum to just keep pounding away at general South Shore genealogy (Lunenburg, Bridgewater, Mahone Bay area) but it's nice to have a break now and then! If you need any specific Nova Scotia help in your research I'd love to lend a hand.

Keenan

Comments

Thank you Keenan!  I live in BC and its nice to have local feet on the ground from time to time. Please don't hesitate to let me know if I can do anything to reciprocate.

---

I have some relations that were from that area.  Philip DeÉntremont is my ancestor and he was the first Baron of Nova Scotia.

Answer 1

Thanks, Keenan. My Sutherland ancestors are from Sydney, but they decamped to Ontario in the 1850s. I don't need any help at the moment, but as Laurie says, it's great to know you're available to answer any questions that may come up in our research.

Comments

Likely a different family of Sutherlands.. although very possibly related.. but yes, if anything comes up feel free to ask! My family were centred and still remain on the Western coast of Cape Breton.

Answer 2

Keenan, There is a request this morning from another WikiTreer for help on Nova Scotia research.  The post is titled, "Looking for help N.S."  Perhaps you are able to help her?

Comments

Thanks Michelle, but I can't find the post!

Answer 3

Hi Keenan,

My Family is from Nova Scotia. My Grandfather was James A Fraser, born in Elmsdale in 1884. His Father was Alexander James Fraser, born in Elmsdale in 1859. His Father was James Fraser born about 1808. He died in 1887 and is buried in Elmsdale. I have not been able to find where he was born or his parents. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Jim Fraser, Seattle Washington

Comments

I'll get right on this Jim. Hopefully I can find a few details for you.

Answer 4

Thank you Keenan!  Things come up from time to time and it would be wonderful to be able to contact you.  I can't think of one right at the moment, but I know there will be!

Comments

All the sources I use are ones that are publicly available, but I am very familiar with using them so I would be happy to help out anytime!

Answer 5

It was Nova Scotia at the time, but now New Brunswick... Not sure that the pesky rebel squatters of 1770's Maugerville were properly recorded anywhere unless they stayed post Studholm's report...

The "Widow Clark" was an original grantee with land near Joseph Bubier above Oromocto Island.  I have spent a year looking for a name and a family.

Ichabod Clark was born in 1777 and the 1800 census of Kenduskeag Plantation, Massachusetts (now Levant, Maine)  says he, four other Clarks, and Benjamin Bubier are 'form St John"... no birth record and two men from St John old enough to be his father... another Ichabod and the older of to Josephs.  Aaron appears to be Joseph's son.

Joseph Clark Jr was born in Sheffield Dec. 1768 to Joseph and Sarah Clark.  Are these the Josephs that went to Kenduskeag Plantation?  

(How) do either of these relate to the Clarks in the Studholm report or were these already out the back door to Maine before 1784?

Comments

note - Joseph and Joseph Jr are not to be confused with the Loyalist doctors that came in 1784 and coincidentally settled land roughly where Widow Clark was before hand.

The five Clarks appeared in Maine at the same time and at the same place as Benjamin Bubier (son of the original grantee and definitely a rebel).

Ichabod - Clark-45190  Ydna is R-L1 and - barring yet another MPE in my tree 100% documented.  Rest are inferred relationships still being proven.

Joseph Sr. Clark-46244 and Sarah Holbrook-436 (may be erroneous Josephs.  I am less certain as I find more contradictions)

Joseph Jr. Clark-46245 (Studholm report Gagetown at age 16 as a head of house??)

Aaron Clark-45454

Ichabod Clark (elder) not entered

---

This one is definitely outside my scope of reference. Sounds like Jeff Andle has some expertise in this area though!

---

I year of obsession, I mean research, later and I have a lot of material on this side of 1786 and scant little on that side of it.  
I do have a good friend in Fredericton that is going to do a little digging, but I think from 1750 to 1790 I am looking for squatters that were offered land they were not given and just made the best of it... the illegal aliens of 1780!

Answer 6

Thanks so much Keenan! I'm a local, living in Lunenburg, working in Mahone Bay, and trying to find some more info on the Bailey family. I'm able to trace back as far as a Thomas Bailey born in 1802 (his son Thomas E. Bailey was born 1838 in LaHave) but otherwise I'm feeling quite lost. If you come across anything relevant, I'd greatly appreciate the shared knowledge! Thanks!

Comments

Hey Jordan, have you heard of the Don Shankle database? It's an excel sheet that the researcher put together using the records of several local churches and township books. Head on over to here and there's a couple things for you to check out http://sites.rootsweb.com/~canns/lunenburg/bmd.html.

There are lots of "Bailly"s in the Mahone Bay / Lunenburg / Chester area, keep in mind that alternate spelling as that seems to be used a lot early on.

Answer 7

Hello Keenan,

Is your offer to look up Nova Scotia records still open?  My husband's 3rd great grandfather was Alexander "Sergeant" MacNeil.  I've added him to my WikiTree as MacNeil-778.  I have found a bit about him in a couple of books on early settlers, but don't seem to be able to find his marriage or death.  I'm guessing he was married in Nova Scotia, but maybe back in Scotland where he lived until 1808 or so.

I'd appreciate it if you could find anything in the records to help me.

Joyce Collins

Comments

Hi Joyce, it looks like you've found Mabou Pioneers and History of Inverness County. These are the best early sources we have in West Cape Breton.. unfortunately there is very little to be found at that early time of settlement.

I've had a look at your profile and that's probably all the info available. You might scrape a bit more from the 1808-1818 surveys of Cape Breton from "Holland's Description of Cape Breton" or maybe the land grants at NS Archives (https://archives.novascotia.ca/cape-breton-land/)

---

Thank you.