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I have been doing genealogical research about my family from Nova Scotia, Canada, for more than fifty years. I would be pleased to communicate with any near or far relatives about any of my work. Here you can find several reports I have prepared about various families from my Reunion file (which now has greater than 40,000 people). I hope these will be of interest to and help others with their family research, and may help me to connect with others who are interested in these families.
My father's family focuses on Halifax and Hants Counties. Surnames for which I have done the most work include Goff, Holland, Dickey, MacInnes, McDougall, McMullin, Fraser, Dill, Kilcup, McPhee and Burgess. Also I have Wright, Long and Milner families from the Township of Clements, Annapolis County.
I have also prepared several genealogies of families from the Guysborough Road and Gays River areas (Halifax East) from who I am not directly descended but who overlapped with my families so I traced their genealogies – these include Annand, Dillman, Kellough, Kerr, Keys, Logan, McHeffey, and McMichael.
My mother's family is all from Colchester County. Surnames for which I have done the most work include Whidden, Newcomb, Tupper, Fisher, Roode, Groves, Sweet, Blois, Fielding, Deyarmond, Baird, Wilson, Hamilton, and Archibald.
Many of these families have been well documented, others not. As a researcher, I have tried to focus on those families that are not well documented.
Descendancy (Register) Reports
The following are descendancy reports for various families for whom I have done considerable primary research. They are grouped by County of origin, and then alphabetical.
Halifax County
Annand
John Annand (ca1764-1834) and his wife Elizabeth McAfee were early pioneers of the Gays River area of Colchester and Halifax Counties, Nova Scotia. Tradition has it (Jennie Reid, Musquodoboit Pioneers) that his children were first cousins of Hon. William Annand, premier of Nova Scotia from 1867-1875. In this report, I followed the lineage available on familysearch.org, which shows that John and Hon. William were first cousins. This report mainly focuses on the descendants of John and Elizabeth Annand.
Cruickshank
This report covers both of the two Cruickshank families in Nova Scotia. Chapter 1 chronicles the Elderbank, Halifax County family of James Merklin Cruickshank (1776-1856) and his wife Elizabeth Gordon, and James’ brother John Cruickshank (1779-1852) and his wife Ann Simpson. Chapter 2 chronicles the family of Peter Cruickshank who came to Pictou County in 1789 and settled in Sunnybrae. This family also includes Cruickshank's from Green Hill, Pictou County, Caledonia and Sherbrooke, Guysborough County, Richmond County, Cape Breton and Sheet Harbour, Halifax Co.
Dickey
David Dickie was born in Ireland, came to New England in 1716 and settled in New Hampshire. Adam, Robert and David Dickey, sons of David Dickie and Isabel McGlaughlin, were all Grantees of Truro in 1760. They generally took the spelling of Dickey in Truro. Adam's sons settled in Lower Stewiacke while David's only son in Nova Scotia relocated to the Musquodoboit valley (from whom I descend). There were two other unrelated Dickey/Dickie families in the Truro, Stewiacke and Musquodoboit areas, and I have also included a brief sketch of their families, so as to separate "who's who". I included this report under both Halifax and Colchester Counties.
Dillman
Christopher Dillman was a Hessian soldier who ended up in Meaghers Grant around 1790. He married Margaret MacDougal, a sister of Alexander MacDougal and Catherine (MacDougall) Dunbrack. Christopher Dillman and Alexander MacDougall served in the same unit of the Second Battalion of the Royal Highland Regiment, commanded by Colonel Small. Christopher and Margaret are the progenitors of a very large family of Dillmans from the Meaghers Grant area.
Fisher
William Fisher, who married Eleanor Archibald, and his nephew Samuel Fisher, who married Mary Tupper, both emigrated from New Hampshire to Truro, William in 1762, Samuel in 1767 with his half-sister Janet (Fisher) Archibald. Their families established some of the original pioneering families in both the Stewiacke and Musquodoboit Valley's. This report details their descendants. I included this report under both Halifax and Colchester Counties.
Goff
John Goff came from Ireland to Nova Scotia some time before 1796. His son Thomas lived in the Bedford basin area, and then, together with his son William, settled the area of Goffs, near the Halifax airport.
Kellough
There were two Killough/Kellough families in the Gays River (Colchester, Halifax and Hants Cos.) area - this is a brief overview of these families.
Kerr
The John and Ann (Guthrie) Kerr family settled in Antrim, Halifax County (Guysborough Road), Nova Scotia after emigrating from Ireland. Some of the family later moved towards Milford Station and Gays River areas.
Keys
William Keys and his wife Isabella Clarke and their family were early settlers in the area of Dutch Settlement, Halifax Co., and Gays River, Colchester County (border of Halifax and Hants County), Nova Scotia. This report details their family, as best I can, to modern day. Although all the early families went by "Keys", the spelling "Keyes" became quite common within this family in later generations.
Logan
There are at least five founding Logan families in Nova Scotia: The Logans of Dutch Settlement/Gays River, descending from Thomas Logan and his wife Jane Tinsley, of Lisburn, County Antrim, Ireland (Chapter 1); The Logan's of Truro, descending from brothers John Logan and his wife Mary Cox and William Logan and his wife Janet Moore, who came from Londonderry, Ireland, many of whom moved to the Stewiacke and Musquodoboit Valleys (Chapter 2); The Logans of Amherst, descending from Hugh Logan from Antrim, Ireland and his wife Margaret Dickie, d/o Matthew Dickie and Janet Nisbet (Chapter 3); The Logans of Pictou County, descending from George Logan from Spinningdale, Sutherlandshire, Scotland and his wife Christian Campbell (Chapter 4); and, The Logans of Sheet Harbour/Sober Island, descending from George Logan, from Morayshire, Scotland, and his wife Mary Dorothy Paul (Chapter 5).
MacInnes
Lieut. Miles MacInnes was a native of the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He emigrated to North Carolina in 1774, fought for the British during the American Revolution, was taken prisoner at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge and eventually was awarded compensation from the British, including 200 acres at Meaghers Grant on the Musquodoboit River in Halifax County, Nova Scotia in 1784. Miles married Christiana MacDonald in Halifax in 1789, daughter of Capt. Angus MacDonald, a native of Benbecula who had also served in the same regiment in North Carolina. This is a record of their descendants.
McHeffey
Richard McHeffey and his wife Mary Caulfield emigrated from Ireland to Windsor, Nova Scotia, 1769 or 1776, and from Windsor the family spread to Shubenacadie, Milford Station and Gays River areas of Hants County, NS, and from there throughout North America. This report traces eight generations of their family.
McMichael
John McMichael and his wife Jean Kerr and their children/grandchildren were part of the early settlers in the area of New Antrim Halifax County (Guysborough Road), and over to the Gays River area of Halifax/Colchester Counties.
McMullin
This report presents the descendants of Archibald McMullen of Antrim/Guysborough Road, Halifax County, who came to Nova Scotia from Ireland in 1821. I have done a considerable amount of primary research in this family.
Hants County
Burgess
Benjamin and Hannah (Church) Burgess and their young family emigrated from Newport, Rhode Island to Newport, Hants County Nova Scotia in 1762. By the time of the 1871 census, there were 234 Burgess' in Hants County, ranked 9th in frequency of surnames in the County. This report details the descendants Of Benjamin and Hannah Burgess in the Newport area, Burlington, Kempt Shore, Windsor area and beyond.
Dill
Mungo Dill, married to Rachel Forswell/Frizzell, and David Dill, married to Jane Walker, are the ancestors of a large family of Dill's in the Windsor area and Douglas Township of Hants County, Nova Scotia. John Dill was also in Windsor but most of his descendants went to the United States. Robert Dill, married to Jane Denny, is the ancestor of the Dill's in Colchester and Cumberland Counties. This revised edition of this report discusses their relationship and origin and describes fairly completely their descendants.
Fraser
James Fraser was a disbanded Revolutionary War soldier who settled in Douglas Township, Hants County, NS in 1783. His son James II left many Fraser descendants in the area, and this report covers their descendancy.
Kilcup
William Kilcup was an American Revolutionary soldier and loyalist, the son of George Kilcup and Margaret Detton from Boston. He joined the Royal American Regiment in Amesbury, Mass., was in Louisburg, Nova Scotia, in 1760-61 and was mustered out after that. He married Hannah Lutches, the daughter of a Dutch immigrant to Nova Scotia and they settled in Windsor, NS, later in Ellershouse, Hants County. Most, if not all, of the Kilcups from Windsor and Hants and Kings Counties are descended from William and Hannah. Many of the third and fourth generations returned to Boston. This report provides as complete a descendancy as I can based on information available.
McDougall
This report presents the descendants of Donald (Daniel) McDougall of Nine Mile River and Kempt Shore, Hants Co., and Antrim/Guysborough Road, Halifax County. He was a disbanded soldier of the 84th Regiment from Scotland who settled in Douglas Township in 1786. This is a distinct family separate from the Donald McDougall or William McDougall families of Maitland or Riverside/Kennetcook areas, and also a separate family from the Alexander McDougall family of Musquodoboit (although there may be a relation to this latter family).
McPhee
This report is not intended to be a complete history of the McPhee's (there are 190 McPhee's in Hants County in the 1871 census!), rather to supply information freely on the internet that may be useful to younger generations trying to connect their McPhee families back to Hants County. It seems that there were three founding McPhee families in the same area. John McPhee Sr. (1725-1811) and Catherine MacDonald are my 5-great grandparents, through their son John Jr. So this report is mostly focused on them. James McPhee (1758-1842), also of Douglas Township, Hants County, was thought to be a son of John McPhee Sr., but DNA has proved this is not the case. The late Alice Mombourquette has written an extensive genealogy on the family of James McPhee, available through the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia, but I have not accessed this source. I include a brief sketch of the family of James and Nancy (Benjamin?) McPhee as an Appendix. William "Black Bill" McPhee (ca1760-1844) arrived in Nova Scotia in 1802, possibly a nephew of John Sr., and lived in the Nine Mile River area (part of Douglas Township), where he was granted land in 1807. His wife was Jennet McMillan and they had a family of seven; their children overlap in ages with many of John McPhee Sr.'s grandchildren. I have also included some of the descendants of this William McPhee as an Appendix.
Wardrope
James Wardrope and his wife Isabella Ellis were one of the pioneer settlers of Milford Station, Hants County, Nova Scotia. They had one son James who married Elizabeth Thompson and their two sons James (1823-1876, md. Eleanor Jane Bentley) and William (1830-1898, md. Annie MacDonald) remained in Milford Station and had large families, some of whom are still there today.
Colchester County
Deyarmond
Alexander Deyarmond and Mary Barnhill were amongst the first settlers of Truro. Their son Robert and his wife Ann (Nancy) Wilson were amongst the first settlers of Upper Stewiacke, Colchester County. This report presents the descendants of Alexander and Robert, with a focus on Robert's family since I descend from his son Samuel and his wife Susannah Wilson Baird.
Dickey
David Dickie was born in Ireland, came to New England in 1716 and settled in New Hampshire. Adam, Robert and David Dickey, sons of David Dickie and Isabel McGlaughlin, were all Grantees of Truro in 1760. They generally took the spelling of Dickey in Truro. Adam's sons settled in Lower Stewiacke while David's only son in Nova Scotia relocated to the Musquodoboit valley (from whom I descend). There were two other unrelated Dickey/Dickie families in the Truro, Stewiacke and Musquodoboit areas, and I have also included a brief sketch of their families, so as to separate "who's who". I included this report under both Halifax and Colchester Counties.
Fisher
William Fisher, who married Eleanor Archibald, and his nephew Samuel Fisher, who married Mary Tupper, both emigrated from New Hampshire to Truro, William in 1762, Samuel in 1767 with his half-sister Janet (Fisher) Archibald. Their families established some of the original pioneering families in both the Stewiacke and Musquodoboit Valley's. This report details their descendants. I included this report under both Halifax and Colchester Counties.
Groves
George Groves, a native of London, England, married Elizabeth Ann Sweet, a native of Hants Co., NS, in Boston, and they settled in Onslow, Colchester County, and raised a large family, many of whom moved back to the Boston area.
Hamilton
Robert Hamilton was one of Colchester County's early settlers. This report presents his descendants, with a focus especially on the descendants on Hants and Mary (Hamilton) Hamilton, of Upper Stewiacke.
Logan
There are at least five founding Logan families in Nova Scotia: The Logans of Dutch Settlement/Gays River, descending from Thomas Logan and his wife Jane Tinsley, of Lisburn, County Antrim, Ireland (Chapter 1); The Logan's of Truro, descending from brothers John Logan and his wife Mary Cox and William Logan and his wife Janet Moore, who came from Londonderry, Ireland, many of whom moved to the Stewiacke and Musquodoboit Valleys (Chapter 2); The Logans of Amherst, descending from Hugh Logan from Antrim, Ireland and his wife Margaret Dickie, d/o Matthew Dickie and Janet Nisbet (Chapter 3); The Logans of Pictou County, descending from George Logan from Spinningdale, Sutherlandshire, Scotland and his wife Christian Campbell (Chapter 4); and, The Logans of Sheet Harbour/Sober Island, descending from George Logan, from Morayshire, Scotland, and his wife Mary Dorothy Paul (Chapter 5).
Sibley
Ezekiel (Stephen) Sibley, from Cornwallis, Kings Co., and his four sons, Henry, Newcomb, Joseph and William, were amongst the first settlers of Wittenburg (St. Andrews), Colchester County, just prior to 1813. Joseph lived all his life in St. Andrews and was known as “The Chairmaker”. It was his son Michael who became the lead man in the Sibley Furniture Company, soon joined by several other brothers and cousins. Sibley Chairs, the main staple of the factory, have long been associated with the village of Wittenburg. This family also has ties to Truro, to Meagher's Grant, Halifax County, and far beyond. In this report, I have also included excerpts from Mildred (Pulsifer) Burrows 1962 report, "A History of Wittenburg (St. Andrews)."
Sweet
James Sweet was a son of Benoni Sweet, who was born in North Kingstown, Rhode Island and died in Scotch Village, Hants Co., Nova Scotia, and Lydia Dimock. Benoni was a son of the Benoni Sweet who came to Nova Scotia in 1760 from North Kingstown, Rhode Island and settled in Cornwallis, Kings Co., NS. Although the descendants of other children of Benoni Sweet (Jr.) have been well researched, notably by Maribelle Smiley and Iola Young, the descendents of James are less well known. James settled in Rawdon but his son Wellington settled in Truro.
Tupper
Eliakim Tupper removed from New England to the western part of Nova Scotia about the year 1760, and about the year 1773 he removed to Truro. He left Truro and removed to Stewiacke about the year 1792. He was married to Elizabeth Newcomb about the time they first came to Nova Scotia.
Whidden
James Whidden and his four sons came to Truro in 1761, and he became a Grantee of the Township. This report presents the descendancy of this family through six generations.
Annapolis County
Long
Peter Long is recognized as the founder of a large family of descendants from his origins on the Hessian Line, Clementsvale, Annapolis County. His father was a disbanded German soldier from the American Revolution who obtained a land grant on the Hessian Line. Peter married Martha Langley, and I have followed descendants from four sons (Jacob, William Bennett, Ephraim Daniels, and John Henry) and three daughters (Margaret Ann Henshaw, Lydia Jane Trimper and Beulah Elizabeth Wright).
Milner
Jonathan Milner, son of John and Elizabeth (Ringrose) Milner, was one of the Yorkshire settlers to Granville, Annapolis County. Because my interest is in the Wright family (I am a descendant of Ward and Anna (Milner) Wright), and there is considerable overlap in the early records, I have prepared a report that focuses only on the first four generations of descendants of Jonathan and Ann (Oliver) Milner, who resettled from Granville to Clements Township. For anyone looking for their Milner roots, this should be enough to connect you to the birth, marriage, death and census records.
Wright
Joseph Wright settled in the Township of Clements, Annapolis County, perhaps as early as 1784. He had sons James and Joseph, perhaps also William. There were many children and grandchildren of James and Joseph Jr. in the Annapolis and Digby areas, but this is a separate family from the John Wright of Digby family and the John Wright of Granville family.
Ancestry Reports
Since the descendancy of the following families is widely available, but the ancestry is perhaps less well known, these reports focus on the ancestry or lineage of some of the well-known early settlers to Truro, from whom I descend.
Deyarmond
This report presents the Deyarmond lineage of Alexander Deyarmond and Letitia Deyarmond (wife of John Barnhill), two of the Colchester County early settlers. The main sources of information are from d'Armand, Roscoe Carlisle. 1954. DeArmond Families of America and Related Families. Family Record Society, Knoxville, TN; and Miller, Thomas. 1873. Historical and Genealogical Record of the first settlers of Colchester County. Halifax, NS, A. and W. MacKinlay, Publ. Facsimilie Edition by Mika Studio, Belleville, Ont., 1972.
Hamilton
This presents the Hamilton lineage of Robert Hamilton, one of the Colchester County settlers. The main sources of information are Hamilton, Lt. Col. George. 1933. A History of the House of Hamilton. J. Skinner and Co. Ltd., Edinburgh, Scotland; and Miller, Thomas. 1873. Historical and Genealogical Record of the first settlers of Colchester County. Halifax, NS, A. and W. MacKinlay, Publ. Facsimilie Edition by Mika Studio, Belleville, Ont., 1972.
Long-Langley
Peter Long (1786-1858) and his wife Martha Langley (1788-1835) raised a family of 11 children in Clements Township, Annapolis County, NS. Her parents, John Langley and Beulah Winchester, were both from New England families. This report presents their ancestry back to New England immigrants, including surnames of Tolman, Parks, Pierce, Leadbetter, Clapp, Davenport, Phipps, Davenport, amongst others.
MacDonald/MacInnes Musquodoboit Ancestry
Angus MacDonald and Catherine MacLeod were the parents of Christiana MacDonald who married Miles MacInnes. Christina and Miles were the parents of Alexanderina MacInnes who md. Samuel Dickey. The MacInnes family is outlined above, and a biography of Angus can also be found in the MacInnes family report. Miles and Angus both came from Scotland and ended in Nova Scotia from North Carolina following the American Revolution. The ancestries of Angus and his wife Catherine are both fascinating, including Kings of both Scotland and England and many Barons and Knights, all outlined in this ancestry report. The information has come from Flo Dickey, the Burkes and Scots Peerages, and the Clan website genealogies for Clan MacDonald, Clan MacLean, Clan MacLeod and Clan MacFarlane. That such a rich Scottish heritage ended up in Musqudoboit is worth preserving.
Newcomb
This report presents the ancestry of Abigail and Elizabeth Newcomb, the wives of two early Colchester County settlers (Samuel Whidden and Eliakim Tupper).
Sweet
This report presents the ancestry of Benoni Sweet and Lydia Dimock of Kings and Hants County, NS.
Tupper
This report presents the ancestry of Eliakim Tupper, an early settler of Colchester County.
Whidden
This report presents the ancestry of the four sons of James Whidden and Abigail Sanborn, early Colchester County settlers.
Hants County Immigrants from New England
I put together an ancestry file focusing on Burgess, Kilcup, Wood and Sanford immigrants from New England to Kings and Hants Counties, which also includes Clarke, Church, Westcott and Hovey surnames, amongst others. Many of these lines go back to early 1600s in New England, including passengers on the Mayflower. The file also includes the Dill surname, although not from New England. Hopefully this will be of interest to anyone in NS with NE roots through these surnames.