That time in 1983 that Nelson descendants gathered in Old Barns

On 10 July 1983, many of Alexander Nelson's Nova Scotia-based descendants (well, there many thousands of descendants today across North America and beyond), together with descendants of his great friend, James Yuill, gathered to celebrate their Scots heritage in Old Barns in Colchester, Nova Scotia.

Nelson - Yuill reunion newsletter snip

Planning for the event was led by an eight-member committee of Nelsons and Yuills. News about it even made the Halifax Chronicle newspaper on 3 May 1983.

The committee chair, another distant cousin, Brenton E. Nelson, self-published a book, Descendants of Alexander Nelson. I'm not sure if this was before or after the 1983 reunion. The Colchester Historeum in Truro, Nova Scotia has a copy of Brent's book, but does not sell copies.

Perhaps someone reading this will have a copy they may be willing to share or loan me this book.

Lots of research seemed to have been shared with family in advance of the gathering. A cousin has recently shared some of that with me. It has made for great reading.

People were invited to spread the news about the event, to attend, to meet cousins and to share their lines of descent. A genealogist's idea of a perfect, perfect day.

The organizers hoped to establish a log book to catalogue Nelson/Yuill heirlooms: maps, pictures, implements, furniture that belonged to ancestors. I wonder if this catalogue came to fruition. What a fascinating read it must be.

Keep in mind that this was before the internet. Old fashioned networking by phone calls and letters were the key organizing tools. Newsletters and programs were typed on manual typewriters. Copies of the newsletters were available at the Colchester Historerum. Someone's Gestetner (the forerunner of the photocopier) got quite a workout. I wonder how many Nelsons from outside Nova Scotia knew about this event. In my own research, I've found Nelson descendants across North America.

The day's program included self-directed tours. At the left is a list of places of interest compiled as a handout. It was accompanied by a corresponding map to find these places of interest.

All in all, the day sounded fabulous. But I do wonder how many Nelsons from outside Nova Scotia knew about this event. How I wish we'd known about this reunion back in 1983. We would have connected far earlier with our Nelson and other Nova Scotia cousins.

All the images above are courtesy of Karen Nelson.








The never ending story continues....





© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved