Chronicling Truro Township land grants

Eda Maud Nelson (1884-1980) was a 2nd cousin 2x removed from me and a school teacher, as were most unmarried women born in that era, but she also had an avid interest in local history, and wrote in her local newspaper, the Truro Daily News, in Colchester, Nova Scotia.

Here is one of her articles that goes into some detail about the original Truro Township land grants, after the fall of the Fortress of Louisbourg in 1758. I first mention my ancestor Alexander Nelson's own land grant, which is mentioned in the article, here.

Eda's article is full of all sorts of information. She doesn't actually call the settlers New England Planters, but that is what they were. While Alexander received his land grant in 1761, it turns out that it was officially signed until 1765, something that Eda notes was not uncommon. Some grantees responded to ads Nova Scotia's British Governor placed in New England newspapers. Others received the land grants for military service at the Plains of Abraham or elsewhere.

It's not clear when this story was published, but it was definitely in the age of the once dreaded, now obsolete, library card index system. Eda must have had to do considerable paper research, and this would have take lots of time on her part.

Courtesy of Karen Nelson

Eda never married, by the way. She and two of her also unmarried sisters are buried together under one marker.

Eda and my common ancestors are my 3rd great grandparents, Elias Nelson (1783-1871) and Elizabeth Forbes (1786-1877). They were her great grandparents.


The never ending story continues....





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