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....





© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

Riding a genealogy coat tail!

Yesterday, my genealogy friend Gail Dever shared a 9 Mar 2017 Library and Archives Canada news item on her Facebook group about a recent acquisition, New Rare Book: Tupper Family Bible. The bible, dating back to the 1870s, had been given to Charles Hibbert Tupper (1855-1925) by his parents, whose father was a Father of Confederation and Canadian Prime Minister in 1896, Sir Charles Tupper (1821-1915).

Sir Charles Hibbert Tupper

Sir Charles is my 4th cousin 4x removed. Our common ancestors are my New England-born 7th great grandparents, Eliakim Tupper (1681-1755) and Joanna Fish (1689-1760). Two of their sons, my 6th great grandfather and Sir Charles' ancestor, were among the New England Planters who settled in Nova Scotia at the behest of the British government, starting in about 1760. As I said here, Tupper descendants are spread across North America today, stemming from the original New England Tuppers and the Nova Scotia Tuppers.

Read about the achievements of my cousin ancestor in this Canadian Encyclopedia entry.

Of course, I'd love to get my hands on that bible, just to see all of the many new family details it contains.

Meanwhile, it's great to grab on to this news and be able to say that I'm related to the one-time owner of this bible.

The never ending story continues.....



© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2018 All rights reserved

DNA brings more Nelson connections

When I returned from my offline and out of the country vacation a week ago, I was intent upon resuming posts to this blog with gusto. But then I found a message with the subject line "how are we related?" waiting in my Ancestry message box. We are AncestryDNA matches, but the person didn't at that point have a family tree. She wondered if we are linked either through her mother's midwest Scandinavian families or her father's New England families.

Since I have no American midwest relatives of Scandinavian ancestry, we soon determined that we're related through our fathers. Her father was a Nelson, and because his parents' marriage was an old fashioned shotgun wedding in the Boston area, she knew absolutely nothing about his family. My latest cousin had her paternal grandparents and great grandparents' names and knew that her great grandfather, Arthur Hamilton Nelson (1874-1952) had been born in Nova Scotia, but not much more.

You know what happened next. Rather than getting back to blogging, I instead spent several hours over three days unravelling this latest DNA cousin's ancestry and her link to me. I love nothing more than a good genealogy mystery.

I was able to tell this latest DNA cousin more of her Colchester, Nova Scotia and New England Planter roots, and she has now begun baby steps to populating her tree. We are 5th cousins once removed. We both descend from my 4th great grandparents Alexander Nelson (abt 1737-1803) and Margaret Robinson (1735-1823), but my new cousin descends twice from them, through two of their sons, Charles Nelson (1771-1847) and Robinson Nelson (1774-1850), who are older brothers to my 3rd great grandfather, Elias Nelson (1783-1871). with Alexander and Margaret my cousin's 4th great grandparents.

My new cousin now know that there are thousands of Nelson cousins across North America (at least),and has much work ahead of her, learning more about genealogy and populating her family tree. But I don't want to scare her off from experiencing the passion of genealogy, so I'm trying very hard not to bombard her with information.

Like for instance, not all Nelsons descend from our great grandparents. Like there's are separate Nelson lines that originated on Prince Edward Island via Philadelphia in the early 19th century that is probably originally from England, whereas the Nova Scotia Nelsons are Scots in origin.

The never ending story continues....


© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2017 All rights reserved

Immigrant Ancestors -- Thomas Tupper (1578-1676)

The way back machine is still on: this week's immigrant ancestor is another 9th great grandfather, Thomas Tupper (1578-1676), who was born in Bury in Sussex, and died in the town he helped to found, Sandwich, on Cape Cod.

As a young man, Thomas was a ship's carpenter by trade. Sources report that he likely came first to New England in 1621, then again in 1624 and finally in 1631, when he remained. I descend from the 1634 marriage between Thomas and his third wife, Anne Hodgson (abt 1588-1676), who is described in multiple sources as a widow. Hodgson was her husband's last name. Her own maiden name is lost. Their only child -- both being in their 40s when they married -- was another Thomas Tupper (1638-1706), my 8th great grandfather.

In 1637, Sandwich, which had been part of Plymouth Colony, became the first town established on Cape Cod (scroll down to the heading, A Brief History of Sandwich). Thomas is listed in documents as one of ten men granted proprietorship of land that formed the settlement of  Sandwich.

The original Tuppers in England were reportedly of Saxon descent. By the 17th century, my Tuppers were Puritan in their earliest days in America. Some of Thomas' descendants later became deacons or ministers in their churches -- faith was very important to early North American settler families, especially the Tuppers, where you see the biblical names Eliakim and Elias used from generation to generation. This much older source tells a bit more of the Tupper family and Thomas' life in Sandwich.

North America, Family Histories

My own Tupper line migrated from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia, among the New England Planters. Descendants of the first Tupper in North America, are scattered across Canada today.

One notable descendant is my 3rd cousin 5x removed, Sir Charles Tupper (1821-1915), who was one of Canada's Fathers of Confederation, premier of Nova Scotia, and for ten weeks, Canada's prime minister.

The never ending story continues....


© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2017 All rights reserved

Immigrant Ancestors -- John Webster (1590-1661)

I've been easily led astray and distracted by more genealogy research again recently--so many bright shiny objects--but here we are back again.

John Webster (1590-1661) is yet another of my 9th great grandfathers. Born in
Leicestershire, England, John arrived at Massachusetts Colony in the early 1630s, most sources seem to generally agree, with his wife Agnes Smith (1585-abt 1655) and their surviving children.

John was of the first settlers of Hartford in 1636, and served one term as governor of  Connecticut Colony. He is mentioned among the names of Hartford's founders here and is name is included on a founders' monument.

from Find a Grave

In addition to my 8th great grandfather Thomas Webster (1616-abt 1686), John's many descendants include my 6th cousin 4x removed, Noah Webster (1758-1843), the lexicographer who compiled dictionaries, including his first, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language. This evolved into Webster's Dictionary, which is still updated and published today. Wordsmithing is an old family trait it seems.

Another of John's descendants, my 5th great grandfather Abraham Webster (1737-1812), migrated from Connecticut to Nova Scotia with my 5th great grandmother Margaret White (1732-1803) as a New England Planter in about 1760, and received a land grant in Cornwallis. My New England roots in Nova Scotia are deep, thanks to my several Planter ancestors.

The never ending story continues....



© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2017 All rights reserved

Immigrant Ancestors: Hugh Moore (1738-1820)

My 4th great grandfather on my father's side was Hugh Moore (1738-1820), who, with his four or five siblings and his widowed mother, was among the New England Planters who were grantees in Nova Scotia. Hugh and his family arrived in the Truro area in 1760, and received a land grant there 31 Oct 1765.

Hugh was born to Hugh Moore (abt 1708-bef 1758) and Janet Morrison (abt 1705-aft1760) in about 1738).  It's not clear whether Hugh #4 GGF was born in Ireland or in New England. His father Hugh died in New Hampshire before 1758.

My #4GGF Hugh's parents had emigrated to New England from Ireland, and were among a large group of similar Ulster Scots who settled in the community of Londonderry, New Hampshire before 1744, or perhaps as early as before 1738, which is about when Hugh was born.

Both Hugh #4GGF and his father Hugh #3 both married women named Janet. That's right. Hugh Moore married Janet Logan (abt 1746-1818 in Londonderry, New Hampshire, shortly before they and the rest of the Moores made the journey to Nova Scotia as New England Planters. All of Hugh #4GGF and Janet Logan's eight children were Nova Scotia-born.

I'll be honest. Because both sets of these ancestors were named Hugh and Janet, I've made many errors through my years of research. Whenever I found a new error, I would have to go back and double check my complete research for this family. Aggravating? Why yes, it was and often continues to be.

This story in particular needs yet more research.

The never ending story continues....

Our immigrant ancestors -- Hugh Calkins (abt 1603-1690)

Immigrant Ancestors listing

My 9th great grandfather Hugh Calkins arrived with his family in New England in 1638 as part of the Welsh Company, a group led by a minister, which sailed from Wales, but whose members may not all have been Welsh, seeking religious freedom. The minister may or may not have been ejected from his position in Britain, which may have been the catalyst for him leading a group of about 50 families to New England.


Hugh is one of dozens of my immigrant ancestors listed in my favourite little reference book. As noted there, Hugh was one of the founders of Gloucester, Massachusetts. He and his wife Ann (last name unknown) had at least nine children, the youngest of whom were born in New England. Through his children, he has many descendants across North America today.

William Cutter writes in his 1910 book, Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of the State of Massachusetts, "Hugh Calkins was a radical, in religion a non-conformist, and living in the troublous times of Charles, the First, soon became satisfied that there were safer countries than England and Wales—for men who wished to worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences. Accordingly, he with his wife, Ann, and John, their son, then four years old, joined a body of emigrants called the 'Welch Company,' and with their pastor, Rev. Richard Blinman, embarked and came to America, about 1638 or 1640.” Does this mean he was a Puritan? I don't know. 

Hugh was born in Cheshire, the English county that borders on Wales, and was christened on 3 Apr 1603 in Waverton, Cheshire, England. We know from his christening record that his father's name was Rowland. 

His son, my 8th great grandfather John Calkins (1634-1703), was one of the founders of Norwich, Connecticut in 1659. His name, together with the other town founders, is listed on a monument in Founders Cemetery there.

At some point, the "s" was dropped in the family name. Hugh's great grandson (and my 6th great grandfather), Jeremiah Calkin (1705-aft 1770) migrated from New England to Nova Scotia as a New England Planter as a widower, with his family in about 1760. Jeremiah had been married to Rachel Janes (1700-bef 1760) in Connecticut in 1725, and they had at least five children.

Jeremiah's house still stands today in Kings, Nova Scotia. Jeremiah's daughter (and my 5th great grandmother), Lucy, migrated to Nova Scotia separately with her husband Jonathan Godfrey, as I noted here.

The more you research, the more you know. Early on, I was thrilled to discover Hugh Calkins because, based on what I initially read, I thought that I had Welsh ancestry. Sigh. But the more I researched I learned that he was an Englishman.

The never ending story continues....

The Nova Scotia roots weekend

I spent this past weekend in Nova Scotia, to attend the annual meeting of the Nova Scotia Colony of Mayflower Descendants in Digby. There was a great write-up about the colony and the large number of Nova Scotia Mayflower descendants in the Halifax Chronicle Herald earlier in the week, generating wonderful attendance on Saturday.

Stephen Hopkins is my Mayflower ancestor. His direct descendant and my 6th great grandparent, David Godfrey first arrived in Nova Scotia in about 1761.

After arriving at Halifax early Friday afternoon, I took what I intended to be a leisurely scenic route to my friends in Kentville from the airport, intent on doing some exploring. But it was pouring rain all afternoon, and so while I still did the drive, the scenic part wasn't really that visible at times. I did drive to Great Village (today's population is 500), which is where my father and uncles spent many boyhood summers working on their Nelson grandparents' farm (and giving respite to my grandmother, who had five sons in nine years).

That farmland was the Crown land grant (those seized Acadian lands again) that my New England Planter 4th great grandfather Alexander Nelson received in 1761. At the Colony meeting on Saturday, I learned from an excellent guest speaker that there may be some merit to the story that he fought with General Wolfe at the Plains of Abraham in 1759. I have new leads in the form of muster rolls to explore on that story.

from The Elizabeth Bishop Centenary Blog

I need to do more research about Great Village, but I did find this image of farmland there. Perhaps my ancestors farm is seen here.

Besides Great Village, on my scenic rainy drive, I saw many place names and family names with which I've grown very familiar through my years of genealogy research. Places like Old Barns and Salmon River. Family names like Archibald and Yuill and so on. Isn't it comforting to be among your ancestors?

The never ending story continues....

Our immigrant ancestors -- David Godfrey & Priscilla Baker

Continuing to recount my New England ancestors, my 6th great grandparents, David Godfrey (abt 1707-abt 1777) and Priscilla Baker (abt 1710-abt 1777) married on Cape Cod in Chatham on 14 Oct 1731. Through his grandmother Deborah Cooke, David is a 2nd great grandson of Mayflower passengers Stephen Hopkins, and great grandson of Giles Hopkins.

By about 1748, David and Priscilla had moved with their family to Connecticut, where they lived for about 12 or 13 years. They followed their eldest son, a sea captain, also David (1732-1813), to Nova Scotia, as part of the New England Planters' arrival in about 1761, when David received a land grant in Horton, which he farmed. David and Priscilla remained in Nova Scotia for the rest of their lives.

I descend from David and Priscilla's second son, Jonathan (1739-1826) and his wife, Lucy Calkin (1740-1825), who after arriving from Connecticut, lived first in Cornwallis and later, Windsor. They arrived in Nova Scotia about 1766.

There are many Godfrey descendants across North America today, including of course, in Nova Scotia.

The earliest Godfreys are recorded in Eastham, on Cape Cod in the mid 1660s. The first, George Godfrey, arrived there by 1661 from England, married (his wife's name is unknown), and began a family that grew to at least nine children, born between 1663 and 1688.

The never ending story continues...

Our Immigrant Ancestors -- the Newcombs of Nova Scotia

Newcomb is an old English family, possibly with Saxon origin, and with many early spelling variations.

The earliest recorded mention in North America of the Newcomb name is in 1630, when a John Newcomen was murdered by Mayflower passenger John Billington, who was tried, convicted and hung for his deed. I haven't found any information about John Newcomen's parents to connect him to my lines, but the murder apparently arose from an old, ongoing dispute. Billington was from Lincolnshire, England, which is also where my main Newcomb line originates. Perhaps that dispute began many years earlier in Lincolnshire.

I have two early Newcomb ancestors in North America. The first is Mabell Newcomen Twyning (or Twining -- the tea people?!), my 11th great grandmother, who probably arrived in Massachusetts Colony with her husband and grown family in the mid 1620s from Gloucestershire. The second is my 10th great grandfather, Capt Andrew Newcomb (abt 1618-abt 1686), a schooner captain, who arrived in Massachusetts from Devon. The earliest mention of him in Massachusetts is in 1663. His son, Lieut. Andrew Newcomb (abt 1640-1708) made his home in Maine, where some of his children were born, but died on Cape Cod in Edgarstown. His son, Simon Newcomb (1666-1745), my 8th great grandfather, settled in Connecticut.

I have three direct Newcomb lines, but only one of these migrated to Nova Scotia. My 7th great grandparents, Simon's son, Deacon John Newcomb (1688-1765) and Alice Lombard (1686-1767) arrived there from Connecticut in 1760, with some of their immediate and two of John's brothers (Simon and Benjamin) and their families, as part of the New England Planters group, settling in Cornwallis. (Yes, several of my early New England and Nova Scotia ancestors were church elders or deacons.) A bit about Deacon John's life can be read here.

I'm descended twice John and Alice: from their son Capt Eddy Newcomb (1713-1781), who married Abigail English (1724-1790) and came with his parents to Cornwallis; and from their daughter Katherine Newcomb (1710-1762), who remained in Connecticut and married Noah Bliss Webster (1706-1762). Eddy and Katherine, and their spouses, are my 6th great grandparents. When Eddy and Abigail arrived, their older children were already young adults.

As Douglas Goff notes in his paper, The Ancestry of Abigail and Elizabeth Newcomb, Capt Eddy "is said to have served as captain under Gov. Cornwallis in the War of the Revolution, and to have been taken prisoner with him and his army, Oct. 19, 1781 (Eaton, Arthur Wentworth Hamilton. 1910. The History of Kings County)."

It's from Capt Andrew that my Nova Scotia Newcombs descend. Let's go back to them. Eddy Newcomb was John and Abigail's eldest son. He was named after his maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Eddy (abt 1663-1710). It's not a nickname for Edward in this case. He, his father Deacon John, his uncles and his brother John Jr were among the original grantees in Cornwallis (those Acadian lands again!) and were farmers.

Eddy and Abigail had nine children, the first six of whom were born in Connecticut. Their eldest child, Elizabeth (1743-1824), is my 5th great grandmother.  In 1762, in Cornwallis, she married Eliakim Tupper (1742-1810) who was also part of a New England Planter family originally from Cape Cod. Eliakim and Elizabeth were among the early settlers of Stewiake, in what became Colchester County, before moving to nearby Truro in about 1773. Eliakim kept the only inn there, and became Justice of the Peace for what are today the counties of Colchester and Pictou.  Between 1763 and 1780, they had nine children, including six sons and three daughters, including my 4th great grandmother, Mary Tupper Fisher, whom I mention in this post.

Elizabeth and Eliakim returned to Stewiake from Truro in about 1792 their later years, and died there.

In Nova Scotia, and all of Canada today, there are countless Newcomb descendants.

The never ending story continues...

On this day: the Acadian Expulsion begins

My earliest 18th century Nova Scotia ancestors arrived there from New England, many answering the call of the British government to settle there, as part of the New England Planters. Included in this group was my 4th great grandfather, Alexander Nelson. The lands New England Planters received as Crown land grants were seized lands of deported Acadians. The Globe and Mail has a wonderful feature called A Moment in Time. Today's snapshot recalls that on this day in 1755, the Acadian Expulsion began.

The never ending story continues...

Our Immigrant Ancestors -- the New England Planters of Nova Scotia

In addition to my 4th great grandfather Alexander Nelson, all of my Nova Scotia roots come from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, via New England, more specifically Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut. 

The first of my ancestors to reach Nova Scotia following Alexander Nelson were also part of the 2,000 families who were New England Planters, arriving between 1759 and 1768, after the Acadian Expulsion. I have New England Planter ancestors who settled in Colchester County and the Annapolis Valley. They were primarily farmers and fishers when they arrived.

These direct ancestors had family names such as Fisher, Forbes, Godfrey, McClane/McLean, Moor, Newcomb, Tupper and Webster. These are names still found in Nova Scotia, more than 200 years later. 

Planters is an Elizabethan English term for settlers. After the Acadian Expulsion by the British, notices were published in New England newspapers offering free land to anyone who would go to Nova Scotia to farm land formerly occupied by Acadians.  

Sir Charles Tupper

Canada's seventh prime minister, Sir Charles Tupper, who holds the record for serving the shortest term as prime minister--10 weeks--(there's a good trivia question), led Nova Scotia into Confederation and is one of Canada's Fathers of Confederation, is the descendant of New England Planters. Oh, and he's also my 3rd cousin 5x removed--not necessarily a great trivia question. 

Want to know more about the New England Planters? 

• The Forgotten Immigrants: The Journey of the New England Planters to Nova Scotia, 1759-1868
• New England Planters

The never ending story continues...

The Nelson side -- Nova Scotia

Elizabeth Alice Nelson (1879-1953) -- always called Alice -- was my paternal grandmother.

Alice Nelson

She was born in Salmon River, Colchester, Nova Scotia, now part of Truro and near Great Village. It is through Alice that I descend from ordinary people, heroes and villains, nobility, royals, Magna Carta sureties and barons, a Mayflower passenger and some of the oldest families of North America.

Alice trained as a teacher at the Truro Normal College, but teaching was not for her it seemed. So in 1908, aged 28, she went off to Montreal to become part of what became the first graduating class of registered nurses at the Royal Victoria Hospital. In her final months as a student, she was assigned to care for a young man who was recovering from an appendectomy. That man was my grandfather, John James Dougherty (1879-1953). Alice graduated, but never worked as a nurse, instead marrying John on 20 Sep 1909 in Montreal, after converting to Roman Catholicism, having been raised a Baptist.

Marriage record, St Michael the Archangel Parish register

The first Nelson to come to the Truro area was my fourth great grandfather, Alexander Nelson (abt 1737-1803), who may or may not have fought with General Wolfe at the Plains of Abraham -- that's one of the stories or perhaps a tall tale. He was probably born in Glasgow, Scotland. Alexander was a New England Planter who arrived in Nova Scotia from Boston, newly married, in 1761 and received a Crown land grant.

Alexander Nelson land grant

These land grants were of seized lands during the Acadian Expulsion, a fact not to be proud about. I believe a part of the land Alexander received remains in Nelson hands to this day. My father and his brothers spent many boyhood summers working on the farm in Great Village.

Alexander was followed to Nova Scotia over the next 25 years by many other of my New England ancestors. And yet, I still can't prove any link to United Empire Loyalists -- yet -- which some friends will find very funny indeed.

Alexander and his wife Margaret had at least 13 children, some of whom died young, but many more of whom married and had their own large families. Some of those stayed in Nova Scotia, others went to the United States. Besides me, some of Alexander's better known descendants are Wild Bill Hickok and Ozzie Nelson (the 1950s Ozzie and Harriet show).

The never ending story continues.