A. Belcher and Co. was a partnership between Andrew Belcher and Mather Byles Almon, which operated out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The business was primarily an agency for mercantile trade, shipping goods to and from Halifax, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the British West Indies. The company also sold insurance. Mather Byles Almon, merchant, banker, politician, and philanthropist, was the partner in Halifax. He was born in 1796 at Halifax, the son of William James and Rebecca (Byles) Almon. Almon helped establish the Bank of Nova Scotia in 1832 and became its president in 1837. He died in Halifax on 30 July 1871.
Andrew Belcher, merchant, justice of the peace, and politician, was born in Halifax on 22 July 1763, the son of Jonathan and Abigail (Allen) Belcher. He operated a number of successive partnerships including the one with Mr. Almon. He removed to England in 1811 where he worked as a non-resident member of the Halifax merchant class. Belcher’s fortunes took a downward turn and he moved back to Halifax in 1829. From 1827 to 1833 Belcher was Halifax agent for the General Mining Association (GMA), also known as Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, a British company involved in large-scale coal exports from Nova Scotia to the United States. Early in 1834 Mr. Belcher lost the appointment to rival shipping entrepreneur Samuel Cunard. Belcher died in Boulogne-sur-mer, France, on 17 November 1841. It is not known when the partnership of A. Belcher & Co. ended.
Founded in 1908 by W.T. Ritcey, Acadia Gas Engines Company Limited of Bridgewater, N.S., was Canada's largest manufacturer of marine engines. Originally incorporated under the Nova Scotia Companies Act in 1908 as Acadia Gas Engines Company Limited, the firm was reorganized in May 1917 and its name changed to Acadia Gas Engines Limited. The company opened a branch office and warehouse in St. John's, Nfld. in 1915. In its early years, the company's principal business was the manufacture of internal combustion engines for the use of fishermen in Atlantic Canada, as well as the production of winches for the hoisting of sails, cargo, and anchors on schooners. The firm went on to manufacture a variety of two-cycle and four-cycle engines and accessories for vessels, such as driving gears, heaving outfits, pumping outfits, and mill friction drives. By 1919 it had set up and incorporated a branch company, Acadia Stationary Engines Limited, to manufacture general purpose stationary engines. The firm later became marketers of British Leyland diesel engines and acted as selling agents for Chevrolet and Smith-Form trucks. Its other branch company, the Acadia Motor Car and Truck Company, was formed ca. 1920. In June 1966, Acadia Gas Engines was acquired by the Grimsby Group of Canada, Halifax, N.S., of the parent company Great Grimsby Coal, Salt and Tanning Co. Ltd., based in the United Kingdom.
The Acadia Powder Mills Company was incorporated in July 1863 to supply explosives for gold mining operations in the vicinity of Waverley, Nova Scotia. The mill was built in Waverley and managed by Thomas Laflin, a member of the Laflin gunpowder family of the United States, and subsequently by B.C. Wilson after Mr. Laflin's death in 1870. The name was changed in 1869 to the Acadia Powder Company. In the early 1880s the company successfully undertook the manufacture of dynamite for mining operations and in 1883 expanded by purchasing the Pacific Powder Mills of Brownsburg, Quebec. The company was purchased by Nobel Company of Scotland and later from Nobel by the Hamilton Powder Company. By 1899 Nobel had acquired a controlling interest in the Hamilton Powder Company and it continued operation until 1910, when, under the presidency of William McMaster, Canadian Explosives Limited was formed to merge the majority of the explosives businesses in the country. Production continued at Acadia Powder Company until 1913 when the machinery was transferred to Windsor Mills, Quebec.
The Nova Scotia Coach Lines bus company was established 1 August 1938 as a division of United Service Corporation of Halifax, N.S. George C. Thompson was appointed general manager. The company's name was soon changed to Acadian Coach Lines and in 1947, it became known as Acadian Lines. On 28 December 1955, Acadian Lines became a wholly-owned company when it was purchased from United Service Corporation by George C. Thompson, (who served as president until 1985), Ralph A. Pepper, and Gordon H. Thompson. The company subsequently purchased the bus operations of Fleetlines Limited of Halifax and Highland Lines of Sydney. Acadian Lines operated regular passenger and parcel express services between communities throughout the province. The company also served as local agent for Gray Line Sight-Seeing Association. Acadian Lines was Nova Scotian-owned until December 1995, when it was acquired by SMT (Eastern) Ltd. of New Brunswick.
The Office of African Nova Scotian Affairs was provisionally established in 2003 in response to the Final Report on Consultations with the African Nova Scotian Community (July 2001). Amendments made to the Public Service Act in 2004 and proclaimed in January of 2005 officially established the Office whose object and purpose is to create and promote an integrated approach to matters relating to the African Nova Scotian community; to represent Nova Scotia in intergovernmental and other initiatives and negotiations on matters integral to the African Nova Scotian community; to provide the minister responsible with research analysis and policy advice on African Nova Scotia issues; to develop cooperatively communication strategies and public education in order to improve general understanding and appreciation of African Nova Scotia culture, heritage and community identity; and to advocate for the interests and concerns of the African Nova Scotian community. Wayn Hamilton was appointed as the Office’s Chief Executive Officer in September of 2005. In January 2011 the Office was integrated into the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage for administrative purposes through legislative amendments under the Government Administration Amendment (2011) Act which removed the Office as a separate and distinct public body.
The Ajax Club of Halifax, Nova Scotia was sponsored by the Interallied Hospitality Fund and established in August of 1940. The club's objective was to uphold the morale of servicemen, to bring warmth and joy into their lives, and help them forget the grim realities of war. The chair of the Ajax Club secured the use of the Odell House at the corner of Queen and Tobin Streets in Halifax for this purpose. The Ajax Club opened on 4 November 1940, with the official opening taking place on 14 December 1940 when Sir Gerald Campbell came from Ottawa. The club featured a library widely supported by donors and a bar that served beer to a maximum of two quarts a day. The ability to serve alcohol was considered controversial and on 23 February 1942 the license to sell alcohol was withdrawn by the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission and the club was in effect closed.
Ajax Hospitality Headquarters was established in 1942 and was located at 90 Spring Garden Road in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As the chair was Mrs. Janet E. McEuen, the organization is believed to have arisen out of the demise of the former Ajax Club, which she also chaired. The aim of the organization was to provide temporary sanctuary to men of the Royal Navy, the Fleet Air Arm and British Military Forces who armed the defensive equipment of the merchant ships. The men registered in Halifax and were sorted into groups that were sent out to smaller Nova Scotia communities. The following are the locations involved in the program and the dates they began to be active: Hantsport, (ca. 1943), Chester (August 1943), Musquodoboit Harbour (27 June 1944), Shubenacadie (6 July 1944), Sheet Harbour (23 August 1944), and Wolfville (1 January 1945). The project was also spearheaded by Financial Campaign Committee chairman, J. McGregor Stewart. They were aided further by similar financial committees in Ontario and Quebec. During 1944 the office in Halifax welcomed 25,184 visitors, according to its guest book. The operations of the organization are believed to have concluded with the end of the war in 1945.
Thomas Akin (1702-1775) and his son Stephen (1739-1827) of New England were grantees at the founding of the Township of Falmouth, N.S. in 1760. Stephen married Elizabeth King in New Jersey in 1761 and returned to Falmouth where their five children were born. Their eldest son Thomas (1762-1832) married Margaret Ott Beamish (d. 1809) and changed his surname to Akins after moving to Liverpool where he was an insurance broker and merchant. Their only child, Thomas Beamish (1809-1891), became a barrister and was appointed commissioner of public records for Nova Scotia in 1857. Captain John Stephen Akins (1796-1867), son of John (1766-1859) and Rebecca (1771-1826) and grandson of Stephen and Elizabeth, married Margaret Wilson in 1832. Their son Charles Edward (1833-1914), a farmer and orchardist, was married to Elizabeth Armstrong and had eight children. Charles' son Thomas Bernard Akins (1871-1959) participated in the organization of the Avon River Power Company Ltd. in 1923.
Thomas Beamish Akins was born in Halifax in 1809 and died there in 1891. A lawyer by profession, he was an antiquarian and bibliophile by vocation. In 1857 he was appointed Nova Scotia's commissioner of public records, holding the office until his death. A prolific historical author and editor, he is best known for his history of the town of Halifax and for Selections from the Public Documents of the Province of Nova Scotia (Halifax 1869).
Brian Redmond Macdonald Alexander, commonly known as Ben Alexander, was born in 1904 in Richmond, Quebec, the son of George and Susan (Jenkins) Alexander. He studied forestry at the University of New Brunswick and was hired by the Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forests to carry out 'cruises' (tours of inspection) on Crown Lands. By about 1932 he had left the Department to manage the MacLeod Pulp Company lands, later becoming chief forester and finally a director with the Minas Basin Pulp and Paper Company of Hantsport, Nova Scotia. He married Katharine "Kay" Durfee Clements and they had two sons: George and Christopher. Alexander's wife Kay died at Hantsport in February 1985. He died at Hantsport two months later, on 29 April 1985.
Alfred J. Bell and Grant Company Limited was created on 1 January 1964 with the merger of Alfred J. Bell and Co., Ltd and Grant, Oxley & Co., Ltd. Alfred J. Bell and Grant Co. had its start about 1890 under Alfred Joseph Bell ([ca. 1853]-1919). Upon his death the business was run by Archibald Crease and later with his son, Edward F. "Ted" Crease. Grant, Oxley and Co. was established in 1892 by MacCallum Grant (1845-1928), who also served as Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia between 1916 and 1925. He was joined by Harold Oxley (1860-1935) who led the business until his death, when Eric McNeil Grant (b. 1889) became the new president. The business continues to operate as Bell and Grant Insurance to the present day, offering a full range of insurance products for consumers in Nova Scotia.
Fred Allen was born in 1942 and was the foster son of Gwendolyn Poole of Wolfville, Nova Scotia. He was educated at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. His began his working career at Neptune Theatre in 1963 as stage manager and set designer, and afterwards at Fortress Louisburg as head of research illustration. Next, he returned to Neptune Theatre as resident designer. He then began a year of study in Europe through a Theatre Arts Bursary, observing productions in 13 countries. His award-winning work as a designer, art director and master model builder included productions for the Nova Scotia International Tattoo, film and television productions including Buried on Sunday, Blizzard Island, Codco, and Street Cents; and designing and building the characters for the children's television series, Theodore Tugboat. Allen was also involved in the design and construction of the 65 foot tugboat "Theodore Too." His work in sculpture included Parks Canada projects 'Monument Lefebvre' in Memramcook, N.B.; 'Interaction of Cultures' for Kouchibouquac National Park; and two major installations and illustration work for the 'L'Anse Aux Meadows' World Heritage Viking Settlement in Newfoundland. He died in Truro, Nova Scotia on 6 December 2007.
John Allen was born in Boston, Massachusetts on 11 September 1771, the son of Ebenezer Allen (1738-1816) and Meribah Frazier (1743-1804), Loyalists and Sandemanian Church refugees. The family embarked for Halifax in 1776 when Boston was evacuated by the British Army. They apparently settled on the Dartmouth side of the harbour, where Ebenezer became a prominent businessman in the Woodlawn area. Ebenezer and his son Alexander Allen, along with John Stayner, purchased a tanyard property on the old Preston road in 1795. They formed the firm of “Stayner & Allens.” This partnership dissolved in 1798 and became “Stayner & Allen,” with John Stayner and John Allen as partners. The firm continued until 1816, when the property was divided and the partnership dissolved. John Allen continued the tannery on the Old Preston Road for many years. He married Sarah Stayner (1776-1861) in St. John’s Church, Preston in 1793. They had 16 children; all except two lived to adulthood. John Allen died on 12 January 1849 in Dartmouth.
William James Almon (1754-1817), son of James and Ruth (Hollywood) Almon, was born at Providence, R.I. and apprenticed as a physician and surgeon in New York prior to arriving in Halifax as a Loyalist. In 1785 he was appointed surgeon to the Halifax Alms House. In the same year he married Rebecca Byles, daughter of Rev. Dr. Mather Byles. Almon was later appointed surgeon-general of the military forces at Halifax and established a private practice as a physician and apothecary. His son W.B. (William Bruce) (1787-1840) graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1809 and succeeded him as physican and surgeon of the poor house. He also had a private practice as a physician and apothecary, served as medical health officer for Halifax, and was a founding member of the province's first medical board. He married Laleah Johnston (1789-186-?). Their son William Johnston (W.J.) (1816-1901) also entered the medical profession and became a member of the House of Commons in 1872 and senator in 1879. He married Elizabeth Lichenstein Ritchie (d. 1886) of Annapolis in 1840. Their son Thomas Ritchie (1843-1901) was the fourth generation Almon to practice as a physician in Halifax. He and his wife Frances Egan (1845-1942) of Quebec had a daughter and two sons. Their son Cotton Mather (1846-1883), married Ellie Dodd (d. 1906) in 1873; they had three children, William Bruce ("Bruce") M.D. (1875-1940), Susanna (d. 1958), and Caroline. William Bruce, (1875-1961), second son of Thomas and Frances, was a lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Canadian Artillery and private secretary to the lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia. He married Mary Hill Dickey in 1908 and had four children.
Mather Byles Almon, merchant, banker, politician, and philanthropist, was born in 1796 at Halifax, the son of William James and Rebecca (Byles) Almon. In 1825 he married Sophia Pryor; the couple had fourteen children. In 1832 M.B. Almon helped establish the Bank of Nova Scotia and became its president in 1837. He was a member of the Legislative Council from 1843 to 1866, governor of Dalhousie University, 1842-1848 and Kings College, 1869-1871, and involved in many Protestant charitable societies in Halifax.
William Bruce Almon was born in Halifax on 23 September 1875, the second son of Dr. Thomas Ritchie Almon(1843-1901) and his wife Frances (Egan) (1845-1942). He was a professional soldier and served in various locations in Canada with the Royal Canadian Artillery before the First World War. He married Mary Hill Dickey in Halifax on 30 November 1908 and they had two daughters. During the First World War he was in command of artillery formations in Halifax before going abroad with the Canadian expedition to Russia. After his retirement from the military he served for 23 years as the Aide-de-camp for Lieutenant Governors of Nova Scotia. He died on 31 August 1961 in Halifax and was buried in St. John's Cemetery in Fairview.
Paul Amberman was born of Dutch origin in the colony of New York in 1745. In 1771 he married Mary Ditmires (born 3 February 1746), the daughter of Douwe Ditmires. The Amberman family came to Annapolis Royal in June 1783 as Loyalists. Their family included three children: Mary (born 1773, married George Vrome in 1803), Paul Amberman, Jr. (born 1775), and Douwe (born 1779, married Rebecca Gilliatt). Mary Amberman, wife of Paul Sr., died in 1805 and was buried in St. Edward's cemetery in Clementsport. Paul Amberman died in 1811. From all accounts he must have been a wealthy man when he came to Granville, as he purchased several lots of land from Robert and Jane Young, formerly of New York. One of his acquisitions was land originally granted to Benjamin Rumsey in 1764, which Amberman purchased from Peter Ryerson in 1784. This property stayed in the Amberman family until 1964, when it was purchased by Robert Pallen Patterson who renamed it “North Hills.” Upon his death in 1974 the property was bequeathed to the Province of Nova Scotia and is now part of the Nova Scotia Museum complex.
The Ancient Order of Foresters began in 1834, but its origins lie in a much older society called the Royal Foresters formed in the 18th century. In 1813, the Royal Foresters began to establish subsidiary Courts (branches) and the concept of an affiliated Order of Friendly Societies was born. The order was established in Nova Scotia in 1900 and functioned until 1929 when it disbanded, having only 31 members remaining.
The New Glasgow Unit (Division 1) of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (which included Port Morien, Cape Breton) was organized on 4 August 1913, with a Ladies Auxiliary being formed in 1914. Its stated purpose was "to promote the 'Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity' of its members and [to] preserve the spirit of Irish Nationality". Consequently, membership was confined exclusively to Roman Catholics of Irish descent or birth. The National Hibernian was the Order's official publication; Saint Patrick's Day was observed as the national holiday.
Mary Elizabeth (Annand) Cooley (1928-2017), political campaign manager and long-time volunteer with the J.W. Logan Chapter of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (I.O.D.E.), married Donald Leonard Cooley (1926-2008) in Halifax circa 1949. “Mary Lib” was born in 1928, the daughter of Frederick W. Annand Jr. (1891-1957) and his second wife Mary A. Dickinson (b. ca1897), who could trace their ancestry back to William Annand (1808-1887) and his second wife Martha Tupper, publisher of newspapers the Novascotian and the Morning Chronicle, premier of Nova Scotia from 1867 to 1875, Agent General for Canada in London 1875-1879 and Agent General for Nova Scotia in London 1885 until his death in 1887. William’s son Charles Annand (b. ca1841) also earned his living as a publisher, was appointed Queen’s Printer for Nova Scotia in 1875. He petitioned the Government for crown land in 1885 and leased a gold mine in Queens County in 1886. Charles Annand married and had a son Frederick William (b. ca1864) who married Charlotte S. Dickie (b. ca1866) in August 1887 in Kings County and earned his living as a farmer. Their son Frederick William Annand Jr., became an insurance broker and married Mary A. Dickinson on September 18, 1926.
Donald Leonard Cooley (1926-2008), a watchmaker and jeweler, was born in 1926 to Charles Leonard Cooley (1887-1960) and Winnifred M. Nicoll (1885-1961). He began his career in 1946 working in his father’s and uncle’s business, Cooley Brothers Jewelers Ltd. of Halifax, NS. He later worked for Webster China and Gifts, and Cooley Jewelers. With his wife, Mary Elizabeth Annand, they raised 5 children. Donald’s father, Charles L. Cooley, was born in London, United Kingdom and apprenticed in the watch, clock and jewelry business from 1903 to 1906, then immigrated to Canada in 1912. When Charles’ younger brother Robert W. Cooley (1890-1964) arrived in Halifax ca1914, they formed Cooley Brothers Jewelers Ltd.
Although legislation was passed in 1758 regulating the process of probate the Governor, through his Surrogate General, retained exclusive power over the appointment of judges of probate and the creation of courts of probate as outlined in the carious instructions to governors regarding the appointment of local officers of the courts. Until additional legislation in 1842 local officers had little guidance in determining what they were to do beyond attempting to make analogies to the Ecclesiastical Courts of England. Today's Annapolis County Court of Probate originated with the appointment of Jonathan Hoar as Judge of Probate for the County in 1767. In 1810 Elkanah Morton was appointed Judge for the Western District of the County which became Digby County in 1837. With the 1897 amendments to the Probate Act uniformity in record keeping emerged as retiring Judges were replaced with full time registrars of probate and the County Court assumed the judicial function. In Annapolis County Jacob Owen was the last Judge of Probate electing in 1912 to continue in office but as Registrar. In 1900 the Revised Statute edition of the Probate Act added many forms which provided additional uniformity to the process.
Prior to 1879 local government in Nova Scotia was the responsibility of the appointed Court of General Sessions of the Peace, which was composed of all those who held commissions as justices of the peace within a particular county. The Annapolis County Court of General Sessions of the Peace began with the creation of the county in 1759. Meeting two or more times a year, the court had both administrative and judicial functions. It was empowered to appoint local officials, who had been nominated by the Grand Jury; levy county and poor rates; exercise control over roads, bridges, prisons, hospitals, and other public works; regulate animals, weeds, fires, taverns, and the inland fisheries and perform other duties assigned by statute. It could also sit as a court of justice, with limited criminal jurisdiction, using the Grand and Petit Jury system from England. The Grand Jury decided whether a charge should proceed to trial. The Petit Jury decided on an accused’s guilt or innocence. Jury members were selected by lot from a list of male residents who either owned land or held a minimum amount of personal wealth. In 1800 Annapolis County was divided into eastern and western districts and the Court of General Sessions was required to sit twice a year in each district. In 1837 the Western District became Digby County and was subsequently under the jurisdiction of its own court. The passage of the County Incorporation Act in 1879 replaced the administrative functions of the Court of General Sessions with an elected municipal council. Its judicial function was assumed by the Supreme Court on County Circuit.
The grand jury was one of the institutions of customary law whose existence, although amended and altered by provincial legislation, was based on practice established in England. The Annapolis County Grand Jury was established when the county was created in 1759. The grand jury was chosen by lot from lists of qualified property owners prepared by a committee of the Court of General Sessions. Sitting for a year, the jury nominated individuals for the Sessions to consider for appointment to local offices; prepared financial estimates for county government; inspected the accounts of expenditures; determined the annual road work and the establishment of new roads; and claimed the right make presentations to the Sessions on topics of public interest. The grand jury also acted in a judicial capacity to determine whether sufficient evidence existed for an accused to be placed on trial by the Supreme Court. Half of the grand jury, or 12 of the 24, were required to concur, otherwise no bill was returned and the criminal case did not proceed to trial. In 1879 the advent of elective municipal government ended the administrative function of the grand jury. Although terms of jurors, their numbers, qualifications and method of appointment changed over time, the judicial function persisted until 1979 when amendments to the Jury Act abolished the grand jury
Samuel George William Archibald (1777-1846) of Truro, N.S. was a lawyer, politician, and judge. He was admitted to the Nova Scotia bar in 1805 and served as solicitor general, 1826-1831, attorney general, 1831-1838, advocate general in the Court of Vice-Admiralty, 1831-1841, and master of the rolls and judge of the Court of Vice-Admiralty, 1841-1846. He was also a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1806-1841. Archibald married his first wife Elizabeth (Dickson) in 1802. They had fifteen children, nine of whom survived to adulthood: Charles Dickson (1802-1868), John Duncan (1804-1830), Edward Mortimer (1810-1884), Mary (1814-1838), Thomas Dickson (1817-1875), Samson Salter Blowers (1819-1893), Peter Suther (b. 1820), William George (b. 1822), and Robert Dickson (b. 1828). Four of the sons entered the legal profession: Charles was a barrister, businessman, and MLA, 1826-1830, and later moved to England as a magistrate; Edward was attorney-general of Newfoundland, ca. 1842-1855, and later British consul-general at New York, knighted in 1882; Thomas practiced law in England until his appointment to the Queen's bench in 1873; and Peter Suther was a barrister and colonel in the militia. Samson was a businessman in Sydney. Their mother Elizabeth died in 1830 and S.G.W. married widow Joanna Brodley in 1832.
Lawyer, politician, and judge Samuel George William Archibald was born at Truro, N.S. on 5 February 1777, son of Samuel and Rachel (Duncan) Archibald. He was raised by his grandfather until the age of fifteen when he left for Massachusetts to study at Haverhill and Andover Academies followed by Glasgow, Scotland. He was admitted to the Nova Scotia Bar in 1805 and served as solicitor general, 1826-1831, attorney general, 1831-1838, advocate general in the Court of Vice-Admiralty, 1831-1841, and master of the rolls and judge of the Court of Vice-Admiralty, 1841-1846. He was also a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1806-1841. Archibald married his first wife Elizabeth (Dickson) in 1802. They had fifteen children, nine of whom survived to adulthood. After Elizabeth died in 1830, Archibald married widow Joanna Brodley in 1832. He died at Halifax on 28 January 1846.