Charles Bruce Fergusson was born in Port Morien, N.S. on 14 February 1911, the son of Norman Fergusson and his wife, Eva Jane (Spencer). He was educated at the Nova Scotia Normal College, Dalhousie University (BA) and Oxford University (BA, MA, D.Ph.). He married H. Evelyn Tyler in 1955. During WW II, he was associated with the Works Branch of the Eastern Air Command, was a civil service examiner with the federal government in Ottawa and then joined the Navy. He returned to work as a civil service examiner after the war and was appointed Assistant Provincial Archivist of Nova Scotia in 1946. From 1946 to 1950 he was also a lecturer in contemporary history at Nova Scotia Technical College. In 1956 he was appointed Provincial Archivist and from 1957 was also an associate professor of history at Dalhousie University. He served as chairman of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. He published numerous articles on the history of Nova Scotia. Dr Fergusson retired as Provincial Archivist in 1977 and died at Halifax on 20 September 1978.
Incorporated in 1976 as the Federation of Museums, Heritage and Historical Societies of Nova Scotia, the organization's name changed to Federation of Nova Scotian Heritage in 1982. The federation serves as a private sector umbrella organization to support and promote Nova Scotia's heritage through education, advocacy, and networking. It has a membership of over 160 organizations which include museums, historical and genealogical societies, archives, universities, galleries, and preservation groups. The federation is governed by a board of directors representing all the regions of Nova Scotia.
Alan Joseph Fanning was born on 5 July 1916 at Hazel Hill, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, the son of Joseph and Harriett (Feltmate) Fanning. He was educated in Hazel Hill, Canso High School, and the Provincial Normal College in Truro, where he graduated in 1937. He began his teaching career in Isaac's Harbour, Nova Scotia and subsequently worked in Sherbrooke, Thorburn, Sheet Harbour, Wolfville, Kentville, Westville, and Dartmouth. During the Second World War he served with the RCAF, 1943-1945. Following the war he returned to teaching and then went to Acadia University where he received his BA in 1949 and his MA in 1950. In 1959 he became the first principal of Dartmouth High School. He died on 25 August 1981 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Mary D. Falconer born in 1907 received a BA from Dalhousie University in 1929 and was employed by the federal Department of Labour as supervisor of the Women's Division, Employment and Selective Service at Halifax in 1943. The "Paid Part-Time Workers Campaign" was an appeal through the federal Department of Labour, National Selective Service, Women's Division, Employment and Selective Services Office (Halifax) to "home women to accept paid part-time positions in essential civilian services". The campaign was also supported by the Local Council of Women (Halifax) and the Mayor of Halifax, Mr. J.E. Lloyd.
John Eleazer Fairbanks was born on 27 June 1793, the son of Rufus and Ann (Prescott) Fairbanks of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was educated at King's College in Windsor, Nova Scotia. He entered into partnership with James McNab and together they developed a mercantile export and import business for the trade of fish, timber, and ships. He was also a member of the Nova Scotia Legislative Council. He married his first cousin Ann "Nancy" Prescott on 8 November 1816. Together they raised three daughters: Catherine (1820-1906 - Mrs. James William Johnston, Jr.), Annie Blagdon Fairbanks (1822-1899), and Jane Elizabeth (1823-1856 - Mrs. William Duff). He died on 27 December 1860.
The Fader family originates with John H. and Mary Ann (Mason) Fader who resided at the Head of St. Margaret’s Bay on their property, Oakland Point. Their son, John H. Fader, Jr. (1848-1934) was a commission merchant and victualler in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, one of several Faders who were prominent merchants and business people in both Halifax and the St. Margaret’s Bay areas of Nova Scotia. The main business associated with the family is Fader Brothers, victuallers, which was established in 1864 at 64 Barrington Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The firm was made up of brothers: John Jr. referenced above, Albert (1850-1897), Joseph (1858-1890) & Silas Fader (1856-1937). The firm re-located circa 1878 to the Colonial Market at 224 Argyle Street. Individually, several of the family members appeared in earlier city directories as hucksters, traders or victuallers. Among other members of the family who worked for the firm were Enoch H. (between 1861 1886) and Francis Fader (1881). The firm moved to 6 10 Bedford Row in 1883. In 1887, Joseph Fader left the firm and began a firm of general victuallers to ships and vessels at 17 19 Bedford Row. This business was later acquired in 1903 by the Boutilier family and went out of business in 1971. In 1888, Fader Bros was bought out by J.A. Leaman & Company and continued operating until 1962. Various members of the Boutilier family, many of whom had married Faders, were involved with both firms over the years. A number of the family members went further afield and operated businesses in Montreal, New Westminster and Vancouver, British Columbia and Alaska.
Ernesto Vinci was born 20 April 1898 in Germany and died 7 November 1983 in New Brunswick. He came to Canada in 1938. During the second world war, he resided in Halifax and was director of the Conservatory of Music. He later lived in Toronto, Ontario.
Eric Reginald Dennis was the founding Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Communications and Information Centre in 1972 and remained in that position until his retirement from the Nova Scotia public service in 1982 when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 65. In retirement he was a public relations and publicity consultant and authored The Dennis Saga a genealogical work. Born in Stewiacke, Nova Scotia, he grew up in Agassiz, British Columbia. His great uncle, Senator William H Dennis, was the publisher of the Halifax Herald and invited him to work for the newspaper, which he did for more than 35 years serving primarily as a correspondent in Washington, London (England) and Ottawa between times in Halifax. From 1958 to 1961 he was Editor of the Chronicle Herald. He was married to Maxine Maybee and then to Margaret Stonehouse who outlived him. He died on 11 January 2011 at Oakville, Ontario where he had lived for a number of years.
Marie Beatrice (Boyd) Elwood, museum curator and decorative arts historian specializing in antique furnishings and porcelain china, was born January 30, 1932 in Belfast, Ireland and educated at Victoria College, College of Art, and Queen’s University in Ireland, graduating with diplomas in Fine Art (1953), Education (1954), and Testimonium in Theology (1955). Marie became a Canadian citizen and immigrated to Toronto, Ontario, with husband Dr. T. Neville Elwood in 1958. The family then moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1961 and raised two sons and two daughters. From 1971 until retirement in November 1992 Marie worked for the Nova Scotia Museum, as Chief Curator of History. During her tenure she arranged for the repatriation of Canadian works of art by John E. Woolford (1778-1866), John Singleton Copley (1738-1815), and an archive from George Ramsey 9th Earl of Dalhousie when he was Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia 1816-1820 and Governor General of British North America 1820-1828. She researched, designed and organized museum exhibits on antique furnishings, ceramics, and Nova Scotia ceramic artist Alice E. Hagen. She served on the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board (CCPERB) from 1981 to 2003, and was a member of the Canadiana Foundation’s Board of Directors, 1994 to 2008. She was on the Collections Advisory Committee and appointed Curatorial Advisor for the National Capital Commission’s Official Residences of Canada to advise on furnishings and décor for Rideau Hall in Ottawa from 1991 to 2008. After retirement, she was guest curator with the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa for the 1997 exhibition “Tableful of Canada: A Splendid Gift: the 1897 Canadian Historical Dinner Service”. She worked under contract for the Province of Nova Scotia to preserve, inventory and restore the furnishings at Province House (the Legislature) and Government House (the Lieutenant-Governor’s residence) from 1994 to 2004, and did the same inventory work for the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly in 2004. Within Nova Scotia, she served on the Acquisition Sub-Committee for Ceramics of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia from 1994 to 1997, designed the Halifax Regional Municipality’s Coat of Arms 1997-1999, and traveled to China to be guest lecturer at Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in Jingdezhen, China. She was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London, UK in 1982, received an honorary degree from University of King’s College in 1987 and was one of the first recipients of the Order of Nova Scotia in 2002. She was active in several art and heritage societies, including the Medical Society of NS, Lescarbot Award, American Ceramic Circle and Canadian Society of Decorative Arts. Marie Elwood died in March 2012 in Halifax, NS.
Elizabeth (Liz) Batstone was born in 1945, in Greenspond, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland. Her love of choral singing started with Church and school choirs, and continued throughout her life. In 1982, Liz’ husband Munden was accepted into a master’s program at Dalhousie University, and they moved to Halifax temporarily so he could pursue his degree. While in Halifax, Liz took a job as Executive Director of the NSCF, where she met Bill. When Liz and her family moved to St. John’s Newfoundland in 1986, Liz began working with the Newfoundland Government, spending nearly 10 years as the Assistant Deputy Minister of Culture. In 1999, Liz and Munden moved back to Nova Scotia, settling in Bedford, where they remain.
Edward Howe and his descendants were prominent in the mercantile, military, and public life of Guysborough and Annapolis Counties. How (1702-1750), was likely born and raised in New England. He settled at Canso some time prior to 1722 where he began his long career of public service. He was a member of Council, justice of the peace, commissary of musters, militia captain, and judge of vice admiralty. Edward How also participated in the profitable fishery at Canso, becoming a leading merchant in the area until his business was wiped out in the attack by the French in 1744. He removed to Annapolis Royal and on 9 June 1744, he married his second wife Mary (Marie) Magdelene Winniett (d. 1793). How was an influential figure during the wars in Acadia as a negotiator with First Nations and Acadians until he was slain at Fort Beausejour in 1750. His widow subsequently received a £100 yearly pension which aided in financing the military careers of their four sons. Son John Oliver How (d. 1804) was an army officer in 66th regiment and Alexander How(e) (1749-1813) also an officer in 36th and 104th Regiments in the West Indies, England, and Ireland until 1783, after which he held a number of public offices including MLA, 1786-1799, superintendent of the Jamaican maroons quartered at Preston, 1797-1798, and commissary general and member of the Legislative Council of Prince Edward Island, 1799-1811. Alexander and his first wife Helen McKellar Bontein (d. 1803) had ten children, four of whom survived past childhood. Their sons Hayfield Graham (1780-1806) and Richard Uniacke Howe became army captains while sons Alexander Burgoyne (1783-ca.186-) and Henry Augustus (d. 1813) joined the Royal Navy. Alexander Burgoyne reached the rank of commander. He married Elizabeth Carpenter and had three children: Richard, Alexander, and Helen. Deborah How Cottnam (b. 1725), only child of Edward How and his first wife and married to Capt. Samuel Cottnam, operated a ladies boarding and day school in Halifax with her daughter Grizelda Cottnam in 1777. Her other daughter, Martha Grace, married Col. Winckworth Tonge.
Clergyman, poet, historian, genealogist, and author, Arthur Wentworth Hamilton Eaton was born at Kentville, N.S. on 10 December 1849, the eldest son of William and Anna (Hamilton) Eaton. He left Nova Scotia in 1877 to attend Harvard University where he received a BA in 1880. In 1884 he was ordained deacon in the Protestant Episcopal Church and was head of the parish of Chesnut Hill, Boston. He spent several years in New York as head of the department of English literature at the Cutler School. Eaton's literary career began in 1885 with a monograph on "The Nova Scotia Eatons" which was followed by several historical and genealogical books and articles, and poetic works. He is best known for his book The History of King's Co., N.S., published in 1910. His last publication was Acadian Ballads and Lyrics in Many Moods, 1930. Eaton is the recipient of honourary degrees from Dalhousie (MA, 1904) and the University of King's College (DCL), as well as past executive and honourary member of the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick Historical Societies, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He died at Boston on 11 July 1937, aged 87 years.
Alba Barbara Eaton was born on 4 May 1894, in Lower Canard, Kings County, Nova Scotia. Her parents were Everard Doe Eaton (5 March 1844 – 7 February 1905) and May Florence North (ca. 1861 - 6 July 1955), who married June 24, 1891. She was one of five children, her siblings included Evangeline (June 30, 1892-1988), Seldon (May 7, 1895 – August 24, 1895), Clement George (Jun 7, 1896-1966) and Bernard Harris North (b. April 3, 1898). Eaton kept journals from the summer of 1938 to spring 1943. Eaton never married and her lifelong occupation was dressmaker until her ill health forced her to retire. Her entries indicate that she also supplemented her income through picking and canning local produce to sell. She was an active member of the Canning United Church and a member of the Missionary Society. She passed away from after a brief battle with cancer on March 12, 1966, at the age of 71.
Incorporated in 1980, the Eastern Shore Development Commission was an independent agency whose primary objective was the promotion and encouragement of new business and industrial development in the Eastern Shore region of Nova Scotia. Funded by several levels of government (federal, provincial and municipal), it researched and studied possibilities for economic development, tourism and recreation, and natural resource development. It also prepared and disseminated statistical and other information for promotional purposes and made recommendations and proposals to various levels of government relating to the development of industry and business. During its first ten years the commission attempted to attract outside investment to the area; in the 1990s its focus shifted to fostering growth from within the region. In 1994, reduced funding led to the termination of its operations.
Eastern Canada Towing Limited was formed in 1973 from two predecessor companies, Foundation Maritime (incorporated in 1933) and MIL Tug & Salvage Limited (incorporated in 1968). Foundation Maritime was a subsidiary of the Foundation Company of Canada, which began early in the 20th century as a construction company, then branched out into maritime interests in 1933 with Foundation Maritime. The latter operated primarily out of Halifax, building up a large fleet of tugs and other vessels with which it rescued countless vessels in distress off the western North Atlantic Coast and river and gulf of St. Lawrence. Foundation Maritime played a key role in the Second World War effort by building many of the cargo vessels which were used by Canada to transport goods to the United Kingdom. Later its tugs were assigned both to coastal and deep sea towage in Eastern Canada and to barging liquid asphalt and bunker oil during the season on the Great Lakes and in the St. Lawrence River and Seaway. By 1968 Foundation Maritime had sold off its shipping interests to focus exclusively on construction and MIL Tug & Salvage Limited of Halifax purchased many of its assets. In 1971 MIL Tug & Salvage was bought by Smit and Cory International Port Towage of England; in 1973 it was renamed Eastern Canada Towing Limited (ECTUG). The company continued in business with a large fleet of modern tugs on permanent station at Halifax, Port Hawkesbury, Sept-Iles and Baie Comeau. In 1989 ECTUG became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cory Towage, which was subsequently bought by Svitzer-Wijsmuller in 2000. In 2001 the latter became part of the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group of companies.
John Easson (1715-1790), master artificer, was commissioned by the Board of Ordinance in London and sent to serve in Annapolis Royal in 1737. He received lands and a mill which he operated for grist and lumber. He also worked with Dyson and Company, merchants of Annapolis Royal, and later became a partner with the company. He married Avis Stewart, 27 January 1741, and they had four children. Their son David (1748-1790) married Elizabeth Fisher (ca. 1750-1841) and they had eight children.
Earle Steadman Wagner was born on December 25, 1923 in West LaHave, Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia. After completeing his education in West LaHave, he began his career in 1941 in the marine industry serving first as Seaman, then Officer, Captain, Pilot, Port Warden, and Navigation Instructor. Wagner served as a merchant mariner during World War 2, travelling to many foreign destinations. Later he captained ships to the polar region, such as the Western Arctic Sealift to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories in 1960. For 23 years he was employed as a manager of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' fleet of vessels in Atlantic Canada. He retired in 1989 and volunteered with the Canadian Merchant Navy Veteran's Association to advocate for World War 2 merchant navy veterans to receive recognition and benefits for the service. This was realised in 2000.
Evern Earl Bailly (1903-1977), artist/painter, was born July 8, 1903 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to Harris Edwin Bailly and Willetta Maud Curll. He contracted polio at the age of 3, left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. As a child he learned to draw and paint with the brush in his mouth, later took art lessons at Eastport, Maine, USA, from George Pearce Ennis in 1931. He painted in water colour and oils, specialized in seascapes, fishing scenes and coastal landscapes of Nova Scotia. He was mobile in a wheelchair, with the help of his younger brother Donald (Don) Bailly (1913-2007), and together they traveled extensively, including a trip on the schooner BLUENOSE to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. Earl Bailly’s work has been exhibited in the National Gallery of Canada; Warm Springs Foundation, Georgia, USA; Dalhousie Art Gallery, Halifax, NS; Philadelphia Art Alliance; Four Arts Society of Palm Beach FL; many private collections and the former Earl Bailly Art Gallery in Bermuda. He was a member of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists and the Nova Scotia Society of Artists. He received an honourary degree from St. Francis Xavier University in 1972. He died July 1, 1977 at his home in Lunenburg at age 74.
William Campbell Dunlop was born on 19 March 1897 in Ballymoney, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, son of John and Elizabeth Campbell Dunlop. Dunlop graduated from the Maritime Business College in 1914 and in 1915 joined the 63rd Halifax Rifles. Following World War I, Dunlop returned to Halifax and completed a law degree in 1922 from Dalhousie Law School. Dunlop spent 15 years practicing in Windsor, Nova Scotia and serving as town magistrate, before moving to the firm of Walker, Wickwire and Dunlop in Halifax in 1940. Dunlop was an active member of a number of associations and societies, including the Canadian Bar Association, Nova Scotia Barristers Society and The Royal Canadian Legion, and served as a member of the Halifax Board of School Commissioners (between 1949 and 1956). Dunlop was active in local politics, serving as Halifax Deputy Mayor, 1957-58, and as an alderman on Halifax City Council for three terms. Dunlop married Priscilla Reid Smith and had four sons; James Hugh, William Bruce, David Brian and John Alexander. He died on 18 October 1986.
Allan Currie Dunlop was an historian, mentor, and archivist, employed with the Nova Scotia Archives for 27 years. He was born in Halifax, NS on October 22, 1944 to Douglas MacDonald Dunlop and Dorothy Agnes (Driscoll) Dunlop. He attended schools in Truro, Bedford, and New Glasgow, NS, before graduating from Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS with a Masters of Arts (MA) degree in 1970. Upon graduation, he worked for Nova Scotia Archives, becoming Associate Provincial Archivist from 1987 until his retirement on May 31, 1997. During his career he researched and wrote many articles on Nova Scotia history, including 16 articles for the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. His research interests were in politics, the history of Pictou County, history of Rev. George Patterson of that county, and of sports history, especially golf. His articles were published in Archivaria (1990-91), Canadian Genealogist (1980), Collections of Nova Scotia Historical Society (1982, 1984, 1996), the Nova Scotia Genealogist (1998), the Nova Scotia Historical Quarterly (1973, 1974, 1975, 1980), and the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society Journal (1998, 2002). In addition, he served as mentor and unofficial editor for his many research colleagues. Throughout his career he supported, and in some cases was founding member of, several archives-related associations in Nova Scotia and Canada. He served as first Vice President for the Archival Association of Atlantic Canada 1974-1978 (since disbanded); first President of the Federation of Museums, Heritage and Historical Societies 1972-1974 (now the Association of Nova Scotia Museums); and voting member of the Archives Section, Canadian Historical Association, when it became the Association of Canadian Archivists. He was also a member of the Black Cultural Society (1980-1997); Atlantic Association of Historians (1984-2001); Church Conservancy of NS (1992-1994); Dalhousie Society for the History of Medicine (1982-2003); Friends of the NS Museum of Industry Society (1994); Genealogical Institute of the Maritimes (1993-1995); Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia (1977-1981) and the Royal NS Historical Society (1973-2001; Fellow 2002-2015). Through these memberships and attendance at professional conferences, Mr. Dunlop identified potential candidates for inclusion in the provincial archives holdings. In his leisure time, Mr. Dunlop enjoyed sports and playing golf. He served on the Board of Directors for Dalhousie University’s Black and Gold Club (1982-1997) and the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame (2000-2004). He also served as official historian for the Nova Scotia Golf Association (1997-2015). He was a long-time resident of Convoy Estates in the north end of Halifax, condominiums managed by unit-owners represented on a board of directors. After retirement, Mr. Dunlop accepted ad hoc research contracts from local clients. Mr. Dunlop died May 5, 2015 at the age of 71.
John Victor Duncanson was born 25 August 1918 in Windsor, N.S., the son of Adelaide (Aylward) and John Maxner Duncanson. He received a BA from Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario. In 1940, he enlisted in the army and served in the Royal Canadian Medical Corps in both Canada and Europe until July 1946. He then worked in the field of personnel and industrial relations with positions in New Brunswick, Alberta, Quebec and Ontario. His interest in geneaological research developed into the publication of three books: Falmouth - a New England Township in Nova Scotia (1962); Newport, Nova Scotia - a Rhode Island Township (1985); and Rawdon and Douglas: Two Loyalist Townships in Nova Scotia (1989). In 1993 Duncanson was named planter scholar by Acadia University for his research on the New England Planter migration to Nova Scotia. He died at Windsor on 14 January 1999.
Muriel Helena Duckworth (née Ball) was born in East Bolton, Quebec in 1908. She received a BA in French and economics from McGill University in 1929 and afterwards studied with her husband, Jack Duckworth, at Union Theological Seminary. In 1930, they returned to Montreal where their children John, Martin, and Eleanor were born. During their residence in Montreal, Muriel Duckworth was active in the C.G.I.T., the Student Christian Movement, and Notre Dame de Grace Community Centre. She also helped to acquire for Jewish teachers the right to teach in Protestant schools in Quebec. In 1947, the Duckworth family moved to Halifax, and Muriel joined the Adult Education Division of the Nova Scotia Department of Education as a part-time parent-advisor. Between 1962 and 1967 she worked as a program advisor to the department. From 1967, she dedicated her efforts to groups concerned with the role and rights of women in society, education, pacifism, world development and cooperation and social justice. She was a founding member of the Voice of Women (Halifax) and national president of the Voice of Women (Canada) from 1967 to 1971. She was also a founding member of the Canadian Conference on children, the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, the Nova Scotia Festival of the Arts, and the Junior School of Community Arts. She has received six honourary doctorates, the Persons Award (1981), and the Order of Canada (1983).
The Dramatists' Co-op of Nova Scotia, an offshoot of the Nova Scotia's Writers' Federation, was founded in Halifax in 1976. Conceived by Christopher Heide, Andrew Wetmore, and John Culjak, the co-op's aim was to raise the profile of playwrights from Nova Scotia, and more broadly, the Atlantic Provinces and provide them with a publishing support network for their plays. Specifically, the co-op established a small publishing house intended to publish and thereby improve the circulation of regional writers' manuscripts. Additionally, the co-op promoted and served to legitimize regional writing which was often overlooked by major theatres when planning their annual schedules and engaged in political activism, representing members to such bodies as the Nova Scotia government, the Playwrights' Co-op of Canada, the Guild of Canadian Playwrights, and the Playwrights Union of Canada.
Andrew Downs, ornithologist and founder of the Halifax Zoological Gardens, was born September 27, 1811 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America (USA), to Robert Downs and Elizabeth (Plum) Downs. In 1825 at age 14, Andrew moved with his family to Halifax, Nova Scotia (NS), Canada. He married twice: first to Mary Elizabeth Matthews who died in 1858 at age 30, and second to Matilda Muhlig on June 22, 1859. He had 5 daughters: Mary, Ann, Edith and two others. He worked as a plumber but his life-long interest was the scientific study of birds. In 1847 he established a wildlife reserve at the head of the Northwest Arm outside the city of Halifax, with 50 acres of land. By 1863 he expanded to 100 acres. He gained a reputation for excellence in taxidermy and in poultry improvement and acclimatization. His display of stuffed Nova Scotian birds won bronze at the International Exhibitions at London, United Kingdom in 1851 and 1862, and silver at the International Exhibition at Paris, France in 1867. Downs sold his property, animals and natural history collection in 1868, donated part of his stuffed birds collection to the newly founded Nova Scotia Provincial Museum, and moved to New York, USA, having been recommended for a position with the new zoological gardens at Central Park. He came back to Halifax on January 1, 1869, where he worked at taxidermy until his death on August 26, 1892.