Raymond Arthur Simpson, musician, educator, and author, was born at Antigonish, N.S. in 1913 where he spent much of his early childhood. He later moved to Lunenburg where he attended secondary school. Simpson received a BA from Mount Alison University in 1933 and an MA from Dalhousie University. He taught school in Bridgetown, 1935-1939, and then served as an education officer with the Canadian Legion in Halifax during the Second World War. In 1944 he joined the Nova Scotia Department of Education, serving as director of publications until his retirement in 1978. He was a member of the Acadian Male Quartet on CBC's Harmony Harbour for fifteen years and was also a member of numerous choral groups. He regularly performed as a soloist in Halifax concerts and on CBC radio and television. Simpson was a founding member of the Nova Scotia Opera Association and had leading roles in productions including Don Giovanni and Marriage of Figaro between 1952 and 1955. He was also active in the early years of the Halifax Symphony, Halifax Music Festival, Nova Scotia Festival of the Arts and served as secretary for the Nova Scotia Talent Trust for twenty-four years. In 1995 he published If we are spared to each other: Love and faith against the sea, based on the diary of his grandmother, Annie Rogers Butler, and letters of her husband, Yarmouth sea captain John Kendrick Butler. Simpson died 26 November 1998 at Halifax. He and his wife Esther (Illsey) had three children: David, Joan, and Eric.
Alexander MacLean Sinclair (1840-1924) and his son D.M. Sinclair (1899-1988), both clergymen for the Presbyterian church in Nova Scotia and P.E.I., were also recognized Gaelic scholars and authors of numerous books and articles on Gaelic studies and theology. A. MacLean Sinclair was the son of John Sinclair and Christy MacLean, and grandson of the Gaelic poet John MacLean of Barneys River and Glen Bard, N.S.
Donald Carmichael Sinclair, QC, only child of John H. Sinclair and Jessie (Carmichael), was born in 1888 at New Glasgow, N.S. He attended Dalhousie University where he obtained a degree in arts followed by an LLB in 1909. After a few years in the law office of Hector MacInnis, Sinclair returned to New Glasgow where he practiced with his father. Later he became a partner with D.D. Macdonald. In 1915 he married Norma MacKay of New Glasgow, daughter of Norman and Ann (Hunter) MacKay. They had three children: Janet, John and Norman. Sinclair served with the military in both World Wars and became an honourary colonel of the Pictou Highlanders. He was also a member of several political and community organizations. He sat on the first Regional Library Board for Pictou County, was president of the Nova Scotia Liberal Association, and held many offices for the Pictou County Liberal Association. Sinclair was a stipendiary magistrate for New Glasgow and held directorships of local companies such as Eastern Trust Co. and Eastern Light and Power Company Ltd. He was also associated with the family firm founded by his grandfather, J.W. Carmichael and Co. Ltd., and was president of the firm at the time of his death on 24 March 1962.
John Howard Sinclair, editor, author, barrister, and politician, was born on 27 May 1848 at Goshen, Guysborough County, the son of David and Jane (McNeil) Sinclair. He attended Guysborough Academy and Dalhousie University. On 13 July 1886 he married Jessie Carmichael, daughter of Senator James William Carmichael. The couple had one son, Donald Carmichael. Sinclair practiced law in New Glasgow and was editor of the Eastern Chronicle for two years. He entered politics as mayor of New Glasgow, 1890-1891, and served as MLA for Guysborough, 1894-1904, MP for Guysborough, 1904-1917 and re-elected for Antigonish-Guysborough, 1917-1921. He also authored two books, The Life of James William Carmichael and Captain George MacKenzie, an appreciation. He served as director of the Canadian National Railways from 1922 until his death. He died 8 June 1924 at New Glasgow.
Skerrett Communication Limited was founded in 1972 by Bill Skerrett, a former CBC commentator and producer. The company was known in its early years as Audio Visual East and Skerrett Productions. It specialized in documentaries, television commercials, educational and instructional films and corporate training videos. Among the company's best known projects were documentaries concerning traditional resource industries in Atlantic Canada, such as a five-part geology series, a thirteen part agricultural food TV series, and a study of the controversy surrounding the proposed closure of the LaHave ferry service. The company also acted as an advertising agency and public relations consultant for a number of corporate clients, providing full service television, radio and print production media. By the late 1990s the company was recognized as one of the major independent television documentary producers in Atlantic Canada. It also had several hundred production credits throughout Canada and Europe, and won several international awards.
Bennett Smith, shipbuilder and ship owner, was born in 1808, the son of John and Hannah (Grant) Smith. Bennett apprenticed under his father, also a shipbuilder, and became the designer, master builder, manager and principal shareholder of all his vessels. He married Rachel Harris, daughter of David Harris of Horton, Nova Scotia, on 27 December 1832. Bennett served as MLA for Hants County, 29 July 1858-1859. He died 11 January 1886 at Windsor, Nova Scotia.
Frank Clifford Goulding Smith was born in Montreal, Quebec on 15 October 1890, the son of Frank C. and Ida (Haskett) Smith. He was educated at Acadia University, taking his engineering course between 1912 and 1914. Thereafter, he served with the Canadian Army and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. He subsequently worked as a hydrographer in various capacities in Canada, ultimately becoming the Dominion Hydrographer in 1952 and serving in that capacity until 1957. He married Abbie Marie Danielsen on 16 July 1918. He died on 27 November 1983 in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.
Gordon Kent Smith was born on 8 May 1896 in Windsor, Nova Scotia, the son of John Arnold and Clara Emma (Kant) Smith. He was educated at Windsor Academy where his father was the principal, King's College and Dalhousie University, graduating in medicine in 1922. He started his medical practice in Grand Pre but in 1925 moved to Hantsport, where he practiced continuously until 1982. He was president of the medical staff at Payzant Memorial Hospital in Windsor from 1938 to 1960. Deeply involved in politics on behalf of the Liberal Party, he was for many years an executive member of the Hants County Liberal Association. He served as the mayor of Hantsport between 1930 and 1946. He was active in the Free Masons, and also served on the executive of the Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival. He married Mabel Rand Ells on 22 June 1927. He died on 4 November 1986 and is buried in the Maplewood Cemetery in Windsor.
Preston F. Smith of Barrington Passage, N.S., had a great interest in the history of Barrington Township. In the 1970s, he commissioned Evelyn Richardson and John D. Smith to prepare a history of the township with accompanying sketches. He died in 1991.
Thomas Brenton Smith was born at Liverpool, N.S. on 4 December 1893, the son of mariner William Henry Smith and Francinia Lavenia (Hicks), and grandson of master mariners Captain Spencer Smith and Captain John Thomas Hicks. Smith served overseas in the casualty clearing station during the First World War. He later became an accountant for the Mersey Paper Company Ltd. He was active in the Canadian Legion and a genealogist by hobby, particuarly interested in families of Queens County. He also wrote a history of his former unit entitled, Clearing, the Tale of The First Canadian Casualty Clearing Station, British Expeditionary Force, 1914-18 (1940). He died at Liverpool on 29 November 1955.
Titus Smith (Junior) was born in Granby, Massachusetts on 4 September 1768. His family, being Sandemanian pacifists, were obliged to flee from the violence of the American Revolution to Halifax in 1783. Smith eventually settled in Dutch Village (which later became a western suburb of Halifax), where he made his living as a farmer and occasional land surveyor. He conducted botanical experiments on his farm, successfully adapting a variety of seeds to the province's harsh climate. In 1801, Smith was commissioned by the Lieutenant Governor to undertake the first exhaustive study of Nova Scotia's interior. Smith undertook three treks into the province's interior between 1801 and 1802, and submitted his findings in journals which provided a highly detailed account of Nova Scotia's forests, rivers, geological features, and wildlife. The text of the journals was accompanied by Smith's sketches of the plants he encountered and one of the first reliable general maps of the province. Smith's great abilities were immediately recognized, and for the rest of his life he was frequently consulted on matters relating to botany, natural, history, agriculture, and the correct use of natural resources. He served as secretary of the province's Central Board of Agriculture from 1841 until his death, and was appointed an overseer of roads on four occasions. Smith helped to found the Halifax Mechanic's Institute, and lectured frequently before it. He contributed regular articles to several provincial newspapers, edited the Halifax newspaper Colonial Farmer, and wrote the text for highly-regarded book Wild flowers of Nova Scotia. Smith's writings and lectures, in which he urged respect for divine providence and the rhythms of nature, won him a reputation as the "Rural Philisopher of the Dutch Village". Smith married Sarah Wisdom of Halifax in 1803. The couple had fourteen children. In the autumn of 1849, Titus Smith was stricken with jaundice and never recovered, dying on 4 January 1850 in Dutch Village.
Tyrus Raymond Smith was born 26 June 1918 in Sussex, New Brunswick. He was educated in Saint John, New Brunswick and served with the RCAF during the Second World War. During his wartime service he became a certified general accountant and after the war became a Fellow of the Canadian Bankers' Association in 1948. He married Mary Ellen Lawrence in St. George's Anglican Church at Upper Falmouth, Nova Scotia, on 21 February 1942. After the war he returned to work for the Bank of Nova Scotia in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, ultimately retiring in Canmore, Alberta.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international Roman Catholic organization of lay persons whose objective is "service to the poor". The first Nova Scotian council of the society was established at Halifax in 1853 as the St. Mary's Conference. In 1867 the St. Mary's Conference was joined by St. Patrick's and St. Joseph's Conferences in the north end, and the three combined to form the Halifax Particular Council. The St. Vincent de Paul Society in Nova Scotia was incorporated in 1868. The society's early activities focused on raising funds for the destitute through such activities as steamboat excursions to McNabs Island. The society was funded primarily through donations from parish members, with some assistance for programs provided by the provincial government. Today the Halifax Particular Council encompasses several conferences throughout the Halifax Archdiocese (e.g. Halifax, Dartmouth, Truro, lower Sackville, Windsor, Windsor Junction, Amherst, Springhill and Lakeside). Its activities still involve aiding the homeless and poorer members of society, such as operating Hope Cottage and a clothing store on Gottingen Street, as well as providing a counselling service for alcoholics, a shelter for homeless men, and a home visitation service.
Pearl Otis Soulis, war veteran and business man, was born July 18, 1879 in Smith’s Cove, Digby County, Nova Scotia to Arthur E. Soulis and Iona Soulis. Educated at Bridgetown High School, he volunteered for military service, first in the Active Militia No. 1 Bearer Company of Halifax, then as an orderly with the 10th Canadian Field Hospital in the South African or Boer War (1899-1902), fighting for the British. His unit was attached to the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles. He left Halifax on the ship “SS Victorian” January 28, 1902 and arrived in Durban, South Africa February 24, 1902. He returned to Nova Scotia in July 1902, was discharged from Regular Forces, and joined the Active Militia 1st Canadian Garrison Artillery unit in Halifax, earned rank of Lieutenant. In 1908 he organized the Soulis Typewriter Company Ltd. During the First World War (1914-1918) he served at Headquarters Staff in Halifax, as Major. He married Marion Rose Campbell of Boston, Massachusetts, United States on October 10, 1906. They had 6 children. Pearl Soulis died January 20, 1942 in Halifax.
Sparrow was formed in 1976 to help gay and lesbian people grow in their knowledge and love of God. The membership included Christians from various denominations as well as many non-Christians who found a welcoming environment in which to share fellowship. Some of the objectives of the organization included: helping in the struggle for gay rights and unity, to stop oppression, to promote the policies and principles of the organization, and active involvement with similar national and international organizations. The organization had largely ceased its regular meetings by 1991 and wound up its financial activities by 1995.
George Burton Spencer was born 1 November 1911 in Truro, Nova Scotia, the son of William and Grace (Wallace) Spencer. He graduated from Vesper George School of Art in Boston, Massachusetts. Mr. Spencer joined the Halifax Herald and became head of the Art Department. He was an active member of the St. John Ambulance. He was an avid amateur artist throughout his life. He died on 11 March 1995 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The Spencers Island Company was a general merchandise and shipbuilding business which was formed in 1880 at Spencers Island, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. The company consisted of the following members: N.W. Eaton, Captain George Spicer, Captain Johnson Spicer, Captain J.S. Williams and Amasa Loomer (master builder). The company quickly became the builder of the largest vessels in the province and also had shares in the many vessels it built. In the first year the ship E.J. Spicer was built, followed by the ships Stephen D. Horton, 1883; Chas. S. Whitney, 1885; Geo. T. Hay, 1887; and Glooscap, 1891. The company also built several smaller vessels. In 1895 Percy L. Spicer, son of Captain George D. Spicer, bought the business. The last entry for the company was found in the 1902 edition of the Mercantile Agency Reference Book, which listed its value at between $35,000-50,000, and also listed the company as a general store.
Jacob Spicer (1821-1896), descendant of Loyalist Lt. Robert Spicer and Priscilla (Chomondelay) Spicer, inherited the family land at Spencers Island, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia and married Mary Reid of Advocate Harbour in 1846. They had the following children: George D. (1846-1937, m. Emily Jane Morris and had five children: Minnie, Lawrence, Emily, George W., and Stanley W.), Almira (b.1849, m. Charles Hatfield 1866), Johnson (1850-1922), Antoinette (b.1853, m. Jacob Samuel Williams in 1871), Dewis (1857-1936, m. Emma Baker Parsons in 1879 and had six children: Wylie, Philip, May L., Wilena Jean, E. Carlyle and Gertrude), Maria, Edmund (1862-1926), Ellen (b.1864), Kempton (b.1866), and Blanche (1869-1956, m. Captain Levi Atkins of Greenborough in 1889 and had four children). Jacob and Mary Spicer's four sons, George, Johnson, Dewis and Edmund, were all master mariners and became known throughout the area as the "Big Four".
Born in September 1846, George Dimock Spicer was the eldest of ten children of Jacob and Mary (Reid) Spicer of Spencers Island, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. George and his brothers, Johnson, Dewis, and Edmund, were all master mariners and became known throughout the area as the "Big Four." George D. Spicer began his career at sea in 1858 at the age of twelve as a cabin boy and by 1867 had received his first command on the brig GLOBE. The following year, Captain Spicer married Emily Jane (Morris) (d. 1892) of Advocate Harbour, Nova Scotia, and they embarked on a two-year voyage to various Mediterranean and eastern ports. The Spicers had five children: Minnie Antoinette (b.1871), Lawrence Percy (b.1873), Emily Gertrude (b.1874, m. Charles Huestis in 1897), George Whitney (d.1898 at age 18), and Stanley Williams (1882-1956). In 1880 Spicer formed a general merchandise and shipbuilding business under the name Spencers Island Company at Spencers Island, Nova Scotia, with N.W. Eaton, his brother Captain Johnson Spicer, his brother-in-law Captain J.S. Williams, and Amasa Loomer (master builder). Spicer sailed his vessels all over the world and was occasionally accompanied by his wife. He retired to Spencers Island in 1910 and died in 1937.
Stanley Thompson Spicer was born on 12 April 1924 at Canning, Nova Scotia, the son of Dr. Stanley W. and Irene (Thompson) Spicer. He was educated at King's County Academy, University of New Brunswick (B.Sc.), Acadia University (B.Ed.), and Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts (M. Phys. Ed.). During the Second World War he served with the Merchant Marine in 1941 and the Canadian Army in 1945. In 1947, Stanley Spicer was appointed New Brunswick's first provincial Director of Physical Education. In 1961, he founded the Legion Athletic Leadership Training Program for High School Students, a program that continues to be offered each summer throughout New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. In 1966, he joined the Fitness and Amateur Sport Program of Health and Welfare Canada. During the 1950s, he wrote three books on sports and later published numerous historical books focused on Maritime marine history including: Masters of Sail, Sails of Fundy, Captain from Fundy, Glooscap Legends, The Saga of the Mary Celeste, Maritimers Ashore and Afloat and The Age of Sail. Mr. Spicer wrote numerous scripts and was a narrator for the CBC on historical topics. He contributed articles to magazines such as the Atlantic Advocate, Toronto Star Weekly and Canadian Geographic. He died in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 2 June 2007.
The St. John Ambulance Association of Nova Scotia was founded in 1892 in Halifax in co-operation with the Dalhousie Medical College, the City of Halifax, the navy and the army. The basic goals of the new association were to provide training in first aid and home nursing and to assist the community in times of need. The Provincial Council was to be administered by a volunteer management board composed of local business leaders and physicians. In 1911 the Halifax local centre was established, supervised by the provincial council, and soon other local centres in the province were organized. The first wartime medical service for the Nova Scotia Council came with the South African War, and later, during the Halifax Explosion in 1917, the council, especially its three nursing divisions, provided notable service in the aftermath of the disaster. During World War I it also provided assistance in the operation of the Cogswell Street Station Hospital in Halifax; and during World War II it sent volunteer nursing assistance divisions (known as VADs) overseas. It also helped run the Merchant Seamans' Infirmary in Halifax. With the expansion of public health care in the 1960s and 1970s, interest in home nursing and participating in ambulance or nursing divisions declined. By the early to mid 1980s both home nursing instruction and the ambulance brigade itself were defunct. Instead the association began to focus on training and education. Today the council is the largest provider of first aid training for both individuals and institutions in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
Originally called the St. Paul's Alms House of Industry for Girls, the institution was founded in January 1867 by members of St. Paul's Church of Halifax, N.S. Incorporated on 3 May 1887, the institution was established for the 'protection, training, and instruction of poor or friendless female children' belonging to the parish who were generally between the ages of ten and fourteen. A house at 14 Tower Road was rented and opened on 1 May 1867, staffed with a matron and later a teacher. By 1892, the home was opened to children of other Anglican churches in Halifax and Dartmouth. In May 1903, its name changed to the St. Paul's Home for Girls. Under Nova Scotia's Act for the Protection and Reformation of Neglected Children of 1906, St. Paul's Home for Girls became one of the Children's Aid Societies of the province. In May 1970 the home was re-named St. Paul's Residence for Girls with its new function as a rooming house for single girls who were students or working. By September 1972 the home was also used as a half-way house for older blind youths from the Halifax School for the Blind. Since its early years, the institution was managed by a committee of men and women, initially members of St. Paul's congregation.