The Fundy Shore

Bay of Fundy at High Tide

Well, didn't we have an exciting and fruitful day?  Our goal was to travel along the south shore of the Bay of Fundy as far as Parrsboro and then tour slowly back through Five Islands, Economy, Bass River and Great Village and visit all the cemeteries we've missed so far.  It was our first really gorgeous day for a while and the views as we climbed towards Five Islands were spectacular.  On our way this morning the tide was out and we passed miles of wide, brick red beaches.  The blueberries are coming close to ripening and so there were vast fields of bright green, tinted as blue as Paul Newman's eyes.

Parrsboro is a lovely little town with some of the best examples of Victorian homes we've seen - and that is really saying something!  It was a bustling little place with the feel of a resort.  There was a free lecture going on at the hall and everyone was out in their best beach wear enjoying treats from Timmy's in the lovely town square.

Five Islands at Low Tide

What should be one of the seven wonders of the natural world can be seen at Five Islands.  Towering cliffs of red sandstone hug the coast while the five islands jut out into the Bay.  It is truly majestic!  On our way back the tide had come in and the sun was shining on the water making for a sparkling wonderland.

We stopped at a couple of cemeteries along the way and recorded the last resting place of more family members.  As we were taking a break, a young man drove by us and over through the newer part of the cemetery.  He stopped at one grave and carefully cleaned up around the area.  He then went back to his truck and brought out a new flower arrangement and carefully placed it atop the grave marker.  He stood there for several minutes, leaning on his truck and looking at the grave.  It reminded us that everyone buried in every cemetery was a person with a family and a life story.

Road to Economy Falls

As we headed back towards Economy, we spotted a sign for Economy Falls which is legendary for its beauty and so, in search of an adventure, we turned and set off in the direction the sign indicated.  It said the Falls were about 8 km and the first 500 meters or so were really good gravel road.  After that things began to go from so-so to scary.  However, we were intent on seeing the falls, to we persevered at about 5 kph until FINALLY we reached the parking area.

Economy Falls (taken from
the Internet

There was a small path that led into the forest so Ann volunteered to scout out the situation.  We turned on our Walkie Talkies that lost contact almost as soon as she was out of sight.  After about 20 minutes, I was becoming concerned.  We were in the middle of nowhere, in bear country and Ann has been known to be a bit accident prone.  Fortunately, just about then, she phoned (we were at 1 tiny bar on the cell phones).  She had walked a couple of km and was still nowhere near the Falls.  We conferred and thought it might be a good idea to come back to the motorhome.  So we didn't see the falls and had to be content with looking it up on Google when we got home.

Stopped in Bass River at our favourite ice cream shop and this time I had a family-related treat - Oxford Blueberry and Cream cone.  Delicious!

Now we're home to a fabulous Nova Scotia sunset and time to head off to bed after such a busy day.

To be continued..............

We Found the Breaker Box!!!!!

Blessed cool air conditioning - FINALLY!

Rainy Days and Mondays.....

We've had enough rain these last few days, I've had to deploy the water wings on the motorhome. Rainy days, however can be a bonus since you get to concentrate on things other than cemeteries.  I am on the fifth in my summer re-read of Nevil Shute novels and thoroughly enjoying it.  Ann is on her umpteenth mystery, White Hot by Sandra Brown.  She seems to be able to read for hours, whereas my eylids tend to droop by about the sixth page.

Our playlist on the iPhone is a rather eclectic mix of Aerosmith, The Canadian Tenors, Celtic Thunder, Keith Urban with a little Sugarland and  some Waylon and Willie thrown in for good measure. (Have I mentioned how much I love my iPhone?)

I also get a chance to update my family history with all the new information and pictures we've acquired since we've been here.

We've had a little leak in the roof, right over Ann's bed and so, just before this deluge began, she braved the ladder and applied some Flex Seal to the area in question.  These few days have given us a chance to confirm that it really does work!  High and dry!

We've also replaced all the worn out light bulbs, rearranged a bunch of cupboards - all those things you just love to do while on vacation.

Joseph Richardson

Ann has always told me that she had no close relatives except for one cousin in Ontario.  Over the past few weeks, we've been working away at building her family history.  Surprisingly, we've found almost 800 close relations and yesterday, we hit a major jackpot!

Musical Stones

It seems that her sixth great grandfather was pretty notorious in musical circles in Victorian England.  His name was Joseph Richardson and he invented an instrument called Musical Stones that resembled a big xylophone with keys made of stones from the local Cumbrian hills.  In 1848 he and his three sons gave a command performance at Buckingham Palace before Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and their court.  The concert of classical music was so well received, they were invited back three times.  What a thrilling discovery!

20 Things To Do on a Rainy Day at the Campground:

1. Put a really sticky sticker on the cat's head and watch her try to get it off.
2. Cut your toenails.
3. Play 372 straight games of Bejewelled.
4. Watch the dog people walk their animals through big puddles (no doggie litter boxes?)
5. Sample ALL the Tassimo coffee flavours (Be careful with the Esspresso - believe me,)
6. Brush cat hair off all the furniture.
7. Search for the breaker box. (Nope, we still haven't found it)
8. Make cute little pinecone crafts.
9. Re-organize the fridge and all the cupboards.
10. Watch funny You-Tube videos.
11. Check out pictures of the Royal Baby.
12. Replenish the toilet paper stash in the bathroom.
13. Eat a few too many Sweet 'n' Salty granola bars.
14. Figure out what all those gizmos on the multi-tool are for.
15. Sing off key to Rita McNeil and Jann Arden.
16. Check out the free eBooks online.
17. Clean the litter box.
18. Apply bandaids to all of Ann's "cat" injuries.
19. Say the same things at the same time.
20. Laugh.  Laugh til our sides are splitting and the tears are streaming - at nothing anyone else would get.

Looks like the rain may letting up and there is the promise of a nice sunny weekend so we'll be back on the road and finishing up photographing more cemeteries on our list.  We have nearly 2,000 tombstone images and probably another 200 or so pictures of individual family members since we arrived.  The local museums and historical societies have been a great help and so generous with their time and resources.

So, it's off for a shower and some breakfast and then busy, busy, busy!

To be continued......

Isgonish?

Our First Clue

Today we set out to find the Isgonish Marsh Burying Ground, reputed to be one of the oldest cemeteries in Nova Scotia.  Isgonish Marsh is the site of the graves of the first settlers in the district of the Londonderry Township from the 1790’s to the 1890’s making  it over 210 years old.  Approximately 35 people were buried on this property many of them closely related to our family.

You call this a road?

On arriving at Debert, just north of Truro we were heading to the Tim's for an iced cap. and directions.  However, just as we started down the main street, I noticed a sign to the cemetery.  We turned off onto the little side road which could politely be described as a cart track.  Some 5 km later (at 5 kph) of very rough driving, Ann spotted a little drive with some stones beside us.  

Isgonish Marsh Burying Grounds

There, in a wonderful little clearing stood the old stones in grounds that were beautifully kept by some cemetery angel.  These grave markers were substantial in size, but very worn and covered with moss and lichens.  Fortunately for us, Ann carries a good stiff brush with her and we were able to get enough of the stone clean to be able to read the important bits.  The stones were scattered about, which indicated to us that there had been other burials there that are now unmarked.

Two stones of significance were that of John Rogers and Elizabeth Spencer and that of Sidney Holmes.

John Rogers (sic) and Elizabeth Spencer

 John Rogers and Elizabeth Spencer were the grandparents (and my 4th great grandparents)  of Jane Rogers who married John Bragg and who went to live at Windham Hill near Collingwood.  John and Elizabeth emigrated from Northern Ireland in 1761 with a large group of Ulster Scots aboard the famous ship "Hopewell".  According to census records of the day, John created a prosperous farm on his 1,000 acre grant and a family four boys and two girls soon came along.  Elizabeth died in 1782 and John in 1809 and are buried together at Isgonish.  It was amazing to stand at their graves some 200 years later.

Sidney Holmes (Marshall Cook Staples)

Sidney Holmes was a very special lady.  Born in Donegal Northern Ireland, she met and married a young man named David Marshall.  The couple had two daughters, Elizabeth and Rachel and then David died.  As a young widow with two small girls, she soon married William Cook (my 4th Great Grand Uncle).  William had two sons, John and William from a previous marriage and William and Sidney went on to have two children, James and Rebecca.  The couple emigrated to Nova Scotia in about 1761 much as the Rogers had done but they obtained their grant at Portaupique.  Sometime about 1767, William Cook was drowned in the Bay of Fundy, leaving Sidney with six children to support.  Of necessity, Sidney found herself married again, to Matthew Staples a blacksmith who worked for Governor Cornwallis.  The couple had three more children.  Sidney is buried at Isgonish and her tombstone inscription reads:

In Memory of Sidney Holmes, Native of Donegal, Ireland; Wife of David Marshal, William Cook and Matthew Staples, who departed this life September 1812  aged 82 years - Her troubles were great, she labour'd hard and with tho distress'd her mite  (small pittance) was shar'd.  She had a rich and generous friend, On whose gracious promise she did depend.

It was a perfect day to spend in a cemetery - cool, breezy enough to keep the bugs away and overcast enough to ensure we got some good shots.

More adventures tomorrow!

To be continued........

A Murder of Crowes and Other Feathered Family - And a Bunch of Braggs

Annie, wife of
David Crowe

My friend Judy takes some amazing photos of crows, those feathered scavengers that live in every part of this county.  And, like Judy, I have quite a collection of Crowes myself.  Nearly 700 of my ancestors are blessed with the Crowe surname and this past few weeks, we've been capturing some photos of their last resting places.  Beginning with James Crowe who was born in 1715 and came to Nova Scotia in 1761, the family has prospered on the North Shore of the Bay of Fundy.  There is a town just outside Truro called Crowes' Mills and the name can be found on tombstones from Portaupique around to the Noel Shore.

Not to be outdone, we also have a long line of Swallows in the family.  Thomas

Swallow Road

Swallow jumped ship in Pugwash, married Hannah,  the daughter of our United Empire Loyalist forebears, Daniel Teed and settled in Wentworth in a place called Swallow Hill which is located, funnily enough, on Swallow Road.  Hannah and Thomas were the grandparents of our grandfather, John Thomas Bragg of Collingwood and Rockyford, Alberta.

Anna Haining Swan - giantess

Regal in name and of interest to history, the surname, Swan also pops up from time to time.  Anna Swan, the Nova Scotia giantess was one of our own and was famous around the world.

We have 12 Birds, 109 Cocks, 48 Eagles, 1 Hawke, 33 Martins, 4 Mallards, 2 Robbins, 176 Swallows AND 303 Marshes where they can nest and to keep everyone in line 203 Faulkners.

Fox Harb'r Resort

A Bunch of Braggs

Last evening, we ventured over to Fox Harb'r for dinner with John and Judy Bragg and were joined by cousin Charlotte who is visiting her son in Halifax.  We were also joined by David Hoffman who works with John and his wife Nina.  John, David and I are working on a secret, but very exciting project that, I'm sure, you will be hearing much about in the coming months.  It's a blockbuster!

It was great to hear about their trip to England and specifically their visit to the little churchyard in Chard, Somerset where Emanuel Bragg and Mary Woodland are buried.  They were the parents of John Bragg who came to Nova Scotia in the 1830s to settle at Windham Hill.  Emanuel and Mary were my 3rd Great Grandparents.

We had a great evening exchanging family stories, sharing a delicious meal and having some good laughs.  An enjoyable evening by all standards.

The drive home was a bit of an adventure, as well.  When the sun goes down in rural Nova Scotia, it gets really, really dark and we were travelling some pretty narrow and windy roads.  It began raining and, mindful of Charlotte's deer encounter 2 years ago, our speed was well under the posted limit.  My mother always told me to go to the bathroom before leaving home and I should have taken that advice.  The rain didn't help and by the time we got into Truro, I was feeling a little desperate.  Almost within sight of the campground, we encountered a railway crossing with all lights and bells going full tilt.  Uh! Oh!  Well, just my luck, it had to be one of the longest freight trains in the history of eastern Canada.  Fortunately, it FINALLY passed and we made it home, dry and in ship shape.  Good lesson!

This morning we are going to the RV repair place to see if they can find the breaker switch for the Air Conditioner - since the forecast for tomorrow is for low 30s with high humidity.

To be continued...........................

I'd Like to Know.......

Debert Military Museum

One of the other highlights of our tour with Fonda on Sunday was driving through Debert.  I was surprised to learn that there was an RCAF Station there as well as a large army base that was used for the marshalling of troops headed overseas at the beginning of World War Two.  100 km north of Halifax, it was on the main rail line from Montreal and was massive in size, with over 6,000 civilian employees and a population at many times exceeding that of Truro.  The air field became part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan which trained thousands of pilots from Australia, New Zealand and India before they embarked for Europe.  Today, many remnants of the base are still visible in the area.  Permanent married quarters have become smart little homes and all the streets have the names of World War Two era aircraft - such as Lysander Street and Lancaster Road.  The base was also home to eastern Canada's only Diefenbunker which provided communications and alternate government accommodation during the Cold War.  I had been wondering if Dad had spent time there but since the station was built in 1940 - he was already in England and had been involved in the Battle of Britain by then.

Lost at Sea

Graves of Captain John Dill and his brother
David Dill.

These young men came to my attention as we were photographing the Folly Village Cemetery the other day.  It is not often that you see such a large and grand tombstone with the names of two men on it.  So I went investigating and this is what I found:

This is the story of John and David Dill (3rd cousins, twice removed) and William Henry McLellan (3rd cousin, 4 times removed)  and their tragic deaths in the Bay of Fundy.  The brig "Phoebe Ellen" was a two masted vessel, square rigged on both masts and had been built by Captain Robert Dill (father of John and David) in the 1860s near Great Village.  On January 8, 1872 the ship was loaded with goods bound for Cuba.  John Dill had just taken command of the ship and his younger brother, David, had left his position as school master to come on the voyage.  It was his first time as a crew member and he worked well with his cousin William McLellan.

As the ship neared Toney's Cove near Digby, all sails were furled and the crew was on deck.  Everything looked ship-shape.  Inexplicably, in a freak northwesterly gale and thick fog  the vessel was drive aground and lost.  The weather was extremely cold.  The question then became: "Why did the Captain not take measures to prevent this grounding?"  Of the many things he could have done to prevent the wreck, he did nothing.

An investigation showed that the accident took place on a Sunday and being a staunch Presbyterian, Captain John Dill practiced what he preached - and that included not working on the Sabbath.  Unfortunately, this left the ship in peril when the weather turned on them.

The body of Captain John Dill was found ashore, cut in half by the ice packs in the Bay.  His young brother, David and cousin William McLellan were found frozen to death, lashed to the deck of the ship.

The young Dill brothers were laid to rest together in the Folly Village Cemetery.  William Henry McLellan was buried at the Portaupique Beach Cemetery just down the road.

A sad day for all involved.

******************

I'd like to know how the cat can find the geological centre of my bed at night and then spread out in all directions, leaving me hanging onto the edge of the mattress to keep from falling out!

I'd like to know how the guy who mows the lawn here knows when we have guests for dinner and chooses that moment to cut the grass beside our site.

I'd like to know where the Old Barns at Old Barns went.  Apparently they were remnants of an old Acadien settlement that were still standing when our family settled that area in 1761.

I'd like to know how so many bustling old communities in rural Nova Scotia like Londonderry and Castlereagh have become nothing more than a few houses by the roadside.  Such a shame.

I'd like to know how many tombstone photos we've taken since we arrived here but I'm betting it's more than 1500.

I'd like to know when I'm going to find the time to process all those photos.  First I edit the picture in Picassa to make it clear and readable, next I rename each one using my own naming convention and then I try to match it up with my genealogy database.  When I don't find the person there, I go off searching through a myriad of sources to try and figure out how they fit into the family.  I think our success rate is about 85%.

Bugger

I'd like to know when Ann is going to get tired of tromping through cemeteries with her grass shears, bristle brush, and Off Clip On insect repeller (which we call the "Bugger").  She's captured some amazing shots!

I'd like to know if we will ever get tired of Slippery Chicken and Cole Slaw, followed by a Skinny Cow ice cream cone for dinner.

I'd like to know how 2 adults and 4 kids fit into a pop-up camper trailer on a rainy day.

I'd like to know where the breaker switch is located in this motor home, so I could flick the switch and turn the air conditioner back on.

I'd love to know how I ever existed without my iPhone.

And I'd love to know if anyone is having a better summer.  Somehow I doubt it.

To be continued.....................

Londonderry Aires

Londonderry, Nova Scotia

Londonderry in Colchester County is a fascinating place to visit and I can't thank Fonda enough for the wonderful guided tour she provided for us yesterday.  In the 1800s it was a thriving community that made its living through iron mining and was said to have been bigger than Truro in size.  Set in the beautiful countryside it is now a shadow of its former self but many remnants of its glory days can be seen if you know what to look for - and Fonda does.  Almost consumed by the forest now, you can still see the old slag heaps and coke ovens along the side of the hill where the main mine buildings once stood.  Visible in memory only is the site of Londonderry Station, once a hub of transportation for the iron ore and for passengers coming and going.

Londonderry was the birthplace of many of our ancestors with names such as Campbell, Cook, McLellan, Crowe, Mahon, Spencer and Vance among the most numerous.

Not far from there is the beautiful old United Church at Acadia Mines that Fonda and her family purchased and are now trying to find a place and purpose for.  Inside, we found the old organ, rows of pews and even a box containing the numbers for the hymns to be posted at the front of the church every Sunday.  The building is in remarkable condition and it will be a wonderful adventure to re-purpose and bring it to life again.

Shep Scott

After the church, we drove along to Sutherland Lake where we dropped in to visit Shep Scott.  Shep was married to one of our Gamble cousins, Helen but he himself is also related to us through our Mahon and McLellan forebears.  Shep will be 100 years old on his next birthday.  He told us about being in the Air Force during World War II and about some fishing adventures that included our cousin "Wink" Gamble at Gamble Lake near Castlereagh.  What a treat it was to meet him.  He's a high-tech kind of guy and I've asked to be his "friend" on Facebook.

During our travels, we crossed the Acadia Mines Bridge which is tiny and narrow and spans a 100 foot gorge that has a wonderful waterfall near the bottom.  Spectacular but a little scary for the "height" challenged.

And of course, our day would not be complete without visiting a cemetery where many of Fonda's Rushton ancestors rest.  It's high on a hill and overlooks a stunning valley of trees and blueberry fields.

Oxford Junction
"Bragg Cemetery"

On the way home, we stopped at the little blue church at Oxford Junction where all the Braggs are buried and which, I believe, is the spiritual centre of the Bragg family.  What a lovely way to end our tour!

On a more practical note:  We've discovered a quick and easy way to determine whether our motor home is level when we park in "our spot" after a day of cemeterying.  Just open the bathroom door.  If it stays open, we're level.  If it closes slowly - it's level enough and if it slams shut, it's time to re-park and try again.

It's a good thing cats don't have fingers because Digit would certainly have Ann wrapped around her little one.  She talks to Ann constantly and is rewarded by a series of treats, food, cuddles, catnip, cream in a bowl and the turning on of the kitchen tap so she can get a drink.  She plays with the dripping water, trying to catch it with her paw so the drips have to be just a certain size and speed.  Most of the rest of the time, she simply watches Ann's every move, like some fascinating movie.  I'm not sure who has who's number.

Thanks again, Fonda for a great day!  So special!

To be continued........................

"Sticky-Bun Ice Cream and Pizza" Who Doesn't Love It!

Nicely Put!

After nearly 1500 photos at many Colchester County cemeteries, we're having a bit of a lazy day back here at the campground.  Time to catch up on a few chores, like fixing the screen on the upstairs window and tracking down a small leak in the hot water tap in the bathroom.  We're pretty good at most fix-it jobs but one has us stumped - we've tripped the breaker on the rooftop air conditioner and can't find the breaker box.  Bill suggested looking in the pedestal under the bed and an online article suggested it might be behind a panel on the outside of the motorhome.  No luck either places.  If anyone has experience with these things, I'd love more suggestions.  Fortunately, although it's 28 degrees, we're in the shade and there's a lovely soft breeze flowing through the open windows

Speaking of cemeteries, though, which is the topic of much of our conversation - we've discovered another tool that comes in very handy out in the field.  There is an iPhone app that changes your phone into a walkie talkie.  That way, when we're on opposite ends of a cemetery, Ann can just ask me about a certain tombstone.  We've also learned how to download my cemetery listings to her iPhone so she can refer to that as well.  Have I said how much I love my iPhone.

Tomorrow my cousin, Fonda has invited us on a tour of the Londonderry area where many of our relatives of the past lived.  Hopefully, we'll see the church she and her family bought.  She's going to do the driving, which will be a nice change for me and since we share so many common interests in genealogy, I will, no doubt learn, much from her.

Love the big grin on
her face!

As I've said before, even though I am here on the trip of a lifetime (again), life at home goes on.  Yesterday Carolyn sent my some of her latest shots of Megan.  She is rapidly becoming a barrel racer with a "burn in her turn".

Yesterday was hot and muggy and so after several hours in the local cemetery, we stopped at a roadside ice cream stand.  If you ever get to experience "sticky-bun" flavoured ice cream in a waffle cone - be sure to try it.  Cinnamon buns - but better.  They also had a flavour called Oxford Blueberry Cream. (hmm - I wonder where that comes from?)  Maybe next time.  On the say home, we stopped off at the Brookfield Market and Pizzeria and got an excellent pizza for supper.  The decadence never ends!

It is really hard to describe the feeling of being here in the land where so many of our ancestors came to make their dreams come true, or to escape tough conditions in their homeland.  There is something that touches you to your inner core when you walk into a room and can safely assume that you share the same DNA with most of the people there.  One such experience was our visit to the Gamble get-together at Debbie's cottage last weekend.  Yesterday a woman saw us at the Folly Village Cemetery and came over to chat.  Turned out to be related on both her and her husband's side.  It gives me butterflies!

So back to my book and my lazy Saturday afternoon...

To be continued.........................

Yuill Just Love This!

Another fabulous Nova Scotia day!  We headed off for brunch at a new restaurant called Saltscapes near the campground and had a wonderful lunch of seafood chowder with tiny little tea biscuits.  Ann had a spinach dip with corn tortilla chips.  What a great way to start the day.

Take Your Choice

We had to stop for gas and have been amused since we got here by the different gas prices depending on whether you pay by cash/debit or credit card.  We've seen a difference of up to 4 cents a litre if you pay cash.  I wonder if the credit card companies are feeling the need to drop their service fees a bit.

Since leaving home, Ann and I have been on a Nevil Shute kick.  I loved his novels when I was younger and imagined myself travelling over a rough tin track through the Australian outback in my trusty Ute.  It's been fun to revisit all those adventures.

A favourite Nevil
Shute Novel

I've finished "A Town Like Alice" "Old Captivity" and am now well into "In the Wet"  I just love my Kobo reader!  My next major read will be by another favourite author, Edward Rutherfurd - "Paris"  which is just sitting there waiting for me.

While I brought the Tassimo so we could have civilized morning coffee, Ann contributed a "Sodastream" that converts tap water into carbonated.  Nothing slakes the thirst like a cold fizzy water, when you are tramping from gravestone to gravestone.  What a treat!

Tonight was "Salad" night.  Ann made her delicious pasta salad with some leftover chicken and we had some of Fonda's greek salad and the remains of yesterday's potato salad.  A perfect meal after a long day!

Clifton Cemetery

Our Cemeteries of the day were in Clifton and Old Barns on the south shore of the Bay of Fundy.  Fortunately, they are right beside each other so we didn't have to travel far.  Once again we found beautifully tended grounds and well maintained grave markers.  I think there are Cemetery Angels out there who look after the last resting place of our ancestors.

One of the families we were searching for were the YUILLs.  We have many who married into the various branches of the family and we found them in abundance today!  The cemetery is right near the shore and so we wondered if the tide comes in do they call it a Yuill Tide?  Did they live by the Yuillian Calendar?  Do they celebrate Christmas with a Yuill log?  It went on like that for some time.

Sunday we're hoping to go on a guided tour of the Londonderry/Wentworth area with Fonda and hopefully her mom as well.  I'm really looking forward to that!

And being at the end of a busy day, it's time for bed.  But there's a gang of rowdy old people having a party in the field behind us so sleep may be a long time coming.

To be continued.................................................

Wonderful, Wonderful Wallace!!

Whirligig's

Another picture perfect day in Nova Scotia!  This morning we woke up to a weather forecast that promised over 30 with a high humidity and so decided to go and do something fun - and cool!  So we headed off to our favourite restaurant called Whirligigs in Wallace by the Sea.  With barely a cloud in the sky, we drove up the road past Folly Mountain and on into the Wentworth Valley.  Spectacular views of the Cobiquid Mountains surrounded us as we passed the splendor of Folly Lake and Ski Hill.  Like a couple of seasoned veterans, we recognized a few landmarks from previous trips.  My favourite was when Ann turned to me and in all seriousness asked:  "We've been lost here before, haven't we? "  Undoubtedly, the answer would be yes.

We passed the sign leading to Swallow Road which leads to Swallow Hill where our great grandmother was born and raised and where her parents settled and raised a family of eleven children.  Our great grandmother, Matilda, married Charles Bragg and so is one of our "Braggs" of Nova Scotia.  Matilda also links us to our United Empire Loyalist roots, as she was granddaughter of Daniel Teed UEL and Alexander Peers UEL.

Continuing on, we passed the cemetery where I took out my rooftop air conditioner on a low hanging branch two summers ago, but where many of my Swallow family lie buried.

Alexander Peers and
Mary Bolding
Wallace Bay

And now we were in Wallace - a pretty little town with it's ancient Presbyterian Church and graveyard and home of the best Lobster Roll on the east coast.  Whirligigs is situated on the waterfront right by the pier and as you look out over the water to the hills beyond, you can see the land Alexander Peers received as his grant for his loyalty to the British Crown - and you can also see the little cemetery where he and his wife, Mary Bolding are buried.

We got back to the campground in time to meet the new neighbours and to enjoy some sunshine.  I was thrilled to hear from my cousin, Fonda and we are all getting together at her sister's cottage in Little Bass River tomorrow.  New cousins to meet and old ones to catch up with.

Clothespins in the Fridge

One of the great adventures in motor home living is that moment when you need to open the fridge after a long day on the twisty back roads of the area.  No matter how carefully you pack things away, inevitably something will come rushing out to meet you as soon as you crack the door.  Ann came up with this ingenious idea yesterday - and there were no chilly surprises when we got home today.

So - beautiful day, fabulous lunch, gorgeous evening.  You gotta love it!

To be continued..........................

Here Come the Cemeterians - Again!

Nova Scotia Deer

Woke up this morning to find a young doe passing through the field behind our campsite.  The sky was overcast but not dark like the last few days so it looked promising.  And - boy! - did it live up to that promise.  By noon, the sky was clear, the temperature around 21 and a lovely soft ocean breeze wafting over the green fields. A perfect day.

Folly Village 

We headed over to the Folly Village Cemetery which is only about 20k from here and, once again, found the place beautifully tended and in excellent condition.  There is a wonderful place in the middle where all the graves are listed by location - very helpful, since we were searching out about 800 of my nearest and dearest.  The work went pretty quickly although many of the stones were from the 1700s and barely legible. It's great having the motor home right there so we can stop for a drink or a change into cooler clothes.  My friend, Judy would have loved it today.  She's a big fan of crows and today there were some monster sized ones perched on some of the old Gothic style stones.

With about half the cemetery photographed, we headed over to the Masstown Market for Clams and Shrimp and Chips before coming home.  I can't seem to get enough seafood while I'm here and the clams were fabulous!

I can't believe I actually let her
point that thing at me!

In approaching any renovation job, the prepared workman or workwoman plans their work and comes outfitted in the right gear.  Such was the case this evening when Ann wanted to staple something on the ceiling.  Being directionally challenged, it always worries me to see dangerous tools in her hands but this time it turned out all right.

Last week when we were in Great Village, I suffered from an attack of Deer Flies.  I've talked about them before but didn't know what they were called.  These vicious little beasts go for the head, face and neck and after taking a big chunk out of you, leave a lump half the size of a golf ball that itches for weeks.  I got seven bites on my neck, behind my ears, under my chin and on one temple and I was going crazy.  So I went onto the internet to see what I could do.  There were some pretty funny solutions - most of which included

If only I had a pith helmet

putting some sort of apparatus on your head that is covered with some sort of sticky concoction.  One guy had a sticky salad bowl he uses when mowing his lawn.  It appeared that there was very little one could do AFTER the bite, though.  I tried Afterbite and Calamine Lotion to no effect.  Then I read about the heat treatment.  It involved directing a stream of hot air from a hair dryer at the bite for about 45 seconds and repeating 2 or 3 times a day.  Be darned if it didn't work.  I'm lump and itch free!  Yayyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Tomorrow is supposed to get to 29 so we'll be up early to get back and finish today's cemetery.  Then perhaps lunch at Whirligigs Cafe at Wallace Bay.  Tough life.

Looking forward to dinner later this week with my cousin, Fonda whom we met on our last trip.  It was on Canada Day 2 years ago that Fonda and her family took us up to Castlereagh to see where our grandmother, Julia grew up.  The place is pretty much a ghost town now but it was a fun trip and another cemetery to cross off the list.  Fonda and her brother and sister have purchased the old church in Acadia Mines and I can't wait to hear all about their plans for it.

Also looking forward to seeing cousin, Charlotte who should be here soon for our annual "Nova Scotia" meeting of the Braggs.

As always - to be continued.......................

Too Many Tombstones - Not Enough Hours!

Mahon Cemetery - Great Village

So we are still in cemetery mode today.  We celebrated Canada Day with about 400 of my relatives again at the Mahon Cemetery at Great Village.  My list of family members buried there is over 19 pages long and each page contains about 40 names.  That's a lot of tombstone pictures!  We got part way done yesterday and were back there this morning.

There is only a narrow winding track leading to the cemetery where you can imagine a team of four horses adorned with black ostrich feathers, pulling a creaking hearse and followed by a line of mourners dressed in their Sunday best!.   Anyway - wouldn't you know it - we met someone coming the other way.  With a ditch on both sides, we each squeezed over as much as we could but unfortunately, he squeezed over a little too far and ended up stuck in a muddy ditch.  Ann came to his rescue by providing her cell phone so he could call a friend with a tractor.

As we were just getting into a good day's work the heavens opened up and we had to abandon the job for the day.  We did, however, manage to get about 150 shots before getting too wet so it was time well spent.

If you look carefully, you'll
see Ann's reflection in this
stone.

You can't measure friendship!  But what do you call it when your travelling companion cheerfully tromps over hundreds of acres of cemeteries, camera, scrub brush and grass shears in hand photographing tombstone after tombstone - hounded by biting insects and dripping from either a pouring rain or the heat and humidity with a big grin on her face and the awesome ability to see the funny side of things?  She may be directionally challenged and you may never find your way home if you follow her instructions - but then - that's what your Garmin is for.  Thanks Ann!!!

With the busy Canada Day weekend over, the campground is pretty quiet tonight except for the sound of the birds and the daily Via Rail train that passed fairly near us.  Yesterday the place was jumping with kids and bikes and dogs and lots of happy people.  Nova Scotians love their camping!

Busy week ahead.  We still need to finish Great Village and then we have Folly Village which is about the same size.  Can't wait to get going!

To be continued.......................

Rain, Rain - Go Away!

NOT!

We've been fortunate with the weather up until the last couple of days when all that rain from Alberta has finally caught up with us.  However, even in the rain, there is no place like Nova Scotia.  We have tucked in for the day and are enjoying our furnace and the fact that Ann climbed up on the roof last week and caulked the little hole just above her bed.  Having Netflix on the computer, eBooks at hand and a lot of genealogy to catch up on, it has been a quiet but productive day.

Esther Cook Gamble
Castlereagh Cemetery

Yesterday a cousin sent me a link to her new website all about the Cook family from which we descend.  It's called "Everywhere a Cook/Cooke" (the name is spelled both ways).   My great great grandmother, Esther Cook married John Gamble and they were the grandparents of Julia West Gamble, my Dad's mother.  The link is  http://www.everywhereacookcooke.com  if you want to go in and take a look!  It tells the stories of James and William Cook who came from Northern Ireland in 1761 as early settlers to Nova Scotia.  Poor William was only here a short time when he was drowned in the Bay of  Fundy.  We descend from James who is my 4th great grandfather.


I am currently working on a project to honour the members of our family who lost their lives during World War I and so far, I've found nearly 60 of them.  Next year is the 100th Anniversary of the beginning of the "War to end all wars" and I think it's fitting that these young men be remembered.  Many of their stories are difficult to read but this one was particularly touching:

Major James Howard Tupper was killed in action on September 16, 1916 at the Battle of the Somme.

Major James Howard Tupper

Jim served overseas in the 25th Bn., Canadian Infantry (Nova Scotia Regiment) during the war. Before he left for overseas, Jim wrote a letter to each of his son's which their mother, Letty, was to give them on their twelfth birthdays. In these letters James shared with his children his love for them, his devotion to his wife, and his strong faith in God. "First", he wrote, "be true to your God. Second, be true to yourself. Third, be true to your country." While he was serving in France, James asked a friend to take a small piece of ivy home to his wife. Letty planted the ivy, which thrived in the rich farm soil of the Annapolis Valley. (This ivy was taken from the garden of a convent in France just before he died). In September 1916, James was killed in action. No one can say for sure the influence that James had on the succeeding generations, however, each of James' and Letty's sons served as ministers in the United Church of Canada, and this legacy has continued as a great-grandson now carries on the tradition. James' presence is also acknowledged as his vine continues to be woven into anniversary corsages and bridal bouquets, and crawls along the walls of family homes.

Excerpt from a letter he left his son Douglas, age 9:

'In going into this war it is a great satisfaction to me to know your mother thinks I am doing right and I do not know but what she has hardest part to do, to stay home and have the care of every thing. I know you boys will be a great help to her. Perhaps some day you will be a soldier and a soldier must on all occasions fulfill and carry out his duty his first duty is to obey. Can you do that? I hope so and I think you do. If not you are no soldier. A soldier must obey. I am taking a group of you four children with me. Vera is so young she will not remember me, she is a dear little thing. And now my own dear boy farewell I hope I may return to you. I pray that God may watch over and keep you. There is not a German Sword cut that cuts as deeply as it cuts me to leave you all. I am simply doing my duty as thousands of others are doing. My own dear boy good bye.

Your loving father,

J.H. Tupper'

Letter written by Borden's father Jim upon his going to War.

To: Master Borden Tupper - Your Daddy (To be given when he is 12 years old)

My dear Son:

How dear you are to me you will never know or how hard it is for me to leave you, perhaps never to return, you can never understand unless you go through the same ordeal yourself some day and I hope you may never have to but if you do, face it boy, face it bravely. Do not back down. I love you with all the power of love within me and now on the eve of my departure for war I am writing to you and if I do not come back this will help you to understand why I went, why I took such a risk, why it was necessary. I count my life cheap in the scale compared with the empire. I am a man and being a man I could not stand by and see our country in danger and not do my best to save it. It does not appeal to all alike. As you grow older you will realize more fully what I mean. Perhaps when you read this the war will be over and peace in the world once more.

It may be my lot to fall and not return with the troops and if so I would like you to always remember that I loved you better than life itself. I have looked forward to the time when you would be a little older and I would have the benefit of the years of experience I have had. We would be good friends, you and I, the best of friends. You are my eldest son and I hope you will grow up to be as good a man as you promise to at present.

My boy, always be good to your mother. If my actions deprive you of a father, you will still have one of the best of mothers. You cannot afford to neglect her. Honour her and love her above all else and you can safely rely on her councils and judgement. Be kind and true to Grandma. She is Daddy's mother and has a great store of wisdom for boys and girls.

I must think of you as a boy of twelve, a big boy, a true boy, a boy who will make a man. True men are not plenty and all boys are not true boys. Be a true boy. There are things to be true too. First, be true to your "God". Second, be true to yourself. Third, be true to your country.
You can be true to God by obeying His commands, carrying out His will and being kind to all his creatures.

You can be true to yourself by treating yourself fair. God has given you a body to go through this life. Use your body in the way He would wish you to. Keep your body clean, that will keep it healthy. Keep your mind clean by reading good books, thinking good thoughts and doing kind acts. Choose clean friends and always by friendly. Never go back on a friend. One good friend is worth a great many poor ones. In your play and daily contact with your friends and school fellows be clean in your conduct to them, particularly with the girls. Remember you are a gentleman and treat them as ladies. No matter what they are like it will not excuse you. Avoid the bad ones. You cannot afford to spend time with them. That would not be treating yourself fairly.

To get an education God has given you a time of youth to prepare your mind, knowledge to gained every day but only one day at a time. You will get tired of school and you will see boys who do not do very much and you will think they get along just as well but they will not and they will perhaps find it out in time. Study your lessons each day, one day at a time and you will find the better you know your lessons the better you will like to go to school. You will not be true to yourself unless you learn your lessons each day as they come along. You are storing up knowledge that will be most useful by and bye. Get your storehouse "your mind" well stored with the useful knowledge that you get at school and as you go through life you will always find use for it and no man can take it from you and you cannot lose it. You will always have it.

Be true to yourself in your play. Play fair or not at all. A boy who will not play fair is likely to make a man who will cheat in his business. They are both on the same road. The business comes a little later on.

You can be true to your country by being a good citizen, one ever ready to defend what is right and oppose what is wrong. As you grow to manhood you will have to decide on many questions, "public questions" and take one side or the other. It is your duty to do that. Decide honestly and then act accordingly. If filling any office of any society, or in any public capacity, do your best. This is all included in "citizenship of the right kind. It is not always necessary to die for your country to serve her. You can live for her, and only do your duty as you see it and you will not be fulfilling your obligations.

I have many friends upon whom you may rely for council and help. I cannot name them all but only a few of my nearest and dearest ones. I need not mention your uncles Elias and Forbes as well as uncles Charlie, Hallet, and Uncle Reg. You can always depend on Rev. E. B. Spurr. He is one of my very best friends and I claim him as a brother. Mr. C. L. G. Hervey, Mr. L. Wiltshire, Mr. C. C. Rice, Mr. R. G. Whitman, as well as many of the newer friends in Bridgetown. You will of course have your own friends and companions but you can remember these as some of my best and truest friends. I did not mention Mr. Young or Mr. Williams you know now what friends they are.

And now my own dear boy may God keep you, protect you and watch over you and make you worthy of the love bestowed upon you.

Be kind to your sisters. You have two sisters now and I hope you will have them for many years. You and Douglas love each other which is right. I know you both love your sisters and they love you. How happy you will all be.

My own dear boy I must close. I cannot express my love for you. May God keep you and watch over you,

Your loving father,

J.H. Tupper

**************

To be continued.....................

Words - Don't Fail Me Now!

Stewiacke River

Yesterday dawned overcast and a bit misty.  It looked like it might be a good day to stay close to camp and read or spend time on the computer.  We, however, decided that if it was going to be dampish outside, we'd go somewhere and do something inside.  Just about that time a Facebook notice appeared on my screen announcing that the Stewiacke Valley Museum was open from 10 am to 4 pm.  Perfect!  Upper Stewiacke is only about 35 km from here and I had lots of family in the area to research - so off we headed.

This is where I need my words.  The Stewiacke Valley is one of the most spectacular sights I've ever seen.  The road winds and bends between ditches full of lupins, daisies and buttercups and the view across the broad hills leaves one breathless.  The fields are so brilliant green that even on such a cloudy day, it makes your eyes hurt.  Gracious homes with gingerbread eaves and elegant gardens come and go and great acres of corn, peas and hay spread as far as you can see. Lazy herds of milk cows graze contentedly waiting to return to their big red barns for their evening shift.  I could have kept on driving for days.

Stewiacke Valley Museum

I've learned that asking about too many ancestors at these small museums tends to muddy the waters.  So I went in with just one question in mind.  Did they have any photos of the Johnson Family?  Ann just howled when the young lady who works there said "I'm related to the Johnsons!"  and the nice volunteer lady said "So am I!"  So, feeling very much among kin, I asked my question.  The result was a big binder full of old family photos of the Johnson family dating back to the 1870s.  What more could a genealogist ask?

Agnes Johnson

I've mentioned before how much I love my iPhone and yesterday, it came to my rescue again.  I had downloaded an app called CamScanner which allows you to scan documents and photos and then make notes about each one.  Going through the binder, I found photos of many family members, scanned them and noted who they were.  Talk about a kid in a candy store!  There, laid out before me were the images of people I only knew by name.  How wonderful to put faces to those names!  This photo, I thought was particularly nice.  Agnes was my 2nd cousin, 3 times removed.

So it was a very productive day, but it was also a day where we laughed to the point of danger.  While I was getting all these photos, Ann was having a good look around the Museum.  Presently, I could hear her laughing and chatting with someone upstairs and before long the 3 of them came downstairs to the main room.  She had in tow, two charming elderly gentlemen and they were thoroughly engaged in their banter.  She marched them over and introduced them, and the one man, it turned out is also related to me from another part of the province.  His name was Al Flemming and he comes from north of Truro.  His first ancestor to arrive in Nova Scotia was James Flemming who chose the worst piece of farmland on the Fundy Coast that became known as "Flemming's Folly".  Later the name was shortened and that is how Folly Village got its name.

In his early years, among other pursuits, Al raised bees.  When my cousin, John Bragg was starting out in the wild blueberry business, he and Al would go out into the fields at night and release bees for pollinating the blueberry plants.  He worked for Elmer Bragg for a time and gave John a puppy who grew up with him.  The dog was called "Boy". (as in "Here, boy!")  He was telling me of visits he made to Tweet and Elmer's home in Collingwood.  Such a small world.

And the day wasn't over yet!  On the way back, we headed to Walmart to pick up a few things.  As the result of a minor tombstone injury the other day, I have a bum knee that makes walking on hard surfaces a bit painful, so I decided to try out one of those little electric scooters that the store provides.  What fun!  We were zipping around the store (my children would have been so embarrassed!) and giggling like school girls.  At one point, I had to put the thing into reverse and that is where we lost it!  The thing beeps when it backs up and that is what set us off!  The fits of laughter must have left other shoppers thinking "Those two should never have been allowed out on their own".

What a great day!

Cowboy Up!

While we're giggling our way around Nova Scotia, life at home goes on and I wanted to share a couple of photos taken at a rodeo last weekend by Megan (my aspiring photographer granddaughter).  Nice shots, Meggie!

It's all Black and White

Carolyn & Studz - Matchey, Matchey!

To be continued.......................................