Little biographical information is available regarding Lt. Col. William Bruce Almon. He was the son of Thomas Ritchie Almon and Frances (née Egan). Almon was part of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces in World War One and went to Russia. He is known to have been involved with early theatre in Nova Scotia, particularly the Theatre Arts Guild and the Anglican Young People’s Association drama festivals in Chester. Almon studied at McGill University. He also had a first cousin named William Bruce Almon who graduated from Dalhousie’s medical school in 1899. That William Bruce Almon joined the Medical College in 1894 after studying engineering at King’s College in Windsor. The grandson of Senator Almon, he was known among his fellow students as a poet and artist.
William Bruce Almon was born in Halifax on 23 September 1875, the second son of Dr. Thomas Ritchie Almon(1843-1901) and his wife Frances (Egan) (1845-1942). He was a professional soldier and served in various locations in Canada with the Royal Canadian Artillery before the First World War. He married Mary Hill Dickey in Halifax on 30 November 1908 and they had two daughters. During the First World War he was in command of artillery formations in Halifax before going abroad with the Canadian expedition to Russia. After his retirement from the military he served for 23 years as the Aide-de-camp for Lieutenant Governors of Nova Scotia. He died on 31 August 1961 in Halifax and was buried in St. John's Cemetery in Fairview.
Mather Byles Almon, merchant, banker, politician, and philanthropist, was born in 1796 at Halifax, the son of William James and Rebecca (Byles) Almon. In 1825 he married Sophia Pryor; the couple had fourteen children. In 1832 M.B. Almon helped establish the Bank of Nova Scotia and became its president in 1837. He was a member of the Legislative Council from 1843 to 1866, governor of Dalhousie University, 1842-1848 and Kings College, 1869-1871, and involved in many Protestant charitable societies in Halifax.
Albert Almon was born at Glace Bay, Nova Scotia in 1872. He married and had five children: Patrick, Joseph, Cleophas, Mary and Annie. Almon was a self-taught plumber and owned his own business in Glace Bay. An amateur historian, he earned him an honorary Masters of Arts degree from St. Francis Xavier University and recognition from Pope Pius XII. He died in 1960.
Doctor William James “W.J.” Almon (1754-1817), British Loyalist, physician and surgeon, was the first generation of Almons to live in Nova Scotia, Canada. Born in 1754 to James Almon and Ruth (Hollywood) Almon in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, he fled to Halifax, Nova Scotia during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and in June 1776 joined the British military as a surgeon’s mate. After the War, he settled in Halifax with a private medical practice, and was appointed surgeon-general of the military there. In 1785 he married Rebecca Byles (1762-1853) daughter of Rev. Mather Byles Jr. (1735-1814), another Loyalist. Their son Dr. William Bruce “W.B.” Almon (1787-1840) was the 2nd generation of Almons in NS. He graduated from University of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1809 and succeeded his father as physician and surgeon in Halifax, NS. Dr. W.B. Almon married Laleah Johnston (1789-1869) in 1814.
In 1816 the birth of Dr. W.B. and Laleah Almon’s son the Honorable Dr. William Johnston “W.J.” Almon (1816-1901) started the 3rd generation of Almons to practice medicine in Halifax. Dr. W.J. Almon was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1872, then appointed Senator in 1879. He married Elizabeth Lichtenstein Ritchie (d.1886) of Annapolis, NS in 1840. Their son Dr. Thomas Ritchie Almon (1843-1901) also became a physician in Halifax, the 4th generation of Almons to do so, and married Frances Egan (1845-1942) of Quebec.
Dr. Thomas and Frances Almon’s children made up the 5th generation of Almons. Cotton Mather Almon (1846-1883) married Ellie Dodd (d.1906) in 1873 and his younger brother Lt. Col. William Bruce “W.B.” Almon (1875-1961) became a professional soldier, served in the Royal Canadian Artillery and then was private secretary to the Lieutenant-Governor of NS for 23 years. W.B. Almon married Mary Hill Dickey of Amherst, NS in 1908.
The 6th generation were children of the 2 brothers above. Cotton and Ellie Almon had 3 children: Dr. William Bruce “Bruce” Almon (1875-1940), Susanna W.A. Almon (1877-1958), and Caroline “Rollie” Almon. Lt. Col. W.B. and Mary Almon had 2 children: Nancy (Almon) Carscallen (1916-2017) who married Henry M. Carscallen, and Laleah (Almon) Cunningham (d.1994).
William Graham Allen (1909-1986) was a freelance writer and broadcaster, best known for his work with the CBC. He was born in Halifax on 6 January 1909 to William T. and Winnifred (Dodge) Allen. He was a graduate of Dalhousie University's class of 1929, and also studied at Royal Roads Military College and HMCS Cornwallis. In 1928 Allen began reporting for The Halifax Chronicle and worked in various editorial positions until 1941, when he signed on for active duty in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve. He served as a Sub-lieutenant and was involved in the theatrical show "Meet The Navy." In 1946 Allen returned to The Halifax Chronicle-Herald, continuing to serve from 1947-1951 as an executive officer for HMCS Scotian, Halifax Naval Reserve Division.
In 1951 Allen was appointed Director of University Liaisons at Dalhousie University, where he also served as editor for The Dalhousie Review from 1953-1957, the year of his retirement from the university. That year he joined the Canadian Broadcast Corporation as the news staff supervisor for the Maritimes. He retired from the CBC in 1975, but continued to broadcast as a freelancer and to host the popular radio program Neighborly News from 1977–1980. Allen was a self described "movie freak" and a large supporter of the arts. He held positions as juror for the Governor General Awards (ca. 1950s); treasurer for ACTRA, Maritimes (1976); Director of Neptune Theatre Foundation (1976); Dal Alumni Executive (1976); Governor of Dalhousie University (1976-1977); President of the Radio Television News Director's Association; and spent several years with Halifax Welfare Council and the United Services Institute of Nova Scotia. He died in 1986.
Richard Orme Allen was the sixth and youngest child of the Rev. James Allen and Emma Jane Peters. He was raised primarily in Toronto and educated at Victoria College, University of Toronto. In May 1916 he enlisted in the Canadian Navy as a wireless operator and served until 1918. He was trained in Halifax and stationed at Point Riche in Newfoundland and then on Sable Island, Nova Scotia. After the war he returned to Toronto, where he worked as a civil servant and bookkeeper. He kept in touch with people he had known in the Navy, especially those who had been with him on Sable Island. After reading Thomas Raddall's The Nymph and the Lamp (1950), he established a correspondence with the novelist, wrote several brief accounts of his experiences in the Navy, and visited Raddall at his home in Nova Scotia on at least one occasion.
John Allen was born in Boston, Massachusetts on 11 September 1771, the son of Ebenezer Allen (1738-1816) and Meribah Frazier (1743-1804), Loyalists and Sandemanian Church refugees. The family embarked for Halifax in 1776 when Boston was evacuated by the British Army. They apparently settled on the Dartmouth side of the harbour, where Ebenezer became a prominent businessman in the Woodlawn area. Ebenezer and his son Alexander Allen, along with John Stayner, purchased a tanyard property on the old Preston road in 1795. They formed the firm of “Stayner & Allens.” This partnership dissolved in 1798 and became “Stayner & Allen,” with John Stayner and John Allen as partners. The firm continued until 1816, when the property was divided and the partnership dissolved. John Allen continued the tannery on the Old Preston Road for many years. He married Sarah Stayner (1776-1861) in St. John’s Church, Preston in 1793. They had 16 children; all except two lived to adulthood. John Allen died on 12 January 1849 in Dartmouth.
George Henry Allan of Yarmouth, N.S. served as secretary-treasurer of the Nova Scotia Guides' Association and was one of the founding members in 1907.
Fred Allen was born in 1942 and was the foster son of Gwendolyn Poole of Wolfville, Nova Scotia. He was educated at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. His began his working career at Neptune Theatre in 1963 as stage manager and set designer, and afterwards at Fortress Louisburg as head of research illustration. Next, he returned to Neptune Theatre as resident designer. He then began a year of study in Europe through a Theatre Arts Bursary, observing productions in 13 countries. His award-winning work as a designer, art director and master model builder included productions for the Nova Scotia International Tattoo, film and television productions including Buried on Sunday, Blizzard Island, Codco, and Street Cents; and designing and building the characters for the children's television series, Theodore Tugboat. Allen was also involved in the design and construction of the 65 foot tugboat "Theodore Too." His work in sculpture included Parks Canada projects 'Monument Lefebvre' in Memramcook, N.B.; 'Interaction of Cultures' for Kouchibouquac National Park; and two major installations and illustration work for the 'L'Anse Aux Meadows' World Heritage Viking Settlement in Newfoundland. He died in Truro, Nova Scotia on 6 December 2007.