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Authority record
Person · 1811–1895

M.A., D.D., Minister. The youngest son of Rev. Thomas McCulloch, D.D., and Isabella (Walker) McCulloch, he was born in Pictou, NS. Married to Jean Wallace, they had three children: Andrew, Isabella and Jean. He was educated at the Pictou Academy and received his theological training under his father. His life work started by teaching at the Yarmouth Academy. He was the successor to Rev. John Waddell as the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Truro from 1839 until 1885. It has been said that the longer Dr. McCulloch remained on his pulpit, the more beloved he became. Glasgow University conferred a Doctor of Divinity on William McCulloch in 1868. He is buried in Robie St. Cemetery, Truro, NS.

Person · 1882–1975

Building Contractor, Racetrack Owner, Councillor
Born in Old Barns, Colchester County, son of Robert and Nancy (MacKenzie) McCurdy, he married Annie Gray and they had three children: Robert, Lorne and Laura. He followed his father’s footsteps and built many fine homes in the Truro area including 96 Queen St., 692 and 710 Prince St., and 102 Willow Street. One time, as payment for his work, he was given a car. This made him one of the first persons in Truro to own a car. An avid horse fan, he drove in harness races in his youth and raised colts for the sport. At one time he was part-owner of the Truro Raceway. He served as a director of the American Trotting Association. In 1924 he filled out a two-year term on the Truro Town Council. In religion, he was Protestant and is buried in the Robie Street Cemetery, Truro, NS.

Person · 1855–1929

Building Contractor. The Town of Truro is noted for its many beautiful old homes. Many of these were built during the late 19th and early 20th centuries by R. O. McCurdy. Robert McCurdy was born in Middle Musquodoboit, the third of eight children of Isaac and Ruth (Yuill) McCurdy, and great grandson of Alexander McCurdy of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, one of the Scots-Irish settlers of Londonderry Township, Colchester County, Nova Scotia. Left fatherless at the age of twelve and forced to earn his own living, young Robert went to Clifton, Colchester County, then a busy ship building area. Here he apprenticed for five years and became a master carpenter. In 1879 he married Nancy Christie MacKenzie. The marriage produced seven children: Arthur, Frank, Ruth, Dexter, Leslie, Lily and Leona. After moving from Old Barns to Truro in 1896, he was a partner in a furniture factory on King Street and an organ factory on Court Street, as well as a building contractor. When his two eldest sons were old enough, they worked with him – Arthur as a mason and Frank as a carpenter. From 1896 until his death he built a great many houses and public buildings in Truro and Colchester County. Among these are Immanuel Baptist Church, and houses at 11 and 135 Victoria Street, 63 Duke St., 62 King St. (his own home), 44, 96, 102 and 114 Queen St., 135 Willow St., 38 Dominion St., 7 and 21 Muir St., as well as many others. Always a faithful member of the First Presbyterian (later First United) Church, Mr. McCurdy and his wife were honoured by their church on their fiftieth wedding anniversary for their many endeavors. Mr. McCurdy is buried in the cemetery in Old Barns, Colchester County, NS.

Morris, John Spry
Person · 1831-1851

Surveyor General
The Morris family practiced surveying through at least four generations: Charles Morris, Charles Morris II (1711 – 1781), Charles Morris III (1759-1831), and John Spry Morris (one of fifteen children born in Halifax, NS after 1786.)
In April 1831 Charles Morris III was replaced by his son John Spry, who served as Surveyor General of Nova Scotia until the office was merged with that of commissioner of crown lands in 1851. The Morris family thus held the position of Surveyor General of Nova Scotia for its entire existence, a continuity of service rivalled only by that of the Wrights of Prince Edward Island.

Mosher, George, 1842-1919
Person · 1842-1919

Mechanical Engineer, Draftsman, Patent Attorney
George Mosher was born in Newport Corner, Hants County, NS on August 13, 1842. He married Lucinda Weir in 1885 and had two children Ruth and Eugene.
He was a mechanical engineer, draftsman “all his life” and also a registered Patent Attorney. He often drew the inventions of his clients and then applied for patents both in the United States and Canada. Although most of his educational history is unknown, he did receive a Diploma in Mechanical Drawing from the Boston Public Schools Free Evening Industrial Drawing Program which he attended for two years (1883 and 1884).
He built a new home in Truro in 1890 at 77 King Street which was Gothic Revival in style and he used the front facing tower as a draftsman’s shop.
He was a Presbyterian and is buried in the Robie Street Cemetery, Truro, NS.

Person · 1826–1891

Teacher, Architect
Born in County Down, Ireland, William R. Mulholland came to Nova Scotia and became a teacher, first in Pictou and later at the Truro Normal School. He taught mathematics as well as other subjects including anatomy, but his methods were controversial and his students petitioned to have him removed. The Provincial Secretary’s Office, however, decided in Mulholland’s favour, recalling his twenty four years’ service as a teacher. Mulholland was named principal when the institution was reorganized in June 1869. The Province also appreciated Mulholland’s other talents, as has was paid in 1857 for plans and superintendence of construction of a building – most likely a school building. In the 1870’s Mulholland was commissioned to prepare model plans for schools of various types, suitable for conditions in Nova Scotia.
He was a Church of England parishioner and worked on the final specifications for St. John’s Anglican Church in Truro, NS. He also prepared plans and specifications for the new Pleasant Street Methodist Church in 1871. Mulholland married Miss Lucy Tracy, native of Ireland, in 1872; the 1881 census indicates they had 2 children and W. R. Mulholland was then described as an architect and professor.

Corporate body · 1897

Colchester County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. With a population of 50,585 the county is the fourth largest in Nova Scotia. Colchester County is located in north central Nova Scotia.
The majority of the county is governed by the Municipality of the County of Colchester, the county also is home to two independent incorporated towns, Stewiacke and Truro, two village commissions in Bible Hill and Tatamagouche, and the Millbrook 27 First Nations reserve.
For several thousand years the territory of the province has been a part of the territory of the Mi'kmaq nation of Mi'kma'ki. Mi'kma'ki includes what is now the Maritimes, parts of Maine, Newfoundland and the Gaspé Peninsula. Colchester County is located in the traditional Mi'kmaw districts of Sipekni'katik to the south and west, and Epekwitk aq Piktuk to the north and east.
French colonization of the area began during the 1680s. Acadian settlers were farmers were accustomed to farming on dyked lands in France. They used normally salty but fertile marshes that were found on the banks of the Minas Basin and through the use of dykes and aboiteaux that allowed fresh water to enter but kept out the salt-water tide.
The appellation Colchester was applied in 1780 to the district previously called "Cobequid," and was derived from the town of Colchester in Essex. The old name Cobequid was derived from the Mi'kmaq word "Wagobagitk" meaning "the bay runs far up", in reference to the area surrounding the easternmost inlet of the Minas Basin, a body of water called Cobequid Bay.
The District of Colchester, which was at first part of Halifax County, was established as a county in its own right in 1835. In 1838 a distinct line of division between Cumberland County and Colchester County was established. Two years later, in 1840, the Township of Parrsboro was divided and part of it annexed to Colchester County. In 1871, the boundaries between the Counties of Hants and Colchester and between the Counties of Halifax and Colchester were established. In 1880 the boundary between the Counties of Halifax and Colchester was revised. Eventually in 1897 a portion of the boundary between the Counties of Colchester and Cumberland was fixed and defined.
The Municipality of the County of Colchester is governed by a municipal council composed of a Mayor elected at-large and 11 Councillors elected to represent districts.

Municipality of the Town of Truro · Corporate body · 1875 - present

The community of Truro is located in Colchester County, Nova Scotia and was established early in the eighteenth century by Acadian families. Following the expulsion, it was resettled first by New England planters, then Loyalists. At that time is was known as the Township of Truro, however this was mainly a geographic designation. When the Colchester District of Halifax County was legally established in 1792, Truro was within the new district's boundaries. It subsequently became part of the newly-established County of Colchester in 1835. Until 1875, local government in Truro was provided by the Colchester Court of General Sessions of the Peace. That year Truro became a town by an act of incorporation. Truro was geographically part of the Municipal District of Colchester, however as an incorporated town it was administered by its own elected council. The council maintains things like sewers, water, streets and roads, property assessment, police, building inspection, lighting, and animal control. The town imposes taxes which are collected by the town clerk and administered by the treasurer.

Nelson, Harry
Nelson, Harry · Person · 1912 - 1993

Harry Edgar Nelson was born on 26 May 1912 in Clifton, NS. He was a resident of Great Village, Colchester County, Nova Scotia. He married Donalda Hope MacLachlan in 1943. He was a school teacher, a member of the Colchester Historical Society, and an amateur historian. Nelson died in 1993.

Corporate body · 1850-

In 1850, J. W. Dawson was appointed as the first superintendent of education for the province of Nova Scotia. During his tenure, Dawson encouraged the establishment of free schools. In 1855, Dawson’s successor, Alexander Forrester, established the Provincial Normal College in Truro, for the training of public school teachers and the standardization of school curriculum. The Free School Act of 1864, introduced by Premier Charles Tupper, created a system of free public schools throughout the province. The Education Act of 1864 assigned a school inspector to each of the 18 counties. The act also increased state funding and encouraged local taxation to support public schools, and standardized the classification and examination of students. Over the next hundred years, public school attendance registers fell under the authority of the Halifax-based office variously known as the Educational Department of Nova Scotia (-1894), the Education Department of Nova Scotia (1894-1929), the Nova Scotia Department of Education (1929-1967), and the Minister of Education (1967-). Today, the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, as it is known, is responsible for K-12 public school education throughout the province.