Thomas Beamish Akins was born in Halifax in 1809 and died there in 1891. A lawyer by profession, he was an antiquarian and bibliophile by vocation. In 1857 he was appointed Nova Scotia's commissioner of public records, holding the office until his death. A prolific historical author and editor, he is best known for his history of the town of Halifax and for Selections from the Public Documents of the Province of Nova Scotia (Halifax 1869).

Alexander MacDonald (1841 – ?) served as Deputy Land Surveyor for the County of Antigonish for a number of years. Born in James River, he was the son of Duncan ‘Ban’ MacDonald and Lydia Kell; he was unmarried, but had several brothers, sisters and large extended family.

Alex MacRae was born about 1910 at Antigonish, the only child of John MacRae formerly of Margaree Harbour and his wife Sarah / Hannah MacDonald of Glen Roy, St Andrews district of Antigonish County. The family residence was located on College Street. Alex MacRae did not marry. Alex MacRae served as the Registrar of Deeds for Antigonish until the time of his retirement. Following his death in 1984, his remains were buried alongside his parents at the St Andrews Cemetery.

Brian Redmond Macdonald Alexander, commonly known as Ben Alexander, was born in 1904 in Richmond, Quebec, the son of George and Susan (Jenkins) Alexander. He studied forestry at the University of New Brunswick and was hired by the Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forests to carry out 'cruises' (tours of inspection) on Crown Lands. By about 1932 he had left the Department to manage the MacLeod Pulp Company lands, later becoming chief forester and finally a director with the Minas Basin Pulp and Paper Company of Hantsport, Nova Scotia. He married Katharine "Kay" Durfee Clements and they had two sons: George and Christopher. Alexander's wife Kay died at Hantsport in February 1985. He died at Hantsport two months later, on 29 April 1985.

Alfred J. Bell and Grant Company Limited was created on 1 January 1964 with the merger of Alfred J. Bell and Co., Ltd and Grant, Oxley & Co., Ltd. Alfred J. Bell and Grant Co. had its start about 1890 under Alfred Joseph Bell ([ca. 1853]-1919). Upon his death the business was run by Archibald Crease and later with his son, Edward F. "Ted" Crease. Grant, Oxley and Co. was established in 1892 by MacCallum Grant (1845-1928), who also served as Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia between 1916 and 1925. He was joined by Harold Oxley (1860-1935) who led the business until his death, when Eric McNeil Grant (b. 1889) became the new president. The business continues to operate as Bell and Grant Insurance to the present day, offering a full range of insurance products for consumers in Nova Scotia.

Alvin James Allen was born at Yarmouth, N.S. in 1906, the son of Charles and Sadie (nee Zwicker) Allen. He resided on Main Street, Yarmouth, joined the Merchant Marines in 1922, and earned his Master Mariner's papers in 1944. Allen died 12 April 1988 at Dartmouth.

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.

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.

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.

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.