The Patterson family of Pictou, N.S. was among the most prominent in the area. John Patterson and his family emigrated to Pictou in 1765, aboard the ship Betsy. John Patterson has been referred to as "the founder of Pictou town." He and his wife had nine children: Mary (b.1757), John (1758-1820), James (1760-1857), David (1762-1844), Sarah (b. 1765), Margaret (b. 1767), Nancy (b. 1778), Thomas, and George. James married the daughter of Captain Lowden, and had four daughters: Susan, Betsy, Nichola and Elizabeth. Sarah married Pictou businessman Edward Mortimer, and Margaret married Robert Pagan. John Patterson the second married and had three sons: Walter, Abraham, and John. Walter (d. 1821) was a notary republic, one of the founders of Pictou Academy, a Clerk of the Peace, Prothnotary, Clerk of the Commissioners' Court, and secretary of the Friendly Society. Abraham (d. 1847) was a Pictou lawyer and businessman.
The Oland family was involved in the brewing industry for more than one hundred years. John James Dunn Oland and Susannah Woodhouse Culverwell immigrated from England to Nova Scotia with their nine children in 1865. By 1867, they began brewing beer in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The family tradition of brewing continued until they sold Oland and Son, Limited and A. Keith and Son Limited in 1971.
Members of the Oland family were active philanthropists and contributors to their Nova Scotia communities, supporting a variety of activities and organizations, including sports, art, education, agriculture, and the Army and Navy. Members of the family continue to reside in Atlantic Canada.
A comprehensive diagram of the Oland family tree can be found in G. Brenton Haliburton's What's Brewing: Oland, 1867-1971, A History (Tantallon, NS: Four East Publications, 1994).
The O’Brien family represented in this fonds begins with Joseph O’Brien (1813-1882), who was born in Remsheg, Nova Scotia to Capt. John O’Brien (b. 1789) and Mary Margaret Thomas (b. 1791). Joseph’s siblings were William Harrison O’Brien (b. 1822), who was often referred to as “Uncle William”, and John Russell Bryant, who was also referred to as “Uncle.” Joseph also had one sister, Hannah who married, and subsequently died during the 1840s.
William and John sailed with their father on many voyages before settling down. William married and settled in England to a widow with one daughter followed by another daughter they had together. William became a shoemaker when his health forced him to leave the sea. John Russell Bryant settled in Boston, Massachusetts and was married to Mary Caroline. They had 5 children, but two of those children did not survive past infancy.
Joseph O’Brien was a master mariner and was married to Janet Russell O’Brien who was born in 1816 in Wallace, Nova Scotia. Joseph was captain of the vessel “Janet”, which was lost on Rio de la Plata, Argentina in January, 1868. The insurance collected for “Janet” allowed Joseph to buy 32 shares of the new Barque “Eliza Oulton” being built by John Oulton in Pugwash, Nova Scotia. Joseph’s son, John, was meant to be Master of the new vessel, however, John Oulton failed financially before the vessel was completed and his shares were taken over by Black Brothers Shipping Agency. The O’Brien family sailed many other vessels throughout their lives, but the key vessels were "Janet" and "Eliza Oulton."
Joseph and Janet had three sons and two daughters. Their eldest son was John Russell O’Brien (b. 1841 in Wallace) followed by Thomas O’Brien (b. 1845) and Alexander O’Brien (b. 1852); all three brothers were master mariners at some point in their lives. Their daughters were Margaret (b. 1844) and Primrose (b. 1854). Joseph O’Brien died in 1882.
John O’Brien was married to Susan Elizabeth Morris in 1868. Susan was the great-granddaughter of the Honourable Charles Morris of Halifax, the first Surveyor General of Nova Scotia. Together they had one child, Elizabeth Olga, born on the vessel “Eliza Oulton” while in the harbour of Poti on the Black Sea, Russia in June, 1869. John O’Brien died of yellow fever in January, 1870 on the Island of St. Thomas in the West Indies. Susan continued to raise Elizabeth, with her parents, in Wallace, Nova Scotia.
After John’s premature death, Thomas O’Brien eventually became the master of “Eliza Oulton” while his youngest brother, Alexander, sailed as a mate. Thomas continued to sail many voyages on the “Eliza Oulton” and other vessels. Thomas was married to Maggie and lived with her in Pictou, Nova Scotia for many years. The couple had three children together. Alexander married and eventually settled his family in California.
Margaret O’Brien’s trade was as a milliner; however, before her trade she sailed with her brother, John, and Uncle William on a two year voyage. After her voyage she married Dr. David MacLean and moved to Stellarton, Nova Scotia so her husband could start his practice. Margaret was widowed shortly after the birth of their only child in 1876.
The youngest daughter, Primrose (referred to by all as “Sis”), married Nathaniel Purdy and went with him to live in Waltham, Massachusetts.
George and Susanna Nichols of Waterbury, Connecticut had three children: Ann, Mary, and George Kimberley. Ann Nichols married Rev. James Scovil of Kingston, New Brunswick. Mary Nichols married Judge Peleg Wiswall in 1803 and had one child, Mary Wiswall, who married Charles Budd, a Digby merchant, registrar of probate, and MLA. George Kimberley Nichols resided in Digby where he was a merchant dealing in general goods and hardware. He married Mary Budd, daughter of Loyalist Elisha Budd and sister of Charles Budd. George and Mary Nichols had three children: Charles, Edward Elisha Budd (1820-1893) and Mary Susannah.
Edward Elisha Budd (E.E.B.) Nichols was ordained as a minister in 1845 and served as rector of the Trinity Anglican Church, Liverpool for many years. He married his first wife, Amelia Caroline Sterns in 1861. In 1874 he married Caroline Seely Agney with whom he had two children: Mary Edith Letitia (m. Thomas Lynch of Liverpool in 1903) and George Everard Edgehill (m. Grace E. Robertson).
Reverend Nehemiah Porter, son of weaver Nehemiah Porter and Hannah (Smith) was born 22 or 27 March 1720 at Ipswich, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard College in 1745 and was ordained in 1750. On 14 February 1749 he married Rebecca Chipman at Beverly, Massachusetts; they had the following children: Rebekah, Hannah, Nehemiah (b. 1753), John C., Sarah, Samuel, Ebenezer, Joseph, and Elisabeth. Dismissed from his first church in Ipswich in 1766 and his wife having died a few years earlier, Rev. Porter moved to Cape Forchu, Nova Scotia where he served as minister of the Congregational Church, 1767-1771. He returned to Massachusetts in 1771, leaving his eldest son Nehemiah Porter Jr. to keep his farm at Yarmouth. Rev. Porter settled at Ashfield, Massachusetts in 1774 and was chaplain in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War. He married Elizabeth Raymond in 1778 and continued to preach until his death at Ashfield on 29 February 1820, a few days short of his 100th birthday. Nehemiah Porter Jr. bought his father's farm in Yarmouth ca. 1784. He and his wife Mary (Tardy), married 18 July 1776, had fourteen children: Rebecca (b. 1777), Mary (b. 1778), Hannah (b. 1780), Ruth (b. 1782), Sarah (b. 1784), Nehemiah (b. 1786), John Tardy (b. 1788), Ebenezer (b. 1791), Elizabeth (b. 1793), Joseph (b. 1795), Samuel Chipman (b. 1797), Jonathan (b. 1801), George Rowland (b. 1804), and Eunice (b. 1806).
John Henry Myers, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Faulkner) Myers, was born c. 1847 at Head of Jeddore. He married Agnes “Nancy” Blakeney Jan. 1, 1871 .She was born June 26, 1846 at Jeddore (d. Jul. 15, 1924) and was the daughter of Benjamin and Frances (Day) Blakeney. Isaac D. Blakeney was her brother. John Myers was a lumberman and the family lived at Oyster Pond in from 1881-91 and Head of Jeddore in 1901. John and Nancy had eight children: James E. (b. 1872, m. Euphemia Blakeney), Frances E. (b. 1873, m. Thomas G. E. Blakeney, 1901, and Charles D. Slade, 1915, d. 1959), Allison Willoughby or Willoughby Edison (b. 1876), Mary Ida (b. 1878, m. John F. Bonn), Mary Agnes (b. 1880, m. Angus P. Day, d. 1953), Arthur W. (b. 1882, m. Odessa V. Blakeney), William B. (b. 1884), and John (b. 1885, m. Mildred A. Blakeney). John Henry Myers died in 1930. John Henry Myers was the great grandson of Colin Campbell Mitchell (b. 1767). The land indenture given to John and Agnes Myers was their share of the estate of Agnes’ father, Benjamin Blakeney.
John Henry Myers was the father of Arthur William Myers and great grandfather of Pamela Westhaver.
William A. Murdoch (1825-1915) of Sherbrooke, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, married Maria Nickerson (1825-1911) and together they had seven children: Emma (1854-1917); Alexander (1856-1922); William J. (1858-1923); George (1860-1934); Anna (1862-1946); Gordon (1865-1949); and Charles (1867-1949). The family played an important role in transportation history along the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. During the late 19th century through to the 1920s, the family of master mariners owned and captained the coastal steamships "Wilfred C." and "S.S. Dufferin," which offered passenger and freight services between Halifax and Sherbrooke, stopping in the communities Port Dufferin, Harrigan Cove, Moser River, Ecum Secum, Marie Joseph, Liscomb, and Sonora, before heading up the river to Sherbrooke.
Three of William A. Murdoch's sons, William J., George, and Charles became master mariners that captained the S.S. Dufferin.
Lutheran Morris was born in Woodbridge, Sussex Co., New Jersey (East Jersey) on 17 October 1739. Lutheran served as a member of the 3rd New Jersey Volunteers during the American Revolution. He married Catherine Swan (circa 1739 – circa 1759), of Scottish decent. Lutheran had 15 children including John, Benjamin, Nancy, Samuel, Joshua, Randall/Randolph, Henry, Dorothy, Charles, Isaac, Thomas, Catherine, William, Mary and Lavinia. He was one of the first settlers at Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, where he became a farmer. His children were all baptized at St George's Anglican Church in Parrsboro, NS and Lutheran is shown as being baptized as an adult on Dec. 12, 1878 at St. George's Anglican Church in Parrsboro Township. Later in life, Lutheran was a member of Methodist Church in Advocate Harbor, N.S. Lutheran died at Advocate Harbor, on September 14, 1839.
Wilfred Moore worked at the Halifax Shipyards and played hockey, softball, and quoits on many Halifax sports teams. His wife was Betty Colmer Moore (Ring). His sons Barry, Wilfred and James were also hockey and football players.
James Moody (1744-1809) came to Nova Scotia (NS) in 1786 as a United Empire Loyalist, from New Jersey, United States of America, during the American Revolutionary War. Lieutenant Moody distinguished himself fighting with the British, then settled in Weymouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, as a farmer, merchant, and shipbuilder. He became a member of the Nova Scotia Legislature, Captain of the Royal Nova Scotia Regiment and later Lieutenant Colonel of the Clare Township militia. His brother John Moody (ca1757-1781) was captured and hung as a traitor November 13, 1781. James’ first marriage was to Elizabeth Brittain in New Jersey and they had three children: John (1768-ca.1809), Maria (1775-1848) and an unnamed child. After Elizabeth’s death, James Moody married a widow, Mrs. Jane Robinson Lynson in March 1782 in New York. After James’ death in 1809, Jane Moody petitioned and was given a grant for her husband’s military service. James and Elizabeth’s son John Moody (1768-ca1809) came to Nova Scotia with his father, was a merchant and land owner in Weymouth, married Margaret Budd (1767-1857) in 1789 in Yarmouth, NS and had four children: James Budd Moody (1790-1829), Elizabeth Jane Moody (1793-1794), John Wentworth Moody (1796-1817), and Elisha William Budd Moody (1799-1863). Elisha W.B. Moody was a merchant, ship owner and land owner in Yarmouth, agent for Lloyd’s of London shipping insurance company and Justice of the Peace. Elisha married twice, first to Sarah Rachel Harding circa 1825 and second to Mary Anne Stewart. They had three children including John Wentworth Moody (1826-1894) who worked as a merchant and Lloyd’s agent with his father and eventually inherited the business. He was also a director of the Bank of Yarmouth, Vice-consul for Sweden and Norway at Yarmouth, president of the Yarmouth Marine Association and a magistrate for Yarmouth County. He married Janette Braine on 17 November 1857 in New York, USA, and had five children including Elisha William Budd Moody (1863-1942). Elisha attended Kings College in Windsor, NS, then lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a time before moving back to Yarmouth where he worked at the Bank of Yarmouth and took on his father’s duties as shipping insurance agent for Lloyd’s. In 1901 he moved to Hamilton, Ontario to be treasurer of Cosmos Imperial Mill. He married Esther Louise Doane in Yarmouth on September 11, 1889 and they had one son Philip Doane Moody (1890-1975) and one daughter Olive Janette Moody (1894-1951). Olive was born in Yarmouth and died in Hamilton. Philip was born in Buenos Aires, worked as a salesman and owned a gas station in Hamilton, served in First World War and had an interest in sports, especially softball. He married Lillian Ruth Nellis Mothersill on 6 March 1918 in Hamilton and had four children. Philip died May 21, 1975 in Hamilton, Ontario.