Chezzetcook Historical Society fonds

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Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Chezzetcook Historical Society fonds

General material designation

  • Textual record
  • Graphic material
  • Cartographic material
  • Moving images

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Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

Accession number 2009.018.

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Edition statement of responsibility

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Statement of scale (cartographic)

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Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • [ca. 1900]-2008, predominant 1974-2004 (Creation)
    Creator
    Chezzetcook Historical Society

Physical description area

Physical description

82 cm of textual records and other material

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1974-2006)

Administrative history

The Chezzetcook Historical Society was formed by a group of local residents on January 28, 1974 at a meeting at Lakeview Consolidated School, Porters Lake. On February 12, 1974, the Society’s constitution was drafted and it was formally incorporated under the Nova Scotia Societies Act. The stated purpose of the Chezzetcook Historical Society was to “do historical research into the ethnic backgrounds, cultures, genealogies and industries of the people of the area” encompassing Porters Lake, West Chezzetcook, Grand Desert, Seaforth, Three Fathom Harbour, Head Chezzetcook, Conrod’s Settlement, Gaetz Brook, and East Chezzetcook. The Society would also strive to “work towards the permanent recording and publishing of such historical data” and to “make available such material as may be useful to the School Board for setting up a course in local history”. Additional mandates of the Society were to record and collect documents and artifacts of historical significance, to identify, preserve or restore historical sites within the area, to acquire an historical building for use as a museum, and to encourage beautification programs for villages within the area. The Society was comprised of members who paid an annual fee for membership and was administered by an elected Board of Directors which included a maximum of three members plus officers (a President, Vice-President, one or more Secretaries and a Treasurer). The Society was disbanded sometime around 2006.

Name of creator

(1927- 2014)

Biographical history

Lena Ferguson was born on January 24, 1927 at Woodside, Halifax County, Nova Scotia. Her parents were James Nauffts and Lillian Beatrice (McKinlay), both natives of Spanish Ship Bay, Guysborough County. Lena graduated from high school in 1946 and began teaching in West Dover, Halifax County. After attending the Nova Scotia Normal School, she taught in Dean Settlement, Indian Harbour, and at Clarence Park School. She later attended the Anglican Women's Training College in Toronto, in preparation for a career as a missionary. She was assigned to the Shingwauk residential school in Sault Ste. Marie but decided that she was not suited to the work. She was employed with the Old Age Security Office in Toronto before returning to Nova Scotia to resume her teaching career at Admiral Westphal School in Dartmouth. She also worked at HMCS Shearwater for several years. She married Lorne Ferguson in 1959 at the age of thirty-two and had three children. After her marriage, she and her husband lived on a small farm in West Chezzetcook. She was greatly involved in her community and throughout her life she was a member of the Girl Guides Organi¬zation, Dartmouth Trefoil Guild, Porters Lake Seniors’ Club, Old Hall Wilderness Association of Por¬ters Lake, and St. James Anglican Church in Seaforth. She joined the Chezzetcook Historical Society in 1974 and served as their archivist and researcher. She was involved with the Society for 27 years. She was inspired to become a local historian after a woman from Beverly Hills, CA reached out to her to find information about her grandmother and Captain Peter Ferguson, both of Chezzetcook. She began talking to older residents about their memories and recording them, often taking her young son with her. She also went to all the anniversary celebrations of local churches and other community events in order to gather historical information. She became drawn to documenting the past in this way. She shared the history that she gathered by working as a freelance writer. She had her articles published by the Dartmouth Free Press, Eastern Shore Observer, and the Eastern Gazette. In 1990 she published A History of Porters Lake and later, The Parish of Seaforth in 2010. Lena passed away on August 27, 2014 in Musquodoboit Harbour at the age of 87.

Custodial history

Due to the fact that the Chezzetcook Historical Society never had a permanent residence, for most of its lifespan the Society’s records and other holdings traveled around between the homes of various members. While residing in the basement of one member, a portion of the records may have sustained water damage from a flood and were possibly discarded. In 2003, Society member Greg LeBlanc took a detailed inventory of the Society’s holdings. The records, artifacts, and published materials owned by the Society were transferred from LeBlanc’s home to the Seaforth Community Hall ca. 2006. While there, another portion of the records may have been damaged by water. The Society's records were transferred to the Eastern Shore Archives in 2009.

Scope and content

Fonds consists of records of the Chezzetcook Historical Society and its members. Textual records were created between about 1900- 1930, 1950- 1955, 1965, and 1974- 2008, but the majority date to between 1974 and 2004.

Fonds includes research material, genealogical information, publications, society records regarding its operation, inventories, maps, and photographs.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Donated by the Chezzetcook Historical Society through its last president Greg LeBlanc in 2009.

Arrangement

Whenever possible, records were arranged in the order in which they were found in their original boxes.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

    Location of originals

    Availability of other formats

    Restrictions on access

    Open to researchers without restrictions.

    Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

    Associated materials

    Accruals

    No further accruals expected.

    General note

    When appropriate, artifacts donated by the Chezzetcook Historical Society were catalogued in the Artifacts Module and transferred into the care of the Memory Lane Heritage Village. Also, appropriate publications were catalogued in the Research Module and made available in the Reading Room of the Genealogy and Archives Research Centre, while other publications and documents were weeded and disposed of.

    Accompanying material

    When appropriate, artifacts donated by the Chezzetcook Historical Society were catalogued in the Artifacts Module and transferred into the care of the Memory Lane Heritage Village. Also, appropriate publications were catalogued in the Research Module and made available in the Reading Room of the Genealogy and Archives Research Centre, while other publications and documents were weeded and disposed of.

    Conservation

    Photocopies were made of documents on thermal paper and in some cases the originals were removed. Photocopies were also made of most small-sized newspaper clippings, in which cases the originals were removed.

    Physical description

    Includes: 7 maps, 6 photographs, 1 videocassette

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