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Fox Harbour

 

Fox Harbour was first mentioned as Shoal Bay on old maps.  There are many stories of how it got its name of Fox Harbour.  One of the more popular ones is recounted by John MacIvor in his book The MacIvor Clan.  He states that it was said that part of the French fleet wintered in this harbour, and in the spring when the ice melted, the ships were so waterlogged that to get out of the harbour, anchors and everything that could be spared were dropped to lighten the ships.  When they got out and well down the strait, they sighted the British warships coming, and the admiral whose name was Fox or Faux, realizing that all was lost took some small cannon balls in his pockets and jumped overboard.  He told them to name the place after him.

 

Fox Harbour was first settled by the French.  When the Scottish settlers came, they found dykes, wells, and many remains of houses and apple orchards.  And they found salt marsh.

 

South Side

 

In the 1780’s, on the tip of the southern peninsula of Fox Harbour, a town was laid out by Charles Baker, surveyor, called Fanningsborough after Edmund Fanning, lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia. It had 239 lots of 3 acres each.  It was a plan that would make a modern town available for the inevitable arrival of the Westchester Loyalists. All they would have to do is draw for a numbered lot and build a house.   These were their town lots.  They were also granted farm and wood lots.

 

However, when they arrived in 1784 after spending a terrible winter near Amherst N.S., they looked at the site and decided that the Remsheg River was too much of a barrier between them and the town of Wallace which was beginning to thrive. Dangerous ice conditions in early winter and in spring meant that they would have to travel 12 miles around the head of the Bay for about four months of the year.

 

Some of their farm and wood lots were 100, 200, and 300 and one of them got 1800 acres.  Many of them decided to build on the large grants where they would be closer to where they worked. Only a few of the original arrivals stayed to build and live on the townsite.

 

Other Crown grants on the south side (nearer North Wallace) were to A. Roderick Morrison - 40 acres, Angus Morrison – 100 acres, Roderick Morrison – 60 acres, Moses Knapp – 627 acres, John Dotten – 100 acres, John Huestis – 100 acres and Donald McFarlane on Jerry Island.

 

North Side

 

Originally the land was held for Josiah Smith and his grant for Royal Fencible soldiers (see Gulf Shore).  However, settlers gradually moved in from Gulf Shore, Pugwash, Wallace or directly from Scotland. 

 

Kenneth Nicholson came from Stornoway, Hebrides, Scotland and brought with him his family and brother, the head of the Donald Nicholson family. About the same time that Kenneth Nicholson settled at Fox Harbor, there also settled from Scotland, Donald McFarland who had two sons, Donald and John McFarland.  The heads of the Munro and Colburne families were also immigrants with the Nicholsons.

 

Donald Robertson purchased from Fanning a part of the Fox Harbour grant in 1784 which was quite a large tract of land east of the Fox Harbour crossroad.  He built his home on the Fox Harbour side of his land and later gave farms to each of his three sons, Donald, John and Archie.  The three sons married three sisters, Nicholson girls.

 

Kenneth MacAuley came to Nova Scotia from Lewes Island in Scotland. 

 

By 1871, Lovell’s Dominion Directory listed a population of 150 at Fox Harbour.  The men were almost all farmers.  They were Hugh Bailey, Duncan Campbell, Frederick and Martin David, Julius Frohme, John and Norman Graham, Robert Harrison (miller), Donald Kennedy, William McAuley, John McDonald, C.J. and Peter McFarlane (Peter was a J.P.), George, John and Robert McIver, John Moodie, Angus and Kenneth Morrison, Hugh and Murdoch Munroe, Kenneth and Roderick Nicholson, Alexander Peers, Archibald Robinson (J. P. and way office), James A. Robertson (he was also known as Yankee Jamie), James and John Robinson, Robert Stewart and Daniel Stramberg with their families.

 

Mrs. Charles Robertson listed the residents of northern Fox Harbour from the  point to the crossroads in about 1900.  Not much had changed from Lovell’s except that Dan Moody occupied Oak Island and there was now M. MacIvor and  J. MacAuley.

 

In 1987, Ron Joyce of Tatamagouche bought 1100 acres of North Fox Harbour ocean-front property which included the remnants of a lobster-processing plant.  As a boy he had come to visit his Aunt Ena and Uncle Thorpe Moody – a descendent of William Moody (Mar. 10, 1781 - 1886) and was familiar with Fox Harbour. He built a resort which opened in 2000.  It includes a golf course, airport, spa, clay shooting and has hosted many heads of government.

 

Church

 

The history of the Fox Harbour United Church is closely related to that of St. Matthew’s Presbyterian Church in Wallace.  In 1843, the Presbyterian Church in Scotland suffered a great disruption, and many broke away to form the Free Church of Scotland.  One of those who left, Mr. James Munroe, took away a large part of the congregation and started Melville Church. Those left were too few to carry on and so it was decided to move the old church to Fox Harbour.  Forty yoke of oxen pulled the old church over.  It was a fine big building with a balcony, a steeple and a high closed pulpit. Clusters of coal oil lamps hung from the ceiling, and the pews had doors.

 

It was situated on land donated by Kenneth MacAuley who had come to Nova Scotia from Lewes Island in Scotland.  The cemetery land next door was given by Duncan Campbell.

 

By 1875, a union of all Presbyterians took place, and by 1877, the church had incorporated with St. Matthew’s in Wallace.  The minister lived in Wallace and came over each Sunday by ferry to a little wharf in Fox Harbour.  These ferries were sail boats which were gradually replaced by a motor boat and by steam.  A man was appointed to pick up the minister and deliver him back to the wharf.

 

The first secretary who kept the minutes book was James Robertson under Presidents John Stuart and Duncan Campbell in 1877.  In 1884, Murdoch MacDonald bought a new minute book and recorded the church doings for many years.

 

By 1898, the congregation had grown so large that a 12’ by 14’ extension had to be built on and new pews added.

 

In 1897, when neither St. Matthews nor Knox had a minister, they decided to unite.  In 1898, Rev. Frame became the minister to the united congregation.  By 1912, the old church was in such bad condition it was decided to meet in the hall for the winter months.  After union with St. John’s United Church in 1930, a decision was made to build a new church.  It was constructed by A. M. McNab of Malagash and built on land donated by Kenneth MacAulay, son of the Kenneth MacAulay who had donated the original land.

 

The first baby baptized in the new church was John Langille, great grandson of that same first Kenneth MacAulay.  The first marriage was that of Eva Morrison and Theodore Thompson.

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School

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Fox Harbour School has always been at the same location on the north side of North Fox Harbour Road and on the west side of David Creek. 

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It opened in 1829.  It was supported by a 25 pound subscription for the teacher's salary which was 11 - 5 pounds in cash and the rest in produce.  The teacher was Donald Cammeron and there were 18 students.  The numbers rose to as high as 25 students in 1916 when it went to Grade 10.  The school was closed at the end of the 1959 school year and torn down sometime around 1975.  Luckily the school registers were saved for the years August 1911 to June 1959.

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Excerpted from Fox Harbour School by Carl Francis Purdy

 

Fox Harbour Marriages

 

Here is a partial list of civil marriages in Fox Harbour or involving citizens of Fox Harbour from 1864 to 1913

 

01-12-1864       Fox Harbour Cum Co     Presbyterian     Rev George Law (of Richibucto NB)

BAILLIE              Hugh                    B             blacksmith         Wallace Cum Co              Earltown Col Co              Alexander & Nancy Murray

MCAULAY          Catherine             W           _              Wallace Cum Co              Wallace Cum Co              _

 

24-10-1865       Westchester Cum Co     Methodist           Rev James R Hart

MCGILLIVRAY  Kenneth  25          W           farmer                 Westchester Cum Co     Albion Mines Pic Co       John & Charlotte McKenzie

SCOTT  Margaret             22           S              _              Pugwash Cum Co            Fox Harbour Cum Co     James & Martha Nickerson

 

02-03-1868       Wallace Cum Co              Kirk       Rev James Anderson

NICOLSON         Kennet  48           W           farmer                 Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     William & Annabella

MCKENZIE         Ann        29           S              _              North Shore Cum Co      _              William & Isabella

 

27-03-1868       Wallace Cum Co              Kirk       Rev James Anderson

NICOLSON         Kenneth 48           W           farmer                 Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     William & Annabelle

MCKENZIE         Anne     29             S              _              North Shore Cum Co      _              William & Isabella

 

06-10-1868       Pugwash Cum Co            Methodist           Rev John J Colter

ROBERTSON     Charles 32             B             merchant            California USA  Fox Harbour Cum Co     Donald & _

BORDEN             Martha Amelia 18  S              _              Pugwash Cum Co            Pugwash Cum Co            Levi & _

 

14-09-1869       Fox Harbour Cum Co     Kirk       Rev James Anderson

MCLELLAN        George N  57           W           mariner               Londonderry Col Co      Londonderry Col Co      Samuel & Jemima

NICHOLSON      May Day McName  35    W           _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Wallace Cum Co              William & Isabella McKenzie

 

26-01-1870       Fox Harbour Cum Co     Kirk       Rev James Anderson

HARRISON         George A 25           B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     Robert & Rebecca

PURDY                Bythia  24               S              _              Malagash Cum Co            _              Stephen & Isabella

 

12-04-1870       Wallace Cum Co              Kirk       Rev James Anderson

MCAULEY          William       27           B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     John & A

MUNRO               Alexandrina 18        S              _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     _              Daniel & Catherine McKenzie

 

02-10-1871       Wallace Cum Co              Kirk       Rev James Anderson

MUNRO               Murdoch   42           B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     John & Christy

MCPHERSON    Jessie                       S              _              Rogers Hill         _              William & Flora

 

12-10-1871       Six Mile Road    Kirk       Rev James Anderson

ROBERTSON     John      43              B             farmer Wallace Cum Co              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Donald & Christy A

HUESTIS             Sarah Jane 31        S              _              Wallace Cum Co              _              James & Melinda

 

21-12-1871       Wallace Cum Co              Kirk       Rev James Anderson

MCKIM Andrew               23                B             farmer Wallace Cum Co              Wallace Cum Co              Robert & Phoebe

GRAHAM             Isabella    22           S              _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     _              Norman & Isabella

 

25-04-1872       Fox Harbour Cum Co     Kirk       Rev James Anderson

NICHOLSON      George 48                B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     Will & Annabella

MORRISON        Margaret 50             S              _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     _              Roderick & Rachel

 

24-06-1872       Wallace Cum Co              Kirk       Rev James Anderson

MCIVOR            Alan       29                B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     John & _

TEED                 Margaret     24           S              _              _              _              Moses & _

 

25-07-1872       Wallace Cum Co              Kirk       Rev James Anderson

ELL                   William   21                 B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     Dougald & _

MCLEOD          Christy Ann  24           S              _              Gulf Shore Cum Co         _              Malcolm & _

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22-01-1874       Pugwash Cum Co            Presbyterian     Rev John McRae Sutherland

STUART              John      44               B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Pictou Pic Co    Robert & Ann

JAMIESON          Mary     43                S              _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     _              Thomas & Sarah

 

12-12-1878       Pugwash Cum Co            Methodist           Rev Thomas D Hart

MCIVER           James Stewart  22       B             blacksmith         Wallace Cum Co              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Murdoch & Christiana

STEWART       Maggie 18                    S              _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     John & Mary

 

 

31-01-1882       Fox Harbour Cum Co     Methodist           Rev John A Mosher

OXLEY             Herbert S        28           B             farmer Wallace Cum Co              Wallace Bay Cum Co     Charles & Priscilla

NICOLSON      Kate J    24                    S              _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     Kenneth & Ann

 

25-02-1882       Wallace Harbour Cum Co            Free Presbyterian           Rev Samuel Boyd

OLSON             Martin L           24           B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Norway               Olson & Maria

ROBERTSON     Maggie         31            S              _              Gulf Shore Cum Co         Gulf Shore Cum Co         John & Christie

 

14-04-1884       Fox Harbour Cum Co     Presbyterian     Rev James A McKenzie

DAVID              James E            29           B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     Martin & Rosy A

YOUNG             Sarah C           24           S              _              Kempton             Kempton             Daniel & Elizabeth

 

14-08-1884       Wallace River Cum Co  Free Presbyterian           Rev Samuel Boyd

STRUMBERT    Daniel R               31           B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     River John Pic Co            James & Amelia

MCLEOD             Maria L                19           S              _              Gulf Shore Cum Co         Gulf Shore Cum Co         Malcolm & Annie

 

18-09-1884       Wallace Cum Co              Presbyterian     Rev Andrew Gray

RHINDRESS       Charles K             28           B             stone cutter       Wallace Cum Co              Wallace Cum Co              Isaac & Ellen

JAMIESON          Susan    27           S              _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     Thomas & Sarah

 

18-01-1886       Springhill Cum Co           Church of England          Rev C E McKenzie           (All Saints)

MARSHALL        John F   40           W           carpenter            Springhill Cum Co           Kings Co NS        Ebenezer & Rebecca

ROOD/REED    Isabella                41           W           _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Malagash Cum Co            Samuel & Mary

 

30-01-1886       Wentworth Cum Co       Presbyterian     Rev Hector B McKay

MCINTOSH        John P  62           W           farmer Wallace Cum Co              Tatamagouche Col Co   Donald & Catherine

MCINTOSH        Isabella                55           W           _              Great Village Col Co        Fox Harbour Cum Co     William & Annabel

 

22-05-1888       Pugwash Cum Co            Presbyterian     Rev James A McKenzie

MOODY               William H           27           B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Wallace Cum Co              Roderick & Bella

MOODY               Bella      26           S              _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     William & Margaret

 

20-03-1889       Wallace Cum Co              Presbyterian     Rev Hector B McKay

ROBINSON         Stanley 25           B             farmer Gulf Shore Cum Co         Gulf Shore Cum Co         Donald & Christy

NICHOLSON      Maggie 28           S              _              Wallace Cum Co              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Roderick & Catherine

 

19-09-1889       Fox Harbour Cum Co     Free Presbyterian           Rev Samuel Boyd

CALKIN                A H         29           B             joiner    Moncton NB      Hopewell Cape NB          Harris & Augusta

MCFARLANE     Amelia M            29           S              _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     Peter & Susan

 

26-08-1890       Pugwash Cum Co            Presbyterian     Rev James A McKenzie

LEARD Jonah    24           B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Tyron Lot 28 PEI            James & Rebecca

O’BRIEN              Flora     20           S              _              _              _              Robert & Alice

 

28-11-1891       Fox Harbour Cum Co     Presbyterian     Rev Andrew Gray

BRITTON            William               53           W           farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Oxford Cum Co                Henry & Matilda

MCPHERSON    Isabella                50           S              _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Pictou Pic Co    George & Marion

 

01-11-1893       Wallace Cum Co              Free Presbyterian           Rev Samuel Boyd

DAVID  William               29           B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     Martin & Rosanna

MCLEAN             Mary D 25           S              _              Gulf Shore Cum Co         Gulf Shore Cum Co         Colin & Ann

 

07-01-1897       Pugwash Cum Co            Presbyterian     Rev A D McIntosh

MCDONALD      Alexander   47           W           blacksmith         Tatamagouche Col Co   W Tatamagouche Col Co                Donald & Ellen

MCAULAY          Mary Elsie  46           W           _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Kingston NB      David & Elizabeth

 

14-04-1897       Wallace Cum Co              Methodist           Rev John Astbury

HARRISON         Richard Palmer               22           B             farming               North Wallace Cum Co Fox Harbour Cum Co                George & Betiah

MCLEAN             Mary Elizabeth                21           S              _              Wallace Ridge Cum Co  Truro Col Co      Neill & Elizabeth

 

04-10-1897       Fox Harbour Cum Co     Presbyterian     Rev David Annand Frame

REID                  John William     35           B             farmer New York USA Gulf Shore Cum Co         Donald & Margaret

ROSS                Georgina             30           S              _              Gulf Shore Cum Co         Gulf Shore Cum Co         David & Joanna

 

20-06-1898       Pugwash Cum Co            Presbyterian     Rev A D McIntosh

MCINNIS             Allen     62           W           farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Glengarry Pic Co             Hector & Julia A

MATHESON       Margaret             43           S              _              Gulf Shore Cum Co         Gulf Shore Cum Co         Alexander & Ann

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26-10-1898       Pugwash Cum Co            Presbyterian     Rev A D McIntosh

ROBERTSON     James A               27           B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     James & Christina

BAILEY                Annie B                26           S              _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     Hugh & Catherine

 

25-01-1899       Pugwash Cum Co            Methodist           Rev Richard Williams

GRAHAM             Kenneth               30           B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     John & Jane

FAY       Anna     22           S              _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Diligent River Cum Co  James & Eliza

 

09-05-1899       Wallace Cum Co              Presbyterian     Rev David Annand Frame

JAMIESON          Weldon                25           B             farmer Gulf Shore Cum Co         North Wallace Cum Co Daniel & _

CAMPresbyterianELL   Rosie Ella            20           S              _              Gulf Shore Cum Co         Fox Harbour Cum Co     James & Charlotte

 

26-06-1899       Wallace Cum Co              Presbyterian     Rev David Annand Frame

MCLAUGHLIN  William               25           B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Economy Col Co              Arthur & Annie

STEWART          Annie    19           S              _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     Charles & Jane

 

30-08-1899       Wallace Cum Co              Presbyterian     Rev David Annand Frame

MOODY               Murdoch             38           W           farmer North Wallace Cum Co North Wallace Cum Co William & Margaret

HARRISON         Tryphena            27           S              _              North Wallace Cum Co Fox Harbour Cum Co     John & Bythria

 

26-09-1900       Fox Harbour Cum Co     Presbyterian     Rev A D McIntosh

MCEACHERN    James A               28           B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Tatamagouche Bay Cum Co       John & Ann A

MCAULEY          Annie May          21           S              _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Oak Island          Kenneth & Mary

 

26-06-1901       Wallace Cum Co              Presbyterian     Rev David Annand Frame

MCAULEY          Thomas F           23           B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     Kenneth & Mary

MCEACHREN    Cassie   22           S              _              West Tatamagouche Col Co       West Tatamagouche Col Co       John

 

08-06-1903       Springhill Cum Co           Presbyterian     Rev Christopher Munro

STONEHOUSE  Charles L             28           B             miner   Springhill Cum Co           Lily Cum Co       William & Esther

PEERS  Mary E 22           S              _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Wallace Bay Cum Co     Rufus & Agnes

 

30-09-1903       Wallace Cum Co              Presbyterian     Rev John W McPhail

MCIVER               Dugald 34           B             farmer Fox River Cum Co           Fox River Cum Co           George A & Eliz CamPresbyterianell

MUNROE            Annie    31           S              _              Fox Harbour Cum Co     Fox Harbour Cum Co     Murdoch & Isaie McPherson

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05-09-1906       Fox Harbour Cum Co     Presbyterian     Rev A L McKay

REID     William               29           B             farmer Gulf Shore Cum Co         Gulf Shore Cum Co         Peter & Margaret

DAVID  Clara Louise       20           S              Presbyterian     Lower Gulf Shore Cum Co           Lower Gulf Shore Cum Co                James & Sarah

 

29-12-1909       Malagash Cum Co            Methodist           Rev Frederick J Pentelow

JAMIESON          Samuel Purdy   27           B             farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     North Wallace Cum Co John & Sabina J

STUDIVANT      Annabella           27           S              Presbyterian     Malagash Cum Co            Malagash Cum Co            Edward & Rebecca J

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04-08-1913       Amherst Cum Co             Methodist           Rev Douglas Chapman

MCNEILL            Frank Kempton               22           B             fireman               Wallace Harbour Cum Co            Six Mile Road                Robert & Mary

MOODY               Emma Janet      21           S              Presbyterian     Fox Harbour Cum Co     N Wallace Cum Co          William & Isabella

 

29-10-1913       Wallace Bridge Cum Co                Methodist           Rev William J Croft

RHUDE                Robert  36           W           farmer Fox Harbour Cum Co     N Wallace Cum Co          Robert & Isabel

HARPELL           Annie    38           W           Presbyterian     Wallace Bridge Cum Co                Wallace Bridge Cum Co                John & Amelia Baker

 

24-12-1913       Amherst Cum Co             Methodist           Rev Hamilton Wigle

PATTON             William Eaton  66           W           laborer Amherst Cum Co             Oxford Cum Co                Nelson & Pliny

PARKER              Nancy   61           W           Presbyterian     Amherst Cum Co             Fox Harbour Cum Co     William & Eliza

PUGWASH

 

70 Water Street: The Clarke House

 

The Clarke House is on lot 103 of the original Black plan of Pugwash. A deed, signed by John and Sarah Black, shows that the land was purchased on Jan. 19, 1847 for 30 pounds by Dr. Joseph Clarke, a physician. The lot was on Water Street starting at Victoria Street and running east 85 feet and south 85 feet.

 

Joseph built a house which he named Napoleon’s Cottage. It also served as his office and his dispensary. In 1854, he also bought lot 106 for 80 pounds. That was on the corner of Water and Durham Street. He sold that land in 1873 to William Henry Brown for $364.00, and it eventually became the war memorial.

 

Dr. Joseph Clarke was born in Kilkenny, Ireland. He emigrated as a young physician and dentist to Nova Scotia. This was unusual as many Irish immigrants were coming to the area, but few were educated. He married Olivia King (Mar. 30, 1827 – Feb. 28, 1910), daughter of Lavina Pineo and Oliver King in about 1850. In 1853, their first child, Cyrilla Clarke (1853 – 1938) was born. She was followed three years later by brother William (1856 – 1882). Child 3, Joseph Holmes Clarke (1860 – 1938) followed soon after being born in 1860. Their newly built house was on Water Street, and Joseph was a successful physician with three children. He practiced out of his house, and it served also as his dispensary.

 

In the 1861 census, he was in a household of 8 in Pugwash, 5 males and 3 females. That same year, Dr. Joseph had a schooner built in Wallace, The Janet. Unfortunately, it sank in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1862. In the 1864 Hutchinson’s Directory, Joseph is listed as a physician and dentist. In the 1871 census, the family of 5 are in Pugwash and living with them are Hiram and Clara Huston. Hiram was an engineer at a steam mill. Servant Maggie Satoris is with them as was a sailor, Joseph Akerly.

 

Daughter Cyrilla married Edgar Augustus Elliott in 1874 in Amherst. Dr. Joseph Clarke was obviously a man of some influence and service to the village. On August 27, 1857, he was appointed coroner for Cumberland County. He held other offices for the village. In 1858, he was an assessor. In 1858 - 60, he served as commissioner of streets. In 1870 and 1875, he was one of three school trustees. In 1871, he was an overseer of the poor. In 1872, he and Dr. Creed participated in the examination of Mr. Macaulay’s 103 students. In 1877, he had a meeting with the premier to change the route of the Northern Light which went to PEI through Pictou. He successfully pressed for it to be changed to going from Pugwash to Victoria instead.

 

The Christian Messenger reported that on Jan. 25, 1880, Dr. Clarke, just before retiring, went into his surgery to get some medicine and made a mistake, taking carbolic acid instead of the preparation he intended to take. Before he had drank the whole dose he discovered his mistake and told his wife that he was poisoned and had only a few minutes to live. Dr. Dakin, who lived just across the street, was at once called and used all possible remedies, but Clarke died in half an hour. The Miramichi Advance added that he had not been well for some time. Dr. Creed and Dr. Mackintosh also arrived but Dr. Clarke was speechless and could only wave his hand to indicate that there was nothing to be done. Reports of his death showed that the deceased had been in practice for a great number of years and had been particularly successful in the treatment of diphtheria. He practiced out of his house, but he also was said to travel into the countryside regardless of weather. He was buried in Palmerston Cemetery.

 

The appraisal of Joseph’s estate showed 3 pieces of real estate – 17 acres of land on Irishtown Road, 1 lot in Pugwash of 80 feet x 80 feet with a house and a barn, and a farm of 150 acres where Thomas Sarson was residing. The lot in Pugwash and the furniture was deeded to Augusta and Cyrilla including the portion owned by son Joseph Holmes. JH relinquished all right to his portion of that land and deeded it to his mother and sister. By the 1881 census, Olivia was a widow. She was living with her daughter Cyrilla Elliott, also a widow, sons William and Joseph Clarke and Cyrilla’s children Daisy and Pearl. In 1891, she was still in her house in Pugwash with Cyrilla, Daisy and Edmund as well as lodgers John Seaman and William Morgan.

 

Olivia was burned out twice. On July 25, 1898, a raging fire struck the Durham Street area. Winds fanned the flames and without a fire department, eighteen families were rendered homeless. Olivia’s house was completely lost along with 17 other properties, including the house and barn of her son, Joseph Holmes Clarke. In 1899, Olivia was rebuilding on the site of her former residence at 70 Water Street. In 1899, Joseph’s daughter Cyrilla married again to Clarence Edward Reed a sea captain in Pictou. Cyrilla’s son Edmund Pearl married Hattie M. Hay that same year in Truro. Her daughter Daisy Elliott married Stephen Percival Wilson also in 1899. Joseph’s brother William had died without having children. In the 1901 census, Olivia is living alone. On Sept. 10, 1901, the Clark house was again damaged by fire resulting from thieves blowing up the safe in Brown’s store which was adjacent. The house caught on fire several times, but was saved by the people. The town had no fire department. Finally, on Nov. 11, 1901, was a large fire that almost wiped out the town of Pugwash. Olivia’s damage was recorded as $1500 for loss of house and furniture. As the winter coal and vegetables had been laid in, the damage was even greater.

 

Olivia had to build again. By January of 1902, they had decided to also build a meat market on the property. This structure was right next door to the house she was also building, the house that is there now. Olivia died on Feb. 28, 1910, of softening of the brain and exhaustion. She is buried in Willow Grove Cemetery. She was C of E. This is interesting because son, Joseph Holmes Clarke and family were RC.

 

In 1911, according to the census, Cyrilla and Edward Reed were living alone in the house.

 

Cyrilla’s brother, Joseph Holmes Clarke (April 8, 1860 – Jan. 13, 1938) was initially employed as a bookkeeper and auctioneer. In 1879, Joseph was a surveyor of lumber. He married Agustia (Gussie) Adilea Walsh (Mar. 17, 1866 -   ) on July 16, 1886 in Pugwash. In 1898, when he was a general merchant, they lived in Pugwash. Their house was burned in 1898, with the loss being assessed at $800 and insurance at $300. In 1901 they were in Pugwash with children Adilea, Joseph and Alexander. They were Roman Catholic. He was a general merchant and also a surveyor of lumber. In 1915, a poem of his was published in Moncton called “Home is home where ere it be”. In 1920 he was a fence viewer. This was a municipal post. He became very active in municipal government, receiving appointment as stripendiary magistrate at Pugwash, acting periodically as returning officer for municipal elections and even running as an unsuccessful Liberal candidate for a seat on County Council in 1922. In 1927, he was a Customs Collector. He also worked for a time as a conductor for the railway out west and as the station agent and telegrapher in Pugwash Junction.

 

In 1911, Joseph, Gussie and the children are all in Pugwash. In 1916, Joseph Holmes is living in a hotel in Cochrane, Ontario working for the railway according to his son’s attestation papers. In 1921 Joseph and Gussie are in Pugwash with son Joseph V. In 1931, they are in Pugwash with Daisy Wilson who is listed as their boarder. She was Joseph’s niece. Joseph was a judge by then. Joseph Holmes and Gussie’s eldest daughter, Adilea Mary Clarke (May 6, 1888 - ) became a teacher. When she retired, she moved into the Clarke house. After Adelia died, the house was empty for some time.

 

JH’s second child, Joseph Valentine Clarke (Feb. 14, 1890 [1901 Census] - ) joined up for WWI in March 1916 from Winnipeg where he was a switchman. He was hit by a bullet on Vimy Ridge, and his right arm was amputated. After his return to Canada, he married Jean Elizabeth Thompson on Sept. 14, 1921. She died, and he married Christina Williams in May of 1928. Chrissy renovated the family house and she and Joseph moved in.

 

He was an insurance agent for 40 years and sold his business in 1969. Jophie and Chrissie’s second child was Joseph. Another child was Marion Clarke who won a beauty contest and from that was offered a contract by the CBC in 1953 to work in television. She gave up her career as host of The Saturday Show in 1957 to marry Darroch MacGillivray. Their third child, Alexander Bernard Clarke (Jan. 31, 1892 – June 13, 1953) also enlisted in 1914. At Ypres, he was wounded and taken prisoner. His leg was amputated. He was returned to Canada in 1917. He married Marie Clarisse Cantin in Calgary and moved to BC. Joseph and Chrissy’s fourth child was James David Clarke. They had grandson Darren Clarke who wrote an article about spending his summers in Pugwash in the Clarke house. According to him, Joseph V. smoked and loved pipes and had a room in his house dedicated to pipes. When Joseph and Chrissie became older, they moved to a smaller house down Water Street. 

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Darren Clarke was a grandson of Joseph and Gussy and son of James David Clarke..  He wrote excerpts from reminiscences for “The Left Field Lark” June 18, 2018 Travel section.

 

Sitting on my grandparents’ sun porch in a rain storm – Pugwash is a tiny little town of 784 that sits on the Northumberland Strait at the mouth of the Pugwash River. My grandparents’ house sat on the corner of the town’s main streets, Water Street and Victoria Street. The sunporch overlooked Water Street and wrapped around half of the length of the house that ran parallel to Victoria. The windows were weathered, vaguely distorting the outside world. If you were sitting in the front of the house, you could look across Water Street and see Pugwash bay, its clay-coloured beach just steps away.

 

Memories of visiting my Grandfather - . . . lounging in lawn chairs beneath the tree in my grandparents’ back yard listening to my grandfather regale me, indeed educate me, with war stories and tales of his time as a magistrate – good decisions, bad decisions, funny decisions, in his endeavour to provide justice, the people he met, the ones that surprised him, the ones he respected, the ones that let him down and beyond that his stories of long lost World War I battlefields, former boxing champions (Tommy Burns) and so much more.

 

My grandfather’s pipes – My dad’s dad had tons of smoking pipes varying from simple corn cob pipes to straightforward wood pipes with plastic ends to crazy cool wood ones, some with improbably intricate metal ends. We loved them. He had an entire room dedicated to his pipes.

 

On the porch -The guns I remember really, rifles which appeared to be circa World War One. There was tons of random stuff there: almanacs, nicnacks, magazines, pins, old metal lighters that didn’t work.

 

The village – memories of collecting bottle caps out front of the same corner store in Pugwash where you bought the little packages of seaweed to eat.

 

70 Water Street was bought by John Caraberis and Bonnie Wood in 1996. They rented it to Dale O’Hara and Erin Horton who turned it into a restaurant known as Walden Pond, named after the book which Dale had been reading. It was a successful business. The current kitchen was the kitchen of the restaurant; there were two rooms which are now the dining room and living room and an outdoor deck on the Victoria Street side. Reception was from Water Street and Dale and Erin lived upstairs. It was next sold to Peter Sietel who used it as a storehouse for antiques.

 

In 2025, it was again bought by John Caraberis and Bonnie Wood. They renovated: municipal water was connected, the foundation was fixed, there was some new wiring and plastering, new heat pumps and a new roof were installed, the sun porch was repaired and a new entrance from Victoria Street was built. , and it is currently being occupied by a family who are new to the area.

 

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