Planned future posts may drift outside of what many would believe to be the community of Earltown.  This post may help explain the reach of Earltown beyond its political boundaries in the 19^th century.

When settlement of the area commenced in1813, municipal government was in its infancy.  Colchester and Pictou were districts within a sprawling Halifax County.  Surveys were then in progress and boundaries were somewhat fluid.  The first settlers in what is now Clydesdale likely were under the impression that they were still in the Pictou District.

In the case of the District of Colchester, local matters were handled by a body known as the Court of Sessions.  By 1817 the Court recognized Donald Ross, an early settler at Rossville, as the presumed leader in an area unofficially called New Portugal.  Ross was given some responsibilities such as road overseer and fence overseer, rather officious titles considering roads were still blazed paths in the forest and fences were piles of brush.  More interesting is Donald’s advance notice in 1818 of twenty five families expected to arrive in New Portugal in 1819 and the fact he would be guiding them to their potential grants.   In the meantime, surveyor Alexander Miller advanced the notion to the then governor, the Earl of Dalhousie, the name “Dalhousie” for the new settlement.  The Earl, concerned that there were already two other communities of that name, countered with “Earltown”.   The locals had no say in the matter.  The name New Portugal died a sudden death and more appropriate names such as New Rogart or Strathbrora never had a chance.

The hilly area separating the low-lying areas of the Minas Basin and Northumberland Strait was divided into two districts – New Annan in the west and Earltown in the east.  For the most part, the northern boundary was the southern boundary of the DesBarres grant of 1765.  The future county line with Pictou defined the east and the township of Onslow, including Kemptown, defined the south.

The DesBarres Estate with its gentler terrain and fertile river dales was operating under the owner’s dream of European-style feudal manor.  The arrivals from Sutherland in the clearance era were not interested in returning to the uncertainty of leases.  They had to be content with the steep and rocky slopes of Earltown.  New Annan, which mostly attracted lowland families, was not much better.  The end result was a tight-knit community of Scots from the eastern parishes of Sutherland and adjacent parishes in Ross.   In the case of The Falls and West Earltown, it was as if nothing changed for them other than the type of vegetation.

In addition to the newly arrived Scots, some of the land grants were given to people living in West Pictou [i] who arrived as children shortly after 1800.  Most of them held these grants on speculation and it would be several years before they were offered for sale to late arrivals from Scotland or second generation immigrants.

 Several Onslow men also received land[ii]. Most of them made no attempt to settle or improve their land which resulted in gaps in the settlement patterns.   By 1831-32,  when there was a significant influx of new immigrants from Sutherland and Caithness, those with money purchased some of these grants.  Those without cash ended up further afield.  Such was the case of Upper Kemptown, outside Earltown’s bounds, which was settled in the 1830’s by a mix of immigrants from Sutherland and Ross and several second-generation Highlanders from West and Middle River settlements of Pictou.  These new residents were totally immersed in Gaelic and adhered to the Established Church of Scotland.  Naturally, they journeyed to Earltown for worship and for trade.  Although not within the political boundaries of Earltown, they weighed in on civic matters.  

The church in Earltown also had oversight of the Gaelic speaking minority in the North River valley in the Onslow township.   Polson Mountain[iii] and MacKenzie Settlement were under the care of the Earltown population as were a couple of MacDonald families in Upper North River and the MacLeods at Central North River.   While the predominant Ulster Scot population of North River were Presbyterian, it was a different brand and didn’t offer Gaelic services.

Along the eastern side, the boundary with Pictou tended to be a bit fluid.  The former county line seemed to diverge from the current alignment in College Grant which resulted in two farms[iv], currently in Pictou, being in Colchester in 1838.  This was more pronounced in South Loganville where the entirety of the Gunshot Road and Craig areas were enumerated in Colchester. At that point the boundary was a mile further east than the present day.  Most of the early settlers on the Gunshot and Craig described themselves in early documents as being residents of Earltown and many of them are buried in the Earltown cemeteries.   Even as late as 1960, some Pictou County families along the boundary attended school in North Colchester for accessibility reasons.

West Branch River John has its own identity but they share many things in common.  In the 1800’s the two communities shared a Pastoral Charge of both the Established Church and the Free Church. The families mostly share a common heritage in Sutherland and the adjacent parishes in Ross.  Although both had their own stores, trade was robust between the two communities.  Consequently there are many family ties between the two areas.

An area of significant Earltown expansion is Balfron to the north of The Falls.  After DesBarres died in 1824, it was several years before the estate made the area available for sale.  Most of the lots were gobbled up by the Campbells in Tatamagouche and Pictou merchants for the harvest and export of timber.  By the 1840’s the logged over land was made available for sale.  The result was a mix of second generation Tatamagouche people, (mostly tied to the Hayman family),  a significant number of second generation Earltowners and a few Highlanders from the West River settlements of Pictou.   Gaelic was predominant among the Earltown and West River settlers.   Even the Haymans, although half Franco-Swiss, retained some of their Argyle linguistics.  

Part of the Nuttby community was inside the Earltown boundary.  Those families were mostly Ulster Scots and Baptist in religion[v].  While there may have been some limited trade with Earltown, they mostly associated with North River and Truro.  The two communities had some attitude towards each other, with one or the other perceiving themselves to be superior.

Lastly we come to the western boundary which warrants its own post in the very near future.

The attached map shows the approximate boundaries of the political district of the late 1800’s encompassing 154 square km.  The 18 square kilometers annexed to New Annan is to the left of the main block.  The influence extended outward to 300 square kilometers.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1QWqpEPmziFEeUuQYIZCc4stRNCk9330&usp=sharing

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[i] These grants were primarily in Clydesdale and the Berichon.  The MacIntoshes of Roger’s Hill figure prominently.

[ii] These grants were mostly along the river through Central Earltown to West Earltown and were mostly names associated with North River.

[iii] The Polson family were clearance era settlers in Upper South River, Antigonish County. Peter Polson married Marion MacLean of Riversdale and settled on Polson Mountain facing towards Truro. The farm is still visible driving up the North River valley.  They are buried in Earltown.

[iv] The Baillie farm and George Graham farms, both in Pictou County today, are on the 1838 census of Earltown.  Those farms were always part of the Clydesdale school district.

[v] One exception is the MacRae family.  They had roots in Golspie in Sutherland and likely many ties to families in Earltown.  However they were more inclined to associate and intermarry with the Ulster people of North River or the lowland families around Tatamagouche.