Fort Anne Papers : 1606-1963.

Call Number:
HIL-MICL FC LSC .N6F6P3C6
Category:
Special Collections
Creator:
Nova Scotia Archives.
Material Description:
4 microfilm textual records 35 mm
Background:

Fort Anne was built as a military fort, with the first fort named Charles Fort built by the Scots in 1629 as part of a settlement led by William Alexander. The region reverted to French control in the 1630s and Charles de Menou D'Aulnay brought French Acadian settlers. The British seized control during Queen Anne's War, 1710. The area, previously called Port Royal, was renamed Annapolis Royal. Annapolis Royal remained the capital of Nova Scotia (Acadia) until the founding of Halifax, 1749. The area was a focal point as the British and French tried to keep control of the area until the fall of Quebec in 1759. The deportation of Acadians, settlement of planters from New England and of loyalist refugees after the American Revolution were organised from this site.

Contents:

The collection contains a variety of documents concerning life at Fort Anne, previously known as Port Royal, and its surrounding areas in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, such as Clements, Dalhousie, Granville, Digby and Bridgetown, 1606-1963. (Most of the contemporary documents span the late 17th century to the late 19th century.) As the centre of government for the province until the middle of the 18th century, and the centre of society for the County for many years thereafter, Fort Anne was at the forefront of the french and british imperial struggles and these records give some insight into society during these interesting times. The main subject matters include: Acadia, Annapolis County, Fort Anne, society and social history - family and the poor, justice (law), religion, French-British and British-American relations, local history, military, commerce, and fishing. 

Detailed Contents 

The Collection includes the following material arranged as follows:

Reel 1:

  • Families and Individuals: Reverend Jacob Bailey (1731-1808, Anglican), letters and letterbook, 1781-1785 with two volumes of Dialogues on Religious and Moral Excercises; Cutler family, papers, 1817-1823; Charles de Menon D'Aulnay (1604-1650), letter to Governor Winthrop, 1645; The Finding of D'Aulnay's grave in 1932; DeLancey family, letters to Mrs. Mary Harris, 1796, 1800; Diereville (fl.1699-1711), Account of a Voyage to Port Royal, 1699 (English translation); Sixth Earl of Stirling, a thesis by Ronald Stewart Longley; John James French, an extract from his diary, 1857; Oliver Goldsmith (1794-1861) and brother Henry, personal information; Mr. [J.C.] Haliburton's Pension,; 1841; H. Henderson & Son, Daybook, 1861-1863

Reel 2:

  • Families and Individuals continued: Edward How (1702?-1750), family papers, 1744, 1749, 1790; Johnstone Monument, 1913; Marc Lescarbot (1570-1642), translation of Adieux to the French, 1606; Hananiah Parker, letter, 1710; Stephen Rodda, Annapolis Royal, journal, begins 1743; Sanders family, papers, 1784-1821; Wiswall family, papers, 1795-1832, (includes Rev. John (Anglican) and his son Judge Peleg
  • Fort Anne, records: (1807-1812 - Reports), 1883-1920
  • Acadia and Port Royal: records and documents mostly concerning fishing and commerce, 1682-1691; Emblem Rock of Port Royal, 1934; The Fortification at Port Royal during the French Regime, 1918, includes list of maps and plans used by Placide Gaudet; The Hidden Stone of Port Royal; The Order of Good Cheer,1926, 1929
  • Community Papers: Apple Industry in Nova Scotia, 1921-1941 (mostly secondary sources, included are photographs of old trees, etc.; Commissions, 1788, 1834; Court 'Papers' and Miscellaneous Legal Papers, 1790-1894 (included are court cases (causes) from the Supreme Court, Inferior Court, and Chancery Court); and Grants, Deeds and Other Documents relating to Annapolis County, 1722-1854 (included is land granted to Anglican Bishop Charles Inglis as well as a deed to the Presbyterian congregation of Annapolis Royal).

Reel 3:

  • Community Papers continued: Indentures, 1828, 1838, 1855; Letters and Petitions, 1788-1915 (included is correspondence by McIver & Co.); Militia battalion orders, Annapolis, 1835; Notes, Receipts, Accounts, etc., 1787-1893; Overseers of the Poor documents, Annapolis Township, 1812-1815; Post Office, miscellaneous papers, 1795-1869; The Roman Catholic Church in Annapolis Royal, 1925 (includes two translated French hymns); fragments of school registers from Winchester School Section No. 10, District of Annapolis West, 1865-1867; vital statistics, marriages and deaths, mostly pertaining to Lower Granville, 1862-1870; Township of Clements, documents, 1781-1877; Dalhousie Settlement, a grant to disbanded soldiers, 1821; and Granville Township, and Church Records pertaining to Methodist missionaries, including baptisms, 1790-1801; marriages, 1790-1801, 1814-1882; burials, 1828-1918 and township records, 1746-1867 (some in New England)

Reel 4:

  • Community Papers continued: Granville Township and Church Records, continued, baptisms, 1829-1918 and confirmations, 1876-1901
  • Pictures and Photographs: Photographs (Fort Anne, Annapolis royal, and people; pictures (sketches of people and places 1837-41, includes natives); and photographs, other (for eg. Gesner house in Granville)
  • Miscellaneous
Originals:

The original records are held by the Nova Scotia Archives but ownership is retained by Parks Canada.

Finding Aids:
  • The Table of Contents is located at the beginning of each reel. A more detailed description of the material can be found at the beginning of each numbered section within the film. These descriptions also serve to divide each section of material on the film.
  • A digitised version of a more detailed Content List, with reel numbers, is available. This is made available courtesy of the Provincial Archives of Nova Scotia.
  • Jacob Bailey Letterbooks: subject index is available at the start of the letters.
  • Granville Township and Church Records: nominal index at the start of each section (baptisms, marriages, etc.)
  • References pertaining to religion are gathered together in the guide, Religion in the Fort Anne Papers. This guide provides a description of individual documents, document numbers, section numbers, and reel numbers.
Fort Anne Papers DetailedContents.pdf Religion in the Fort Anne Papers.pdf