Chester Parish (Anglican) was established in 1800, with Saint Stephen's (built 1795) as the parish church. A church was constructed in 1795. It was replaced by 1840.
The original parishes of the Diocese of Nova Scotia were established in 1754, first St Paul's in Halifax and then St John's in Lunenburg. Their borders met at Hubbard's Cove and what would become the Parish of Chester, was then part of St. John's Parish. In 1762 a town committee was formed, with travelling minister Rev. John Seccombe as chairman. A small "dissenting" chapel was erected in Chester and Rev. Seccombe and Rev. Bruin Rumkis Cumingo served the area until an Anglican minister arrived. The records of these early clergymen, documenting baptisms, marriages, and deaths, constitute the earliest records of the history of Chester, with the first baptism being recorded in July of 1762; the first child born in the town. Grants given to former soldiers brought many new people to the area, creating a need for an Anglican minister who would organize the people and build a church in Chester. In response to this need, Rev. Thomas Lloyd, a missionary from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts arrived in September 1794. (MemoryNS/ Eastern Shore Archives Church Records Collection)
Other communities included: Blandford, Canaan, Dover, East River, French Village, Head of St. Margarets Bay, Hubbards Cove, Hubbards River, Indian Point, Martins River, Sherbrooke (New Ross), and Western Shore.
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