Hunting in Pictou County

We went to Pictou County for a few days so I could go do some genealogical research about my McQuarrie and Balfour deceased relatives.  We left the temple on Saturday a wee early (an expression that I have heard here in Nova Scotia), or actually two hours early so we could get on the road.  As we drove we saw a lot of woodland and hills.  When the early settlers came to Nova Scotia they cleared the land but it didn't turn out that great for farming so many of them left in the late 1800's or early 1900s.  The land has now gone back to trees and wild blueberries.


We stayed at the Custom House Inn in Pictou.  It was built in 1878 and looks out over the harbour where my ancestors arrived between 1796 and 1831.  The harbour used to be very busy, but it is now very quiet and there is no need for a Customs House, so it has become an Inn.  We stayed there the same week five years ago and there were more people staying there at that time.  I think we were the only ones staying there this time. The economy has not been good for Pictou and a lot of businesses have shut down.

Fancy Window Coverings in the Custom House Inn

Not many ships use the harbour anymore, but we did see these two.  They were being loaded with logs.

When we arrived on Saturday we drove out to the Auburn Cemetery at Westville and found some of the family gravestones.  As it has been raining for a month now the ground was spongy and muddy.  We drove out to Piper's Landing (a restaurant near Scotsburn) for supper.

Sunday we attended church in New Glasgow and then went for Sunday brunch at the Pictou Lodge.  It would have been a beautiful place in good weather, but it was cloudy with intermittent rain. 

We then drove out and went through five more cemeteries and had no luck at all.  It got colder and colder and then began pouring rain.  We had a hard time finding the cemeteries.  We had supper at Subway.

Monday morning we took a wrong turn and found the Haliburton Cemetery which we had looked for five years ago and couldn't find, so we stopped and searched in the rain until we found my great-grandfather's sister's grave.  Then we went to the County office and spent $45. for a county map which we thought would help us find the cemeteries we wanted. 

Because of the rain we went to the Pictou County Archives and ended up staying there until it closed.  There was lots of information there.  We went back again this morning (Tuesday) to finish what we had been doing.

We didn't get to use the map we had bought.

Tuesday morning it was very foggy.  I hope that when my ancestors sailed into the harbour that they had sunshine and a good view of their new home.  It would be very depressing after a long voyage to be in the fog.

On our way home we back-tracked to a shopping centre in New Glasgow and I bought a few missionary type summer clothes.  I didn't bring enough clothes with me to have any variety.

It isn't raining here in Dartmouth and is much warmer than it was in Pictou.