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Mudoch Beaton lived on the Shore Road in Harbourview near Port Hood. He married Mary Christina MacDonell. He is remembered for his wit and talent as a storyteller.

Mother St. Margaret of Scotland (Sister Margaret Beaton), in her role as Librarian at Xavier Junior College, recognized that many documents of historical and literary significance to Cape Breton Island were being lost due to neglect and the lack of an appropriate repository. In a pro-active response to this challenge Sr. Beaton began collecting Cape Breton related documents and artifacts with the objective of preserving materials of historic significance for future scholars.

It all began in 1957 with the acquisition of the first manuscript – The Minutes of the First Agricultural Meeting in Cape Breton. Today, the Beaton Institute is recognized in the archival community as having a rich regional collection.

This collecting, in the beginning, was sporadic and unplanned – more serendipitous in nature, but fruitful all the same. By 1966, Sister Margaret turned her attention to building Cape Bretoniana and the College of Cape Breton Archives on a full-time basis. Cape Bretoniana grew substantially during these years with several appeals to the local community for donations of archival material. As a result there was the on-going need for additional space for the archives, first housed within the library then in the MacDonald Arts Building on George Street in Sydney, followed by a move to the MacLeod Building on Nepean Street in 1967 and then to the Logue Building at George and Pitt Streets in 1970.

In 1975, Cape Bretoniana was expanded to include two main divisions: the Archives and Institute Library, and the division of Ethnic Studies, Folklore and the Social and Cultural History of Cape Breton Island. In the same year the Archives was struck a blow with the sudden death of Sr. Beaton as a result of a car accident. The direction of the Archives was taken on by Dr. Malcolm MacLellan as an interim measure until the appointment of Dr. Robert Morgan as the permanent director and archivist. The Archives was renamed, the Beaton Institute, in honour of its foundress and as a pledge that the work of this outstanding woman would continue.

Alexander Graham Bell, teacher of the deaf, inventor, scientist (born 3 March 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland; died 2 August 1922 near Baddeck, NS). Alexander Graham Bell is generally considered second only to Thomas Alva Edison among 19th- and 20th-century inventors. Although he is best known as the inventor of the first practical telephone, he also did innovative work in other fields, including aeronautics, hydrofoils and wireless communication (the “photophone”). Moreover, Bell himself considered his work with the deaf to be his most important contribution. Born in Scotland, he emigrated to Canada in 1870 with his parents. Bell married American Mabel Hubbard in 1877 and became a naturalized American citizen in 1882. From the mid-1880s, he and his family spent their summers near Baddeck on Cape Breton Island, where they built a large home, Beinn Bhreagh. From then on, Bell divided his time and his research between the United States and Canada. He died and was buried at Baddeck in 1922.

Mabel Gardiner Hubbard Bell, aeronautics financier, community leader, social reformer and advocate for the deaf (born 25 November 1857 in Cambridge, Massachusetts; died 3 January 1923 in Chevy Chase, Maryland). Bell actively supported and contributed to the work of her husband, inventor Alexander Graham Bell. Her financial investment in his work made her the first financier of the aviation industry in North America. She was a community leader in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, where the Bell family spent their summers. She was also a social reformer and supported innovation in education.

Jacques Nicolas Bellin was appointed hydrographer (chief cartographer) to the French Navy at the age of 18 in 1721. He was eventually named the official hydrographer to King Louis XV. A member of the French intellectual group, the philosophes, Bellin's work was known for intellectual rigour and high quality often copied by other cartographers. His maps set a high standard of production and accuracy and were often copied by other cartographers. During his term in office he was commissioned to carry out major coastal surveys. In 1764 he published the Petit Atlas Maritime in 5 volumes.

Joseph Bernard, marquis de Chabert was a French naval officer, geographer and astronomer. He was commissioned in 1750 to go to North America to correct the maps of the coasts of Acadia, Isle Royale and Newfoundland. It was during this trip that Bernard visited Louisbourg and established an observatory. He documented his findings in the publication "Voyage fait par order du Roi en 1750 et 1751".

Stephen R. Black was born in Grand Mira North to parents Roderick and Ann MacDougall, both of whom were born in Scotland. He worked as a carpenter-contractor in Sydney for most of his adult life but also spent a few years in Boston. Black was remembered as a great Gaelic scholar and vocalist. He was very active in the Scottish Catholic Society of Canada.

Phyllis R. Blakeley was born in Halifax, N.S., on 2 August 1922, the daughter of Cecil Pearson Blakeley and Clara Amanda McLearn. She received a BA (1942) and MA (1945) from Dalhousie University. She taught briefly at Alexandra School in Halifax and joined the staff of the Public Archives of Nova Scotia as a research assistant in 1945. She served as Assistant Provincial Archivist, 1959-1977; Associate Provincial Archivist, 1977-1981; and Provincial Archivist, 1982-1985. She received an honourary LLD from Dalhousie University in 1977, was a member of the Order of Canada (1978) and a Fellow of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society (1979). She wrote extensively under her own name, as well as under her early pseudonym, Ruth Blake. Phyllis Blakeley died in Halifax on 25 October 1986.

Founded in 1966, the Boardmore Theatre presents an annual season of plays, including plays for young audiences, four to five full length plays, a bi-annual Shakespeare production and a bi-annual Broadway Musical, and a one week one act play festival with an emphasis on new play development. The Boardmore Playhouse is home to the Theatre and a 337 seat venue which is the centre for the performing arts at Cape Breton University. Throughout the school year and summer months the CBU Boardmore Playhouse is also involved with a number of community projects. The Playhouse provides practical expertise to community theatre groups in the form of workshops for young people as well as advise and leadership in summer theatre programs. It is named for its founders - Liz and Harry Boardmore - who nurtured a love and excellence for community theatre in Cape Breton.

Elizabeth Anne 'Liz' (MacDonald) Boardmore was born in Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia in 1940. Liz was educated and trained as a teacher at the Provincial Normal College, Truro, and at St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish. After graduation, Liz taught at Duncan MacMillan High School in Sheet Harbour, where she met Harry Boardmore in the 1960s. Liz and Harry married and came to Sydney in 1966 to teach at Xavier Junior College, later UCCB. The original plan was to come to the Junior College for two years and then be transferred to Antigonish, but Harry said, "there was something in the air... and we hated to leave." Liz and Harry established the Xavier College Drama Society and early productions and drama festivals took place on the top floor of the Lyceum in Sydney, which became the Xavier College Theatre. The productions America Hurrah! (1969) and The Serpent (1970) were particularly well received at both provincial and Dominion Drama festivals. When the new College of Cape Breton campus opened in 1979, the drama society and theatre moved to its new permanent home at the Playhouse. In 1990, it was renamed the Boardmore Playhouse in honour of Liz and Harry Boardmore, for their unwavering dedication to the development of community theatre in Cape Breton. Liz was a professor of English at UCCB for 28 years and she was much loved by her many students. Her enthusiasm and passion for theatre and education was always evident. She was recognized for her work with a Cultural Life Award (1993) from the Cultural Federations of Nova Scotia and with award from the Association of Teachers of English, Nova Scotia. Elizabeth Boardmore passed away on Sunday, February 15th, 2004 at the age of 64.

Harry Boardmore grew up in Longton, Staffordshire in the English Black Country. His initial interest in acting and drama was born out of trips to the local cinema with his grandmother as a child. In the 1950s, he attended the College of St. Mark and St. John in London where he pursued studies in speech and drama preparing for a career as a teacher. In the 1960s, Harry made his way across the Atlantic to Canada; he began teaching at Duncan MacMillan High School in the rural eastern shore community of Sheet Harbour, which is where he met Elizabeth 'Liz' MacDonald. Harry and Liz married and moved to Sydney to teach at Xavier College in 1966. The original plan was to come to the Junior College for two years and then be transferred to Antigonish, but Harry said, "there was something in the air... and we hated to leave." Liz and Harry established the Xavier College Drama Society and early productions and drama festivals took place on the top floor of the Lyceum in Sydney, which became the Xavier College Theatre. When the new College of Cape Breton campus opened in 1979, the drama society and theatre moved to its new permanent home at the Playhouse. In 1990, it was renamed the Boardmore Playhouse in honour of Liz and Harry Boardmore, for their unwavering dedication to the development of community theatre in Cape Breton. Harry was a faculty member at the University College of Cape Breton, teaching English and overseeing theatrical productions. He directed 64 plays during his tenure, and was credited for bringing contemporary and experimental theatre and voices to the stage. Harry Boardmore passed away in Bolivia in April of 2013 at the age of 82.

Matilda Bown was born in 1827 in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Bown taught art and painting in North Sydney. She spent a considerable amount of time on Sable Island and she became very interested in its natural history. Bown died 12 October 1910 at North Sydney.

Angus Joseph (A.J.) Boyd was born in River Bourgeois, Richmond County, Cape Breton on May 10th, 1854. He married Mary Fraser in 1882 and together they raised ten children. In 1882 he opened the general store A.J. Boyd, General Sales, which he continued to run until his death in 1938. The store was later managed by his son, and remained a family operation until its closure in 1975.

In addition to running a successful business, he was appointed as the Indian Affairs Superintendent for the Guysborough, Pictou, Antigonish, Richmond, Inverness, Victoria and Cape Breton Counties on May 14th, 1907. There is documentation that supports that he held this position until the mid-1920s. It is possible that Morrison’s General Store operated as a Canadian federal Department of Indian Affairs depot, under Superintendent Angus J. Boyd. There is also evidence indicating a retail relationship between the Department of Indian Affairs and the Morrison's General Store. More research is required to establish the historical relationship between the Department, Boyd and Morrison’s Stores Ltd.

Dougald Robert Boyle was born 10 September 1847 at Glenora Falls, Nova Scotia, the son of Scottish immigrants. He took his first teaching position at Port Hood ca. 1868 and later taught at West Arichat. Boyle married Mary Anne Tyrrell in 1872 and the couple had eleven children. Following teaching, Boyle was appointed Fishery Officer and Stipendiary Magistrate for Richmond County. He held these positions until 1911. Boyle was also active in community affairs, such a pressing for the Lennox Passage Bridge, improvements at Petit de Grat and for a rail line running between MacIntyre's Lake and Arichat. Boyle died in 1914.

Thomas Bray was born in Port Morien, 1932. He graduated from St. Anne’s High School, Glace Bay. He furthered his education at Xavier Junior College and the Nova Scotia Teacher’s College in Truro. He attended additional courses at St. Mary’s University, Dalhousie University, the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, and at University of new Brunswich earned three degrees (B.A., B.Ed., and M.Ed.). He met his wife Karen at UNB.

After high school he spent some time working for The Royal Bank of Canada before pursuing degrees in Education. He then taught for 32 years at Donkin Morien High School.