Richard Charles Brown was the son of Richard Henry Brown and Barbara (Davison) Brown. Richard studied engineering and worked with his father at the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company.
Elizabeth Purves Brown was the daughter of Richard Henry Brown and Barbara (Davison) Brown.
Lillian Seward Brown was the daughter of Richard Henry Brown and Barbara (Davison) Brown.
Margaret Sibella was the daughter of Richard Henry Brown and Barbara (Davison) Brown. Margaret became an artist and served on the directorate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.
Captain John MacDonald wasn't a fisherman but ran the schooners, the Apaco and the Molly to the Caribbean, Boston, and up and down the shore of Nova Scotia. He shared a story with his family about one especially eager passenger. In 1902, the community of Gabarus had a number of Roman Catholic families but no Roman Catholic Church, so the families collected money and charged one man, Joe, with accompanying Captain MacDonald to Halifax to buy the goods and to seek out donations from Halifax merchants and businessmen. After the journey to Halifax was completed and the goods were loaded on the vessel, the Captain found that his Joe was missing so the crew left the ship to search for him. After a little while, Joe was found, but without any donations. One crew member explained the circumstances simply, stating that they "found him in a cat house - money all gone!"
The Beaton Institute, and its predecessor Cape Bretoniana, has served as the regional archives for Cape Breton Island for the past 59 years. The Beaton Institute collects and preserves the social, economic, political and cultural history of the Island and through this mandate supports and fosters research related to Cape Breton – its people, its industry, its history, and its rich cultural heritage.
Fifty years ago, prior to digital technology, the information landscape was quite different; however, it was not without its challenges. 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.
In 1979, the Institute, along with the rest of the Sydney Campus, moved to its new location on the Grand Lake Road. The Institute was located in the Information and Communications Centre near the Library and Art Gallery. The expanded quarters and improved facilities were the culmination of many years of planning and made the Institute one of Canada’s important regional archives.
Today the Beaton Institute is housed in a 17,000 square foot complex within the Student, Culture and Heritage Centre at Cape Breton University. The modern facility houses a reading room, the vault, several specialized collections rooms, offices and work room. The foundation of the Beaton Institute is its collection. The manuscript collection is particularly strong in the industrial, labour, and political history of Cape Breton. The audio visual holdings include an oral history collection, a wealth of material relating to Cape Breton social life, songs and ballads. The Celtic Music Collection includes hundreds of recordings of Cape Breton’s best fiddlers and pianists playing tunes, which are in many cases, one of a kind. The photographic holdings include over 60,000 images dating from the mid-nineteenth century and dealing with every phase of life on the Island.
Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the Archives is its special collections of ethno cultural materials. The collection reflects the many cultural groups present in Cape Breton including the Mi’kmaq, African Nova Scotian, Jewish, Acadian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Polish and Italian communities. A great source of pride is the quality of Gaelic material including original manuscripts, tapes, a small reference library and a complete file of the Gaelic newspaper MacTalla, published for many years in Cape Breton.
It is through this collection that the Beaton Institute serves those who quest for knowledge – the student, the teacher, the filmmaker, the author, the genealogist, the community. The collection offers researchers a window through which to understand, compare, analyze and educate today by understanding and knowing our past. The goal of the archives is to collect and make available historically significant records in a manner that conveys the processes and contexts through which the record was created. The Beaton Institute has endeavored to preserve and make available those materials that have enduring value to our society. Today the Beaton Institute’s staff of five receives and responds to over 4000 enquiries a year from around the world.
Sid Kerner was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1920. As a young man of 17 joined a Photo League where, with other photographers, attempted to reflect the times they lived in and to document what was wrong as well as what was good about our society. He also studied Modern Dance and was associated with a Theater/Dance group appearing on TV in 1939. During World War II, he served with the 28th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron in the Pacific winding up on Okinawa. After the war, he became a documentary film camera operator. In 1953, he worked at NBC-TV as a lighting director and with the advent of videotape, left and joined ABC-TV again as a lighting director. He retired in 1991 though after retirement was an active worker on a photographic series entitled "Chelsea Document." He also taught two classes of photography in the local community centre in Chelsea, New York.
Eddie Parris was a former Alderman for Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Samuel Plant was a United Empire Loyalist who came from New York after the close of the American Revolution. He started a business which became one of the most prosperous mercantile ventures on the island. The Plant family's stone house in North Sydney remained in the family until 1937.
"The Gaelic College was founded in St. Ann’s, Nova Scotia, in 1938, by people from the local community who wanted to create a memorial for the Gaelic speaking pioneers of Cape Breton. Efforts were spearheaded by Angus William Rugg MacKenzie, the minister at the Knox Presbyterian Church in nearby Baddeck. That year, the Cape Breton Island Gaelic Foundation began the work of raising funds to establish the Gaelic College. A committee toured the United States and Canada, raising money through $5 subscriptions. The first building at the site on the Bay of St. Ann’s was a log cabin raised in 1939. Classes in the early years included Gaelic language, Gaelic grammar, Gaelic song, bagpiping, the history of the Gaelic in Scotland, in Nova Scotia and in the rest of North America, as well as social economics. Classes in weaving, folklore and highland dancing were soon added. From its humble beginnings, this unique institution has expanded and gained an international reputation for its contribution to the maintenance and preservation of the language and culture."
Barbara Davison married Richard Henry Brown on the 23 of November, 1864. She had five children, Margaret Sibella, Elizabeth Purves, Anne Ethel, Richard Charles, and Lillian Seward.
Richard Henry Brown was born 13 November 1837 at London, England, the son of Richard and Sibella Margaret (Barrington) Brown. Brown married Barbara Davison (1842-1898) on 23 November 1864 and the couple had five children: Margaret Sibella, Elizabeth Purves, Anne Ethel, Richard Charles, and Lillian Seward. The family resided in Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia where Brown worked as manger of the General Mining Association (later the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company), and served as the mayor of the town of Sydney Mines. Daughter Margaret (1866-1961) became an artist and served on the directorate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Richard Charles (1872-1928) studied engineering and worked with his father at the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company.
Richard Henry Brown was born 13 November 1837 at London, England, the son of Richard and Sibella Margaret (Barrington) Brown. R.H. married Barbara Davison (1842-1898) on 23 November 1864 and the couple had five children: Margaret Sibella, Elizabeth Purves, Anne Ethel, Richard Charles, and Lillian Seward. The family resided in Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia where Brown worked as manger of the General Mining Association (later the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company), and served as the mayor of the town of Sydney Mines. Daughter Margaret (1866-1961) became an artist and served on the directorate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Richard Charles (1872-1928) studied engineering and worked with his father at the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company.
Anne Ethel (Brown) Johnstone was the daughter of Richard Henry Brown and Barbara (Davison) Brown. She was married to Dr. L.W. Johnstone.
Shedden Studio was founded by David Thompson Shedden in 1916. Mr. Shedden continued to work part-time as a meat cutter until the business gained traction within the local community. In 1930 the eldest of David Shedden's children, Stanley, began working as a photographer for the Studio. He was responsible for taking the photograph of aviator Beryl Markham's plane crash in Baleine, Nova Scotia in 1936. This photograph ran in the New York Times and this negative along with a selection of others are still held by the Shedden family in a private collection. Tragically, Stanley succumbed to illness at the young age of 26. Prior to serving overseas during WWII, David’s other son Leslie, trained as a photographer. When he returned in 1945, he started working with his father at the studio and took over operations when David died in 1948.
Just before Stanley began working with his father, a fire in 1929 destroyed all earlier negatives of the commercial studio. Although there is speculation that Sheddon Studio was contracted by local coal company British Empire and Steel Corportation (BESCO), the negatives no longer exist. This loss was further compounded with the destruction of more negatives before the sale of the company to Cyril McDonald in 1977.
The remaining negatives document the commercial activity of the studio from 1948 to the mid-1970s. The collection consists of portraiture, wedding, anniversary, school groups and graduation photography. Religious ceremonies and social events located mainly in Glace Bay and surrounding areas are also included. A separate grouping of negatives documenting industrial contracts with the Dominion Steel and Coal Company (DOSCO) from 1948-1968 also survived.
McDonald continued to provide reproduction prints on request until 2006. At this time, he decided to donate the first grouping of Shedden negatives to the Beaton Institute at Cape Breton University. McDonald donated the remaining Shedden Studio negatives to the archive in January, 2016 and no longer provides photography services.
The Abbass family emigrated from Lebanon to Cape Breton at the turn of the 20th century. With his wife, Lilly Khattar, Jobe Abbass built a home on Townsend Street in Sydney, N.S. and together raised twelve children. It is in this building that three of those children, George, John and Anthony started Abbass Studios in the summer of 1946.
While still in high school at Sydney Academy, George took a job as an apprentice at Meyer’s Photography, a national chain. In 1941, after graduating from high school, his brother John also secured a job with Meyers where they both learned the craft of photography. Eventually they began private work contracting jobs with the Post Record and Chronicle Herald newspapers. In January of 1943 four of the Abbass boys, George, John, Joe and Ferris, enlisted to serve during World War II. They left their younger brother Anthony (Tony), who was too young to enlist, in charge of their Post and Herald contracts. When the brothers returned from war, they received a stipend from the government to open their own business.
Abbass Studios opened its doors July 18, 1946 in the family home on Townsend Street in Sydney, N.S. . The studio offered photo finishing, portraits and commercial photography. By the mid-1960s Abbass Studio served all of the Maritime Provinces. The company built a photo finishing plant in Moncton, New Brunswick and purchased stores in New Castle, New Brunswick. The brothers eventually brought the Econo-Color Camera Stores and Studios franchise from Sherman Hines.
Abbass Studios captured and continues to document the diverse economic, political and cultural heritage of the area. The business is still in family hands and run by John’s sons Blaise and John. The Townsend Street building was demolished in 2014 and Blaise Abbass now operates Abbass Studios, Sydney from his home. John Abbass runs the store at Scotia Square Mall in Halifax.
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.
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.
Daniel Joseph MacDonald was born to a family of farmers in Bothwell, Prince Edward Island on July 23, 1918. At the age of 22, MacDonald enlisted with the P.E.I. Highlanders in 1940. Later in June1943, he transferred to the Cape Breton Highlanders where by October of the same year would become a sergeant in the unit. MacDonald was first wounded in an an assault on the Gothic Line. Again, MacDonald was wounded at the Battle of Senio River on December 21, 1944 by an exploding shell. This time, his wounds were serious; MacDonald had his left arm and leg amputated over fear of infection. After being in hospital, those who were unable to walk on their own required a wheelchair. Loathing not being able to walk on his own, MacDonald requested a British cobbler to make a protector for his amputated arm so that he could use crutches to walk on his own.
Years after the end of the war, MacDonald turned to politics . He was elected to the Prince Edward Island legislature in 1962 as the member for 1st Kings where he also served as the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry under Premier Alex B. Campbell from 1966 to 1972. In 1972 MacDonald resigned from P.E.I. provincial politics to run as the Member of Parliament for the riding of Cardigan where he was elected in 1972, again in 1974, and a third time in 1980. In March 1974, MacDonald was appointed by Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau to become the Minister of Veterans Affairs. The role included many tasks including acting as the Canadian Agent for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. In 1975, MacDonald also attended the ceremonies in Italy for the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Italy alongside comrades including Cape Breton Highlanders veterans Charles "Sharkey" MacDonald and Ralph Davies.
MacDonald accomplished much as Minister for Veterans affairs and was well liked by many, including Prime Minister Trudeau whom he became good friends with. During his time in parliament, MacDonald fought for greater support for veterans and their families as well as to increase the pensions for those with disabilities. MacDonald passed away on September 30, 1980 and was given a state funeral. MacDonald had a saying: "it isn't what you've lost, but what you have left."
Son of Richard and Bridget Denny was born on March 5, 1920 in Eskasoni, Nova Scotia. He married Sarah Agnes Denny and they had 12 children together. He also had one more child in Afton N.S. He strongly believed in the Christian faith and in Mi'kmaq traditional ways. He always read the bible to his children and brought them up to always pray for the sick. He also established the Mala Mass Feast to ensure no elders went hungry. He passed away on July 4, 1983 in Eskasoni.
Wilfred Prosper, son of Peter Prosper and Clara Young, was born in 1927 in Potlotek. Wilfred lived in Potlotek until 1947, at which time he and his parents were relocated to Eskasoni as a part of the Centralization initiative of the Department of Indian Affairs. There he met and married his wife Bessie Stevens and together they had 9 daughters and 6 sons. Within the community he served several roles throughout his life including Chief of Eskasoni. He also served as Spiritual Leader of the Mi’kmaq Grand Council, and worked as a carpenter. He started out on the guitar and eventually switched to the fiddle at the age of sixteen. He was influenced by Simon Cremo who was a Mi’kmaw fiddler and would often perform with Lee Cremo. He was well known as a fiddler to the Mi’kmaq and non-Mi’kmaq communities and won many awards. In the 1960s he was awarded the title of former Maritime Fiddling Champion and was a long standing member of the Cape Breton Fiddlers Association. In 1998, he was recognized for his accomplishments and was awarded the Grand Chief Donald Marshall Sr. Elders Award. Wilfred was also a well respected Mi'kmaw elder and translator and spent his lifetime preserving and teaching Mi'kmaw Hymns and Mi'kmaw Traditions. He passed away on March 25, 2005 at the age of 77.
Ralph S. Davies was born in 1921 to parents Thomas and Blanche (Davidson) Davies of Glace Bay, N.S. Davies enlisted with the Cape Breton Highlanders during World War II and served in England, Italy, and Holland.
After the war, Davies became a part of Branch 3 of the Royal Canadian Legion as well as becoming a part of the executive of the Cape Breton Highlanders Association, serving as president and later as its secretary between 1974 and 1979. Davies also worked as a car inspector for the Cape Breton Development Corporation Railway.
In 1975, Davies, alongside fellow Cape Breton Highlanders veteran and Association member Charles R. "Sharkey" MacDonald, went to Italy as part of the Official Canadian Pilgrimage to events commemorating the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Italy. Davies passed away suddenly in July 1979.