Canada Roots
Acadia (Nova Scotia) → Southwest Nova Scotia → Peel Township (Wellington County, Ontario)
Overview
This page documents our family’s Canadian roots across four centuries—beginning with Acadian settlement in Nova Scotia, continuing through 18th-century Nova Scotia communities, and then establishing deep roots in Peel Township (Wellington County), Ontario during the 1800s.
The people listed below are part of a documented generational chain supported by records such as parish registers, civil registrations, census entries, and land/township documentation. DNA testing was also completed and supports West African ancestry within the family line.
Important geography note: This page refers to Peel Township in Wellington County, Ontario(part of the Queen’s Bush region), not the modern Peel Region near Toronto.
Migration & Places
Acadia / Nova Scotia (1600s)
Port-Royal / Annapolis Royal (Acadia) — Port‑Royal is one of the earliest French settlements in North America (1605). Parks Canada notes that Mi’kmaw people welcomed the French and showed them how to survive in the climate—an alliance described as key to the settlement’s survival.
Pobomcoup / Pubnico — Nova Scotia Archives describes the 1653 grant of Pobomcoup (Pubnico) as a barony to Philippe Mius d’Entremont (with excerpts of the grant).
Grand-Pré — Parks Canada states that Grand‑Pré commemorates the area as a centre of Acadian settlement from 1682 to 1755 and the Deportation of the Acadians (beginning in 1755 and continuing to 1762).
Nova Scotia communities (1700s–early 1800s)
Weymouth / Weymouth Falls (Digby County) — This part of the story connects with the Black Loyalist era (post‑American Revolution). The “Book of Negroes” is described as a record where registration served as vital confirmation of freedom for many Black Loyalists.
Yarmouth / Argyle / Clare / Baie Sainte-Marie
Shelburne / Clark’s Harbour (as applicable)
Ontario (1800s–1900s)
Peel Township, Wellington County
Drayton / Wellington North
Guelph / Wellington County
Hamilton
US branches (1900s)
Montana branch
Michigan branch
Major Ancestors
1600s — Acadian lines
1700s — Nova Scotia lines
1800s–1900s — Ontario lines
Timeline
1600s — Acadia (Nova Scotia)
Acadian roots established in and around Port-Royal, Pobomcoup/Pubnico, and related communities.
1700s — Southwest Nova Scotia
Documented movement and family life in Digby and Yarmouth-area communities (including Weymouth, Clare, and Baie Sainte-Marie).
DNA testing supports West African ancestry consistent with the family line that appears in Nova Scotia in this era.
1800s — Ontario (Peel Township, Wellington County)
Family becomes established in Peel Township and surrounding Wellington County communities—part of the historical Queen’s Bush region.
1900s — Mostly Ontario, with two US branches
Most family members remain rooted in Ontario (Peel Township / Drayton / Guelph / Hamilton and surrounding communities).
Two branches relocate: one to Montana and one to Michigan.
Articles
Narratives
Short Narrative
Across four centuries, this family line moves through three core geographic chapters: early Acadia in Nova Scotia, later Nova Scotia communities in the 1700s, and settlement in Peel Township (Wellington County), Ontario during the 1800s. Most descendants remained rooted in Ontario into the 1900s, while two brancheslater relocated—one to Montana and one to Michigan.
DNA testing completed within the family supports West African ancestry that aligns with the Nova Scotia chapter of the lineage.
Letter Narrative
Dear Family, This page brings together our documented Canadian roots—from Acadia and southwest Nova Scotia to Peel Township in Wellington County, Ontario—preserving names, places, and records across generations. Most of the family remained in Ontario into the 20th century, with two later branches relocating to the United States (Montana and Michigan).
With love and pride,
/SIGNATURE/
Contribute
If you’re a relative and you have stories to share, please contribute so we can strengthen the evidence behind each profile.
What to Share:
- Photos (graves, homesteads, family portraits)
- Census pages, church registers, land records
- Letters, obituaries, newspaper clippings
- Oral history audio/video (who is speaking + date recorded)
Where to send/upload:
- /FAMILY_CONTRIBUTION_EMAIL/
- /FAMILY_DRIVE_FOLDER_LINK/
Privacy note: Please avoid posting sensitive details about living people (addresses, phone numbers, etc.)