This book contains a series of essays regarding the history of Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, along with the genealogies of the original Loyalist settlers.

Nova Scotia juts out from the North American continental mass as if it has been intended to be the point of approach or departure for all traveling on the North Trans-Atlantic sea lanes. Guysborough County is the very pinhead. The widely flaring mouth of Chedabucto Bay stands open as if to welcome travelers. Throughout history, a variety of people have accepted the invitation. And in Guysborough Sketches and Essays author A.C. Jost talks about these people and has compiled a collection of essays detailing the background of Guysborough County. A group of interlinking articles, this collection of essays and genealogies of the original Loyalist settlers has been regarded as the most authoritative account of the history of this area. An invaluable source of information about local lore, Guysborough Sketches and Essays recalls many noteworthy events including the county's early turbulent past, the tragedy and drama of three shipwrecks in three years beginning in 1780, and the discovery of gold in Wine Harbour in 1860. With maps and drawings, this history book is a valuable resource for those conducting genealogy research and for those seeking stories about this treasure in northern Canada.

2017 Robbie Robertson Dartmouth Book Award — Shortlisted Paul Chiasson reveals the possibility that early Chinese settlers landed in Cape Breton long before Europeans. From the very beginning of the European Age of Discovery, Cape Breton was considered unusual. The history of the area even includes early references to the island having once been the land of the Chinese. In 1497, at least a century before any attempt at European settlement in the region, the explorer John Cabot had referred to Cape Breton as the “Island of Seven Cities.” The indigenous people of the region, the Mi’kmaq, were the only aboriginal people of North America who had a written language when Europeans first arrived. This writing, clothing, and customs also suggested an early Chinese presence. In Written in the Ruins, Chiasson investigates the ruins at St. Peters in the southern part of the island, where evidence brought to light supports a theory that could answer all the questions raised by the island’s curious, unresolved history.

In 1786, the Reverend James MacGregor (1759-1830) was dispatched across the North Atlantic to establish a dissenting Presbyterian church in Pictou, Nova Scotia. The decision dismayed MacGregor, who had hoped for a post in the Scottish Highlands. Yet it led to a remarkable career in what was still the backwoods of colonial North America. Industrious and erudite, MacGregor established the progressive Pictou Academy, opposed slavery, and promoted scientific education, agriculture, and industry. Poet and translator, fluent in nine languages, he encouraged the preservation of the Gaelic language and promoted Scottish culture in Nova Scotia. Highland Shepherd finally bestows on MacGregor the recognition that he so richly deserves. Alan Wilson brings MacGregor and his surroundings to life, detailing his numerous achievements and establishing his importance to the social, religious, and intellectual history of the Maritimes.

Beginning in 1924, Proceedings are incorporated into the Apr. no.