A Business Letter to Arichat: Fever, Repairs, and the Brazil Trade

Great Britain Scott # 27 – 6d Pale Lilac, on May 18, 1860 folded letter from Liverpool, England to Arichat, Cape Breton. Addressed to Messrs De Carteret & de Visconte, Arichat, Cape Breton. Manuscript "Mail via Halifax" on front. 466 barred oval cancellation (Liverpool). Backstamps LIVERPOOL P.O.19 MY 60, H(alifax) N.S. MY 28 1860, ARICHAT N.S. MY 30, 1860. a transatlantic transit of twelve days. Manuscript "C.R. Taylor Son, Liverpool, May 18/60" on inside flap. Liverpool 18t

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17 hours ago10 min read

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about the BlueNotes

Nova Scotia issued its first postage stamps in September 1851. The stamps, 3d. blue, 6d. yellow-green, and 1s. dull purple, were diamond shaped and depicted the crown of Great Britain surrounded by four heraldic flowers of empire. In 1853 the square 1d. rose stamp was added featuring a portrait of Queen Victoria.

On January 1st, 1860, Nova Scotia switched from pounds to dollars and cents. So, in October of that year, the province issued stamps in five new denominations: 1c. purple, 5c. blue, 8 1/2c. green, 10c. vermilion, and 12 1/2c. black, and in May of 1863 a 2c. grey/black stamp was added. The stamps were based on two portraits of Queen Victoria, one in profile and one face on. After Confederation, in 1867, Nova Scotia stamps were gradually replaced by stamps of the Dominion of Canada.

The blue stamps for both the pence and cents issues were by far the most common, being the inter- and intra-provincial letter rate. Although The BlueNotes will feature examples of stampless covers and covers franked in other denominations and mailed from other jurisdictions, Nova Scotia's blue stamps will predominate here as they did in historic provincial usage.

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A Business Letter to Arichat: Fever, Repairs, and the Brazil Trade

Great Britain Scott # 27 – 6d Pale Lilac, on May 18, 1860 folded letter from Liverpool, England to Arichat, Cape Breton. Addressed to Messrs De Carteret & de Visconte, Arichat, Cape Breton. Manuscript "Mail via Halifax" on front. 466 barred oval cancellation (Liverpool). Backstamps LIVERPOOL P.O.19 MY 60, H(alifax) N.S. MY 28 1860, ARICHAT N.S. MY 30, 1860. a transatlantic transit of twelve days. Manuscript "C.R. Taylor Son, Liverpool, May 18/60" on inside flap. Liverpool 18t

17 hours ago10 min read

A Letter to Harvard Medical College

Nova Scotia # 12 on January 27, 1866 cover from Clementsport, Nova Scotia to Boston, Massachusetts. Addressed to D. G. SaundersEsq, Harvard Medical College, Boston, Mass. Barred oval cancellation. Backstamps CLEMENTSPORT N.S. JA 27 1866, and H(alifax) NS JA 31 1866. Identifying the recipient The address, initially read as “D.C.” or “D.G. Sanders,” proved to be a case of both a misread surname and a misread initial. No Sanders family appears in Clementsport records of the peri

2 days ago4 min read

A Dry Goods Letter from Saint John to Annapolis Royal

A cover sent from Magee Bros. & Co., Saint John, N.B., to Miss Foster, Annapolis, N.S., October 1864. The cover itself: • 5¢ New Brunswick stamp (Queen Victoria portrait, 1860 decimal issue), tied with a grid cancel • Docketing, upper left, in a later hand: “1864,” then “Magee Brothers, Bill 262.07 C Decr 20th/64” • Backstamps: Saint John, N.B. Nov 30, 1864, and an Annapolis, N.S. DE 5, 1864 Magee Bros. & Co.: The firm was run by brothers J

2 days ago5 min read

A Halifax Letter to a Boy at School in London

A stampless cover, sent from Halifax, Nova Scotia, December 13, 1858, to Benjamin G. Jenkins, care of (Rev. A. Stewart), Palmer House, Holloway Road, London N. Postage paid in cash, marked by a red boxed “HALIFAX PAID DEC 13 1858 NOVA SCOTIA” tombstone handstamp. A bold manuscript rate mark, very likely reading “1/–” (one shilling) — the standard Cunard packet rate for a half-ounce letter carried directly between Halifax and Liverpool since 1839. Red circular “PAID LONDON DE

2 days ago7 min read

Robert West, Merchant and Stephen Willett, farmer: the search for a Baptist Connection

Nova Scotia # 8 on December 18 1862 cover from Bar___ , Nova Scotia to Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. Addressed to Robert West Esqr, Bridgewater, La Have, N.S. Manuscript "S. B. Willett, December 20, 1862" on front. Barred oval cancellation. Backstamps from BAR___DE___, and BRIDGEWATER N.S. DE __, 1862. Embossed floral design on flap. I've been working through an 1860s Nova Scotia cover and thought I'd share where the research has taken me - partly to get feedback, and partly as

4 days ago6 min read

Ross Hammond, Dry Goods Merchant and Postmaster

Nova Scotia # 10 on a January 20, 1865 Duffus & Co. branded embossed cover from Halifax to Ragged Islands, Nova Scotia. Addressed to Mr. Ross Hammond, Ragged Islands. Barred oval cancellation. Backstamps HALIFAX N.S. JA 20 1865, LOCKS ISLAND JA ? 1865. The back flap carried Duffus & Co. embossed seal, a nice example of period commercial stationery. Ross Hammond was a single, 26-year-old dry goods merchant on Locke's Island when he received this letter from one of Halifax's le

6 days ago4 min read

Theodorus Kinsman Jr, farmer

United States 6c Lincoln, carmine, Scott # 148 (issued 1870), on international cover from Boston, Mass. to West Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. Addressed to Mr. Theodorus Kinsman Jr., West Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, B.N. Manuscript "Union Square" on front, emphasized by a decorative flourish. Cancellation duplex BOSTON MASS DEC 20, Backstamp KENTVILLE N.S. DE 25 70, an arrival on Christmas Day, five days in transit. There is significant foxing of the envelope. There may be a second b

6 days ago5 min read

Finding Persons and Places in 19th Century Nova Scotia

A. F. Church County Maps

"The Great Map," published in 1834 by William Mackay, is the first printed map to present the entire interior of Nova Scotia, “Compiled from Actual and Recent Surveys”. It was a ‘great’ effort then in size and scope, and a remarkable accomplishment for its time. The map was the result of a five-year project undertaken by a special Map Committee of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. The following link takes you to the Nova Scotia Archives' searchable copy of McKay's map.

The Great Map of William MacKay

Between 1865 and 1888, the Ambrose F. Church Co. published a series of topographical maps for each of Nova Scotia’s eighteen counties. These maps feature detailed plans of the various census districts and townships, including the specific location of buildings, names of occupants, transportation routes and various geographical markings. Inset detail maps for larger communities within each county are an additional bonus. With an address and name, a researcher can often pinpoint the exact location of a sender or recipient. Sadly, no central, searchable database exists for the entire collection of county maps. When possible, we have included vignettes from the applicable Church Map.

The Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources maintains a detailed set of Crown Land Index Sheet Maps. Often the original grantees are still listed on these maps.

Crown Land Grant Map

A Business Letter to Arichat: Fever, Repairs, and the Brazil Trade

you've got mail

about the BlueNotes

Never Miss a New Post.

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TRAIN OF THOUGHT

A Business Letter to Arichat: Fever, Repairs, and the Brazil Trade

A Letter to Harvard Medical College

A Dry Goods Letter from Saint John to Annapolis Royal

A Halifax Letter to a Boy at School in London

Robert West, Merchant and Stephen Willett, farmer: the search for a Baptist Connection

Ross Hammond, Dry Goods Merchant and Postmaster

Theodorus Kinsman Jr, farmer

Finding Persons and Places in 19th Century Nova Scotia

A. F. Church County Maps