We are attempting to record everything we have regarding the Settler Families of Mahone Bay area in our Genealogy Research Index. See the link below.
During the summer of 2019, we were asked by the Town of Mahone Bay to review the list of the 1754 settler names currently on the sign next to the BMO bank to ensure it was accurate and that no family names had been forgotten.
After many, many hours of research, an introduction was added to highlight Mi’kmaq history, a few names were added to the list (noted with a *) and a few were removed (see note below the list) because our research showed that they ended up settling in Lunenburg area. Here’s the final draft that the Town developed into a sign. You can download the image of the 1754 settlement sign here. If you think we forgot a name, let us know! Please note, we decided to divide up the list of European settler names into two categories.
[Mahone Bay is] in Mi’kma’ki, the traditional territory of the L’nuk, which means “the people” in the Mi’kmaw language. The Mi’kmaq have occupied this land for more than 13,500 years.
In 1726, the Mi’kmaw District Chiefs ratified the Peace and Friendship Treaty that was negotiated by Mi’kmaq and other First Nations delegates at Boston in 1725 with the Mass Bay British Governor William Dummer to prevent conflict, establish trade, and consent for British colonisation in the region. However, the Mi’kmaq, because of several violations of the terms of the treaty by the British in the 1730s, supported the French against the British during King George’s War 1744–1748. After that war ended in
1749, the request from the British Governor of Nova Scotia for a new treaty was refused by many Mi’kmaq leaders because of the founding of Halifax that year by the British that proceeded without their consent, which broke the terms of the 1726 Treaty. The British were not deterred by Mi’kmaq opposition and in 1750, began recruiting “Foreign Protestants” from Europe to move to Lunenburg area as British subjects to counter the existing Mi’kmaq and French Acadian Catholic population.
More than 2,200 Foreign Protestant British subjects made the long journey from Europe to Halifax. The following family names (many with spelling variations) were among those who were given land in the Mahone Bay area around 1754-1760 and remained in the area for at least 110 years:
Arenburg*
Baker (Becker)
Begin
Bezanson (Besançon)
Burgoyne (Bourgong, Bourgogne)
Eisenhauer (Eisnor, Eisenor, Isnor)
Ernst
Hamm
Heisler
Hirtle
Hyson (Heison, Heyson)
Joudry (Jodry, Jeaudry)
Keddy (Keddie)
Lantz
Lowe (Leau, Loh, Lods)
Mader (Meder, Mehder)
Mosher (Moser)
Robar (Roberts)
Slauenwhite (Slaughenwhite, Schlaginweit)
Veinot (Veinotte, Veno, Venot)
Whynot (Weinacht, Whynacht)
Zwicker
The following families moved to the Mahone Bay area later in the 1790s to be given land by the Britishand remained in the area for at least 70 years. These families included Loyalists (colonists from the 13 Colonies who had been loyal to the British crown in the American Revolution), German Hessian soldiers who arrived after the American Revolution, and late Foreign Protestant families who originally had been in other parts of Lunenburg County.
Andrews (Andreas)
Bleysteiner (Blystner)*
Dauphinee*
Dorey (Dare, Daurey, Daurie)
Ewald (Awalt, Aywalt, Ewalt)*
Hiltz
Hubley*
Kaulback (Kaulbach)
Langille
Legg*
Nauss (Nass, Naas)
Schnare (Snare, Schnear, Schnerr)
Smeltzer (Schmeltzer)
Strum
Wentzell
Westhaver (Westhoffer)
Young (Jung)
The names that were previously on the list and have since been removed due to not fulfilling the requirements of having proof that they stayed in Mahone Bay area for a number of years are: Acker, Barkhouse (Berghaus), Boehner, Boutlier (Boutellier), Bruhm (Brumm, Brum), Conrad, Deal (Diehl, Thiel), Hynick (Heinecke), Keizer (Kaizer, Kayser), Lay (Loy), Lohnes, Mariette (Mariet, Marriott), Rafuse (Rehfuss, Rehfuse), Silver (Silber), Swinamer (Schweinheimer), Winter, Wittman, and Zinck