The Importance of the Starr Family of Kings County, Nova Scotia

SHINING STARS: THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STARR FAMILY OF KINGS COUNTY, NOVA SCOTIA

Samuel Normand Howes

Thesis

submitted in partial fulfillment of the

requirements of the Degree of

Bachelor of Arts with

Honours in History

Acadia University

March 2012

is accepted in its present form by the

Department of History

as satisfying the thesis requirements for the degree of

Bachelor of Arts with Honours

Approved by the Thesis Supervisor

______Dr. Barry Moody Date

Approved by the Head of the Department

______Dr. Paul Doerr Date

Approved by the Honours Committee

______Dr. Pritam Ranjan Date

ii I, Samuel Normand Howes, grant permission to the University Librarian at Acadia University to reproduce, loan or distribute copies of my thesis in microform, paper or electronic formats on a non- profit basis. I, however, retain the copyright in my thesis.

______Signature of Author

______Date

iii Acknowledgements

Thanks to Wendy Robicheau for convincing me to choose the archival option for my thesis and for always helping whenever I needed guidance. As well, Bethany and Liz in the Kirkconnell Room were often a huge help.

Thanks as well to Dr. Barry Moody for taking the time to be my supervisor when he had little time to give and for sparking my interest in Maritime history. As well, thanks to Dr. Gillian Poulter for giving her time to be my second reader, and for introducing me to the area of Public History.

To Dr. Jennifer MacDonald and Dr. Michael Dennis, thanks for being so inspirational and motivating me to work at my best possible level, for always being so understanding, and for always keeping my interest in history alive and strong.

A special thanks to my family who has always been there and supported me. And to my friends, especially my fellow Honours students. We worked well together this year and were able to understand each other and build our own support system, but also form some great memories together.

Finally, to Harry and the rest of the Starr family, who always had an interest in history, and thus allowed me to work with this incredible collection over the last year.

iv Contents

Acknowledgements ...... iv

Abstract ...... vi

Preface ...... vii

Starr Family Fonds ﬁnding aid ...... 1

Table of contents ...... 2

Biographical history ...... 3

File listing ...... 4

Custodial History ...... 36

Appendix ...... 39

Shining Stars:

The Importance of the Starr Family of Kings County, Nova Scotia ...... 40

Appendix ...... 69

Bibliography ...... 70

v Abstract

The Starr Family of Kings County, Nova Scotia is remembered in the community quite well, but they have largely been ignored in regards to academic research. They are quite often considered important to the community of Cornwallis, especially within the context of their own family, but little has been done discussing this. The Starr family fonds has been revealing in the activities of the Starr family and just how they were signiﬁcant to Cornwallis and the surrounding areas.

As an archival thesis, the preface to the thesis discusses the archival process of working with the Starr Family fonds, and follows with the ﬁnding aid produced while working with the collection, detailing the records found in the fonds. The format of the

ﬁnding aid is consistent with RAD (The Rules for Archival Description).

The second section of the thesis discusses the importance of the Starr Family in

Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, using the fonds to supply the main primary sources. The records and secondary research reveal the activities of the Starr Family that resulted in their significance. This section also discusses whether the Starr family truly was important to the community, or if they just viewed themselves in this way and inflated their status. The thesis concludes that the Starr family did, to a certain degree, inflate their status, but they were important to the community as well.

vi Preface

Harry Starr began donating records to the Esther Clark Wright Archives while he was still alive and from time to time would make donations. After his death in 1990, the remaining records he had collected were donated to the archives by stipulation of his will.

The records consisted of the Prat and Starr family and were split between the Esther

Clark Wright Archives and the Nova Scotia Archives. The records were placed into large boxes where very little was done with the records. However, one step was taken in that the records were separated between the Starr and Prat families, creating two separate collections. Some of the earlier papers had already been sorted and placed in acid free folders while others had little organization.

I began working with the collection late in the summer of 2011 and began by making a list of what records were present. This was an important step as it laid out dividing lines, showing what types of records existed, and whose records were in the collection. Harry’s papers visibly made up the majority of the collection, and a wide variety of records were present in his papers. At this point I decided the best way to proceed was to sort the records by person. As there was such a wide range of dates represented, it seemed sensible to sort it this way as it was a simple dividing line.

The early papers had largely been sorted already, so I took a quick inventory of these ﬁles and then moved to the later records, especially Harry’s. While there was some order to his papers, some order had to be imposed to sort and label the collection. In many of the records, an order had already been established. In these cases, I went through the ﬁles to verify that they had been sorted correctly into the folders. For records

vii that had not been sorted, I then looked through and decided whether they should stay in the order they were already in or if I should impose an order. In most cases, the records that had not already been placed in folders were in no particular order, so I collected like records and placed them together in chronological order.

During the process of sorting the records, preventative measures were taken to keep the records in their original state as much as possible. Metal paper clips and staples were removed to keep from destroying the paper, papers were removed from envelopes and unfolded, and the records were moved into acid free folders. Newspaper clippings were photocopied and replaced with the photocopies as newspaper is highly acidic and destructive. One of the most time consuming aspects during this time was the separation of photographs. These had largely been kept in stacks and unprotected. The proper way to store photographs involves keeping them separate from the textual records and in different conditions, but this is not possible with the facilities available at the Esther

Clark Wright Archives. However, other steps were done to protect the photographs from harm. I removed them from the stacks and placed them in individual envelopes to keep them from causing harm to other photographs. If photographs had more than one copy, they were placed in one envelope but with a piece of tissue paper between them. If photographs came together in one envelope, I made sure to keep them together, whereas some others were grouped together when they had not been before.

Also during the process I had to remove some items from the collection. I soon found some items that had not been moved to the Prat family collection yet belonged in the Prat collection. The family Bible was one example of this. I looked through it

ﬁnding the family sheet and found that it actually belonged to the Prat family, so it was

viii moved there. This also occurred with some of the photographs. Other items that were removed were published materials. If there was not a signiﬁcant amount of annotations within the items, then they were removed and given to the librarians in Special

Collections to see if they were worth keeping in the library.

Overall the process of sorting the collection and placing them into the proper conditions took nearly six months. The total collection is placed in six boxes, with some oversized items placed separately.

When looking through the collection, trying to ﬁnd topics to research, and doing some research on the family, I realized that Harry had taken an interest in his family history, an idea I connected with. I also noticed there had been relatively little research done on the family speciﬁcally, and I knew I wanted this to change. The Starr family is often mentioned in New England Planter research and I had heard of Starr’s Point in

Cornwallis and Starr Street in Wolfville. From this, I felt that the family was worth researching because they had never been the central focus of a research project before.

Therefore, I decided that I would write about the family’s importance in the community, but also sought to show who the family was, and perhaps reveal the many different aspects of the family to other researchers.

ix ESTHER CLARK WRIGHT ARCHIVES

ACADIA UNIVERSITY

Starr Family Fonds 1990.006

Compiled by Samuel Howes March 2012 Starr Family (Kings County, NS) fonds. - [textual records, cartographic materials, photographs]. - 1763-1987. - 77 cm of textual records. - 623 photographs. - 5 objects. - 3 maps.

Table of Contents Biographical History ...... 3 1. Samuel Starr - [17-?], (1763-1825) ...... 3 2. Joseph Starr - (1784-1822) ...... 4 3. Joanna Starr - (1773-1845) ...... 5 4. Charles Starr - [18-?] ...... 6 5. Samuel Starr - [1845] ...... 6 6. Christopher Starr - [18-?] ...... 6 7. Richard Starr - [18-?], (1815-1863) ...... 7 8. Tamar Starr - [18-?] ...... 8 9. Robert W. Starr - (1846-1895) ...... 9 10. Mary Jane Pattillo - (1850-1853) ...... 9 11. C.R.H. Starr - (1892-1912) ...... 10 12. Richard S. Starr - (1894-1930) ...... 10 13. C. Harry Starr - ([1780]-1987) ...... 11 14. Sally Starr - [19-?], (1923-1980) ...... 15 15. Photographs - [18-?], [19-?], ([1895]-[1976]) ...... 16 Custodial History ...... 36 Scope and Content ...... 36 Notes ...... 37 Citation for Electronic Finding Aid ...... 38 Appendix 1 ...... 39

2 Biographical Information

Note: Only members of the family with records in the collection have been included in the family tree. Further biographical information will be found in the series.

1. Samuel Starr - [17-?], 1763-1825. - 15 folders Series contains business and personal records including correspondence, financial information, certifications, and court cases. Note: Supplied title based on contents of series File list included Biographical Sketch Samuel Starr was the son of Samuel (1699-1789) and Ann (Bushnell) Starr of Norwich, Connecticut. He was born in 1728 and came to Nova Scotia in 1759, following the expulsion of the Acadians, with a small group of New England settlers who became known as the Planters. Starr chose land between the Canard and Cornwallis Rivers for his farm. The point became known as Starr’s Point and remains so named until this day. Beginning in 1762, using sprouts from old Acadian fruit trees, Starr began his own orchard. He also ran a tavern or place of public entertainment which sold alcohol. In 1775, Starr was named a captain in the militia, and then major in 1781. He was married three times - first to Abigail Leffingwell (1725-1768), secondly to Elizabeth Kinsman (1741-1784), and lastly to Miriam (Ingersoll) Dickson (1723-c.1805). He had four children with his first wife. Samuel died on 26 August 1799 at Starr’s Point.

File List: 1990.006-STA/1 correspondence (1776-1797)

3 1990.006-STA/2 Supreme Court Records (1770-1791) 1990.006-STA/3 agreements (1763-1790) 1990.006-STA/4 certifications (1768-1775) 1990.006-STA/5 bonds (1788-1793) 1990.006-STA/6 indentures (1775-1778) 1990.006-STA/7 deeds (1793) 1990.006-STA/8 receipts (1763-1801) 1990.006-STA/9 accounts (1774-1799) 1990.006-STA/10 ship records (1775) 1990.006-STA/11 currency conversion table [17-?] 1990.006-STA/12 list of labourers [17-?] 1990.006-STA/13 Lathrop records (1787) 1990.006-STA/14 warrant of appraisement (1800) for the estate of Samuel Starr 1990.006-STA/15 account book (1764-1825) dates continue after Samuel’s death; it is unclear who continued with the book after his death

2. Joseph Starr - 1784-1822. - 9 folders Series contains business and personal records including correspondence, financial information, court cases, certifications, and deeds. Note: Supplied title based on contents of series File list included Biographical Sketch Joseph Starr was born on 29 September 1757 at Norwich, Connecticut, the second son of Samuel and Abigail (Leffingwell) Starr. He was only two years old when his parents emigrated to Cornwallis, Kings County, Nova Scotia where he was raised until 1774 when his father sent him back to Norwich to attend school. At the outbreak of the American Revolution, Joseph’s parents urged him to return to Nova Scotia. On his return trip, he was captured off Yarmouth, NS by the Revolutionary forces; however, he escaped and made it to Cornwallis where he was reunited with his family. Following the end of the War, he returned to Norwich to continue his education. Starr married his first cousin, Joanna Starr, the daughter of Jonathan and Sarah (Leffingwell) Starr, on 7 June 1786. In March 1787, they returned to Nova Scotia and settled on a rented farm in New Minas. The couple had eight children. Following the death of his father, Joseph moved his family to the Starr farm at Starr’s Point, Kings County. Joseph died on 8 July 1840.

4 File List: 1990.006-STA/16 correspondence [1819-1824] 1990.006-STA/17 correspondence (1811-1822) with David Starr 1990.006-STA/18 financial records [1799-1800] 1990.006-STA/19 financial records [1800-1820] 1990.006-STA/20 financial records [1800-1820] 1990.006-STA/21 deeds [1815] 1990.006-STA/22 Supreme Court Records [1818] 1990.006-STA/23 appointments (1793) 1990.006-STA/24 Starr’s Point Dyke Records (1784, [1812-1815])

3. Joanna Starr - 1773-1845. - 2 folders Series contains business and personal records including correspondence and financial information Note: Supplied title based on contents of series File list included Biographical Sketch Joanna (Starr) Starr was born on 13 July 1758 at Norwich, Connecticut, the daughter of Jonathan and Sarah (Leffingwell) Starr. She married her first cousin, Joseph Starr, the son of Samuel and Abigail (Leffingwell) Starr, on 7 June 1786. In March 1787, they moved to Nova Scotia and settled on a rented farm at New Minas. The couple had eight children. Following the death of her father-in-law, Joanna moved with her family to the Starr farm at Starr’s Point, Kings County. Joanna outlived her husband and died on 29 August 1847.

File List: 1990.006-STA/25 correspondence (1773-1845) 1990.006-STA/26 financial records (1808)

4. Charles Starr - [18-?]. - 1 folder Series contains correspondence

5 Note: Supplied title based on contents of series File list included Biographical Sketch Charles Starr was the first of eight children born to Joseph and Joanna (Starr) Starr. He was born on 4 January 1788 in Kings County, NS. He was educated at the common schools. Starr married Paulina Cox on 1 May 1815. They had seven children. For many years, Charles ran the family farm with his brother Richard. In 1842 Charles sold his portion of the farm and moved to Illinois. He died in Starr’s Grove, Illinois on 25 February 1874.

File List: 1990.006-STA/29 correspondence [18-?]

5. Samuel Starr - 1845. - 1 folder Series contains a memorandum Note: Supplied title based on contents of series File list included Biographical Sketch Samuel Starr was the second son of Joseph and Joanna (Starr) Starr. He was their third child and was born on 28 October 1790 in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. He was educated at the common schools. Starr was married twice, first to Susannah Cox in 1822, with whom he had seven children, and second to Abigail Dennison in 1855. He died on 5 October 1864 at Starr’s Point.

File List: 1990.006-STA/27 memorandum (1845)

6. Christopher Starr - [18-?]. - 1 folder Series contains correspondence Note: Supplied title based on contents of series File list included

6 Biographical Sketch Christopher Starr was the third son of Joseph and Joanna (Starr) Starr. He was their sixth child and was born on 21 August 1797 at Starr’s Point, Kings County, NS. He was educated at the common schools. Starr married Susanna Howard in 1835 with whom he had one child. He died on 3 March 1870 at Henley, England.

File List: 1990.006-STA/28 financial records [18-?]

7. Richard Starr - [18-?], 1815-1863. - 19 folders Series contains personal and business records including correspondence, financial records, and legal documents Note: Supplied title based on contents of series File list included Biographical Sketch Richard Starr was the fourth son of Joseph and Joanna (Starr) Starr. He was their seventh child and was born on 28 April 1799 at Foster’s Farm, his parents’ rented property at Cornwallis, Kings County, NS. He was educated at the common schools and later attended a private school operated by Rev. Robert Norris, the rector of the Church of St. John’s, Cornwallis. In 1829 Starr married Tamar Troop of Bridgetown, NS. They had nine children. For many years, Richard ran the family farm with his brother Charles. In 1842 Charles sold his portion of the farm and moved to Illinois. Richard continued to operate the family farm and rented out Charles’ portion. Richard was the founder of Willow Bank Farm, a property he purchased in 1868. He and his sons Robert and Charles turned the farm into a successful apple orchard. Aside from farming, he held numerous public appointments, including Justice of the Peace. Starr died at his home in 1885.

File List: 1990.006-STA/30 general correspondence (1815-1842) 1990.006-STA/31 general correspondence ([18-?], 1843-1863) 1990.006-STA/32 correspondence (1844-1858) with Mrs. Tamar Starr 1990.006-STA/33 correspondence (1841-1847) with John Starr 1990.006-STA/34 correspondence (1836-1841) with David Starr 1990.006-STA/35 correspondence (1842) with David Starr

7 1990.006-STA/36 correspondence (1843) with David Starr 1990.006-STA/37 correspondence (1844-1846) with David Starr 1990.006-STA/38 correspondence (1847-1857) with David Starr 1990.006-STA/39 correspondence (1841-1857) with D. Henry Starr 1990.006-STA/40 Justice of the Peace Documents (1839-1858) 1990.006-STA/41 School Trustee Records (1843-1859) 1990.006-STA/42 Church and Bible Society (1842-1852) 1990.006-STA/43 accounts (1830-1853) 1990.006-STA/44 financial records (1825-1858) 1990.006-STA/45 financial records (1825-1858) 1990.006-STA/46 Cornwallis Bridge Committee Records ([183-], 1854-1857) 1990.006-STA/47 militia records (1839-1862) 1990.006-STA/48 speeches and writing [18-?]

8. Tamar Starr - [18-?]. - 1 folder Series contains cooking recipes Note: Supplied title based on contents of series File list included Biographical Sketch Tamar (Troop) Starr was the daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Rice) Troop. She was born on 14 April 1804 in Bridgetown, Nova Scotia. She married Richard Starr on 15 September 1829 in Granville, Nova Scotia. Tamar lived on the family farm with her husband Richard, and together they had nine children. She died on 31 December 1897 at Starr’s Point, Nova Scotia.

File List: 1990.006-STA/49 recipes [18-?]

9. Robert W. Starr - 1846-1895. - 2 folders Series contains correspondence and financial records Note: Supplied title based on contents of series

8 File list included Biographical Sketch Robert William Starr was the eldest son of Richard and Tamar (Troop) Starr and was born on 11 September 1830 at Starr’s Point, Nova Scotia. Robert was educated at local common and private schools and later at Sackville Academy, NS. In 1866, he attended Military School at Halifax, NS. On 7 March 1860 he married Sarah Elizabeth Belcher, the daughter of Clement Horton and Mary Jane (Starr) Belcher. They had five children. For most of his life Starr worked as a farmer and fruit grower and operated a nursery. Throughout his life he experimented with the growth and farming of apples. In his later years, Starr developed an interest in local history and wrote several papers and a book of the history of the Starr family. Robert died on 30 December 1923 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

File List: 1990.006-STA/50 correspondence (1846-1895) 1990.006-STA/51 financial records (1856)

10. Mary Jane Pattillo - 1850-1853. - 1 folder Series contains correspondence Note: Supplied title based on contents of series File list included Biographical Sketch Mary Jane Pattillo was the fourth child of Richard and Tamar (Troop) Starr. She was born on 7 December 1836 at Starr’s Point, Nova Scotia. She married Thomas Roberts Pattillo in 1857 and had nine children with him. Mary lived much of her life in Bridgewater before moving to Truro near the end of her life. She died on 14 June 1897 at the home of her nephew, W.H. Starr, in Middleton, Nova Scotia.

File List: 1990.006-STA/52 correspondence (1850-1853) 11. C.R.H. Starr - 1892-1912. - 4 folders Series contains personal and business records including correspondence and financial records Note: Supplied title based on contents of series

9 File list included Biographical Sketch Charles Richard Henry Starr was the eighth child of Richard and Tamar (Troop) Starr. He was born on 15 November 1846 at Starr’s Point. He was educated at the common schools. In 1877, he married Evalina E. Richardson in Granville, Nova Scotia. Together they had five children. Starr and his family lived on the Willow Bank farm at Starr’s Point that his father had started, and later moved to Wolfville. In Wolfville he was active in the Baptist Church and sat on the Board of Governors of Acadia University. Starr was also a member of the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers Association.

File List: 1990.006-STA/53 correspondence (1892-1893) 1990.006-STA/54 financial records (1912) 1990.006-STA/55 receipts ([190-]-[191-]) 1990.006-STA/56 O/S Nova Scotia Annual Provincial Exhibition (1907)

12. Richard S. Starr - 1894-1930. - 3 folders Series contains correspondence and financial records Notes: Supplied title based on contents of series File list included Biographical Sketch Richard Sydney Starr was the eldest child of C.R.H. and Evalina (Richardson) Starr. He was born on 3 June 1879 at Starr’s Point. In 1904 he married May Rosina Prat and they had two children together. Starr died on 30 January 1953.

File List: 1990.006-STA/57 correspondence (1894-1930) 1990.006-STA/58 correspondence (1901-1922) 1990.006-STA/59 financial records (1901-1912)

13. C. Harry Starr - [1780]-1987. - 118 folders Series contains personal and professional records including correspondence, student records, research notes, and publications

10 Note: Supplied title based on contents of series File list included Biographical Sketch Charles Harry Starr was the eldest of two children born to Richard Sydney and May Rosina (Prat) Starr.

File List: 1990.006-STA/60 diary (1920) 1990.006-STA/61 vacation diary (1935) 1990.006-STA/62 journal (1984) 1990.006-STA/63 telegrams ([19-?], 1928) 1990.006-STA/64 telegram [190-] 1990.006-STA/65 correspondence [19-?] 1990.006-STA/66 correspondence (1911) from Annie L. Prat 1990.006-STA/67 correspondence (1918-1922) 1990.006-STA/68 correspondence (1919-1938) 1990.006-STA/69 correspondence (1920-1921) 1990.006-STA/70 correspondence (1920-1922) 1990.006-STA/71 correspondence (1920-1930) 1990.006-STA/72 correspondence (1921-1922) 1990.006-STA/73 correspondence (1921-1923) 1990.006-STA/74 correspondence (1922) 1990.006-STA/75 correspondence (1922-1987) 1990.006-STA/76 correspondence (1925-1930) 1990.006-STA/77 correspondence (1926-1931) 1990.006-STA/78 correspondence ([19-?], 1961) 1990.006-STA/79 correspondence (1968-1984) 1990.006-STA/80 donation records (1982-1988) 1990.006-STA/81 Grade VII Marks (1919-1920) 1990.006-STA/82 Acadia Alumni correspondence (1957-1984) 1990.006-STA/83 student notebook [192-]

11 1990.006-STA/84 student notebook [1920] 1990.006-STA/85 student notebook [1928] 1990.006-STA/86 student notebooks [192-] 1990.006-STA/87 student notebook (1925) 1990.006-STA/88 student correspondence at Acadia (1927-1929) 1990.006-STA/89 Acadia University events (1927-1929) 1990.006-STA/90 O/S dance posters [192-] 1990.006-STA/91 Acadia University Class of 1928 (1928) 1990.006-STA/92 Acadia University Class of 1929 (1929) 1990.006-STA/93 Acadia University Class of 1930 (1929-1930) 1990.006-STA/94 Acadia University yearbook (1929) 1990.006-STA/95 radio certificates (1920-1926) 1990.006-STA/96 radio convention ([19-?], 1922) 1990.006-STA/97 list of radio amateurs (1920) 1990.006-STA/98 radio log book (1924-1928) 1990.006-STA/99 notebook [1925] 1990.006-STA/100 rush letter (1925) 1990.006-STA/101 Amateur Radio license list (1920-1921) 1990.006-STA/102 Amateur Radio licenses (1921-1922) 1990.006-STA/103 QSL Cards [192-] includes blank QSL cards with Harry Starr’s name on them 1990.006-STA/104 QSL Cards [192-] includes QSL (radio collectors) cards from Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, England, and France 1990.006-STA/105 QSL Cards (1924) includes QSL cards from Canada, the United States, England, and France 1990.006-STA/106 QSL Cards (1925) includes QSL cards from Canada, the United States, France, England, Cuba, Bermuda, Mexico, and Argentina 1990.006-STA/107 QSL Cards (1926) includes QSL cards from Canada, the United States, and England 1990.006-STA/108 QSL Cards (1927) includes QSL cards from Canada, the United States, England, Scotland, Belgium, and Australia 1990.006-STA/109 QSL Cards (1928) includes QSL cards from Canada, the United States, England, and France 1990.006-STA/110 O/S certificate of proficiency in radio telegraphy (1931)

12 1990.006-STA/111 O/S Institution of Production Engineers (1940) 1990.006-STA/112 O/S Institute of Radio Engineers (1940) 1990.006-STA/113 O/S Institute of Industrial Administration (1942) 1990.006-STA/114 O/S Institute of Industrial Administration (1951) 1990.006-STA/115 The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (1954) 1990.006-STA/116 O/S The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (1954) 1990.006-STA/117 Institution of Production Engineers (1956) 1990.006-STA/118 Montreal Dirt (1931) 1990.006-STA/119 High Cost of Low Overheads by C.H. Starr (1952) 1990.006-STA/120 Introducing Materials Management by C.H. Starr (1956) 1990.006-STA/121 Material Specifications by C.H. Starr (1940) 1990.006-STA/122 Organization in a Nutshell by C.H. Starr (1940) 1990.006-STA/123 Work of the Materials Application Group by C.H. Starr (1938) 1990.006-STA/124 Forecasting: Models and Techniques by C.H. Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/125 order forms [19-?] for Specification and Management of Materials in Industry by C.H. Starr 1990.006-STA/126 address book [19-?] 1990.006-STA/127 address book [19-?] 1990.006-STA/128 genealogy and address Book [19-?] 1990.006-STA/129 genealogy correspondence (1931-1987) 1990.006-STA/130 Starr genealogy notes [19-?] 1990.006-STA/131 Starr genealogy notes [19-?] 1990.006-STA/132 Starr genealogy notes [19-?] 1990.006-STA/133 Starr genealogy notes [19-?] 1990.006-STA/134 Prat genealogy notes [19-?] 1990.006-STA/135 Prat genealogy notes [19-?] 1990.006-STA/136 Prat genealogy notes [19-?] 1990.006-STA/137 Prat genealogy notes [19-?] 1990.006-STA/138 Prat genealogy notes [19-?] 1990.006-STA/139 Prat genealogy notes [19-?] 1990.006-STA/140 Prat genealogy notes ([19-?], 1934, 1960) 1990.006-STA/141 O/S family tree of Robert Moore [19-?]

13 1990.006-STA/142 house drawings (1963) 1990.006-STA/143 Edgemere, Starr’s Point ([19-?], 1986) 1990.006-STA/144 Acadia Villa [19-?] 1990.006-STA/145 Ken Lea murder ([19-?], 1973) 1990.006-STA/146 Wilcox genealogy notes [19-?] 1990.006-STA/147 Willow Bank Farm [19-?] includes brochure, receipt, and an article on Baron Primrose 1990.006-STA/148 photocopied records of Samuel Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/149 photocopied deed of Joseph Starr’s estate [19-?] 1990.006-STA/150 Starr coat of arms [19-?] 1990.006-STA/151 Horton Academy Class of 1885 (1885) 1990.006-STA/152 Saxby Gale damage and repairs [19-?] 1990.006-STA/153 engineering notes and clippings [19-?] 1990.006-STA/154 newspaper and magazine clippings (1904-1984) 1990.006-STA/155 newspaper clippings [19-?] 1990.006-STA/156 map of Cornwallis [19-?] 1990.006-STA/157 King’s County S.S. (1861) 1990.006-STA/158 Telegraphy [1780] 1990.006-STA/159 Manitoba Boys and Girls Club [19-?] 1990.006-STA/160 poetry [19-?] 1990.006-STA/161 Young Men’s Canadian Club of Montreal (1930) 1990.006-STA/162 Port of Halifax, blank form [18-?] 1990.006-STA/163 poetry [19-?] includes poetry by Annie Prat and Watson Kirkconnell 1990.006-STA/164 The Association of Commonwealth Universities (1978) 1990.006-STA/165 recipes [19-?] 1990.006-STA/166 notes [19-?] 1990.006-STA/167 International Exhibition (1862) 1990.006-STA/168 The Life and Work of Sir Isaac Shoenberg, 1880-1963 (1971) 1990.006-STA/169 souvenir booklet (1911) entitled “Quite All (W)right” 1990.006-STA/170 Evangeline District Brochure [19-?] 1990.006-STA/171 Valley and Acadia Postcards [19-?] 1990.006-STA/172 Two Unpublished Poems [1929]

14 1990.006-STA/173 A City of Sound by E.P. Leigh-Bennett (1933) 1990.006-STA/174 O/S Starr’s Point map [19-?] 1990.006-STA/175 O/S pages from a book “New-England” [17-?] 1990.006-STA/176 O/S map of constellations [18-?] 1990.006-STA/177 O/S map (1744) G2001.194 silver baby’s cup (1905) engraving on cup reads “Harry / Xmas 1905” G2001.195 steel die with Starr arms arms and motto [19-?] G2001.196 Acadia Engineer penant (1929) circular penant constructed of red and blue felt reading “Acadia Engineer 1929” G2001.197 Acadia Engineer penant [1929] triangular penant constructed of red and blue felt reading “A E” G2001.198 delegate ribbon (1922) yellow ribbon attached to name tag. Name tag reads C.H. Starr. Ribbon reads “Wireless / Assocation / of / Ontario / Delegate / First Canadian / National / Radio / Convention / Sept. 8-9, 1922 / Prince George Hotel / Toronto, Canada”

14. Sally Starr - [19-?], 1923-1980. - 7 folders Series contains personal and professional records including correspondence, certifications and deeds Note: Supplied title based on contents of series File list included Biographical Sketch Charlotte Evalina “Sally” Starr was born in 1908 in Cornwallis. She attended Acadia University but did not graduate. She later owned and operated a craft shop in Wolfville

File List: 1990.006-STA/178 deed (1957) 1990.006-STA/179 correspondence (1924-1980) 1990.006-STA/180 newspaper clippings [19-?] 1990.006-STA/181 certifications (1923-1950) 1990.006-STA/182 O/S Canadian Kindergarten Institute (1935) 1990.006-STA/183 Craft Shop [19-?] 1990.006-STA/794 O/S The Canadian Jeweller’s Institute diploma (1956)

15 15. Photographs - [18-?], [19-?], [1895]-[1976]. - 623 photographs Series contains photographs of the family and trips made by Harry Note: Supplied title based on contents of series File list included

File List: 1990.006-STA/195 Mr. and Mrs. C.R.H. Starr, Wolfville [1921] 1990.006-STA/196 Unidentified boys [19-?] 1990.006-STA/197 Unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/198 Mrs. R.S. Starr, Alison Spriggs, Sally Starr, H. Spriggs [1920] 1990.006-STA/199 Castle [19-?] 1990.006-STA/200 Castle [19-?] 1990.006-STA/201 Marion Wells Wilcox [19-?] 1990.006-STA/202 C.H. and C.E. Starr [191-] 1990.006-STA/203 Hockey match on dykes (1927) 1990.006-STA/204 Hockey match on dykes (1927) 1990.006-STA/205 Hockey match on dykes (1927) 1990.006-STA/206 Sally Starr, “Timmy” [1913] 1990.006-STA/207 Harry Starr, Sally Starr, Front Lawn of Willow Bank [1910] 1990.006-STA/208 C.H. Starr, Isle of Grain, Kent [1951] 1990.006-STA/209 Mrs. Cohoon’s dog Flickker (1926) 1990.006-STA/210 Acadia Engineers Survey (1928) 1990.006-STA/211 M.R. Starr, C.E. Starr, Helen Starr Boggs (1961) 1990.006-STA/212 C.E. Starr, M.R. Starr, Helen and G. Boggs (1961) 1990.006-STA/213 Prescott House (1956) 1990.006-STA/214 “Pat” and “Torsia” (1927) 1990.006-STA/215 M.R. Starr and C.E. Starr (1961) 1990.006-STA/216 Susan (Prat) Collins and son Basil [18-?] 1990.006-STA/217 Willowbank Farm [19-?] 1990.006-STA/218 Willowbank Farm [19-?]

16 1990.006-STA/219 Willowbank Farm [19-?] 1990.006-STA/220 Willowbank Farm [19-?] 1990.006-STA/221 Willowbank Farm [19-?] 1990.006-STA/222 Willowbank Farm [19-?] 1990.006-STA/223 Derailed Train Car [19-?] 1990.006-STA/224 Derailed Train Cars [19-?] 1990.006-STA/225 Derailed Train Car [19-?] 1990.006-STA/226 George A. Prat’s home [19-?] 1990.006-STA/227 Unidentified Ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/228 Unidentified Man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/229 Radio Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/230 Library of Parliament [19-?] 1990.006-STA/231 Unidentified boy [19-?] 1990.006-STA/232 Bridge [19-?] 1990.006-STA/233 Three unidentified men [19-?] 1990.006-STA/234 People by the water [19-?] 1990.006-STA/235 Train car [19-?] 1990.006-STA/236 Miniature Train [19-?] 1990.006-STA/237 House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/238 Cows in pasture [19-?] 1990.006-STA/239 Group of workers in front of tent [19-?] 1990.006-STA/240 House next to bridge [19-?] 1990.006-STA/241 Stream [19-?] 1990.006-STA/242 Train Tracks [19-?] 1990.006-STA/243 Harry Starr and unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/244 Radio Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/245 Unidentified ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/246 Sailboat [19-?] 1990.006-STA/247 Sailboat [19-?] 1990.006-STA/248 Two sailboats [19-?] 1990.006-STA/249 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/250 Derailed Train Car [19-?]

17 1990.006-STA/251 Derailed Train Car [19-?] 1990.006-STA/252 Harbour [19-?] 1990.006-STA/253 Electrical Tower [19-?] 1990.006-STA/254 Buildings being constructed [19-?] 1990.006-STA/255 Inside of factory [19-?] 1990.006-STA/256 Houses [19-?] 1990.006-STA/257 Wooden building in front of train tracks [19-?] 1990.006-STA/258 Train Tracks and wooden building [19-?] 1990.006-STA/259 Docked ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/260 Chateau Frontenac [19-?] 1990.006-STA/261 Gazebo with British Flag [19-?] 1990.006-STA/262 People by the water [19-?] 1990.006-STA/263 Display case [19-?] 1990.006-STA/264 Inside of store [19-?] 1990.006-STA/265 Radio Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/266 Display Case [19-?] 1990.006-STA/267 Unidentified boy [19-?] 1990.006-STA/268 Sally Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/269 Unidentified boys [19-?] 1990.006-STA/270 Graduates walking into a building [19-?] 1990.006-STA/271 Graduates in gowns [19-?] 1990.006-STA/272 Unidentified woman [19-?] 1990.006-STA/273 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/274 Unidentified woman [19-?] 1990.006-STA/275 Unidentified woman in graduation gown [19-?] 1990.006-STA/276 Harry Starr in tree and unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/277 Graduates by University Hall [19-?] 1990.006-STA/278 Acadia graduates behind University Hall [19-?] 1990.006-STA/279 Female graduates in front of Seminary House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/280 Train tracks [19-?] 1990.006-STA/281 Gerald Hudon on airplane [19-?] 1990.006-STA/282 View over a river [19-?]

18 1990.006-STA/283 Dog named Ted (1928) 1990.006-STA/284 Ship on the water named “The Cayuga” (1928) 1990.006-STA/285 Club dining room, Niagara on the Lake (1928) 1990.006-STA/286 Club house, Niagara on the Lake (1928) 1990.006-STA/287 Mrs. Frampton (1928) 1990.006-STA/288 Club house, Niagara on the Lake [19-?] 1990.006-STA/289 Group of people in a field [19-?] 1990.006-STA/290 Unidentified men and women [19-?] 1990.006-STA/291 Unidentified men and women [19-?] includes Harry Starr 1990.006-STA/292 Unidentified woman [19-?] 1990.006-STA/293 Unidentified men and women [19-?] includes Harry Starr 1990.006-STA/294 Unidentified woman [19-?] 1990.006-STA/295 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/296 University Hall [19-?] 1990.006-STA/297 Train Tracks [19-?] 1990.006-STA/298 Unidentified woman [19-?] 1990.006-STA/299 Train car on tracks [19-?] 1990.006-STA/300 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/301 Ship on the water [19-?] 1990.006-STA/302 Ships on the water [19-?] 1990.006-STA/303 Unidentified men [19-?] 1990.006-STA/304 Radio equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/305 Unidentified men [19-?] 1990.006-STA/306 Double sided image, one of ship and plane, other of water [19-?] 1990.006-STA/307 Docked ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/308 Harry Starr holding a skull [19-?] 1990.006-STA/309 Man on ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/310 Ships on the water [19-?] 1990.006-STA/311 Ships on the water [19-?] 1990.006-STA/312 People at a series of camps [19-?] 1990.006-STA/313 Sailboat in water [19-?] 1990.006-STA/314 Radio equipment [19-?]

19 1990.006-STA/315 Radio equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/316 Unidentified men [19-?] 1990.006-STA/317 Sailboats [19-?] 1990.006-STA/318 First Annual Convention - Atlantic Division American Radio Relay League, Buffalo, New York [19-?] 1990.006-STA/319 City Street [19-?] 1990.006-STA/320 Unidentified man [19-?] includes 3 copies 1990.006-STA/321 University Hall [19-?] 1990.006-STA/322 Unidentified man on staircase [19-?] 1990.006-STA/323 Unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/324 Radio Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/325 Unidentified man [19-?] 2 copies 1990.006-STA/326 Unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/327 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/328 Unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/329 Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/330 Unidentified man [19-?] includes 3 copies 1990.006-STA/331 Unidentified men [19-?] 1990.006-STA/332 Ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/333 Acadia Graduates [19-?] 1990.006-STA/334 Unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/335 People on a ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/336 Ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/337 Ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/338 Man on a ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/339 Ship at dock [19-?] 1990.006-STA/340 Sailboat on the water [19-?] 1990.006-STA/341 Plane on the water [19-?] 1990.006-STA/342 Unidentified people [19-?] 1990.006-STA/343 Ships on the water [19-?] 1990.006-STA/344 Tower [19-?] 1990.006-STA/345 Montreal [19-?]

20 1990.006-STA/346 Ship, Montreal [19-?] 1990.006-STA/347 Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/348 Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/349 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/350 Unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/351 Blimp [19-?] 1990.006-STA/352 Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/353 Sailboat [19-?] 1990.006-STA/354 Ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/355 Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/356 Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/357 Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/358 Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/359 Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/360 Unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/361 Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/362 Unidentified men and women [19-?] 1990.006-STA/363 Unidentified men and women [19-?] 1990.006-STA/364 Montreal [19-?] 1990.006-STA/365 Electric company building [19-?] 1990.006-STA/366 Montreal [19-?] 1990.006-STA/367 Montreal [19-?] 1990.006-STA/368 Unidentified men [19-?] 1990.006-STA/369 Docked ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/370 Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/371 Bridge [19-?] 1990.006-STA/372 Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/373 Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/374 Ships, Labrador [19-?] 1990.006-STA/375 Man in canoe, Labrador [19-?] 1990.006-STA/376 Men in sailboat, Labrador [19-?] 1990.006-STA/377 Two men on ship [19-?]

21 1990.006-STA/378 Iceberg, Labrador (1927) 1990.006-STA/379 Acadia Print [19-?] 1990.006-STA/380 Group of men at Acadia [19-?] 1990.006-STA/381 Residence at Acadia [19-?] 1990.006-STA/382 Four men at Acadia [19-?] 1990.006-STA/383 Dorm room at Acadia [19-?] 1990.006-STA/384 Men at an orchard, Acadia [19-?] 1990.006-STA/385 Group of men [19-?] 1990.006-STA/386 Two unidentified men at Acadia [19-?] 1990.006-STA/387 Man washing the floor at Acadia [19-?] 1990.006-STA/388 Four men in a room at Acadia [19-?] 1990.006-STA/389 Group of men at Acadia [19-?] 1990.006-STA/390 Football field and University Hall [19-?] 1990.006-STA/391 Acadia Graduates [19-?] 1990.006-STA/392 Harry Starr and two men on a ship (1929) 1990.006-STA/393 University Hall [19-?] 1990.006-STA/394 View from the look-off [19-?] 1990.006-STA/395 Dog [19-?] 1990.006-STA/396 Man smoking a cigar [19-?] 1990.006-STA/397 View from the look-off [19-?] 1990.006-STA/398 Group of men, including Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/399 Willett House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/400 Harry Starr snowshoeing [19-?] 1990.006-STA/401 Men by the river [19-?] 1990.006-STA/402 Men in a field [19-?] 1990.006-STA/403 Men standing by Willett House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/404 Three men seated on a car [19-?] 1990.006-STA/405 University Hall [19-?] 1990.006-STA/406 Seminary House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/407 University Hall [19-?] 1990.006-STA/408 Patterson Hall [19-?] 1990.006-STA/409 Patterson Hall and Horton Hall [19-?]

22 1990.006-STA/410 McConnell Hall and Raymond House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/411 University Hall [19-?] 1990.006-STA/412 Group of men [19-?] 1990.006-STA/413 Man with a broom [19-?] 1990.006-STA/414 Acadia football team [19-?] 1990.006-STA/415 Whitman House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/416 Dog [19-?] 1990.006-STA/417 Dog [19-?] 1990.006-STA/418 Men playing hockey [19-?] 1990.006-STA/419 Men playing hockey [19-?] 1990.006-STA/420 Men playing hockey [19-?] 1990.006-STA/421 Men playing hockey [19-?] 1990.006-STA/422 War Memorial Gym [19-?] 1990.006-STA/423 Display of pictures [19-?] 1990.006-STA/424 University Hall [19-?] 1990.006-STA/425 Unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/426 Group of men [19-?] 1990.006-STA/427 Men sitting in windows [19-?] 1990.006-STA/428 Two unidentified men [19-?] 1990.006-STA/429 Dorm room [19-?] 1990.006-STA/430 Men playing hockey [19-?] 1990.006-STA/431 Men and woman [19-?] 1990.006-STA/432 Group of men and women next to building [19-?] 1990.006-STA/433 Group of men and women [19-?] 1990.006-STA/434 Willett House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/435 Piano and chair [19-?] 1990.006-STA/436 View from University Hall [19-?] 1990.006-STA/437 Graduates walking to University Hall [19-?] 1990.006-STA/438 Looking out from Willett House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/439 Graduates walking to University Hall [19-?] 1990.006-STA/440 Graduates walking to University Hall [19-?] 1990.006-STA/441 Willett House [19-?]

23 1990.006-STA/442 Harry Starr (1919) 1990.006-STA/443 Mary Rosina Prat Starr [1960] 1990.006-STA/444 Sally Starr, John Carman Wilcox, Mrs. R.S. Starr (1961) 1990.006-STA/445 Mrs. R.S. Starr, Harry Starr, John Carman Wilcox (1961) 1990.006-STA/446 Mrs. R.S. Starr with cat [1950] 1990.006-STA/447 Sally and Harry Starr (1923) 1990.006-STA/448 Cat named Patches (1961) 1990.006-STA/449 Mrs. R.S. Starr and Patches [19--] 1990.006-STA/450 Mrs. R.S. Starr and Patches (1961) 1990.006-STA/451 Cat (1961) 1990.006-STA/452 Sally Starr with Patches (1961) 1990.006-STA/453 Starr’s Point Cemetery (1961) 1990.006-STA/454 Starr Family Cemetery (1961) 1990.006-STA/455 Richard Starr gravestone (1961) 1990.006-STA/456 Starr Family Cemetery (1961) 1990.006-STA/457 St. John’s Anglican Church, Cornwallis (1961) 1990.006-STA/458 Toby Cadham (1972) 1990.006-STA/459 Apartment building, Wolfville (1965) 1990.006-STA/460 Second College Hall, Acadia [19-?] 1990.006-STA/461 Infirmary, Kentville Sanatorium (1920) 1990.006-STA/462 Ox team, Nova Scotia [19-?] 1990.006-STA/463 Cape Blomidon (1920) 1990.006-STA/464 Bridges over Avon River, Windsor [19-?] 1990.006-STA/465 Powder Magazine Old Fort, Annapolis Royal (1920) 1990.006-STA/466 Evangeline’s Well and Willows (1920) 1990.006-STA/467 Digby Gap, NS (1920) 1990.006-STA/468 Water Front, Digby (1920) 1990.006-STA/469 Radio Equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/470 Group of people with cats [19-?] including Harry and Sally 1990.006-STA/471 Sailboat [19-?] 1990.006-STA/472 Ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/473 Bus saying “Davis Shares” [19-?]

24 1990.006-STA/474 Men on a ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/475 Two ships [19-?] 1990.006-STA/476 Ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/477 Sailboat [19-?] 1990.006-STA/478 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/479 Unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/480 Ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/481 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/482 Ships [19-?] 1990.006-STA/483 Buildings by the water [19-?] 1990.006-STA/484 Ships on the water [19-?] 1990.006-STA/485 Train tracks [19-?] 1990.006-STA/486 Construction project [19-?] 1990.006-STA/487 Sailboats [19-?] 1990.006-STA/488 Houses on a hill [19-?] 1990.006-STA/489 Man with radio equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/490 Three men in a canoe [19-?] 1990.006-STA/491 Bridge [19-?] 1990.006-STA/492 Harry on a ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/493 Part of a ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/494 Radio equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/495 Picture of city street [19-?] 1990.006-STA/496 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/497 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/498 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/499 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/500 Men standing by cars [19-?] 1990.006-STA/501 Unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/502 Harry Starr holding a skull [19-?] 1990.006-STA/503 Ship docked [19-?] 1990.006-STA/504 Ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/505 Groups of boys with a man [19-?]

25 1990.006-STA/506 Unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/507 Ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/508 Ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/509 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/510 Group of men [19-?] 1990.006-STA/511 Ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/512 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/513 Ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/514 Four boys on a ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/515 Tower [19-?] 1990.006-STA/516 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/517 City Street [19-?] 1990.006-STA/518 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/519 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/520 Harry on a ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/521 House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/522 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/523 Ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/524 Sally Starr and her students (1934) 1990.006-STA/525 Hester and Wendy (1939) 1990.006-STA/526 Ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/527 George Boggs and Evelyn Starr (1921) 1990.006-STA/528 George Boggs and Evelyn Starr (1921) 1990.006-STA/529 Lighthouse [19-?] 1990.006-STA/530 Train [19-?] 1990.006-STA/531 Beach [19-?] 1990.006-STA/532 Woman outside of cabin [19-?] 1990.006-STA/533 Girls on the beach [19-?] 1990.006-STA/534 Aerial pictures of fields [19-?] 1990.006-STA/535 Two boys carrying vegetables [19-?] 1990.006-STA/536 Radio equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/537 Train car [19-?]

26 1990.006-STA/538 Group of women and a man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/539 William Spriggs (1919) 1990.006-STA/540 Pasture [19-?] 1990.006-STA/541 Radio equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/542 Radio equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/543 Man next to train [19-?] 1990.006-STA/544 Harry Starr looking through a window [19-?] 1990.006-STA/545 Train car [19-?] 1990.006-STA/546 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/547 Orchard [19-?] 1990.006-STA/548 Men with a young child [19-?] 1990.006-STA/549 S.S. Matthewston, VGFC, loading wheat at Port Arthur [19-?] 1990.006-STA/550 Sally and Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/551 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/552 May Rosina Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/553 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/554 Men standing by cars [19-?] 1990.006-STA/555 Man with radio equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/556 Men wearing hats [19-?] includes 2 copies 1990.006-STA/557 Three people wearing hats [19-?] includes 3 copies 1990.006-STA/558 House in the winter [19-?] 1990.006-STA/559 View of houses [19-?] 1990.006-STA/560 Picnic by the water [19-?] includes 3 copies 1990.006-STA/561 Radio equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/562 Group of men with a woman [19-?] 1990.006-STA/563 Harry Starr standing on a bridge [19-?] includes 2 copies 1990.006-STA/564 Boy standing in front of tree [19-?] includes 2 copies 1990.006-STA/565 Boy carrying a backpack [19-?] includes 2 copies 1990.006-STA/566 Boy swimming under a bridge [19-?] includes 2 copies 1990.006-STA/567 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/568 Sally Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/569 House [19-?]

27 1990.006-STA/570 Two men on a ship [19-?] 1990.006-STA/571 Boy standing by a cliff [19-?] 1990.006-STA/572 Cat on a roof [19-?] 1990.006-STA/573 Wooden construction in the water [19-?] 1990.006-STA/574 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/575 Unidentified woman [19-?] 1990.006-STA/576 Unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/577 Unidentified woman [19-?] 1990.006-STA/578 Man, woman, and child [19-?] 1990.006-STA/579 Harry Starr and two unidentified boys [19-?] 1990.006-STA/580 Bridge construction [19-?] 1990.006-STA/581 Ships in the water [19-?] 1990.006-STA/582 Person carrying a flower [19-?] includes 3 copies 1990.006-STA/583 Railway Porters next to a train [19-?] 1990.006-STA/584 View of the water [19-?] 1990.006-STA/585 Bridge [19-?] 1990.006-STA/586 Radio equipment [19-?] 1990.006-STA/587 DeWolfe House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/588 Austin Munroe and family [19-?] 1990.006-STA/589 Bev Starr’s grave in Italy (1972) 1990.006-STA/590 Port Williams [1925] 1990.006-STA/591 Port Williams [19-?] 1990.006-STA/592 R.S. Starr [1925] 1990.006-STA/593 Margery Bell, Annie Penstrardon, unknown [1926] 1990.006-STA/594 McConnell Hall [1927] 1990.006-STA/595 McConnell Hall [1927] 1990.006-STA/596 Group of men and women (1929) including Harry Starr, Ron Peck, and Tammy Kirk 1990.006-STA/597 George Boggs, Evelyn Starr, Mr. and Mrs. C.R.H. Starr [1921] 1990.006-STA/598 Harry Starr, Mr. and Mrs. C.R.H. Starr, Evelyn Starr [1921] 1990.006-STA/599 Dr. Wheelock and Karl Borden [1928] 1990.006-STA/600 Bruce McNeil [1928]

28 1990.006-STA/601 Bruce McNeil [1928] 1990.006-STA/602 Bruce McNeil and Alan Nickerson [1929] 1990.006-STA/603 McConnell Hall [1927] 1990.006-STA/604 View from University Hall (1928) 1990.006-STA/605 Dr. Wheelock and Karl Borden (1928) 1990.006-STA/606 Grave of J.B. Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/607 Harry Starr [1907] 1990.006-STA/608 Sally Starr and Peter the Cat [19-?] 1990.006-STA/609 Samuel Prat, 1st Station agent at Wolfville [18-?] 1990.006-STA/610 Unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/611 Sally Starr and her mother [1948] 1990.006-STA/612 Sally and Robert Starr (1976) 1990.006-STA/613 Sally Starr [1960] 1990.006-STA/614 Sally Starr Craft Shop [1960] 1990.006-STA/615 Sally Starr [1960] 1990.006-STA/616 Sally Starr [1965] 1990.006-STA/617 Sally Starr [1940] 1990.006-STA/618 Wool Racks in Sally Starr’s Gift Shop [1965] 1990.006-STA/619 Sally Starr [1965] 1990.006-STA/620 Silver Jewellry Class [1972] 1990.006-STA/621 Sally Starr [1960] 1990.006-STA/622 Sally Starr and customers (1969) 1990.006-STA/623 Sally Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/624 House in Wolfville [1948] 1990.006-STA/625 House in Wolfville [1948] 1990.006-STA/626 House in Wolfville [1946] 1990.006-STA/627 House in Wolfville [1946] 1990.006-STA/628 Sally Starr Craft Shop [1965] 1990.006-STA/629 Sally Starr Craft Shop [1965] 1990.006-STA/630 Sally Starr [1965] 1990.006-STA/631 Canal construction [19-?] 1990.006-STA/632 Canal construction [19-?]

29 1990.006-STA/633 Canal construction [19-?] 1990.006-STA/634 Canal construction [19-?] 1990.006-STA/635 Canal construction [19-?] 1990.006-STA/636 Canal construction [19-?] 1990.006-STA/637 Canal [19-?] 1990.006-STA/638 Building construction [19-?] 1990.006-STA/639 Building construction [19-?] 1990.006-STA/640 Building construction [19-?] 1990.006-STA/641 Col. Richard Starr [18-?] 1990.006-STA/642 Mrs. Richard Starr (Tamar Troop) [18-?] 1990.006-STA/643 Florence and Gladys Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/644 C.H. Starr Christmas (1909) 1990.006-STA/645 Cadham, Boggs Family (1975) 1990.006-STA/646 Joyce Family [1975] 1990.006-STA/647 Reception Room, Clifton House, Windsor, NS [19-?] 1990.006-STA/648 Unidentified men [19-?] 1990.006-STA/649 S.E.I. [19-?] 1990.006-STA/650 Gladys Starr [18-?] 1990.006-STA/651 Gladys Starr [18-?] 1990.006-STA/652 Amy Prat Clarke [18-?] 1990.006-STA/653 Unidentified baby [18-?] 1990.006-STA/654 Unidentified baby [18-?] 1990.006-STA/655 Unidentified girl and dog [18-?] 1990.006-STA/656 Unidentified boy [19-?] 1990.006-STA/657 Unidentified man [18-?] 1990.006-STA/658 Unidentified girl [18-?] 1990.006-STA/659 Harry Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/660 Maude Clarke [18-?] 1990.006-STA/661 Unidentified boy [18-?] 1990.006-STA/662 Unidentified boy [18-?] 1990.006-STA/663 Unidentified man [18-?] 1990.006-STA/664 Catherine Prat [18-?]

30 1990.006-STA/665 Rupert Prat [18-?] 1990.006-STA/666 Willowbank Farm [19-?] 1990.006-STA/667 Photograph of man from E. Graham studio [19-?] 1990.006-STA/668 Grade Five class of Windsor Academy (1917) including Harry Starr 1990.006-STA/669 Harry and Sally Starr (1914) 1990.006-STA/670 Richard Sydney Starr [1895] 1990.006-STA/671 Sally Starr [1912] 1990.006-STA/672 “The House in the Field” (1964) 1990.006-STA/673 Barbara Boggs and Hugh Joyce (1948) 1990.006-STA/674 Hugh and Barbara (Boggs) Joyce (1948) 1990.006-STA/675 George A. Boggs and Barbara Boggs (1948) 1990.006-STA/676 Yarmouth, NS postcard [19-?] 1990.006-STA/677 DeWolfe House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/678 Orchard [19-?] 1990.006-STA/679 Old French Cross [19-?] 1990.006-STA/680 Helen Starr Boggs (1925) 1990.006-STA/681 Grade Seven at Windsor Academy [1919] including Harry Starr 1990.006-STA/682 Trees in front of the DeWolfe House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/683 DeWolfe House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/684 William’s children [19-?] 1990.006-STA/685 Harry Starr holding a skull [19-?] 1990.006-STA/686 Radio club [19-?] 1990.006-STA/687 Radio club [19-?] 1990.006-STA/688 Prescott House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/689 Prescott House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/690 Prescott House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/691 Sally Starr [1945] 1990.006-STA/692 Sally Starr [1921] 1990.006-STA/693 Sally Starr [1911] 1990.006-STA/694 Sally Starr [191-] 1990.006-STA/695 Sally Starr [1955] 1990.006-STA/696 Acadia Graduate [19-?]

31 1990.006-STA/697 Arthur, Fanny, and Cecil Starr [18-?] 1990.006-STA/698 Rufus Starr [18-?] 1990.006-STA/699 Mrs. Emma (Rufus) Starr (1895) 1990.006-STA/700 Bessie Elwood (1905) 1990.006-STA/701 Graduation Photo of “Larry” to Sally [19-?] 1990.006-STA/702 Harry and Sally with infant [191-] 1990.006-STA/703 Sally Starr teaching sewing [1941] 1990.006-STA/704 Unidentified woman [1908] 1990.006-STA/705 Malcolm D. Richardson [19-?] 1990.006-STA/706 Dick Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/707 “Going Home” by I. MacLeod (1927) 1990.006-STA/708 Maurice Low [1905] 1990.006-STA/709 Unidentified boy [19-?] 1990.006-STA/710 Unidentified children [19-?] 1990.006-STA/711 Unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/712 Unidentified women [19-?] 1990.006-STA/713 Dick Starr’s horse [19-?] 1990.006-STA/714 George Prat [19-?] 1990.006-STA/715 Unidentified man [19-?] 1990.006-STA/716 Unidentified girl [19-?] 1990.006-STA/717 Unidentified woman [19-?] 1990.006-STA/718 J. Rufus Starr [19-?] 1990.006-STA/719 Unidentified child [19-?] 1990.006-STA/720 Unidentified woman (1902) to Mollie and Percy 1990.006-STA/721 Unidentified church [19-?] 1990.006-STA/722 Construction of barn at Willowbank Farm (1899) 1990.006-STA/723 Richard Sydney Starr [1895] 1990.006-STA/724 Richard Sydney Star [1900] 1990.006-STA/725 Minas Basin [19-?] 1990.006-STA/726 Edward Perry Bowles (1912) 1990.006-STA/727 St. John’s Church (1891) 1990.006-STA/728 Mrs. R.S. Starr with Harry and Sally [1909]

32 1990.006-STA/729 Annie Evelyn Penwarden [1928] 1990.006-STA/730 Albert Murray MacLeod [1929] 1990.006-STA/731 Thomas Andrew Murrary Kirk [1930] 1990.006-STA/733 Windsor, Nova Scotia (1842) photographs 733 through 735 are part of Bartlett Prints 1990.006-STA/734 Cape Blomidon and Parrsboro (1842) photographs 733 through 735 are part of Bartlett Prints 1990.006-STA/735 Eastport and Passamaquoddy Bay (1842) photographs 733 through 735 are part of Bartlett Prints 1990.006-STA/736 Kent Lodge [19-?] includes 2 copies 1990.006-STA/737 Unidentified women [18-?] 1990.006-STA/738 Harry Starr (1938) 1990.006-STA/739 Unidentified women [18-?] 1990.006-STA/740 Amateur Radio Wireless Apparatus [19-?] includes negatives 1990.006-STA/741 Acadia Engineers’ Class Party [1928] includes 2 copies and negatives 1990.006-STA/742 Men in Ottawa [19-?] including three Starr’s 1990.006-STA/743 Three men and a woman with tennis rackets [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/744 Group of men and a woman [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/745 Shop [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/746 Military ships [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/747 Military ships [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/748 Military ship [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/749 Military ships and a sail boat [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/750 City street and fountain [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/751 Monument in the street [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/752 Fountain and monument [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints

33 1990.006-STA/753 Military ships seen from another ship [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/754 Men and a woman playing tennis [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/755 Crowd of people outside [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/756 Group of men and a woman [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/757 Crowd of people on the streets [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/758 City street [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/759 People on a city street [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/760 Group of men and a woman [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/761 Monument with Big Ben in the background [19-?] photographs 742 through 774 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/762 Building made of brick [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/763 Monument in the streets [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/764 Crowd of people in a park [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/765 Street corner [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/766 Parliament Building [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/767 Parliament Building [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/768 Military ships [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/769 Fountain [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/770 City street with monument and building in the background [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints

34 1990.006-STA/771 Group of men and a woman [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/772 City street [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/773 City street [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/774 St. Paul’s Cathedral [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/775 Race Cars [19-?] photographs 743 through 775 are part of London Prints 1990.006-STA/776 O/S Willow Bank Farm Orchards (1904) 1990.006-STA/777 O/S Acadia Graduates [192-] includes Harry Starr, ? Davidson, Jr., G.L. Hault, B.D. McAuley, C.R.J. Hibbett, J.A. Black, and J.P. Lusby 1990.006-STA/778 Richard Sydney Starr [19-?] photocopy of original from PANS, includes 2 copies 1990.006-STA/779 Evelyn, Portia, and Harry C.D. Starr [19-?] photocopy of original from PANS 1990.006-STA/780 Portia Starr [19-?] photocopy of original from PANS 1990.006-STA/781 Willowbank Farm [19-?] photocopy of original from PANS 1990.006-STA/782 Willowbank Farm [19-?] photocopy of original from PANS 1990.006-STA/783 Willowbank Farm [19-?] photocopy of original from PANS 1990.006-STA/784 Willowbank Farm [19-?] photocopy of original from PANS 1990.006-STA/785 Postcards [19-?] likely kept by Richard Sydney Starr 1990.006-STA/786 Postcard of Acadia [19-?] 1990.006-STA/787 Perry Borden House [19-?] 1990.006-STA/788 Baron Primrose [19-?] 1990.006-STA/789 An Apple Orchard Scene [19-?] 1990.006-STA/790 Negatives of Willow Bank and sketches of oldest houses at Starr’s Point [19-?] 1990.006-STA/791 Negatives of Col. and Mrs. Richard Starr portraits [19-?] 1990.006-STA/792 North and Labrador Trip negatives [19-?] 1990.006-STA/793 Richard S. Starr in Orchard negatives [19-?] 1990.006-STA/795 Evelyn Starr and men and women at outdoor theatre [19-?] 1990.006-STA/796 C.R.H. Starr [19-?]

35 1990.006-STA/797 C.R.H. Starr and unidentified women [19-?] 1990.006-STA/798 Unidentified woman [19-?] 1990.006-STA/799 Unidentified girl 1990.006-STA/800 C.R.H. Starr, Evelyn Starr, Evalina Starr and three other unidentified people [19-?] 1990.006-STA/801 Evalina Starr, Evelyn Starr, and C.R.H. Starr with two young women and a young girl, possibly Sally Starr [19-?]

Custodial History The records were kept over generations of the Starr family and eventually passed into the hands of Harry Starr. He also did research on the family and local history and collected a vast amount of records himself from a variety of sources. Harry donated records to the Esther Clark Wright Archives and the Nova Scotia Archives on numerous occasions, with them all being compiled into one collection over time. On his death in 1990, the family records he had left were sent to the Esther Clark Wright Archives from his home in London, England as his will stipulated. The records came in with the Prat Family fonds as one collection and have been divided over time to separate the Prat and Starr families records.

Scope and Content The fonds consists of fifteen series: 1. Samuel Starr papers ([17-?], 1763-1825) 2. Joseph Starr papers (1784-1822) 3. Joanna Starr papers (1773-1845) 4. Charles Starr papers [18-?] 5. Samuel Starr papers (1845) 6. Christopher Starr papers [18-?] 7. Richard Starr papers ([18-?], 1815-1863) 9. Tamar Starr papers [18-?] 10. Mary Jane Pattillo papers (1850-1853) 11. C.R.H. Starr papers (1892-1912) 12. Richard S. Starr papers (1894-1930) 13. C. Harry Starr papers ([1780]-1987) 14. Sally Starr papers [19-?], 1923-1980 15. Photographs ([18-?], [19-?], [1895]-[1976])

36 Accompanying Material: 1990.006-STA/184 Family Record [18-?] records of David Starr 1990.006-STA/185 Financial Records (1815-1841) records of William Starr 1990.006-STA/186 Financial Records ([18-?], 1848) records of James Starr 1990.006-STA/187 Financial Records (1849) records of Frank Starr 1990.006-STA/188 Correspondence (1832-1862) files 188 through 194 were together in one file 1990.006-STA/189 Correspondence [18-?] files 188 through 194 were together in one file 1990.006-STA/190 Financial Records (1799-1862) files 188 through 194 were together in one file 1990.006-STA/191 Financial Records [18-?] files 188 through 194 were together in one file 1990.006-STA/192 Account Book [18-?] files 188 through 194 were together in one file 1990.006-STA/193 Writings [18-?] files 188 through 194 were together in one file 1990.006-STA/194 [Ship Inventory] [18-?] 1990.006-STA/732 Music ([17-?] - [18-?])

Notes Supplied title based on contents of fonds.

Records subject to the Copyright Act. Written permission from the Copyright holder is required in order to publish any of these records. Copyright held by various authors.

For reasons of historic authenticity, all file titles provided by the author and captions provided by the photographer are transcribed unedited. The spelling of both peoples' and places' names has changed with time, so inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the titles are unavoidable. Files and captions may also contain inaccuracies or terms that would now be considered offensive.

Arrangement imposed by Archivist.

Related records at Nova Scotia Archives.

Associated Records: Prat family 1990.007-PRA; Handley Chipman 1900.048-CHI; Starr family 1994.002-STA.

37 Citation for electronic ﬁnding aid This finding aid should be cited as a website. Relevant information is as follows:

Title: Starr Family fonds Date: 2012 Author: Esther Clark Wright Archives, Acadia University

38 Appendix 1: Items De-Accessioned Acadia Athenaeum, December 1927. Arnold, Matthew, John Greenleaf Whittier, William Ernest Henley, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Four Songs of Life: Two Voices of Faith and Two of Doubt. New York: Anson D. F. Randolph and Co., [date unknown, 1890?] The Art of Ventriloquism. Constitution, By-Laws and Rules of Order of the Societies Comprising the Student’s Union of Acadia University, 1924. Eaton, A.R.H., editor. Evangeline Receipt Book in aid of the Church of England Sunday School, Kentville, Nova Scotia. Kentville, Nova Scotia: The Advertiser Office, 1901. Helpful Hints for Housekeepers. The Dodds Medicine Co. Limited. The Illustrated War News. January 20, 1915. Knobel, Edward. The Wild Animals of North America. New York: J.J. Little and Ives Co., 1908. Set a Good Table! Simpson, Ted. The Forgotten Man and Our Own Robin Hood: Tales of Disaster, Starvation and Heart-warming Stories of Rescue, July 1973. Starr, Burgis Pratt. A History of the Starr Family of New England, From the Ancestor, Dr. Comfort Starr, of Ashford, Count of Kent, England, Who Emigrated to Boston, Mass., in 1635; Containing the Names of 6766 of his Descendants, and the Records and History of 1794 Families. Hartford, Connecticut: The Case, Lockwood and Brainard Co. Print, 1879. Sunshine Magazine 23, no. 1 (1918) The War in March 1918. The War Pictorial. March 1918

39 Shining Stars: The Importance of the Starr Family of Kings County, Nova Scotia

In the 1760s, the New England Planters began their immigration to the land left empty by the removal of the Acadians some five years earlier. As a result of this immigration, a whole new culture was developed in Nova Scotia as these people built communities and learned to live together. Planter communities were established in many different locations around Nova Scotia, including Cornwallis Township and Horton

Township. Among the first people to settle in Cornwallis was the Starr family (see

Appendix 1 for family tree). This Nova Scotia family began with Major Samuel Starr

(1728-1799) and at least one of his siblings, David (1742-1831). The Starr family is remembered as being important in the area because of the roads and areas of land named after them. They were certainly involved in court cases, the militia, and the church, but this is not always enough to make a family prominent. The Starrs’ involvement in all of these areas must be researched thoroughly in order to establish just how significant they were to the community. Just how important was the Starr family? Did they inflate their status to make themselves appear more important than they really were? One of the best ways to determine this is to look at the records that the family kept. Luckily, the family kept records over the centuries that were eventually donated to the Esther Clark Wright

Archives for public use. Public documents such as court cases and newspaper articles also help to show just where this family fit within the community.

In regards to the sources available, it is crucial to look at what the collections of papers and secondary sources were made for and who made them. This is important

40 because of the biases behind them. Charles Harry Starr (1905-1990), the man who donated the records, and the third great grandson of Samuel Starr who settled in

Cornwallis, certainly had motives behind the records he kept [see family tree]. It is uncertain whether he kept records that made the Starr family look significant or if they actually were. This notion needs to be considered when thinking about whether the Starr family was self-important or if they were really important to the community. In order to determine whether the Starrs were actually significant in the community, or only saw themselves in this light, one must consult the records kept by Harry Starr and his ancestors, as well as the secondary sources that discuss the Starr family. For this reason, the records now housed in the Esther Clark Wright Archives are vital, but so are local public histories and Planter histories, as they determine how the public and other people from the outside viewed this family.

The Starr family in North America all descended from a Dr. Comfort Starr, who immigrated to Boston in the early seventeenth century. Samuel Starr, the man who emigrated to Cornwallis, and a descendent of Comfort, lived in Connecticut, where some generations of his family had lived.1 According to Ralph Eaton, a member of the Starr family who wrote of the Starr reunion in 1914, the Starr family was able to keep strong bonds with each other throughout all of North America, including the Nova Scotia branch. The Nova Scotia branch began when Samuel moved to Cornwallis in 1760 with many community members from Connecticut.2 Samuel was prominent from the

1 Ralph Samuel Eaton, Report of the Annual Meeting of the American Starr Family Association, Held at Starr’s Point, Nova Scotia, July 4, 1914, [n. p, 1914], 3.

2 Ibid.

41 beginning of his time in Nova Scotia, and he started a family that would become important in the community and throughout regions of Nova Scotia.

People still think about the Starr family, even if they do not realize they are recognizing the significance of the Starrs when they do this. Whenever they refer to

Starr’s Point, the people in the community are legitimizing the importance of the Starr family. Many histories of Cornwallis and the other Planter communities in the area refer to Samuel as well because he was among the first of the people to settle in Cornwallis and was on the committee of men who were sent to Nova Scotia to view lands.3 This committee represented groups of men who were interested in moving to Nova Scotia, so they had a tremendous amount of responsibility in representing their community members back home and choosing land that would be good for them all.4 The fact that he was chosen as a representative indicates that he was already a prominent member of society back home in Connecticut. Arthur Wentworth Hamilton Eaton, in his history of the Eaton family, makes the connection to the Starr family, referring to Samuel as “a man of substance and of integrity and high purpose in the beautiful Connecticut town of

Norwich.”5 This is significant as well because this was the only mention in any of the sources of how prominent he was in his old community. This source at least shows that he seems to have been respected in Connecticut as well, meaning he did not just make something of himself when he arrived in Nova Scotia, but, rather, already had a certain

3 Arthur Wentworth Hamilton Eaton, The History of King’s County, (Salem: The Salem Press Company, 1910), 64.

4 Ibid, 64-65.

5 Arthur Wentworth Hamilton Eaton, The Eaton Family of Nova Scotia, 1760-1929 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Murray Printing Co., 1929), 207.

42 degree of prominence. His community members in Connecticut felt that he could be trusted, and so gave him the responsibility to help choose a settlement for them. With this said, he was not the only man who was on this committee, yet he is the most remembered.

Samuel came to Nova Scotia with the committee in 1759. Originally the company was supposed to be looking at the land in Chignecto, but Samuel, on his return to Halifax, explored the area of Grand Pré. “He was so pleased with what he saw here that he abandoned the Chignecto project and became a Cornwallis Planter.”6 Arthur

Eaton, in his history of King’s County, referred to Samuel as “one of the most important

King’s County planters” and claimed that he “founded in Cornwallis a family whose influence from first to last has been very great.”7 Eaton himself was also a descendant of the Starr family, so he was biased, but it was the general consensus that the Starrs were influential because of Samuel’s involvement with the committee. Contrary to what many of the local and family histories say, Samuel may have actually tried to sway people away from settling in Cornwallis. Historian James Doyle Davison suggests “Starr purposely sung the praises of Horton in order to discourage others from settling in the more desirable Cornwallis area. After the others had settled Horton, he was left with his preferred Cornwallis Township.”8 This gives a slightly different view of Samuel. While he does say that this was a legend from the area, Davison may not be completely reliable

6 R.S. Longley, “The Coming of the New England Planters to the Annapolis Valley,” They Planted Well: New England Planters in Maritime Canada, ed. Margaret Conrad (Fredericton: Acadiensis Press, 1988), 22.

7 Eaton, The History of King’s County, 69.

8 James Doyle Davison, Handley Chipman, King’s County Planter, 1717-1799 (New Minas: Ronald E. Bezanson, 1988), 146.

43 as he made the comment in his biography of Handley Chipman, who did not get along with Samuel. Chipman settled in Cornwallis as well, so he should have been happy that

Samuel was trying to get the best land for them. If Starr really praised Horton and people listened, it indicates that people respected his opinion and followed his advice. His actions could also be seen as not self-interested, but really looking out for the people that he represented. Starr wanted to make sure that his group could get the best land possible, so he did all that he could to make sure that happened.

The descriptions of Samuel and the Starr family from the local histories and the few records of him kept in the collection give Samuel an almost heroic quality. When looking at some of the more academic research, a different side of Samuel is revealed.

One problem with these sources is that none of them were actually focused on him or other members of the Starr family. As a result, most only make references to Samuel in attempts to prove other points that the authors were trying to make. Another issue is that some of them used papers from other family collections, such as the Chipman family.

Because of this, there is a possibility of bias, just as there is in the Starr collection. The academic research does seem to indicate a feud between the Chipman and Starr families, especially between Samuel Starr and Handley Chipman. This is important to note because it means that any sources mentioning Samuel in the Chipman family collection will likely present him in a negative light. The Chipman family was also an important family in Cornwallis, and could be seen as rivals to the Starrs. Handley and Samuel were

44 both members of the upper class, and Handley was a Justice of the Peace. He was also elected the first Judge of Probate for King’s County, a position he held until his death.9

The records that were not kept by the Starr family are also important. Certainly not every record created by Samuel and his descendants was saved in the collection, and this absence of records does have an impact on how the Starrs are viewed. It should not be assumed that Harry or other members of the family specifically removed records that could change the perception of the Starrs or perhaps only released records that showed the family in a positive light, but there is a chance that this happened. Whatever the case, other research and family records do show the Starr family in a more negative light than the family’s own records.

The academic research shows a different side of Samuel. Most tend to focus on his relationship with other members of the community, rather than on his professional career. In one case in the first decade after the Planters arrived, Samuel appears to have acquired land that bordered the harbor. Controversy arose when he “fenced off access to his land, and by extension, to the harbor.”10 This certainly appears to be an act of aggression to anyone who needed access to the harbor. Undoubtedly he gained enemies from this action, but people were angry that the lot layers did not realize that Samuel could do this. Patricia Norred suggests that the “lot layers either did not assume that subsequent divisions would be necessary in that area or they believed that the road laid out through the area would remain open to all.”11 Unfortunately for the fishermen who

9 Davison, 39.

10 Patricia Ann Norred, Reinventing Community: Connecticut Planters in Nova Scotia, 1759-1776 (Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI Dissertation Services, A Bell and Howell Company, 1999), 167.

11 Ibid.

45 wanted access to the harbor, this was not the case. Samuel quickly took advantage of this property and blocked it off. Norred, however, does suggest that, even though the records do not indicate how the dispute ended, the interests of the fishermen likely won over

Samuel’s interests in the courts.12 This research shows Samuel in a completely different light. Unlike the local and family histories, Norred is showing Samuel as a selfish man who was only looking out for himself. However, many people in the same situation would have done the same as Samuel. It was his land to control, and it makes sense that he would want people off of his land. Regardless, the people who wanted the access refused to see this, only seeing him as the man who took away their customary access to reach the harbor easily, affecting their livelihood.

In 1772 there was another incident between the Starr and Chipman families, one that could provide more evidence for why the two families did not get along.

One day in the summer of 1772 [Samuel Starr and John Chipman] met on the road. Starr testified that he was going home with a pail of water when he met Chipman who asked him to stop. He stopped and put down his pail. Chipman then said, “You have accused me with taking a false oath, and have kill’d my Turkeys.” Starr said that he had not done either, on which John Chipman “struck Starr with his fist several times and knocked him down three times and hurt him very much...” Chipman pleaded guilty and apologized.13

These two men apparently had issues, but this was not the type of behaviour that would have been expected from two outstanding members of the community. Norton refers to

Samuel as a merchant and he kept a tavern as well, while John was also a merchant and a

12 Norred, 167.

13 Judith A. Norton, “The Dark Side of Planter Life: Reported Cases of Domestic Violence,” Intimate Relations: Family and Community in Planter Nova Scotia 1759-1800, ed. Margaret Conrad (Fredericton: Acadiensis Press, 1995), 187.

46 justice of the peace. Both were “found in the highest tax bracket in the poll tax lists.”14

This does indicate that they were both important in the community, but does not clarify what the dispute was between the two men that made them not get along for so many years. It could have been related to their businesses. Samuel had a license to keep a tavern, which was given to him in 1768.15 In a time where people practiced religion so strictly, some people could have been opposed to Samuel being able to “retail Spirituous

Liquors, Wine, Cyder, Ale, Beer, or other stroke Liquors.”16 However, this could have made him well respected by many others in the community because it gave the people a place to buy and consume alcohol. Julia Roberts suggests that taverns also were community spaces. They could be used as meeting points and a place to solve disputes.17

Whatever the reason, these two “prosperous” men seem to have never been able to settle their differences. It certainly raises suspicions about legal decisions made throughout their lives. For example, as a justice of the peace, Handley Chipman actually made rulings on cases that involved the Starrs.18 Certainly today that would not have been allowed for ethical reasons, but at the time it was acceptable. As a result, Handley

Chipman could have made some of the biased decisions, such as the case over a decade later against Starr’s son Joseph.

14 Norton, 187.

15 01 April 1768, “Certifications,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/4, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

16 Ibid.

17 Julia Roberts, In Mixed Company: Taverns and Public Life in Upper Canada (Toronto: UBC Press, 2009), 74.

18 04 June 1785, “Supreme Court Records,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/2, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

47 Samuel gained more enemies and further amplified the dispute with the Chipmans when he represented the crown in a usury trial in 1774. It is unclear why he was chosen to be the one to do this as there is no evidence of him being a lawyer, but it indicates he was likely held in high regard by the members of the court in Halifax. At this trial, he charged John and Handley Chipman, Samuel Willoughby, and Amos Bill with usury,

“claiming that the men, in separate transactions, had charged usurious amounts in loan transactions.”19 These transactions had taken place in 1771, but charges were not filed until three years later in a time of “economic downturn,” when people were struggling to make ends meet. As a result of the charges, “neighbor was pitted against neighbor, and almost all the freeholders in Cornwallis served either as jurors or witnesses.”20 The men were accused with charging up to a thirty-three percent interest rate on loans when the standard rate was only six percent. Amos Bill confessed quickly and paid a fine, but the other men did not and were convicted. They appealed and fought it all the way to the

Supreme Court. In the end, the Supreme Court overturned the convictions, but “the ongoing saga appeared to consume much of the community’s time and attention for nearly four years.”21 This case is important because it shows Samuel in court prosecuting many people, at least two of whom were later found to be innocent of the charges.22

Norred concludes that it is unusual that he would have prosecuted the case with such

“undiluted zeal” because he was in the same economic class as the accused. The

19 Norred, 202.

20 Ibid, 201.

21 Ibid, 202.

22 Ibid, 205. Norred also points out that the reverse could be true, and that Samuel could have been correct in charging the men. In this theory, Norred says that the Supreme Court could have been afraid of upholding the charges against these four men because the men could “command the loyalty of others.”

48 suggestion she makes is that the defendants were members of the Congregationalist

Church while Samuel was a member of the Anglican Church, therefore it could have been a religious difference that made these men get into many disagreements. However, it very well could be simply that Samuel was just looking out for his neighbors and trying to protect them from men who were stealing from them. It is impossible to know for sure the circumstances of this case today, but it provides further evidence of a conflict between the Chipman and Starr families.

Samuel was also involved in the militia in Cornwallis. It is unclear when he first became involved. The militia in Nova Scotia was established by an act in 1758 which stated that “‘all male persons, planters, and inhabitants, and their servants, between the ages of sixteen and sixty, residing in and belonging to this province shall bear arms and duly attend all musters and military exercises.’”23 Once the New England Planters arrived in Nova Scotia, militia regiments were created in the newly formed communities.

This indicates that Samuel likely would have belonged to a militia regiment soon after his arrival as he fell under the categories of men required to belong. Local officers were appointed by the British administration in Halifax, chosen because they were well known and well-respected.24 Samuel was named captain in 1775, possibly as a result of his work representing the crown in the usury trial just a year prior, beginning a career in the militia that developed a lasting reputation of excellence.25

23 Eaton, The History of King’s County, 427-428.

24 Ibid, 428.

25 20 July 1775, “Certifications,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/4, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

49 In his family history, R.W. Starr (1830-1923), the great-grandson of Samuel, gave an account of some of Samuel’s activities during his time in the militia.26 Samuel was in the Cornwallis militia during the time of the American Revolution, which began just a year after his appointment as captain. This in itself is an important fact because it shows where his loyalties were. Many of the Planters in Cornwallis and other parts of Nova

Scotia sympathized with the Americans, or at least remained neutral in the conflict.27

Most of the families living in Nova Scotia by this time would have still had family back in New England, so it is not surprising that they would still feel a connection to the

Americans. Even if many of them did not actually join and fight against Britain, they did at least understand the reactions of the Americans.28 Samuel did not, however, have these sympathies. He remained a supporter of the Crown, and when a number of King’s

County people were “expressing seditious language and preparing to raise a liberty pole,”

Samuel felt the need for action.

[He] reported their actions to the Government at Halifax, and a detachment of the Orange Rangers under Major Bayard with colors streaming and drums beating marched through Horton to the Ford at Port Williams, then to Church Street across the Dyke to Canard then back to Town Plot to the Barracks. This show of force was cheered by a large majority of the people as they passed and nothing more was heard of the liberty pole.29

26 R.W. Starr, Historical Facts and Legends of the Starr Family of Starr’s Point or “Boudro’s Point” of the Acadian French and “Nesoogwitk” of the Micmac Indians Meaning “Lying Between two Rivers,” [n. p., n. d.], 4.

27 Gordon Stewart and George Rawlyk, A People Highly Favoured by God (Hamden, Connecticut: The Shoe String Press, Inc., 1972), 46.

28 Eaton, Report of the Annual Meeting, 7.

29 Starr, Historical Facts and Legends, 4.

50 This show of force was an extremely important event for the community. It seems to have stopped almost completely any open talk of rebellion against Britain. If it were not for Samuel, then talk of the liberty pole could have resulted in it being erected, and there may have been more support for the rebellion. Samuel’s actions ended the threat of rebellion before it gained any strength. Starr thus can be seen to be playing a significant role in determining the path Cornwallis Township would follow.

It was also during the time of the American Revolution that a family legend began. Although there is no discussion of slavery in the legal records, the family legends published in R.W. Starr’s family history indicate that there was a slave in the home.

When Joseph Starr (1757-1840), Samuel’s son, returned home during the American

Revolution, no one in the family recognized him, but the legend says that “an old negro woman (who had been his mammie or nurse) sat in the chimney corner” and “watched him for a few moments without speaking, then jumped up and rushed into the parlor crying ‘it’s Massie Joe, its Massie Joe.’”30 Even though the records themselves did not discuss this matter, it is clear through this story that the Starr family did have slaves.

Research also indicates that the Starr family owned slaves. Julian Gwyn makes a brief mention of it, recording that “Samuel Starr of Cornwallis traded in slaves.”31 Gwyn does not directly reference where this information came from, but the story about Joseph is evidence that Samuel owned slaves. Trading in slaves and owning slaves would have been quite different. If someone owned a slave, they could have just inherited the person

30 R.W. Starr, Historical Facts and Legends, 10.

31 Julian Gwyn, Planter Nova Scotia 1760-1815: Cornwallis Township (Wolfville: Kings-Hants Heritage Connection, 2010), 42.

51 from their parents or another relative, or only bought one for themselves, whereas trading in slaves meant they would have been dealing with other people and buying and selling the slaves. This is one example that shows how the past can be selectively erased. The only record in the collection that refers slavery is the story of Joseph coming home, and even this does not explicitly say the woman was a slave. It is quite possible that Harry

Starr or someone else in the family destroyed the more revealing records, although it is also possible that records about it were not kept at all or were just lost, especially since at the time, slavery was legal and a sign of status.

Regardless of his involvement with slavery, Samuel built a tremendous reputation for himself. Samuel took part in an action to counter the threat of a man named Samuel

Hall in 1779. This man, calling himself a privateer, came to the Minas Basin during the early years of the American Revolution.32 He began causing damage to many of the settlements in the area, and “had crossed the mountain and plundered some of the houses and stores of provisions and goods.”33 The citizens of the area, as well as the men of the militia, felt that something needed to be done. Quickly the militia organized a group of volunteers to go get Hall and his men, but the latter had knowledge that it was going to happen, and were able to escape beforehand.34 Nevertheless, Samuel urged the militia to keep up the search for them. He is reported to have told his men “I know this man better than you do, and I warn you to keep a close watch over every vessel in port when spring

32 Eaton, The History of King’s County, 156.

33 Starr, Historical Facts and Legends, 5.

34 Ibid.

52 comes.”35 Once Hall’s camp and ships had been burned, men from the community felt that he was no longer someone to be worried about. But Samuel approached a man named John Whidden who was preparing a ship for sea in the spring, warning him that someone should be guarding it. Whidden felt this was unnecessary, so Samuel took arms himself and waited by the ship overnight. Sure enough, Hall and his men arrived that night.36 Upon seeing him, Samuel immediately told Hall to stay away. Hall realized the threat he faced, and returned to his own small vessels, never to be seen again in the

Cornwallis River.37 This legend of Samuel shows him as being the hero. When no other person was willing to accept that Hall was a threat to the community, Samuel took up arms himself to defend his fellow community members. Stories like this are why Samuel is remembered so well within the community. He established a reputation in the military that few others in the area could match. The accuracy of this story is irrelevant because it plays a vital role in understanding the image of the Starr family. This kind of legend is what promoted the Starr name in Cornwallis and the surrounding area. Admittedly, the family, or even friends of Samuel, could have exaggerated this story, but nevertheless it was still the version that spread through the community and enhanced Samuel’s status.

There are very few records regarding Samuel’s military service in the Esther

Clark Wright collection, but there are some letters written to him from some of the higher ranking officers in Halifax. One letter is from Colonel Winckworth Tonge in 1780, written when Samuel was still only a captain. In the letter, Tonge discusses Samuel’s

35 Starr, Historical Facts and Legends, 6.

36 Ibid.

37 Ibid, 7.

53 responsibilities. He is told that he will have barracks appointed to him, and that once this happens, he has to march his men there immediately and appoint men to cook and clean.

He was also responsible for taking role call every day and making sure the men received their provisions.38 While these seem like menial tasks, they were important to the operations of the barracks, and showed Starr’s authority over the barracks. Even though he only had command of a small group of men, this kind of responsibility enhanced his social status. He must have performed well since he was promoted to major only a year later, in 1781.39

Another aspect of the community in which the Starrs played a significant role is religion. Samuel and his brother David were two of the founders of the Anglican Church in Cornwallis where there were relatively few Anglicans, most of the settlers being

Congregationalists.40 As a result, the Starrs were in the religious minority in Cornwallis.

This may have gained the respect of other Anglicans for having stuck with their religion even when they were surrounded by others who did not agree with their beliefs. The

Anglican community in Cornwallis still recognizes their importance, and this is demonstrated in a recent book about the history of the parish that was dedicated to the founding members of the church, including Samuel and David.41 Books like this which continue to show the family as being important keep their tradition alive. Elinor Murray

38 30 June 1780, “Correspondence,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/1, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

39 Davison, 35.

40 Peter Haring Judd, “An ‘Uncompromising Whig’ and Rebel Pastor in Planter Nova Scotia, 1766-1778,” Planter Links: Community and Culture in Colonial Nova Scotia, ed. Margaret Conrad (Fredericton: Acadiensis Press, 2001), 60.

41 Elinor Murray, On the Shoulders of Giants (Kingston, Nova Scotia: T & S Office Essentials and Printing, 2010), iii.

54 says “Major Starr and his extended family were leading supporters of the Anglican

Church in Cornwallis.”42 Samuel and David, as well as other men such as John Burbidge and William Best, “were the first to attempt the organization of the Parish.”43 The two brothers were “elected members of the first Vestry when St. John’s Cornwallis was more formally organized in 1784.”44 Community members felt that the Starr brothers were pious, important, or rich enough to be leading members of the Anglican Church. The family remained important to the church as “active members of St. John’s, its organizations and endeavors” for over two hundred years.45 In addition, Charles Starr,

Richard Starr, R.W. Starr, Joseph Starr, and J.R. Starr are all listed as having been church wardens over the course of the nineteenth and early twentieth century.46 In a region and period where religion was so important, this fact needs to be considered. The Starr family appears to have been incredibly involved in the Church and all of its activities, and this means they would have been looked up to in the community, more specifically by the other Anglicans. However, it should not be assumed that the Starrs were the most crucial members of the Anglican Church. While they were among the founders, they were not the most involved in actually developing the church. Some of the other founders such as

John Burbidge and Benjamin Belcher actually had a larger role in this.

After his appointment as major, Samuel later received a letter from a man named

Elijah Goans in 1793. Goans wrote asking him to nominate some men for offices in the

42 Murray, 21.

43 Jennie Elizabeth Magee Rand, Historical Sketch of Church of St. John 1810 - 1960 (1960), 6.

44 Murray, 21.

45 Ibid.

46 Rand, 3.

55 militia, which reflects the influence that Starr had in this matter.47 Later in the same year, when the British were at war with the French, Colonel John Burbidge sent a letter ordering Samuel to “procure ten or twelve men with arms to patrole on the point as the tide is coming up in the night.”48 This was a result of a privateer being seen in the Minas

Basin, and the military was concerned that the ship would land and cause problems for the community there. The governor of Nova Scotia, John Wentworth, was already nervous about a French fleet at New York sailing to Halifax, so the government was already on guard against outsiders.49 These records indicate that Samuel had tremendous responsibility in the local militia. Not only was he appointed in the first place, but he helped protect the community from invaders, and for this reason, he would have gained respect from his community.

An interesting case involving Samuel and his son, Joseph, took place in 1785.

The only evidence of this is a document dealing with an illegitimate child of Joseph.

This document is a Supreme Court case in which an agreement is made between Joseph and his father, and the girl, Elizabeth Farrel, and her father. The document names her father as Captain Thomas Farrel, indicating that he likely had some level of importance as well. The case lays out the charges, saying that Elizabeth “was delivered of a Male

Bastard child on the Seventh Day of May [1785].”50 Handley Chipman was one of the

47 30 April 1793, “Correspondence,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/1, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

48 19 August 1793, “Correspondence,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/1, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

49 Eaton, The History of King’s County, 433.

50 04 June 1785, “Supreme Court Records,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/2, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

56 men who signed the document as justice of the peace, the other being John Burbidge.

Knowing that a feud existed between the families, it is possible that the case was not looked at without some bias. However, it is just as likely that Joseph fathered a child.

This occurred in 1785, a year before he was married to Joanna Starr. It is surprising that the two did not just get married, but instead suffered the scandal and allowed the child to be born out of wedlock. Chipman and Burbidge decided that Samuel and Joseph should pay the Farrels six pounds for the “expenses of Lying in including the Doctor, Nursing, and all charges,” as well as pay eight shillings per month for seven years after the birth of the child.51 Unfortunately, there is no record of what happened to the child after this. It may have died young, or maybe the Farrels moved away; none of the Starr family genealogies or other records indicate what happened to this child. Perhaps the family just covered up the scandal well. Joseph was married the next year and all appears to have been forgotten, at least in the written history of the family. There is no mention of this child in any later records in the collection, nor is it mentioned in any of the histories of the area or family.

Supreme Court records also indicate a problem with Joseph’s finances. Joseph was ordered to appear at the Supreme Court in Horton so that he could answer charges of not fulfilling his promissory notes several times. In 1797, the first incidence, he was asked to go to the court to answer charges from Enoch Hunt because he owed payment.52

Another example of this dealt with his father’s widow, Miriam, who was Joseph’s step

51 04 June 1785, “Supreme Court Records,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/2, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

52 1797, “Supreme Court Records,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/22, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

57 mother. In 1804, Joseph was fighting against Miriam over a promissory note. In this case, she was trying to receive twenty pounds from her stepson.53 By 1805, she was deceased, but the administrator of her estate, Lavinia Brown, was seeking to be paid the sum of twelve pounds.54 As revealed in some of the family genealogies, Joseph and

Miriam did not get along, and perhaps these financial disputes were the cause of this animosity.55 The records contain the summons of Joseph and states the charges, but the result of the case is not found in the collection. In this case, it is not necessarily that

Joseph was struggling financially, but it may have just been a personal issue with the other person.

The records reveal more problems for Joseph as well. Three letters also indicate that he was not good at paying off his debts. In 1818, he received a letter from Charles A.

Prescott stating that Prescott was “not satisfied with such unnecessary delay” because he had not been paid for three months after having saved Joseph’s cattle from being

“sacrificed at auction.”56 This indicates Joseph may have been having some financial difficulties. Prescott seems to have helped Joseph by paying the sheriff for his cattle.

However, Joseph had been unable or unwilling to pay him back for this favor. With these kinds of actions, it is not surprising that some members of the Starr family gained enemies. In 1821, Joseph seems to have been having more financial problems. A man by

53 1804, “Supreme Court Records,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/22, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

54 1805, “Supreme Court Records,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/22, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

55 Starr, Historical Facts and Legends, 10.

56 17 January 1818, “Correspondence,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/16, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

58 the name of Clement Belcher sent a statement telling how much Joseph owed him.57

Joseph must have left the matter unsettled, because the next year, Belcher wrote again asking to be paid. Belcher says in the letter “I know not what objections you could have.

I should suppose there could be none.”58 Evidently Belcher is angry that he is not being paid. Certainly there could be few reasons why Joseph did not pay him back other than that he was financially unstable, or for some reason objected to paying this man.

Keeping the first letter from Prescott in mind, it would seem that the first explanation is more likely. Joseph was definitely having financial trouble in 1818 because Prescott had to save his cattle from being taken away. Only three years later, it is likely that these problems continued. Between the letters and court cases, it appears that Joseph was not paying bills for decades. What is unclear is whether he was doing this for personal reasons or if he just did not have the money available. There is a possibility that he was struggling with finances because of the payments he had to make to Elizabeth Farrel.

The fact that these records were kept in the collection by Harry Starr and his ancestors gives the overall fonds some more credibility since they do not portray Joseph in a positive light. It does not appear the family was trying to portray themselves in any particular way.

Richard Starr (1799-1885), the son of Joseph, seems to have made a better life for himself than his father. He was made a justice of the peace, was heavily involved in the

Anglican Church, and was an officer in the militia. The justice of the peace records that

57 13 August 1821, “Correspondence,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/16, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

58 May 1822, “Correspondence,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/16, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

59 were kept in the collection indicate that Richard likely held the position for nearly two decades, from at least 1839 to 1858.59 It is possible that he held the position longer, but it is also possible that he did not hold it for all of these years consecutively. Regardless, he was in this position for some time, and with this came a certain level of importance. As justice of the peace, he would have decided on many local cases in the community, and must have been respected or else he likely would not have kept the position. Along with this position, Richard was a member of the “Commission of the Peace” and an “active member of the County Sessions, and Commissioner for the relief of Insolvent Debtors” as well as a “trustee of the school lands of the township.”60 All of these positions indicate that he was well-involved in the community. Besides this, he was in the militia for nearly forty years and reached the rank of colonel in the Second Regiment of King’s County.61

He would have had a tremendous amount of responsibility with these positions, and it would not be surprising for him to have the respect of many people in the area.

Richard and his brother Charles (1788-1874) were both heavily involved in the

Anglican Church. They were both churchwardens and “devoted an unusual amount of time and energy implementing changes to the organization and financing of the Parish.”62

This is further indication of just how involved the Starr family was with the Anglican

Church. Charles and Richard are recognized by going above and beyond other church

59 “Justice of the Peace Documents,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/40, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

60 Burgis Pratt Starr, A History of the Starr Family of New England, from the ancestor, Dr. Comfort Starr of Ashford, County of Kent, England, who emigrated to Boston, Mass., in 1635 (Hartford, Connecticut: Case, Lockwood, and Brainard, 1879), 63.

61 Starr, A History of the Starr Family, 63.

62 Murray, 78.

60 members in their activities, as they were willing to do whatever they could. They truly were devoted to the well-being of this church.

Samuel, Joseph, and Richard were the three most prominent early members of the

Starr family. It was these men that were recorded in many of the sources written about the local area and in the family genealogies, especially regarding the legends and stories surrounding them. They helped build the tradition of the Starr family. The records were kept for generations because the Starrs came to view themselves as being significant, and therefore believed their traditions must be kept alive. As a result, the records were kept by family members for over two centuries. But these early Starrs were not the only important ones. By the end of the twentieth century, the Starrs had established themselves in the community even further, and there were many members who were still in notable positions.

The numerous genealogies written of the family indicate that the Starrs truly believed themselves to be important to the community. One, written by Burgis Pratt

Starr, discusses the entire American branch descending from Doctor Comfort Starr, who emigrated from England to Boston, Massachusetts in the early seventeenth century. This includes a large section showing the branch from Samuel and David in Nova Scotia. In this genealogy, there are a number of stories about the family members that can give more information about this family. Many of the stories probably began in the family and spread from there, so the fact that the Starrs believed these stories does help their credibility. However, it could also mean that the family just spread the stories and embellished them to elevate themselves. With the case of the Burgis Pratt Starr book, the

61 stories told to the author when writing this book likely influenced how the more extended

Starr family viewed the Nova Scotia branch. Possibly because of this the American Starr family reunion was held at Starr’s Point in 1914 by the Nova Scotia Starrs.63 A number of descendants of Samuel and David spoke of these brothers at the reunion, praising them for finding the land and settling it, as well as for remaining loyal to the Crown.64 The family was celebrated for this fact. Eaton indicates that they were praised so highly that the American branches were willing to have the reunion in Nova Scotia. This is absolutely a sign of status. Samuel was just one member of the large Starr family, but he was recognized as having been so important that the whole family was willing to go to

Nova Scotia to celebrate him and his descendants.

Richard’s son, Charles Richard Henry (1846-1933), was yet another prominent member of the Starr family. A “prominent Wolfville apple grower and shipper,” he was also president of the Acadia Dairy Company in Wolfville. In addition, he was “one of the most important members of the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers Association, serving as secretary for many years.”65 He also sat on the Board of Governors at Acadia.66 While at

Acadia, he helped to establish the Nova Scotia School of Horticulture, and was on the first Wolfville Town Council.67 C.R.H. held numerous positions which indicate that he was very important to the community. He seems to have made a reputation for himself in

63 Eaton, Report of the Annual Meeting.

64 Ibid, 9.

65 Tom Sheppard, Historic Wolfville: Grand Pré and Countryside (Halifax: Nimbus Publishing Company, 2003), 182.

66 Ibid.

67 Ibid.

62 the community, as well as in these organizations. Some of the newspaper clippings in the collection give more information about his importance. In an article written after his death, in 1933, he is recognized as running the Willowbank Farm, which was “regarded as one of the show-places of the county.”68 In addition, he was praised for having been chosen to help in “selecting and packing three packages of fruit which were sent to

London addressed to Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, the Prince of Wales, later King

Edward VII, and the Duke of Newcastle then Colonial Secretary.”69 This connection to royalty was certainly praised because it showed his status. If connected to royalty in any way, people are often given a status boost, and this certainly happened to C.R.H.

J. Rufus Starr (1860-1942), the great-grandson of Joseph, later become an important member of the church as well. In the very early twentieth century, he became the Senior Warden of the Church and in 1910, he served on a committee for building a parish hall.70 His wife, too, was involved, being the secretary of the first Women’s

Auxiliary.71 This all indicates that the Starrs remained important members of the

Anglican Church, providing leadership in the life of the parish. They are credited with spending incredible amounts of time and effort to help the church grow and keep it going.

A brief article was written about Harry Starr’s mother, May Rosina, when she died in 1965. She was married to Richard Sydney Starr (1878-1953), the son of C.R.H.

Although brief, the article indicates that she had some importance in the community. She

68 “Newspaper and Magazine Clippings,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/154, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

69 Ibid.

70 Murray, 124; Murray, 132.

71 Ibid, 142.

63 and her sisters, Minnie and Annie Prat, “carried on a studio for book binding and miniature painting.”72 The Prats themselves were a prominent family in Wolfville, and the fact that one of the Starrs married one of the Prat girls is indicative of their own status. Rosina also became the curator of the Wolfville Historical Museum after the death of her husband and her return to Wolfville from Willowbank Farm.73 This, too, indicates that she was well respected in the community.

Evelyn Starr (1890-1923) seems to be a very good example of a member of the

Starr family who shows her prominence. The daughter of C.R.H. Starr, she learned to play the violin at a young age and afterwards travelled and performed around the world.

One of the histories of Wolfville discusses Evelyn and her career. After learning to play the violin when quite young, she made her professional debut in Dresden as a soloist with

“a celebrated Berlin orchestra.”74 In addition, the concert was “held before an audience that included royalty.”75 These two statements really portray Evelyn as being an important and talented person. She not only played with a famous orchestra, but did it in front of royalty. This undoubtedly elevated the status of the Starr family. A member of their family had achieved fame around the world, and this meant a lot to the Starr name.

According to her obituary, she spent six years with her mother studying in Germany and

Russia with “distinguished masters of the violin.”76 Evelyn seems to be one of the only

72 “Newspaper and Magazine Clippings,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/154, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

73 Ibid.

74 Sheppard, 182.

75 Ibid.

76 “Newspaper and Magazine Clippings,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/154, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

64 women in the Starr family able to reach a high level of public prominence. Until she became famous, it had only been the men of the family who were looked at as important in the records. Certainly the wives of the earlier Starrs would have been significant because of their husbands, but would not have been in the public record as much as their husbands. The records also indicate this as few women were highlighted in the collection. Evelyn and her sister-in-law, May Rosina, were the first of the women to be seen as important. It is interesting that Evelyn, while not necessarily the most prominent member of the Starr family, did become the most famous of all the women in the family.

Harry Starr and his sister, Sally (1908-1983), the children of Richard Sydney and

May Rosina, seem to have been important in their own ways as well. Although Harry moved away from the area, he started out with a career in the radio business. This can be seen in many of his records. He collected a vast number of QSL cards from the 1920s.77

QSL cards were like collector cards. An operator would get the card of a person from another amateur radio station that he talked to.78 There are also a number of record books from the amateur radio stations of which he was a part. Harry’s records also indicate that he belonged to a number of organizations dealing with radio and engineering, including the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Institute of Radio Engineers, and the

Institution of Production Engineers.79 However, his involvement with the radio seems to

77 “QSL Cards,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/103, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

78 “QSL Cards,” eHam.net: Ham radio on the net, accessed February 12, 2012, http://www.eham.net/ newham/qslcards.

79 “Institute of Radio Engineers,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/112, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives; “Institution of Production Engineers,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/117, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia; “The Institution of Mechanical Engineers,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/116, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

65 have been only in the earlier stages of his career. After that, he appears to have switched to a career in engineering. The radio might have only been something he was interested in as a student, and then continued into another field when it came time to find a career.

Harry appears to have been well regarded in the engineering field, as there are some articles written by him in the collection relating to the field. These include articles on

“High Cost of Low Overheads,”80 “Forecasting: Models and Techniques,”81 and

“Material Specifications.”82 This was not the first time he had written for a larger audience though. In 1930, early in his life, he appears to have been editor of the

Montreal Dirt, a small newsletter.83 It is not known how long he held this position, but there is a span of editions for the year 1930 in the collections, indicating it may have only been short lived. Apart from these few writings, the records do not indicate just how big his career was, or exactly what he did with his engineering degree. It is known that he travelled to England and lived there for the remainder of his life. Another indication of his prominence is that he seems to have been well travelled. A number of the photographs and QSL cards indicate that he was in Montreal for some time, St.

Catharine’s, Ontario, America, and travelled across the Atlantic. However, as much as the family might like to think this makes him an important individual, this would have

80 “High Cost of Low Overheads,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/119, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

81 “Forecasting: Models and Techniques,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/124, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

82 “Material Specifications,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/121, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

83 “Montreal Dirt,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/118, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

66 been a very typical career for someone involved in the engineering field, and the amount of traveling he did would not have been uncommon.

Sally Starr, who remained unmarried all her life, was quite prominent in the community of Wolfville in the mid twentieth cenutry. She opened her own shop in

Wolfville and ran it for years. She also taught sewing and jewellry classes to the public, and this gained her further recognition in the community.84

After all of these sources have been consulted, it appears the Starr family was not just self-important but was also publicly important. There were so many record books of the Starr family telling the stories and legends that they clearly had their own idea of how notable they were. With this in mind, they still were significant to the public. The family had their biases when it came to the publication of their own genealogies and stories, but some of these seem very plausible once the records in the Starr family collection have been consulted. The local histories also make it clear that the Starr family has been important to the community of Cornwallis.

Likely, the prominence of the Starr family falls somewhere between the perceptions of the family and community and the perceptions of the academic scholars.

What they do agree on is that the Starr family was important in Cornwallis. The family itself definitely inflated its status to a certain degree through the publication of family histories and legends, but they were well respected members of the community. Samuel was on the committee of men who were charged with finding land in Cornwallis, and he was in the militia, serving as a major. They may not always have been liked, but this

84 “Newspaper and Magazine Clippings,” Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA/154, Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

67 does not change how important they were. Joseph was notorious for other reasons, such as not being financially stable. Richard, too, was an important member of the family, as was his son and grandchildren, while others, like Evelyn, gained fame and recognition around the world. The records kept by Harry Starr, in combination with secondary sources, indicate that whether liked by their neighbors or not, the Starr family was at least well respected by many in the community, and held positions that made them earn this respect. For these reasons, the Starr family absolutely can be remembered as one of the most important families in Cornwallis.

68 69 Bibliography Primary Sources

Starr Family fonds, 1990.006-STA. Acadia University. Esther Clark Wright Archives, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

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