Dartmouth Patriot, 3 August 1901 Edition

No. 14

Having given in detail the contents of an old time deed I will give the remaining history of Cow Bay in a shorter space. I will give in this paper the history, as I have it, of Cow Bay outside of Cowie's grant. In my next paper I will take up the history of Cow Bay proper or that part of Cow Bay which includes the beach and lake.

The first inhabitants of Cow Bay were Indians. They were scattered over the place and some of them lived there up to recent times. Richard Monday or Munday was left in charge of Capt Rawdon's land. Rawdon went away and never came back again. Monday got the grant of Rawdon's land. Monday's daughter married Christian Bowes. George Bowes, Sr. and Mr. Pentz bought land next to that owned by Christian Bowes. Christian Bowes probably came from south division of Lunenburg, for I find the name Christian Bowes on the assessment roll of that place for the year 1795. In St. Paul's cemetery, Halifax, I have seen the graves of Richard Monday and his wife. A stone from which I have taken the following facts marks their graves. Mary Munday died June 16, 1801, aged 54 years. Richard Munday, her husband died August 12, 1801, aged 58 years. I am not sure that this man was the Richard Monday who lived at Cow Bay, for I understood that Monday's widow married James Wellsman, whose descendants still live at Eastern Passage. As Wellsman's wife's name was Elizabeth his wife may have been Monday's daughter. I am sorry my knowledge of Monday and his immediate descendants is not more definite. I have stated that George Bowes, Sr. and John Pentz bought land next [to] Monday's grant. Their purchase was on the grant of Enoch Bean. The grant of John Mignor was taken up by a man named Story. A man named Lester also owned a part of the grant which consisted of Osborne's Head. About 100 years ago the ancestor of the Cow Bay Osborne's secured the land of Lester. Other Osbornes bought the Story property from James Fraser and James Wellsman who had bought it. Thus did the land come into the hands of its present occupants.

I may here say a few words about these old settlers. I have already mentioned Richard Monday and Christian Bowes. George Bowes, Sr. who joined with John Pentz in buying the Bean land died March 23, 1877, aged 77 years. John Pentz died November 4, 1887, aged 82 years. James Wellsman died May 6, 1891, aged 77 years.

The old time Osbornes used to pilot vessels when the chance was given them. They lived nearer the shore than the present generations of the family. The house commanded a good view of the ocean. There was a boat landing on the Head at that time. The first Osborne had four sons, John, William, David and Joseph. After the life work of the first Osborne settler had been done, he was laid to rest on the highest point of Osborne's Head. Many of his descendants were placed beside him and 15 or 20 mounds now visible show that then, as now, death spared neither the old nor young. Over the graves of the family stands a spruce tree which by its never fading greeness seems a fitting reminder of the life eternal to which they have gone. As the old settlers guided the ingoing ship into port, so does the tree which grows on their last resting place perform the same duty. This tree, better known perhaps, at least to the mariner, than almost any in Nova Scotia, stands alone on the summit of the hill. The bearings of ocean liners bound to England and other parts of the world is taken from this tree which is the last object lost sight of on outward trip. Coming back the heart of the mariner and the passengers are made glad by the sight of the familiar object. Scarcely a captain with whom I have spoken, but knows and knew well the tree, which perhaps they had never seen from the landward side. The Osbornes now bury in the churchyard at Eastern Passage and the old cemetery is falling into disuse. The last of the old settlers of whom I wish to write is a man named Cummings. Mr. Cummings lived in a house on the site of Mr. James Bowes present residence. Still another old settler was Edward Stevens. He lived on the lower side of the road leading from the Presbyterian Church to the main road to Eastern Passage. He put up the frame of the Meeting house at Cole Harbor about 75 years ago. His son George was teamster at Mount Hope Asylum up to the time of his death a few months ago. The field in which the house stood is still called Steven's field.

Having said so much about the Settlers, I will mention a few more facts about the place. I will begin with a description of a few of the wrecks which have taken place at Cow Bay. Among these wrecks are those of the Pelinoor, a brigantine laden with flour, off Osborne's Head. On the Green Bay side the brig Azork, a schooner laden with dry fish, a brig with coal, and another brig which came ashore with no one on board.

The Pelinoor was coal laden. She was wrecked off Osborne's Head about 40 or 50 years ago. I have heard from several persons that she was a remodelled man-of-war. At the time she was wrecked there used to be an outlet to Osborne's Lake just below the lane leading from the Moser settlement to Osborne's Beach. The lake was then quite deep at that spot and the beach would be broken out whenever the lake was high. While the run was clear the bottom of the Pelinoor drifted through the outlet and is now inside the beach in the lake just a little below the house of Mr. Walter Osborne. The outlet has been closed for many years and one not acquainted with the facts would wonder how the bottom got there. It is of oak and is still sound.

The next vessel on the list is the brigantine with flour and barley. She was coming from Quebec over 40 years ago when she was wrecked off Osborne's Head. Flour was then worth about $12 a barrel. There was then no railway communication between Quebec province and Nova Scotia, so all the flour had to be brought by vessel. Two men were detailed to watch the goods. It was bitterly cold. Much of the flour was saved from destruction by the people of the neighborhood.

The brig Azork was loaded with paint. She was on her way from England when she was wrecked. The wreck occurred the same year the flour ship before mentioned was wrecked.

Haliburton, in his history of Nova Scotia states that in the year 1829 or thereabouts 110 persons lived at Cow Bay. They had under cultivation 148 acres land on which was raised 89 bushels of wheat, 294 bushels of other grain, 1900 bushels potatoes, 121 tons hay. The stock consisted of 44 horses, 97 horned cattle, 183 sheep, and 50 pigs.

The school-house of the district used to be the building now used by Mr. George Bowes, Sr. as a carriage house. On Sundays it was used for church services. The new School Act came in force in 1864. The present school-house was then built. It has been in use since that time. I have said that the Presbyterians use[d] to hold services in the old schoolhouse. In the same year that the school-house was built the Presbyterian Church was erected. The people of Lawrencetown and of Cow Bay agreed to support a clergyman between them. This arrangement has been carried out ever since, the clergyman living at Lawrencetown and preaching every Sunday afternoon at Cow Bay.

The Episcopal Church was started during the incumbency of Rev. E.M. Leigh and completed by Rev. Edward Roy, the present rector. Previous to its erection services used to be held in the school-house which stands a few steps only from the church.

The Cow Bay Hall was built in 1889. Many entertainments used to be given in this building by local talent.

Running through Osborne's Head are three valleys. In the middle one of these may be seen a hole 16x20 feet in extent. The ground is thrown up all around which gives it the appearance of an old cellar. But the hole was not made for the purpose. Money is supposed to have been buried there and the hole is the result of the search for it. Different parties from Halifax and elsewhere have tried their luck. A peculiar fact about the place is that for some distance around the ground appears to have been sifted for no stones are found in the ground. For this reason it is often used for hot beds.

(To be Continued.)