We live in a young country. Two hundred and fifty years ago the first white man came to these shores. Before their arrival the country was inhabited by American Indians who lived by hunting and fishing, and who moved about with the seasons. There is little doubt that Scott's Bay would be a popular camping ground and probably the site of an Indian Village in the distant past. Their religion was largely nature worship. Their priests were medicine men who maintained a great influence in the tribe by their weird incantations and savage ritual. The explorers who came from Europe were adventurers seeking fortunes for themselves and their sponsors. They sought a shorter route to the fabulous wealth of the Indies, and for some time they thought they had found it. They called the natives Indians. As the real wealth of the country became better known an effort was made to establish colonies. It is interesting to us that those who -were the first successful colonists were not only looking for wealth, but also religious freedom. Huguenots from France were the first colonists in Canada and Dissenters from England sought freedom of worship in the colonies of "New England" in 1620. Many Huguenots came to Port Royal under the leadership of DeMonts, who was of this faith. We hear of the Order of Good, established in Port Royal that first winter. History also records that the Protestant Minister and the Roman Catholic priest had some strenuous arguments during the winter which sometimes ended in fists being thrown. Later: immigration brought larger, Catholic elements. That, together with the fact that the English were Protestant, led to the submersion of the Huguenots in this province.

There was no English settlement in this area until five years after the expulsion of the Acadians. The Governor of the Province sought settlers in New England and in 1760- 65 New England Planters came to take up the lands that were left vacant by the Acadians. The first group came chiefly from Connecticut. There were twenty-two vessels attended by a brig of war mounting 16 guns. They landed at Town Plot (now Port Williams) on the fourth of June, 1760. Each married man was given 100 acres of land for himself and 50 acres for each dependent at the time the grant was made. Bachelors were only given 50 acres. These New Englanders were dissenters, chiefly Congregationalists. Before they came they had an agreement that they would be allowed to worship according to the dictates of their own conscience. The Statue reads: "that as to article of Religion full liberty of conscience is secured to persons of all persuasions, Papists excepted. Protestants dissenting from the Church of England, whether they be Calvinists, Lutherans, Quakers, or under what denomination soever, shall have free liberty of conscience, and may erect and build meeting houses for public worship, and may choose and elect ministers for carrying on divine service, the administration of the sacraments, according to their several opinions."

We need to keep in mind that the Church of England was the established Church in the province until 1851, and received support from the Government. According to the notice board in front of St. John's Anglican Church at Church Street, that Church was established in 1760, the year of the first immigration. They called their first minister in 1762, according to records that I read the first Church was at Town Plot. The great majority of the people were Congregationalists, however, and they were not long in getting a movement under way to have a Church and a minister according to their own persuasion. In 1765 in response to their appeal Rev. Benaiah Phelps, a graduate of Yale, was sent to Cornwallis. A Church was built at Chipman Corner that seated 1000 persons in 1767-68. Some of the people were Presbyterian and the Church of Scotland were not long in following their people to the new land.

The first Presbyterian Church at Horton was built in 1767-68. Rev. Ebenezer Moulton of the Baptist Church came to Chebogue, Nova Scotia, in 1761. He preached occasionally in Cornwallis and Horton. In 1763 he baptised a number of men and women at Horton. He organized a Church but differences arose amongst the members and that Church died out. (Enough of his converts remained to form the nucleus of a more enduring organisation which came into being in 1778, known as the First Horton Baptist Church, not the Wolfville Baptist Church).

The most significant religious movement of the early days was that begun under the leadership of Henry Alline. Henry Alline came to Nova Scotia when he was twelve years old (1760). In 1775 he became very worried about his spiritual state. After spending all night in prayer he was given a very vivid experience of salvation. He was convinced at once that he should preach to others, but he hesitated at first because he was not educated. As time went on he became convinced that he was called of God and that no other preparation was necessary. In 1776 he began preaching. He did not find favour with the Congregationalists at Chipman Corner. Ordained ministers waited on him to advise him to take, proper training before attempting to lead others, but he refused to listen to their advice. Under his leadership the new Light Congregationalist Movement began. Due to the Revolutionary War and the separation of the New England States from Canada the Old Light Congregationalists fell on hard times. Their minister, Rev. Phelps, expressed himself in sympathy with the States, and got into trouble with the authorities. He went back to the States in 1778, and left the Church without leadership.

On July 15, 1778, the Cornwallis New Light Church came into being. The next year this Church ordained Henry Alline with co-operation from like groups in Horton and Falmouth, and then received him as their minister. Henry travelled far and wide during the next few years. He made a profound impression wherever he went, and there was widespread response to his evangelistic appeal. While Alline was away, his work at Cornwallis was carried on by his followers, among whom was John Payzant, who had married Henry Alline's sister. A Church was built at Jaw Bone Corner. Edward Manning followed John Payzant, having been converted under the preaching of John Payzant. Two -years after he was ordained (ca.1795 ) he became convinced that immersion was the proper mode of baptism. He went to Annapolis and received immersion from Thomas Hadley Chipman. After his immersion he positively refused to perform the rite of baptism except by immersion. He returned to the Church at Jaw Bone Corner and continued as its minister until 1807, when he withdrew from the Church. The records show that 76 persons had been received into the Church by immersion and 60 by other modes of baptism, but only six or eight followed Manning out of the Church. Edward, fuming, formed the First Cornwallis Baptist Church at Canard in 1807 and brought the Church into the Baptist Association. Manning remained with the Church at Cornwallis until his death, January 12, 1851.

The First Cornwallis Baptist Church at Canard spread its influence throughout eastern Kings, and as a result can boast of five daughter Churches, namely, Berwick, the first daughter, organized in 1828, the second daughter, Billtown, organized in 1835, the third daughter, Pereaux, organized in 1862, the fourth daughter, Canning, organized in 1870, and the fifth daughter, Port Williams, organized in 1918. Many of the early settlers were Congregationalists from New England, and their number was increased under the ministry of Henry Alline. About the same time around 1819 the Free Baptists came along. They were Armenian in doctrine in contrast to the 'Close Baptists' or 'Calvinist Baptists'. One believed that man was a free agent to accept or reject salvation. The other believed that salvation was for the chosen of God. This is the background out of which the Churches at Pereaux and Canning were formed.