I recently did an overview of some of my ancestors for a nephew and thought that I would share it here.
Top Row:
Donald Herbert Atwater Thompson and Laurene Rosalyn Paul Thompson, (my parents). Don Thompson was a veteran of World War II at the age of 18, he received his certificate in accounting from Mount Allison University and worked for D. A. Casey Limited for 20 years before his death by fishing accident at the age of 41. Surviving were his wife Laurene and 6 children. Laurene Paul Thompson trained as a nurse at Springhill, Nova Scotia and practiced for a number of years. Soon after her husband’s death she established Thompson’s Answering Service which she ran as sole proprietor for 21 years.
Duncan Ross (my father's maternal grandfather) was the grandson of Alexander Ross who immigrated to Nova Scotia from Scotland in 1833. Duncan farmed the original land grant at South Victoria, growing food for shipping. His apples from his apple orchard were sold to Britain and the family grew flax which was woven into linen for local use. Duncan had 1 son and 6 daughters.
Maude Roberta Ross (1862-1955) outlived three husbands. She was married to second husband John Ross cousin to Duncan Ross. John died at the age of 38 leaving her 3 children. She married Duncan who had 7 children and helped him with the raising of those children.
Ellen Laura Bell Furlong Paul (1895-1977) was married to Earl B. Paul. She was the daughter of Joseph Howe Furlong of Southampton, a descendant of Henry Furlong, a Yorkshire settler of 1755 to Southampton, Cumberland County. Henry Furlong established one of the first hotels in Cumberland County during the stagecoach era. Ellen and Earl had 10 children.
Francis Lavinia Shields married Elisha Budd Paul (father of Earl Barrington) and bore him 8 children. Lavinia was the descendant of Irish immigrants to Nova Scotia.
Elisha Budd Paul, (1858 – 1936) (father of Earl Paul) began working at the age of 12 and became a mine coal cutter by the age of 18. He was a councillor and Deputy Mayor for the Town of Springhill, Grand Master of the Provincial Workmen's Association and appeared before a Royal Commission reporting on the work of boy miners in 1889. He was a miner during the 1891 explosion and worked hard to introduce the United Mine Workers to Springhill. In 1904 he was elected to the Nova Scotia Legislature and served for two terms. In 1911 he served as registry of deeds and was made Deputy Inspector of Mines in 1912 serving until 1926.
Middle Row:
Ross Girls: Elsbeth, stepmother Maude, Elizabeth, Annie, Esther and Margaret. Margaret was the mother of Donald Thompson. Elspeth and Elizabeth moved to California at the age of 18, Elspeth becoming the secretary to a Supreme Court Judge and Elizabeth a school teacher. Annie purchased the family farm from her sisters and continued the farm until her death. Esther died at a young age.
Ern Thompson Family. My father Donald Thompson is the small boy on the left, Don’s brother Ken on the right. Don and Ken's mother was Margaret Isabel Ross Thompson (1893-1977) graduated from Empire Business College in 1914, with an average of 84. She did all of the business management of her husband’s butcher business in Springhill. Far right is Ernest Herbert Thompson. Ern and Margaret were raised in South Victoria, Cumberland County and made their home in Springhill.
Ern Thompson as a young man. "Bubby" always was ready to play checkers and color pictures with his grandchildren. You can see in the photograph the bow to his fiddle which he played at local dances as a young man.
Bottom Row:
Earl Barrington Paul (1895-1984) was the son and grandson of Springhill coal miners. He was self taught as a machinest and rose in career to mining inspector, superintendant and finally General Manager of the Springhill and Glace Bay coal mines for Dominion Coal and Steel Company. Earl Paul was president of the Machinests Union, Councillor for Town of Springhill, Deputy Minister of Labour for Nova Scotia and Director of All Saints Hospital.
My maternal grandparents were Ellen and Earl Paul. Ellen Furlong Paul and Earl Barrington Paul at their cottage at spruce haven, West Pugwash.
Ernest Herbert Thompson (1877-1959) left school after grade 3 to work in the lumber mills of Cumberland County to help support his parents large family. Because he was too small to fell lumber, he was sent out to trap, hunt and fish game for the cookhouse. From those skills he developed a profitable and popular butcher shop for Springhill. Ern Thompson was one of 12 children. He is fifth from the left in this photo, a rare photo of most of the siblings, taken on the day of their mother’s funeral.
Moore Simpson Thompson and Sarah Elizabeth Roblee Thompson. Moore and Sarah were
Ern Thompson’s parents. Moore was forth generation descendant of the first settler to Oxford, Nova Scotia. Richard Thompson arrived from Yorkshire on the ship “Two Friends” in 1774. He purchased land and established the town of Oxford. Richard built the first timber house in the area, ran a saw mill, became surveyor of highways, and gave land for the establishment of Oxford’s cemetery and Methodist Church. Sarah Roblee’s mother Abigail was well known as midwife to the area, helping with the sick in her local community.
