In "1986", when our daughter Debbie and her husband Charles Stewart, were in the process of renovating an old farm house on their property, in Round Hill, Nova Scotia, formally known as Rosette,  they found a manuscript inside of the walls. This manuscript was written by the late Rev. Jacob Bailey. Knowing that this was an important piece of history, they donated it to the Acadia University Archives, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

In return, they received a History of the house.
This is a copy of the history which was done by Dr. Barry Moody, the head of the History Department.

"Charles A. Stewart Sr. and Dorothy L. Stewart to Charles A. Stewart Jr. and Deborah Stewart, 1 September, 1983  (Registry of Deeds, Lawrencetown, N. S.,br> Book 354,  pp.  358-61)"

"Mary E. Veinot to Charles A. Stewart and Dorothy L. Stewart, 2 February, 1973
(Book 253, pp.  580-82)"

"Edward A. Hicks and Emily Hicks to Mary Veinot, 24  July,  1963
(Book 226,  p. 633)"

"Mary Etta Veinot to Edward Hicks,  28  May  1959
(Book   221,  p. 282)"

"H. Nelson Veinot to Mary Etta Veinot,  11  May  1959
(Book  221,  pp. 280-1)
The deed states that this is Lot # 16  in the 1st Division of wood lots east of
Sawmill Creek, containing about 250 acres."

"Thomas A. Ritchie to Henry Nelson Veinot,  5  May  1945
(Book  201,  pp. 465-6)
On the same day Henry Nelson Veinot and Mary Etta Veinot mortgaged
the property to Alfred G. Woodbury for the sum of $ 1200.
(Book  201,  pp.  466-7)"

"Jacob B. Whitman and Ursula Whitman to Thomas Ritchie,  26  April,  1906,
for the sum of $ 2800
(Book 131,  pp.  526-9)
On the same day Ritchie mortgaged the property
to Helen L. Wright and Alice E.D. Wright of Halifax  for the sum of $1800.
(Book  131,  pp.  530-3)"

"James A. Whitman and Jane Whitman to Jacob B. Whitman,  3  May,  1883,
for $ 1800.  (Book  80,  pp.  589-91)  On the same day, Whitman mortgaged
it to the Hon. John W. Ritchie for $ 1000.  (Book  80,  pp.  591-2)"

"Elnathan Whitman, his wife Charlotte, James Whitman and his wife Ann,
Alfred Whitman and his wife Jane to James Alfred Whitman,  19  May,  1856,
for L800  (Book  48,  pp.  427-8)"
This deed was issued to settle an estate.  It reads in part "...all that Farm &
premises upon which the said James Alfred Whitman now resides situate
lying & being in Annapolis aforesaid being all that Farmland real estate &
premises bequeathed & devised by the late John Whitman Esquire did by his
last will & testament to his sons the said Elnathan Whitman, James Whitman &
Alfred Whitman...."

"John Whitman died in early 1832.  By his will  (which is at the Registry of
Probate, Annapolis Royal, N.S.), he left the home farm to his wife Elizabeth
for her lifetime, and after her death to his three sons Elnathan, James and
Alfred.  His wife died in early 1833, but it was not until twenty-four years
later that the three sons agreed on a final settlement, by which two of them
sold their shares to the brother who had continued to live on the home farm.

"John Whitman was born on 25 September,  1753,  probably  in Stow, Massachusetts, and came to
Nova Scotia on the Charming Molly in 1760 as
part of a major migration of New Englanders to this colony.  He was a
farmer and part-time surveyor and lived almost all of his life on Lot # 16  of
the  first division of wood lots above Saw Mill Creek.  He married Elizabeth
Rice (dau. of Phineas) in 1783 and had at least six children.  One of their
sons, Elnathan, (b.  18  Nov.  1785) served as Member of the Legislative
Assembly from 1836 to 1840.  His brother Alfred (b.  1797) followed in his
footsteps, serving from 1843 to 1857.  He was then appointed to the
Legislative Council where he served until his death in 1861."

"It is not entirely clear how John came into possession of the home farm.  His
father had died when John was stilla minor, leaving no will.  Although there
are no recorded deeds conveying the property to John, he certainly was in
possession of the property from the 1770's onward."

"John's father,  John Whitman, was born in Stow, Massachusetts, in 1717 and
married in 1747 Mary, daughter of the Rev. Mr. Foster of Stafford, Conn.
They had eleven children.  Most of them were born in New England before
the family moved to Nova Scotia in 1760.  Here Whitman settled on Lot 16,
first division of wood lots east of Saw Mill Creek, and built there a substantial
house.  He died, apparently suddenly, in early 1763.  The probate papers which
record the appointment of guardians for his young children also give an
inventory  of the estate.  The house is valued at L33.15.0 and the personal
property at L119.11.01/2, land at L157.10.0, a fairly sizable estate.  His wife
(whose name is variously Mercy and Marcy in the estate papers) became
administrix of the estate.  How it was eventually divided is not revealed in
the probate papers."

"John  and Mary Whitman's third child, Hannah,  was my great, great, great,
great grandmother."

"It would appear that the Stewart House was built either by John Whitman I
or John Whitman II.  If by the first, then it must have been built between
summer, 1760, and winter, 1762-3.  If by the latter, then it would probably
date from the period of John II's early majority (1770's-80's).  A careful
examination of the house might give some further evidence of construction
date.  Certainly there was a substantial house on the site by the time of John I's
death in 1763.  It would certainly appear that the house dates from the latter
half of the eighteenth century."

Note: They have since sold the house.

Note: Click on this link to read about the manuscript.

ABOUT THE MANUSCRIPT