1902
For some years past I, in common with many others, have felt that allletters of interest and accessible facts in connection with the earlyhistory of the Truemans should be collected and put in permanent form,not because there is anything of interest to the general public in therecords of a family whose members have excelled, if at all, in privaterather than in public life, but in order that the little knowledgethere is of the early history of the family might not pass forever outof the reach of later generations with the death of those whose memorycarries them back to the original settlers. In getting togethermaterial necessary for the work, numbers of interesting factsconcerning other families came inevitably to light. In order topreserve these facts, and at the same time give the book a slightlywider interest, I decided to write a short history of those familiesconnected by marriage with the first and second generations ofTruemans, and also, as far as material was available, of the firstsettlers in the old township of Cumberland, which now includes thesettlements of Fort Lawrence, Westmoreland Point, Point de Bute,Jolicure, Bay Road, Bay Verte, Upper Tidnish and Port Elgin. Finally,as a kind of setting for the whole, I have prefaced these records witha brief outline of the early history of the Isthmus.
That the work falls far below the ideal goes without saying. Anyone whohas made the effort to collect facts of local history knows howdifficult it is to get reliable information. In almost every case wherethere was a conflict of opinion I have endeavored to verify my facts bylight thrown on them from different directions; but doubtless mistakeswill be found. By keeping the work in preparation for a longer time,more matter of interest could certainly be added, and perhapscorrections made; but to this there is no end, as the discovery ofevery new item of interest reveals a whole series more to investigate.
To all who have given me assistance warmest thanks are tendered. To Dr.Ganong, of Northampton, Mass.; Judge Morse, Amherst; W. C. Milner,Sackville; and Dr. Steel of Amherst, grateful acknowledgment isespecially due for their ready and cheerful help. To Murdoch's NovaScotia, Hannay's Acadia and to Dixon's and Black's family histories Ihave also been indebted.
This book needs no introduction to the people of the Isthmus, whom itwill most interest. I shall therefore attempt only to point out theplan the present work will take in the general history of EasternCanada.
Mr. Trueman does not profess to have attempted a complete history ofthe Isthmus. The earlier periods, prior to the coming of theYorkshiremen, are so replete with interest that a many times largerwork than the present would be necessary for their full consideration,but Mr. Trueman has treated them with sufficient fulness to show thehistorical conditions of the country into which the Yorkshiremen came.It is the history of these Yorkshiremen and their descendants which Mr.Trueman treats so fully and authoritatively, and withal, from a localstandpoint, so interestingly; and his work is the more valuable for thereason that hitherto but little has been published upon this subject.Some articles have appeared in local newspapers, and there arereferences to it in the provincial histories, but no attempt hashitherto been made to treat the subject as it deserves. Those of us whoare interested in history from a more scientific standpoint will regretthat the material, particularly of the earlier pa