OAK ISLAND ARCHIVES AND RESEARCH ORGANIZATION
More to follow
The Characters |
Oak Island has attracted some interesting men and women over the years, research into some of the better known characters can be found here.
Sam and I
Laird Niven B.A. - Oak Island Lead Archaeologist
Laird Niven B.A. - Oak Island Lead Archaeologist
Laird Niven B.A. - Oak Island Lead Archaeologist, working at the Ball Site.
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I've met Samuel Ball before - in Shelburne and Birchtown, Nova Scotia. Sam was an integral part of those two areas' settlement, and I spent 15 years of my life there searching for archaeology related to the Black Loyalists.
I often wonder what went through Sam Ball's mind as he saw the rock-lined shores of Shelburne Harbour for the first time in July 1783. Shelburne, then Port Roseway, was to become the third-largest city in North America, with a population of 10,000, and, about six miles to the southwest, would be the satellite town of Birchtown, the largest settlement of Free Blacks in North America. Samuel Ball had arrived before the main body of settlers. He had already served three years with the Black Pioneers in the Revolutionary War, and their job in Shelburne was to help prepare the area for the settlers, mainly with the clearing of forest and the building of roads (Chipp). |
Plan of Port Roseway Harbour, 1798.Captain Holland Credit - Nova Scotia Archives
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Samuel Ball's time in Birchtown would have steeled his resolve to not only improve his and his family's lot in life but also to get away to a place where he could live in peace and security. The Black Pioneers were mustered out in August 1784, and Sam truly became a free man. But he quickly learned that freedom didn't mean equality. In his two years in Birchtown, he lived through the disappointment of broken promises, abject poverty and famine, the fear of slave owners returning for their "goods," the desperate search for work, and the violence of the first race riots in North America in July 1784. It's not difficult to see why Sam would have gathered together his few belongings and, once again, undertaken the trek to a better life.
I first met Samuel when I began an archaeological survey of Birchtown in 1993. The Black Loyalist Heritage Society had hired me to do an inventory of archaeological sites in Birchtown to fight a proposed landfill in the area. We identified 20 sites associated with the Black Loyalists, but none more significant or poignant than AkDi-12, which we interpreted as a "pit house." It is not often that archaeology can directly speak to a people's plight, but that discovery was one of those moments for me. During one of those surveys, Stephen Powell and I walked past a shallow depression on a power line. A small fragment of white salt-glazed stoneware from a shovel test told us we were on to something significant and a Saint Mary's University field school led by Dr. Stephen Davis the following year confirmed it.
I first met Samuel when I began an archaeological survey of Birchtown in 1993. The Black Loyalist Heritage Society had hired me to do an inventory of archaeological sites in Birchtown to fight a proposed landfill in the area. We identified 20 sites associated with the Black Loyalists, but none more significant or poignant than AkDi-12, which we interpreted as a "pit house." It is not often that archaeology can directly speak to a people's plight, but that discovery was one of those moments for me. During one of those surveys, Stephen Powell and I walked past a shallow depression on a power line. A small fragment of white salt-glazed stoneware from a shovel test told us we were on to something significant and a Saint Mary's University field school led by Dr. Stephen Davis the following year confirmed it.
Photo Credit - Laird Niven
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The structure was a hole in the ground dug in desperation in September 1783, with winter just around the corner, and most likely topped with a peaked roof of logs, which also had an entrance cut into it. Artifacts indicated that a small family probably lived in this structure for at least two years, but perhaps as many as nine. The site had a strange magic to it, and I vividly remember in 1994 when I was alone and doing the final excavations on the pit house walls, and a clump of soil fell away to reveal distinct shovel marks in the hardpan. I felt so close to the person digging the pit at that moment that I had to stand up and look around to make sure I was alone.
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I had not had that same feeling of a past person's presence working alone on Sam's farmstead and looked over the cellar, stone walls, and cleared land that were there solely through the hands of Samuel Ball. I could see his work and feel his satisfaction as he looked back on his journey to Oak Island, through the travails of Birchtown. So you see, archaeology is not just about bits of pottery and glass; it is about connecting to past lives like Samuel Balls.
We have that connection.
Samuel Ball’s story is one of patience, determination, unimaginable courage and heartbreak. His journey to Nova Scotia took him several years and countless miles and not only are we fortunate to know so much about his story, but we know exactly where he lived, which is a rare thing. The archaeology of the Samuel Ball site allows us a unique opportunity to get an insight into who he was and how his family lived. Archaeology is especially important when studying marginalized people like the Black Loyalists, who grew up being property with no opportunity to record their history in any conventional way. Their story now lies in what a famous archaeologist called “the small things forgotten”- those insignificant things that accumulate in the ground to create a lifetime in which the essence of our existence is captured.
Nova Scotia's heritage belongs to all Nova Scotians who also share a responsibility to protect it, Archaeology is one way to not only protect heritage but to study and interpret it for presentation to the public. Nova Scotia supports the preservation, regulation and study of archaeological and historical sites deemed to be important parts of our cultural heritage. The Special Places Protection Act enables the government to designate outstanding heritage sites as protected sites. It also ensures that quality research is carried out through the Heritage Research Permit system. Protected sites may include land in either public or private ownership as well as underwater sites. The Samuel Ball Site, designated BdDb-06, is one of two sites on Oak Island that is protected under the Special Place Protection Act.
Known as the Ball Tag, found in 2016 on a lot that Samuel owned.
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BdDb-06-0228 Plate.- Pearlware, blue transfer print, “Willow” pattern, Staffordshire, England. c.1795-1830
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Important Links
African Nova Scotia Affairs
Black Loyalist Heritage Centre - Archaeology
Nova Scotia Archives
Virtual Museum of Canada
CBC - The First Recorded Race Riot, happened in Canada
Port Roseway Associates
Sambo to Samuel - An Enduring Journey
Further Reading
Black Loyalists: southern settlers of Nova Scotia’s first free Black communities
by Ruth Holmes Whitehead. Nimbus Publishing Ltd., 2013
Birchtown and the Black Loyalist Experience, From 1775 to the Present
by Stephen Davidson. Formac Publishing, 2019.
The Black Loyalists: the search for the promised land in Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone, 1783-1870
by James W. St. G. Walker. University of Toronto Press, 1992.
African Nova Scotia Affairs
Black Loyalist Heritage Centre - Archaeology
Nova Scotia Archives
Virtual Museum of Canada
CBC - The First Recorded Race Riot, happened in Canada
Port Roseway Associates
Sambo to Samuel - An Enduring Journey
Further Reading
Black Loyalists: southern settlers of Nova Scotia’s first free Black communities
by Ruth Holmes Whitehead. Nimbus Publishing Ltd., 2013
Birchtown and the Black Loyalist Experience, From 1775 to the Present
by Stephen Davidson. Formac Publishing, 2019.
The Black Loyalists: the search for the promised land in Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone, 1783-1870
by James W. St. G. Walker. University of Toronto Press, 1992.
Sambo to Samuel An Enduring Journey
By Chipp Reid
Chipp Reid is a maritime and military historian. He is the author of three books and numerous academic articles that have earned awards and accolades in Colombia, England, Spain and the United States. He appeared in Season 7 of “The Curse of Oak Island” and is a consultant on military and naval matters. When not pursuing his next book project, Chipp spends his time sailing, surfing, and rescuing Alaskan Malamutes.
Preface Laird Niven - Chipp Reid has done extensive research on Samuel’s life in America and his journey to Oak Island, and, through Chipp’s meticulous work, we can hear Sam Ball’s voice loud and clear. Born into slavery, Sam managed to escape his owner during the Revolutionary War, leaving his family behind and made his way to the British lines, where he served until the end of the war. By the end of the eighteenth-century, Ball had sufficient means to construct a substantial house in Oak Island’s admirable location. He also had the means to buy many of the lots surrounding, establishing a significant farmstead by the middle of the nineteenth century. At the time of death in 1842, at the age of 81, Samuel Ball would have been able to look back on his life with extreme pride, knowing that his hard work took him from being owned as property to being a property owner.
The Enduring Journey of Samuel Ball - Research Paper to purchase click this link.
By Chipp Reid
Chipp Reid is a maritime and military historian. He is the author of three books and numerous academic articles that have earned awards and accolades in Colombia, England, Spain and the United States. He appeared in Season 7 of “The Curse of Oak Island” and is a consultant on military and naval matters. When not pursuing his next book project, Chipp spends his time sailing, surfing, and rescuing Alaskan Malamutes.
Preface Laird Niven - Chipp Reid has done extensive research on Samuel’s life in America and his journey to Oak Island, and, through Chipp’s meticulous work, we can hear Sam Ball’s voice loud and clear. Born into slavery, Sam managed to escape his owner during the Revolutionary War, leaving his family behind and made his way to the British lines, where he served until the end of the war. By the end of the eighteenth-century, Ball had sufficient means to construct a substantial house in Oak Island’s admirable location. He also had the means to buy many of the lots surrounding, establishing a significant farmstead by the middle of the nineteenth century. At the time of death in 1842, at the age of 81, Samuel Ball would have been able to look back on his life with extreme pride, knowing that his hard work took him from being owned as property to being a property owner.
The Enduring Journey of Samuel Ball - Research Paper to purchase click this link.
1709
Elias Ball II born on Comingtee Plantation, near modern-day Monck’s Corner, South Carolina. His younger brother, John Coming, is born in 1714.
1740
John Coming Ball purchases 670-tract of land along a branch of the Cooper River in South Carolina which he dubs Hyde Park Plantation.
1755
(April) Slave traders capture young African woman, prepare her for shipment to South Carolina
(July 26) Slave traders Austin & Laurens hold auction, selling 203 Africans. Among them is a 16-year-old girl from the Gambia region of West Africa. Henry Laurens purchases the girl and names her Coomba Laurens.
1757
(October) Coomba Laurens first appears in Ball family records after Henry Austin deeds her to his brother-in-law, John Coming Ball.
1759
Coomba gives birth to first child, a boy John Coming Ball names “Stepney.”
1761
Coomba gives birth to second child, a boy John Coming Ball names “Sambo.”
1764
John Coming Ball dies. His son Elias “Wambaw” Ball III, becomes owner of Hyde Park.
1773
Sambo, aged 12, begins work in rice fields and in lumber trade at Hyde Park Plantation.
1775
(April 19) First shots in Revolutionary War fired in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. News of battle arrives in South Carolina in May.
(May 3) South Carolina slave owners pass new laws restricting movements of slaves, fearing armed revolt.
(November 7) John Murray, Lord Dunmore, royal governor of Virginia, issues proclamation offering slaves freedom if they agree to fight for the Crown. Dunmore forms unit of escapees the “Royal Ethiopian Regiment.”
(December 9) Royal Ethiopians and other Loyalist suffer major defeat at hands of patriot force at Battle of Moore’s Bridge. Royal Ethiopians all but disbanded after battle.
1776
(March 12) Sir Henry Clinton arrives off Cape Fear, North Carolina, with force of British and German troops, for operations with Loyalist groups in South. Plan falls apart after royal governors fail to raise sufficient troops.
(May 3) Lord Charles Cornwallis and Admiral Sir Peter Parker arrive at Cape Fear with force of seven regiments and numerous warships as part of Clinton’s army. Leaders decide to attack Charleston, S.C.
(June 28) Combined land and naval attack on Fort Moultrie, Sullivan’s Island at Charleston. Clinton fails to press land attack while Parker receives setback at sea. Attempt to take Charleston fails.
(July) British remain outside Charleston, creating consternation among slave owners as Blacks attempt to escape to British lines, believing the Dunmore proclamation remains in effect. Numerous slaves from Ball holdings attempt to run off.
(July 3) Clinton officially creates the Company of Negro Pioneers, who would become known as the Black Pioneers taking escaped slaves into the Provincial Corps of the British army as a service and support unit.
(July 4) American colonies declare independence from British crown.
(July 21) British withdraw from South Carolina. Clinton’s army, including the Black Pioneers, head for New York where it takes part in the largest battle of the war, the attack on New York City.
1777
(September 11) British forces under Sir William Howe defeat Continental Army under George Washington. Black Pioneers part of British army, but do not take part in battle.
(September 26) British occupy Philadelphia.
(October 17) British Gen. Sir John Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga, N.Y., changing scope of war.
1778
(February 6) France and United State sign treaty of alliance.
(March 7) Sir Henry Clinton replaces Sir William Howe as commander of British forces in North America.
(June 18) British evacuate Philadelphia. Black Pioneers march with second division of army toward New York.
(June 28) Battle of Monmouth Court House.
(July) Black Pioneers set up camp as part of Provincial base on Staten Island, N.Y.
1779
(June 21) Spain declares war on Great Britain, widening the conflict, making Georgia and South Carolina important buffer areas from Spanish Louisiana.
1780
(February 11) British force under Sir Henry Clinton, numbering 8,500, including 56 Black Pioneers, lands outside of Charleston, S.C.
(March 29) Clinton commences siege of Charleston.
(May 12) Charleston surrenders. Biggest American defeat of war.
(May 18) Lord Charles Cornwallis leads 3,000-man division up Cooper River, encamps on Ball family lands, including Strawberry Hill Plantation.
(June 1) Samuel Ball, still known as “Sambo,” escapes from Hyde Park, reaching British lines.
(June 3) Samuel enlists in Black Pioneers. First known instance in which he sheds his slave name and uses Samuel. In muster rolls for Black Pioneers he is Private “Samuell.”
(June 30) Sir Henry Clinton with 4,500 soldiers, including many of the Black Pioneers, departs for New York, leaving Charles Cornwallis in command of the southern British army.
(July 15) Clinton arrives in New York.
(July 20) Loyal Refugee Volunteers defeat Continentals under Gen. Anthony Wayne at Battle of Bull’s Ferry, N.J.
(November) Samuel one of several Black Pioneers posted to temporary duty with Loyal Refugee Volunteers as woodcutters. He would remain with this unit until the summer of 1782, when the unit disbanded.
1781
(March) Loyal Refugee Volunteers abandon base at Bergen, N.J., relocating near Fort Lee, across the Hudson River from Manhattan.
(May 20) Thomas Ward leads raid on Closter, N.J. with select soldiers from Loyal Refugee Volunteers and other Loyalists.
(October 19) Charles Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, Va., all but guaranteeing American independence.
1782
(April 30) Sir Henry Clinton places moratorium on combat operations as American, French, Spanish and British peace commission meets in Paris.
(October 2) Thomas Ward flees New Jersey for Nova Scotia. Loyal Refugee Volunteers disband; Samuel returns to Black Pioneers.
1783
(January to July) Black Pioneers continue to provide wood, care for animals, and perform other duties as British prepare to leave United States.
(July) Samuel and 16 other Black Pioneers depart New York for Port Roseway, Nova Scotia as part of advance party of British army personnel being sent to Canada to prepare for arrival of thousands of Loyalists, escaped slaves, and others as American War for Independence comes to an end.
Elias Ball II born on Comingtee Plantation, near modern-day Monck’s Corner, South Carolina. His younger brother, John Coming, is born in 1714.
1740
John Coming Ball purchases 670-tract of land along a branch of the Cooper River in South Carolina which he dubs Hyde Park Plantation.
1755
(April) Slave traders capture young African woman, prepare her for shipment to South Carolina
(July 26) Slave traders Austin & Laurens hold auction, selling 203 Africans. Among them is a 16-year-old girl from the Gambia region of West Africa. Henry Laurens purchases the girl and names her Coomba Laurens.
1757
(October) Coomba Laurens first appears in Ball family records after Henry Austin deeds her to his brother-in-law, John Coming Ball.
1759
Coomba gives birth to first child, a boy John Coming Ball names “Stepney.”
1761
Coomba gives birth to second child, a boy John Coming Ball names “Sambo.”
1764
John Coming Ball dies. His son Elias “Wambaw” Ball III, becomes owner of Hyde Park.
1773
Sambo, aged 12, begins work in rice fields and in lumber trade at Hyde Park Plantation.
1775
(April 19) First shots in Revolutionary War fired in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. News of battle arrives in South Carolina in May.
(May 3) South Carolina slave owners pass new laws restricting movements of slaves, fearing armed revolt.
(November 7) John Murray, Lord Dunmore, royal governor of Virginia, issues proclamation offering slaves freedom if they agree to fight for the Crown. Dunmore forms unit of escapees the “Royal Ethiopian Regiment.”
(December 9) Royal Ethiopians and other Loyalist suffer major defeat at hands of patriot force at Battle of Moore’s Bridge. Royal Ethiopians all but disbanded after battle.
1776
(March 12) Sir Henry Clinton arrives off Cape Fear, North Carolina, with force of British and German troops, for operations with Loyalist groups in South. Plan falls apart after royal governors fail to raise sufficient troops.
(May 3) Lord Charles Cornwallis and Admiral Sir Peter Parker arrive at Cape Fear with force of seven regiments and numerous warships as part of Clinton’s army. Leaders decide to attack Charleston, S.C.
(June 28) Combined land and naval attack on Fort Moultrie, Sullivan’s Island at Charleston. Clinton fails to press land attack while Parker receives setback at sea. Attempt to take Charleston fails.
(July) British remain outside Charleston, creating consternation among slave owners as Blacks attempt to escape to British lines, believing the Dunmore proclamation remains in effect. Numerous slaves from Ball holdings attempt to run off.
(July 3) Clinton officially creates the Company of Negro Pioneers, who would become known as the Black Pioneers taking escaped slaves into the Provincial Corps of the British army as a service and support unit.
(July 4) American colonies declare independence from British crown.
(July 21) British withdraw from South Carolina. Clinton’s army, including the Black Pioneers, head for New York where it takes part in the largest battle of the war, the attack on New York City.
1777
(September 11) British forces under Sir William Howe defeat Continental Army under George Washington. Black Pioneers part of British army, but do not take part in battle.
(September 26) British occupy Philadelphia.
(October 17) British Gen. Sir John Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga, N.Y., changing scope of war.
1778
(February 6) France and United State sign treaty of alliance.
(March 7) Sir Henry Clinton replaces Sir William Howe as commander of British forces in North America.
(June 18) British evacuate Philadelphia. Black Pioneers march with second division of army toward New York.
(June 28) Battle of Monmouth Court House.
(July) Black Pioneers set up camp as part of Provincial base on Staten Island, N.Y.
1779
(June 21) Spain declares war on Great Britain, widening the conflict, making Georgia and South Carolina important buffer areas from Spanish Louisiana.
1780
(February 11) British force under Sir Henry Clinton, numbering 8,500, including 56 Black Pioneers, lands outside of Charleston, S.C.
(March 29) Clinton commences siege of Charleston.
(May 12) Charleston surrenders. Biggest American defeat of war.
(May 18) Lord Charles Cornwallis leads 3,000-man division up Cooper River, encamps on Ball family lands, including Strawberry Hill Plantation.
(June 1) Samuel Ball, still known as “Sambo,” escapes from Hyde Park, reaching British lines.
(June 3) Samuel enlists in Black Pioneers. First known instance in which he sheds his slave name and uses Samuel. In muster rolls for Black Pioneers he is Private “Samuell.”
(June 30) Sir Henry Clinton with 4,500 soldiers, including many of the Black Pioneers, departs for New York, leaving Charles Cornwallis in command of the southern British army.
(July 15) Clinton arrives in New York.
(July 20) Loyal Refugee Volunteers defeat Continentals under Gen. Anthony Wayne at Battle of Bull’s Ferry, N.J.
(November) Samuel one of several Black Pioneers posted to temporary duty with Loyal Refugee Volunteers as woodcutters. He would remain with this unit until the summer of 1782, when the unit disbanded.
1781
(March) Loyal Refugee Volunteers abandon base at Bergen, N.J., relocating near Fort Lee, across the Hudson River from Manhattan.
(May 20) Thomas Ward leads raid on Closter, N.J. with select soldiers from Loyal Refugee Volunteers and other Loyalists.
(October 19) Charles Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, Va., all but guaranteeing American independence.
1782
(April 30) Sir Henry Clinton places moratorium on combat operations as American, French, Spanish and British peace commission meets in Paris.
(October 2) Thomas Ward flees New Jersey for Nova Scotia. Loyal Refugee Volunteers disband; Samuel returns to Black Pioneers.
1783
(January to July) Black Pioneers continue to provide wood, care for animals, and perform other duties as British prepare to leave United States.
(July) Samuel and 16 other Black Pioneers depart New York for Port Roseway, Nova Scotia as part of advance party of British army personnel being sent to Canada to prepare for arrival of thousands of Loyalists, escaped slaves, and others as American War for Independence comes to an end.
Samuel Ball Property
Samuel Ball was born into slavery in South Carolina around 1761 and was given the last name of his owner. He escaped slavery during the Revolutionary War and joined the British forces in 1780. He served in New York and New Jersey and he found himself in Shelburne in 1783, where he apparently remained for two years. At some point he made his way to Chester. An advertisement in 1791 by the Sierre Leone Company offered Black Loyalists free passage back to their home country. We can speculate that Samuel felt his life in Nova Scotia was much better than the potential hardship of an Atlantic crossing to a country he did not know.
In an 1809 petition for land he stated that he was a resident on Oak Island for 23 years (1786). He acquired Lot 25 in 1787 and Lot 26 in 1788. Samuel married in 1795 and he and his wife Mary had three children, two of whom died in infancy. Samuel Ball died on the island in 1846. There is no record of where he is buried.
During Sam's life on Oak Island, he purchased a total of 9 lots, one 100 acre lot on the mainland and one small island. This chart shows the locations and purchase price of each lot.
Currency terminology for the period can be researched here.
Samuel Ball was born into slavery in South Carolina around 1761 and was given the last name of his owner. He escaped slavery during the Revolutionary War and joined the British forces in 1780. He served in New York and New Jersey and he found himself in Shelburne in 1783, where he apparently remained for two years. At some point he made his way to Chester. An advertisement in 1791 by the Sierre Leone Company offered Black Loyalists free passage back to their home country. We can speculate that Samuel felt his life in Nova Scotia was much better than the potential hardship of an Atlantic crossing to a country he did not know.
In an 1809 petition for land he stated that he was a resident on Oak Island for 23 years (1786). He acquired Lot 25 in 1787 and Lot 26 in 1788. Samuel married in 1795 and he and his wife Mary had three children, two of whom died in infancy. Samuel Ball died on the island in 1846. There is no record of where he is buried.
During Sam's life on Oak Island, he purchased a total of 9 lots, one 100 acre lot on the mainland and one small island. This chart shows the locations and purchase price of each lot.
Currency terminology for the period can be researched here.
Credit - Bee Stanton Creative @beestanton
Samuel Ball's Family
Samuel's marriage certificate states that he wed Sarah Johnson on April 26, 1797. On December 4, 1806, the Chester Town Clerk received vital statistics (Chester Township Records) from local residents. Samuel re-registered his April 26, 1797 marriage to "Mary__". It is unclear why her name changed. However, there is speculation that Sarah may have changed or added names if she had been baptized at the local Baptist Church. Samuel's 1841 last will and testament refers to his beloved wife "Catherine”. It is possible that Mary died and he remarried, or his first wife had several name changes during her lifetime.
Samuel and Mary registered having three children: Andrew, Samuel, and Mary. Children Samuel and Mary were born after 1800 and registered as passing in infancy.
The Chester town records state that Andrew was born on August 13, 1798. However later records would suggest he was born in 1808. Samuel gave Andrew his 100 acre mainland lot, which Andrew sold in 1841. The 1861 census has an Andrew Ball household with two females and two males. The 1868-1869 McAlpine’s Register lists Andrew Ball, farmer, in Oakville Settlement, Lunenburg Co. The 1871 census has Andrew Ball, labourer, living with 45 year old spinster Mary Ball. Mary was a teacher and would have been Andrew’s daughter. They listed were members of the Baptist church.
Birth and Death records from the period were not kept by the province. The local churches were mostly responsible for this. We can piece together that Andrew Ball may had a son named Simeon, as mentioned in his father's last will and testament. We are not sure who Andrew’s wife was or what happened to Simeon. There were several Mary Balls living in Nova Scotia at the time, and we are unsure if Andrew's daughter had children. If she had children, it would have been out of wedlock prior to the 1871 census, when she was 45 years old. No Children were listed in the household for that census.
Samuel Ball died in 1842.
Samuel's marriage certificate states that he wed Sarah Johnson on April 26, 1797. On December 4, 1806, the Chester Town Clerk received vital statistics (Chester Township Records) from local residents. Samuel re-registered his April 26, 1797 marriage to "Mary__". It is unclear why her name changed. However, there is speculation that Sarah may have changed or added names if she had been baptized at the local Baptist Church. Samuel's 1841 last will and testament refers to his beloved wife "Catherine”. It is possible that Mary died and he remarried, or his first wife had several name changes during her lifetime.
Samuel and Mary registered having three children: Andrew, Samuel, and Mary. Children Samuel and Mary were born after 1800 and registered as passing in infancy.
The Chester town records state that Andrew was born on August 13, 1798. However later records would suggest he was born in 1808. Samuel gave Andrew his 100 acre mainland lot, which Andrew sold in 1841. The 1861 census has an Andrew Ball household with two females and two males. The 1868-1869 McAlpine’s Register lists Andrew Ball, farmer, in Oakville Settlement, Lunenburg Co. The 1871 census has Andrew Ball, labourer, living with 45 year old spinster Mary Ball. Mary was a teacher and would have been Andrew’s daughter. They listed were members of the Baptist church.
Birth and Death records from the period were not kept by the province. The local churches were mostly responsible for this. We can piece together that Andrew Ball may had a son named Simeon, as mentioned in his father's last will and testament. We are not sure who Andrew’s wife was or what happened to Simeon. There were several Mary Balls living in Nova Scotia at the time, and we are unsure if Andrew's daughter had children. If she had children, it would have been out of wedlock prior to the 1871 census, when she was 45 years old. No Children were listed in the household for that census.
Samuel Ball died in 1842.
Credit - Nova Scotia Archives
Maynard Kaiser - Coming Soon
Sophia Sellers
Sophia and Henry Sellers
Mrs. Sophia Sellers likely had no idea that one of her daily chores would go down in history on Oak Island and shape decision making for future treasure hunters.
In 1878, Sophia Sellers, daughter of Anthony Graves, was ploughing the field when her oxen suddenly fell into a well-like hole, approximately 3 m (10’) deep and 2.4 m (8’) in diameter. The hole was 106.7 m (350’) east of the Money Pit and approximately 51.8 m (170’) from Smith’s Cove. A heavy wooden tripod was erected over the shaft and the oxen were pulled out. The hole was filled then with boulders. This hole (SHAFT #12) would become what is known as “The Cave In Pit”.
The “Cave-In Pit” is suspected to be directly over the route of the supposed water tunnel leading from the finger drains in Smith’s Cove to the Money Pit. It may have been a surface convergence point, called a “Vertical Shaft”.
In 1878, Sophia Sellers, daughter of Anthony Graves, was ploughing the field when her oxen suddenly fell into a well-like hole, approximately 3 m (10’) deep and 2.4 m (8’) in diameter. The hole was 106.7 m (350’) east of the Money Pit and approximately 51.8 m (170’) from Smith’s Cove. A heavy wooden tripod was erected over the shaft and the oxen were pulled out. The hole was filled then with boulders. This hole (SHAFT #12) would become what is known as “The Cave In Pit”.
The “Cave-In Pit” is suspected to be directly over the route of the supposed water tunnel leading from the finger drains in Smith’s Cove to the Money Pit. It may have been a surface convergence point, called a “Vertical Shaft”.
The Search |
Early Nova Scotia
Some things we know about the land mass that is called Nova Scotia:
The First Nations peoples, the Mi'kmaq, made Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada their home for thousands of years. Nova Scotia is home to 10,000+ year-old paleo-Indian sites.
1000+ - The Norse settled in L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, and evidence found there, suggests they traveled further south to the place they called Vinland.
1520's - Portuguese explorer, Estêvão Gomes, explored the coast and a group of Portuguese fishermen from the Azores created a fishing station here.
1566 - Cartographer, Bolongnini Zaltieri, gave the name "Larcadia" to an area that includes Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
1604 - Samuel de Champlain settled what is now called Fort Le Héve, in the Lahave River, not far from Mahone Bay. In 1605, Champlain went on to build Port-Royal Habitation in the Bay of Fundy.
1621-1632 - Sir William Alexander created the Royal Charter of Nova Scotia in an attempt to create a New Scotland, with early attempts at settlement. The Order of the Knight Baronets of Nova Scotia was created in 1624, the Nova Scotia's coat-of-arms in 1626, and the Scottish occupation of Port-Royal in 1629-32.
1629-1632 - The French were holding on to their land claim at Fort St. Louis, near Port Latour, Nova Scotia. For a brief period, the French reestablished Fort Le Héve.
1654 - Nova Scotia was under English rule.
1667 - Nova Scotia was under French rule.
1671 - The first official French census.
1690 - Nova Scotia was taken by New England adventurer, Sir William Phips and then returned to the French in 1697.
1713 - Nova Scotia passed to the English via the Treaty of Utrecht for good.
1749 - The English started to colonize Nova Scotia with Foreign Protestants.
The First Nations peoples, the Mi'kmaq, made Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada their home for thousands of years. Nova Scotia is home to 10,000+ year-old paleo-Indian sites.
1000+ - The Norse settled in L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, and evidence found there, suggests they traveled further south to the place they called Vinland.
1520's - Portuguese explorer, Estêvão Gomes, explored the coast and a group of Portuguese fishermen from the Azores created a fishing station here.
1566 - Cartographer, Bolongnini Zaltieri, gave the name "Larcadia" to an area that includes Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
1604 - Samuel de Champlain settled what is now called Fort Le Héve, in the Lahave River, not far from Mahone Bay. In 1605, Champlain went on to build Port-Royal Habitation in the Bay of Fundy.
1621-1632 - Sir William Alexander created the Royal Charter of Nova Scotia in an attempt to create a New Scotland, with early attempts at settlement. The Order of the Knight Baronets of Nova Scotia was created in 1624, the Nova Scotia's coat-of-arms in 1626, and the Scottish occupation of Port-Royal in 1629-32.
1629-1632 - The French were holding on to their land claim at Fort St. Louis, near Port Latour, Nova Scotia. For a brief period, the French reestablished Fort Le Héve.
1654 - Nova Scotia was under English rule.
1667 - Nova Scotia was under French rule.
1671 - The first official French census.
1690 - Nova Scotia was taken by New England adventurer, Sir William Phips and then returned to the French in 1697.
1713 - Nova Scotia passed to the English via the Treaty of Utrecht for good.
1749 - The English started to colonize Nova Scotia with Foreign Protestants.
Early Oak Island
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1753 - First recorded owners of Oak island were New York fish merchants Richard Smith and John Gifford.
1755 - Captain Lewis included Oak Island on his chart. 1759 - British Governor of Nova Scotia, Charles Lawrence, approved the Shoreham Grant, which offered free land grants as a way to generate population growth. 1762 - Shoreham Grant land, which included Oak Island, was approved by Charles Morris, Surveyor General of Nova Scotia, and the island was subdivided into 32 four acre lots. 1783 - End of the American Revolution sent a wave of settlers, the United Empire Loyalists, to the area. 1791 - Poll tax record show Oak Island was inhabited and being farmed. |
Credit - Nova Scotia Archives Map Collection f/202.
Credit - Department of Natural Resources Crown Land
Credit - Nova Scotia Archives RG 1 vol. 444 no. 4
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The Money Pit 1795
Anthony Vaughn Jr. told the original discovery story to prospective investors. Over time, dramatized versions of the events became local folklore.
While roaming Oak Island, Donald Daniel McInnis discovered an area on Lot 18 that appeared to have been worked in the past. An old oak tree had a block and tackle suspended over a depression in the ground. Stories and speculation of Captain William Kidd's (1645-1701) treasure were popular at the time. McInnis returned with John Smith and Anthony Vaughn Jr. The tree dug but could not get past 30 ft.
Alternate versions of the story suggest that the three friends were you and the island uninhabited. Research shows that Donal Daniel McInnis was 38, John Smith was 19 and Anthony Vaughn Jr. was 13 in 1795.
In 1870, Mather Desbrisay's book, "The History of Lunenburg County", also included Samuel Ball, a Black Loyalist, oak island resident and farmer, as a co-discover of the Money Pit.
While roaming Oak Island, Donald Daniel McInnis discovered an area on Lot 18 that appeared to have been worked in the past. An old oak tree had a block and tackle suspended over a depression in the ground. Stories and speculation of Captain William Kidd's (1645-1701) treasure were popular at the time. McInnis returned with John Smith and Anthony Vaughn Jr. The tree dug but could not get past 30 ft.
Alternate versions of the story suggest that the three friends were you and the island uninhabited. Research shows that Donal Daniel McInnis was 38, John Smith was 19 and Anthony Vaughn Jr. was 13 in 1795.
In 1870, Mather Desbrisay's book, "The History of Lunenburg County", also included Samuel Ball, a Black Loyalist, oak island resident and farmer, as a co-discover of the Money Pit.
The Onslow Company 1804-05
1804 The Onslow Company is formed by Anthony Vaughn Jr’s cousin, Simeon Lynds, and a group of prominent businessmen from central Nova Scotia, to continue to treasure hunt.
The company joined the three original searchers to locate the dig area on Lot 18. When they dug past the original 30 foot level, oak log platforms, approximately every 10 ft, were found. At the 50, 60 and 70-foot levels, layers of putty, charcoal and coconut fibre were encountered. At 90 ft, a flat stone was found face down with unusual markings cut into the rock.
After removing this stone, a metal rod was used to probe to 98 ft, and a solid object was hit. Work ended for the week. When they returned, the shaft had filled with 60 ft of water. A pump was brought in to remove the water from the shaft, but the pump burst before any water made it to the surface.
1805 The Onslow Company devised a plan to dig a second shaft 110 ft deep and 14 ft to the east of the Money Pit, then tunnel under the Money Pit and remove the treasure from below the 90 foot level.
“Shaft 2” managed to get within a few feet of their objective before the tunnel began to flood, barely allowing the men to escape with their lives. This left two shafts full of water, no treasure, exhausted funds and the end of operations for the Onslow Company
No original documents relating to the Onslow Company have been found.
The company joined the three original searchers to locate the dig area on Lot 18. When they dug past the original 30 foot level, oak log platforms, approximately every 10 ft, were found. At the 50, 60 and 70-foot levels, layers of putty, charcoal and coconut fibre were encountered. At 90 ft, a flat stone was found face down with unusual markings cut into the rock.
After removing this stone, a metal rod was used to probe to 98 ft, and a solid object was hit. Work ended for the week. When they returned, the shaft had filled with 60 ft of water. A pump was brought in to remove the water from the shaft, but the pump burst before any water made it to the surface.
1805 The Onslow Company devised a plan to dig a second shaft 110 ft deep and 14 ft to the east of the Money Pit, then tunnel under the Money Pit and remove the treasure from below the 90 foot level.
“Shaft 2” managed to get within a few feet of their objective before the tunnel began to flood, barely allowing the men to escape with their lives. This left two shafts full of water, no treasure, exhausted funds and the end of operations for the Onslow Company
No original documents relating to the Onslow Company have been found.
Credit - Les MacPhie Illustration - Bee Stanton
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