Winthrop Pickard Bell (1884-1965)
(See website link at conclusion of this article for information on Dr. Bell)
By Wallace F. Gray
Those researching ancestors from Nova Scotia, and especially from Lunenburg County are deeply grateful to Dr. Winthrop Pickard Bell for his scholarly approach and impressive publications. His book The "Foreign Protestants" and the Settlement of Nova Scotia (University of Toronto Press, 1961) remains the basic text for those of us seeking our Lunenburg ancestors. The book, long out of date, is continually referred to and is available in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City (Call number 971.63/F2b in the US/Canada Book Area.)
Description of Bell's book and of his education:
THE "FOREIGN PROTESTANTS" AND THE SETTLEMENT OF NOVA SCOTIA.
The History of a Piece of Arrested British Colonial Policy in the Eighteenth Century
By Winthrop Bell
This is a study of the settlers who, under British auspices, came to Nova Scotia from the continent of Europe between 1749 and 1752. The plans of the British colonial authorities for further immigration from that source did not materialize, but the large majority of "foreign Protestants" who arrived in those few years were settled by the government in a township of their own and constituted a distinctive population group. Their descendants have multiplied and many of them have scattered; but Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, still retains many distinctive accents and customs and some characteristic turns of thought and speech.
Dr. Bell's research on these migrants began as an effort to resolve certain discrepancies in printed statements, having to do particularly with the European origins of the settlers and the naming of their township in Nova Sotia. But the material proved so much more copious than anticipated that the study soon outgrew the original intention, and the result is a most thorough investigation of a self-contained unit of eighteenth-century transatlantic emigration based on a surprising variety of authentic information; names of the migrants, their places of origin and occupations, the manner of their recruiting; conditions on shipboard, even to details of the rations dealt out; the conditions the migrants encountered in Halifax; and details of their permanent settlement. From this store of material, often found in scattered items in the Nova Scotia Archives and the Public Archives of Canada, Dr. Bell has traced the full story of the Lunenburg settlers of the 1750's. It will prove to be a valuable and interesting chronicle, not only to persons interested in Nova Scotia history, but also to those interested in the history of British colonial policy, and in the history of transatlantic migration.
WINTHROP BELL, whose university training was received at a number of
institutions including Mount Allison, McGill, Harvard, and Göttingen, has taught at the
University of Toronto and Harvard, and has in recent years been much occupied with private
scholarly pursuits in history. (690 pages. The book originally sold for $9.50 Canadian.)
NOTE: This communication came from Chris Young thewiz@sentex.net on the LUNEN-LINKS-L message site on January 15, 2001. It might be of interest to our readers:
Hi All,
My cousin Maxine asked "Last June, it appeared that the above book would be
reprinted by Mount Allison University's Centre for Canadian Studies. I was wondering if
anyone has heard any "news" regarding this (e.g. is this still planned, and if
so, how soon?"
As of last Friday (my most recent contact with Mount A) the book was still in the works
with final technical details with the publishing company being worked on. I get the
impression that these details are taking longer than expected/hoped. However Mount A is
still expects this project will come to pass "soon".
For those of you new to the Lunen-Links, a little background ... In 1960, Dr Winthrop Bell
completed the above named book and it was published by the University of Toronto Press.
The book is an exhaustively researched scholarly work. It is LONG on the "What, When,
Where, Why & How" of why many of our Lunenburg County ancestors were enticed to
leave southern Germany (mostly), Northern Switzerland and the Montbeliard Region of
southwestern France. In 1750-1752 our ancestors sailed from Rotterdam, Holland to Halifax,
Nova Scotia, and then in June 1753 were transferred to Lunenburg. It took Dr Bell 15 years
to compile all the information into publishable format. The book mentions where many of
the families came from, however it is VERY SHORT on the "Who", at least with
respect to individuals being named and covered.
One of the challenges of genealogy is taking, for example, the data: Andreas JUNG
1728-1808 (my gggg-grandfather) and filling in what happened during that "dash".
Bell's book gives a feel for the times of our early ancestors.
So if you are interested in history and background, this is an excellent readable book.
Mount A got involved in 1990 & 1992, when they reprinted the book (that's when I got
my copy). However it quickly sold out. Because of perceived demand, Mount A is again
trying to reprint the book.
For those of you who have not already put in an "interest in purchasing", please
send an e-mail to Dr Andrew Nurse at Mount A anurse@mta.ca
The more "orders" he gets, the more viable his effort.
Cheers,
Chris Young
Guelph ON CANADA
thewiz@sentex.net
http://geocities.datacellar.net/Heartland/Ranch/8785
Researching most Lunenburg County Names
Not only did Bell write the book described above, but, in preparation for it, he carefully compiled notes on hundreds of immigrants coming to Nova Scotia as "foreign Protestants." These notes, never published, are available on microfilm from the Public Archives of Nova Scotia and the Family History Center (PANS MG1, #109-111 on FHL film #1376197.)
Bell's Notes are being printed. For information on this see printing of Bell's Notes. Go to this link and scroll down to Bell's Registers of Nova Scotia's Foreign Protestant Families
In 1963 in a letter to me, Dr. Bell sent a printed card (followed by a handwritten note.) Here is what he said on the card:
"WINTHROP BELL regrets that he is unable to respond to genealogical enquiries about particular families or individuals among the European immigration into Nova Scotia in the engitheenth century. He is an old man, in poor health, without secretarial assistance that he could use for answering such enquiries, and is trying to acomplete further historical work long in process and still unfinished. If life and strength hold out after that work is done, he would think of putting in shape for publication the mass of information in his possession about the hundreds of separate families of that immigration--though publication would probably depend on descendants of those immigrants showing enough interest to justify the printing costs involved.
He added in longhand: Names & other information about early settlers & their children is not found in any "volume" or other publication (as your inquiry of 12 Feb [1963] seems to assume) but has to be gleaned from manuscript sources (victualling lists, church records, etc.) partly in the Public Record Office, London, England, partly in the N.S. Archives. The Canadian Archives at Ottawa has transcripts, photostats or microfilm copies of practically all the London originals. None of these sources has that information so tabulated as to be able to give it for any particular name, on request.
Peter "Puppinghowen" (that's the way the English parson got the name twisted) married Sabina Catharina Himmelman (dau. of George or: John?) Philip & Maria Barbara Himmelman at Halifax on 30 Jan. 1753.
Their first three children were John Conrad (Known as Conrad), George, Philip.
In a "return" of New Dublin township in 1770, Peter Bubickhoffer & wife are shown as having 7 sons and 2 daughters but no names of children are given. (John Conrad B. was baptized at Lunenburg 21 Feb. 1754)
W.B.
(P.O. Box 20, Chester, N.S.)
(Received Febuary 21, 1963)
Letter to me dated May 22, 1959
Chester, Nova Scotia
22 May, 1959
Mr. Wallace F. Gray
Dear Sir:
My book on the so-called "Foreign Protestant" immigration to this country in the eighteenth century has not yet appeared. The whole thing is ready for publication. Negotiations are now in progress for possible publication. As it is a big book, on a specialized subject, it is not easy to find a publisher willing to undertake it.
All Publicovers, at least in so far as they have come from Nova Scotia, go back to one, Peter Bubickhoffer, who emigrated from the Palatinate and came to Nova Scotia in 1752 at the age of 34. You must understand that the spelling of proper names among the immigrants of those days was not so standardized as it would be today. Many surnames appear in an almost bewildering variety of spellings, as those names were written by, for instance, shipping clerks in Rotterdam, English rationing officials in Novva Scotia, land-grant commissions, etc. Many of the people could not write their own names (no disgrace for an agricultural worker at that period). The Publicover - or, properly: Bubickhoffer - name may be found in several variants, but all clearly identifiable from instance to instance. In fact, the first stage of the transformation from Bubickhoffer toward Publicover, is presumably traceable to the slipping in of an "l" in a land allotment where it appears as "Bublickhoffer". [See "Reasons for Surname Variations" in The Publicover Family and Publicover Surname Variations where all 50 variations are sourced]
Peter Bubickhoffer was unmarried at time of emigration; married, in Halifax, in January 1753, Sabina Catharina Himmelman. (An example of the strange forms in which names occur in those days may be found in the record of this marriage, where the groom's name appears as "Puppinghowen". There is not the slightest doubt, however, that it is the same man, since he and Sabina Catharina turn up later with the Bubickhoffer surname, and he is later found as one of George Himmelman's heirs).
Which family names became perpetuated and widely spread seems (intelligibly enough) to have depended to a good extent on the sexes of children in the early generations. Some immigrant families which doubtless contributed numerously to later population are today not represented by their original surnames at all, because early generations consisted largely of girls. Peter Bubickhoffer, however, had a large family of boys (by 1770: 7 boys and 2 girls).
My book is a thorough treatment, from the original records, of that whole immigration; but is not, as you seem to think, a history of Lunenburg County as such; and does not go beyond the eighteenth century.
Postcard to me sent November 29 1959:
Chester, N.S.
29 November 1959
Dear Mr. Gray:
In reply to your letter of 15 October I may say that I have delayed with an answer until I was sure just under what auspices my book on the "Foreign Protestants" of Nova Scotia would appear. It is to be published by the University of Toronto Press, and should appear early in the summer of 1960.
I shall try to remember to give that Press your address, so that you may receive a notice of the book's appearance when it is out. If I should, however, forget to do that at the proper time, you might write to the Press (c/o University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario) later next summer, and ask about it.
Your very truly
Winthrop Bell
Bell's Notes on John Peter Bubickhoffer
Notes by Winthrop Bell found in Volume 1, p. 61
From PANS MG1, #109-111 on FHL film #1376197
Bell's notes are copyrighted by PANS and are not to be
reproduced.
Bryan Keddy of Halifax placed on line in September 2000, a list of facts about Winthrop Bell with a photo of Bell's headstone at the Chester Old Baptist Cemetery. Keddy gives thanks to Mauriel Davidson and Haslem Smith for helping him with the information. He is still seeking further information on Bell such as his date and place of birth as well as the place of his death. He may be reached at bryanfkeddy@ns.sympatico.ca
The web site is at Winthrop Bell
Headstone and Information.
The Publicover Family
John Peter Bubickhoffer | Home