Nova Scotia was one of the first
official colonies in what is now known as Canada, a colony previously inhabited
solely by the Mi’kmaq for thousands of years.
Port Royal was established in 1605 in a land surrounded by trees, First
Nations communities, and a rocky ocean coastline. The riches of the area were enhanced by transportation
access to Europe and the rest of North America. The
land and port changed hands, and war was fought with the Acadians and Mi’kmaq,
ending in 1761. Loyalists moved into the territory after the failed British bid
to retain its colonies in the United States.
In 1784, the colony of Nova Scotia was divided into Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick and Cape Breton. These events
meant that the colony was destined to grow, and demanded good
governance to ensure that its riches would continue to support the British
Empire.
Nova Scotia boasts the oldest
legislative assembly in Canada, with its first sitting in 1758. As with
colonial governments of the day, the governance of the colony was through a
governor and an appointed Upper Chamber (the Nova Scotia Council), along with a
House of Assembly. The Council was appointed from wealthy and influential families
who supported the growth of the Empire. The Assembly was elected from Protestant
landowners. Our Allison ancestors were
among the first elected to this assembly.
You may remember Joseph Allison and his family left their ancestral Ulster home in Ireland for a better life in
the United States, only to find themselves landing in Nova Scotia in 1769 and
making a life there. In the earliest
days of the colony, life would have been harsh.
The head of the family, Joseph, trudged his way across miles of winter
to find the land he had purchased: 1150 acres of farmland for him and his
family. They would have made their way
back and forth to Halifax by horse and carriage to sell and transport their
goods, and purchase equipment for their farm.
They depended on a strong government that would support their growing
economy and allow them to prosper.
After 30 years of Allisons toiling
to make a living as farmers and merchants, it was time for the family to help
direct the future of the province as officials in the oldest elected assembly
in Canada. The first Allison to be elected was Joseph, who was born in Limavady,
the third son of the head of the Allison clan, Joseph Allison senior. Joseph Junior was elected from 1799 to 1806
(as a member of the 8th General Assembly of Nova Scotia). At that time, the colony was governed by John
Wentworth, a Loyalist and obviously sympathetic to the demands for privilege
from his compatriots who had come to Nova Scotia in the thousands in the
latter part of the 18th century.
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| John Wentworth |
Wentworth had a history of
corporate administration and colonial governance, working at his father’s business in America. He proved
himself loyal to the British governing authority, even to the point of
organizing loyalist volunteers in 1776 in New York City. His fortunes in Nova Scotia waxed and waned,
but found himself in the right place at the right time when, while in London in
1792, Lieutenant Governor John Parr of Nova Scotia died. Wentworth pressed his experience and position
and was appointed lieutenant governor. It
was during his tenure that our Joseph was elected to the assembly.
At this time in the political
growth of Nova Scotia, there was a clear debate between those seeking greater self-governance
through strengthening the powers of the House of Assembly, and those seeking to
reinforce colonial ties, supported by the power and wealth of the
Loyalists. The former were led by
William Cottnam Tonge, himself from Newport (and therefore a neighbor of sorts
to the Allisons). It is hard to say
whether Joseph Jr. sided with the Loyalist supporters, but consider the
context. The Allisons were not
Loyalists. Their own family history
suggested that greater democratic rule would support their own cause to gain
wealth. Loyalists appointed to the upper
council by the governor would have stood in their way. The best way to ensure the continued
livelihood of their own family and others like them would have been to side
with Tonge and support increased democracy and less reliance on Loyalist wealth. In any case, Tonge himself was not the leader
that they needed. His approach was
undisciplined and resulted in his being dismissed both as Speaker of the
Assembly and from his position as naval officer of Halifax.
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| Province House - where the Nova Scotia Legislature has met every year since 1819 |
The next Allison ancestor to sit
in the assembly was Joseph Junior’s brother John. He served in the Legislative Assembly as
an elected official from 1811 to 1820 (the 10th and 11th
General Assemblies). During the War of
1812 Nova Scotia saw some significant economic prosperity as a trading station
and post from which privateers would launch their ships. We know that Joseph Junior was a part-owner in some of these legal pirate ships, and no doubt the
Allison influence in the legislative assembly would have made their cause
easier. Unfortunately, much of John’s
time in the assembly would have been marred by the economic recession that
followed the War.
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| Joseph Howe |
In 1836, the movement towards
responsible government and away from colonial management was gaining speed under
the leadership of the charismatic and much loved Joseph Howe. Coincidentally, this is when our ancestor
James Whidden Allison was first elected (elected through 1840 as a member of
the 15th General Assembly).
James was the son of John Allison, who had served earlier in the assembly. This meant James was the third Allison to sit
in the legislative assembly in Nova Scotia (and as far as I can tell the last).
While I can’t find any evidence to
suggest that James was connected with the reformers, it stands to reason that
he would be. It wasn’t until 1847 that
the reformers were elected to a majority in the assembly.
Regardless of their political
affiliations, our ancestors were in the middle of a veritable quiet revolution
against colonialism. Over 20 years, in
intermittent periods from 1799 to 1840, Allisons participated in the creation
of a burgeoning responsible government, the first of its kind in the British
Empire.
Sources:
Various
primary sources including census and tax records
The History
of the Alison or Allison Family in Europe and America, by Leonard Allison Morrison
The Canadian
Encyclopedia,
Hurtig
Public Archives of Nova Scotia (1984). Elliott, Shirley B, ed. The
Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia, 1758-1983: A biographical directory. Province
of Nova Scotia http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/Assembly/archives.asp?ID=723
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