Those who do not treasure the memory of their ancestors do not deserve to be remembered by posterity

The principles on which Candlish took his stand and which he sought to elucidate and maintain were two - the right of the people of Scotland, confirmed by ancient statutes, to an effective voice in the appointment of their ministers; and the independent jurisdiction of the church in matters spiritual- both of which principles, it was held, the civil courts had set aside....he felt it was wrong for the court of session to attempt, as it was doing, to control the spiritual proceedings of the church; it ought to confine itself wholly to civil effects... The establishment of the "Witness" (newspaper), in Edinburgh had the effect of consolidating and extending the movement....for the next few years, Candlish was always more or less engrossed with the great controversy. During this time, it was agreed by the government to institute a chair of Biblical criticism in the university of Edinburgh, and the office was given, by the Home Secretary, Lord Normanby, to Dr Candlish.

His nomination was denounced by Lord Aberdeen, in the House of Lords, ..."who denounced in the bitterest of terms the conferring of such an honour on one who was in open opposition to the civil courts and the law of the land". The presentation was cancelled. Next to Chalmers, Candlish was now the most prominent leader of the "non-intrusion" party, and although still very young, his leadership was accepted with great confidence and admiration by his brethren. He was an influential member of a meeting of clergy called `the convocation', in Nov 1842, when it was virtually agreed, in the event of no relief being procured from parliament, to dissolve connection with the state. This step was actually taken on 18 May 1843, 470 ministers, with a corresponding proportion of lay elders and of the people, forming themselves into the Free Church. In the organisation of this body, Candlish had the leading share.

From this time, or at least after the death of Chalmers, till close on his own death in 1873, Candlish may be said to have been the ruling spirit in the Free Church.

Candlish took a special interest in education. The old tradition of the Scottish church respecting the connection of church and school had strongly impressed him, as well as the desire to see the work of education elevated and the famous plan of John Knox more thoroughly carried out...the plan of having a school connected with every congregation did not prove very popular, especially among the laity.

In 1841, Candlish received the degree of D.D. from the college of New Jersey, commonly called Princeton College, in the United States, and in 1865, the University of Edinburgh gave him the same degree.

Among movements outside his own church in which he took an active share was that for the formation of the Evangelical Alliance in 1845. Another was directed towards the union of four Presbyterian churches, the Free, United Presbyterian, and Reformed Presbyterian of Scotland, and the Presbyterian Church of England. This scheme was defeated by the opposition of Dr Begg and his friends. The union of the Free church with the Reformed Presbyterian was subsequently carried into effect.

Note: The Reformed Presbyterian Church was also known as the "Covenanters". This was Rev Sommerville's church at Grafton.

In 1999, I received an email from a Marilyn Armour of Scotland, re the Candlish family from Dalrymple, Ayrshire, Scotland. She is the GGG grandaughter of Hairry McCandlish, who she says was a brother to the James Candlish who was a good friend of Robert Burns. She says that others in this family included a sister Elizabeth b. 1727 in Ayrshire (this would seem to be too early for it to be my Elizabeth, as she died 1820(?9) at the age of 76, which would place her date of birth as 1744 or 1753. James also had a daughter, Eliza b. 1799, which would be too late for my Elizabeth. There was also an Elizabeth (b. 1772) and a Lizabeth (b. 1762 in Dalrymple) who were nieces to James, and daughters of Hairry McCandlish. Re. these similar names for the girls, Marilyn comments "The fact that the family used the same name twice makes me think that it was indeed a family name and when they ran out of ideas, the simply used the same one again with a variation on the spelling. The same family had a Hendry, a Hairry, and a Henry, all brothers". Apparently the name had been McCandlish at one point, but the Mc was dropped by several branches of the family. She says that there were at least four members of the family who went to Montreal, and that she has Candlish 'cousins' in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, as well as California and England. She is planning to extract vital stats from the "OPR files" of Dalrymple, and will send them to me once she has done this. Should be interesting.

It is interest that one of the earliest Freemason's lodge was St George's, held in Cornwallis Township at the home of Rev William A. Chipman, in 1784. Names associated with this lodge included Best, Cummings, and Webster.

Wilson’s History of the County of Digby (pg. 271), in a list of voters in the British Parliament (House of Commons) listed a “Candlish of Ayr” as voting in favour of a commission being appointed to enquire into, and report upon the alleged causes fo discontent existing in the province of Nova Scotia on the subject of North American Confederation - into which the inhabitants of that province assert they have been included without their consent (87 ayes 183 nays, so the commission was never formed). I wrote to inquire about “Candlish of Ayr”, but there was no indication that there was an M.P. by that name representing Ayr at that time.
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LAND TRANSACTIONS:
We have collected the following documents relative to the first land transactions of Alexander Bowles, which show that he was in Cornwallis Township by at least Feb 1787. One would assume that he came to Nova Scotia around this time, or a little before, but it is possible that he came around the time of the Planters, or (as oral tradition says) came from Scotland.

The fact that Alexander Bols purchased land vs. receiving a land grant, demonstrates a degree of financial security. By 1788, Loyalists would have been in Nova Scotia for 4 years, and most of the land already granted, perhaps to land speculators, who could have made a large amount of money around this time because of the demand.

Alexander's first land purchases were from Benjamin Kinsman. According to "The Port Remembers", Benjamin Kinsman lived at the corner of Lower Church Street and Jackson Road in a house now (1994) occupied by Elizabeth Magee Rand, my elementary schoolteacher from Town Plot schooldays. (The old school Town Plot Section 60, was demolished in 1994. It was located on the corner of the Crossroad leading to the old original Planter "Town Plot"), Lower Church Street, Port Williams.
LAND TRANSACTIONS OF VARIOUS BOWLES FAMILY MEMBERS
Cornwallis Township Deeds, 1787 Book 2, Page 255 - To all people to whom this deed of sale shall come greeting. Know ye that I Benjamin Kinsman of Cornwallis in Kings County in the Province of Nova Scotia, yeoman, for and in consideration of the sum of one hundred and eighty pounds currency of the province aforesaid in hand paid by Alexander Bowls of said Cornwallis, yeoman, the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge myself fully satisfied, contented and paid. Have bargained and sold unto the said Alexander Bowls, his heirs and assigns forever, all that farm lands tenement where he the said Benjamin Kinsman now lives in the said Cornwallis and which is butted and bounded thus:

(Note: was it after this sale that Benjamin Kinsman moved to Lr Church street where Elizabeth McGee Rand now lives?)

Beginning at a stake standing on the north side of a highway at the north west corner of a piece of land left for a building lot for Joseph Kinsman from hence the line turns 62 degrees west thirty-eight rods by the northerly side of said highway, from thence 20 rods west by the north side of said highway, from thence runs north 220 rods to a small poplar tree, from thence east 110 rods, from thence south 102 rods, from thence west about 15 rods, from thence south until it comes to the north east corner of said Joseph Kinsman's land, from thence north 79 degrees west 14 rods, from thence south 13 degrees west 26 rods to the stake set out from.

Containing in the whole by estimation about 126 acres be the same more or less and the above described lands was part of John Woods, Samuel Morse and Ethan Pratt's 200 acre division. Said Alexander Bowls, his heirs and assigns, to have and to hold the said lands and premises hereby bargained and sold to him the said Alexander Bowls, his heirs and assigns forever, with all the rights members privileges and appurtenances thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining. And the said Benjamin Kinsman, for myself and my heirs, do hereby engage to warrant and defend the said lands and premises against all manner of person or persons whatsoever claiming or that any claim title or interest in or to the same or any parts thereof and that forever, unto him the said Alexander Bowls, his heirs and assigns forever.

Know ye that I Benjamin Kinsman of Cornwallis in Kings County and province of Nova Scotia, yeoman, for and in consideration of the sum of one hundred and thirty pounds currency of said province in hand paid by Alexander Bols of said Cornwallis, yeoman, the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge myself fully satisfied, contented and paid, have bargained and sold unto the said Alexander Bols, his heirs and assigns forever, all those pieces or tracts of land situate and being in the Township of Cornwallis aforesaid hereafter described viz:

Signed Benjamin and Elizabeth Kinsman. Signed sealed and delivered in the presence of Joseph Kinsman and Robert Kinsman.

Indenture 24 April 1813 between Joseph Barnaby of Cornwallis in Kings Co., administrator of the estate of Josiah Rusco, deceased, and John Bols and Graham Bols, both of Cornwallis, yeomen. Bought at public auction eighty-seven pounds, ten shillings for the whole estate, comprising sixteen acres to the right of Silas Woodworth in his 200 acre division:

1. Joseph Barnaby was probably the son of Stephen Barnaby and Desiah Chappell who were married in Lebanon.

2. Silas Woodworth was the father of John Woodworth who married Submit Newcomb, and it was the latter's son, John, who married Margaret Bowles).

3. Josiah Roscoe (s/o William, who came to Centerville from Bristol, England around 1790)

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thereof as Lot E, lately owned by Benjamin Steadman, situated on the south side of the Cunard River, bounded northeasterly by said Cunard River, east by Lot Letter S, owned by James Allison, Esq., southerly by the upland, late the property of said Benjamin Steadman, westerly by a running dyke and north by lot letter ?Q owned by Peter Fox, containing eight acres, one quarter and seven rods of land, more or less. Signed etc. in presence of John C. Hall and C.H. Rand. Proved by C.H. Rand and entered on the records for Cornwallis 17 July 1827. William Campbell, deputy Registrar.

Beginning at Stephen Porter's South East corner in Elias Tupper's line the line runs South Seventy Eight degrees West Forty Rods on said Porters line to a stake then South twelve degrees East One Hundred Rods down the mountain more or less to John English's line then East Forty Rods more or less to Chappel's South East corner then North twelve degrees West One Hundred and Four Rods to the place of beginning, containing 26 acres more or less etc....

signed by Joseph Barnaby in Cornwallis on 10 Oct 1814. Witnesses: John Boles and John Rockwell. Frances Barnaby relinquished her rights to the property in presence of William Allen Chipman.

Received 8 Jan 1824 and registered in Cornwallis records 1 May 1824 by Wm Campbell, Dep. Registrar.

Number one: All that farm or tract of land now occupied by James Lyons on the North Mountain bounded on the West by the highway leading to Baxter's Harbour so called, on the South by land owned by John Rand, on the North by the land owned by the Heirs of the late Zadock Bennett and on the East by land owned by Stephen West and others containing 200 acres more or less. Also

Number two: All that farm or tract of land occupied by Robert Lyons situate on a Branch of the Cornwallis River and lays on both sides of the Road leading from Silas Rand's (by Condon's mill so called) to the Annapolis Road bounded on the West by land owned by John Worth, on the North by land owned by Joseph Ward, on the East by the land of William Wood and on the South by other lands owned by the said William Allen Chipman containing 126 acres, more or less

etc.

There is more to this deed, but I had copied only the one page because of Graham Boles' purchase, not realizing that the name of Lyons was here. Susan Shaw Bowles's parents were Isaiah Shaw and Sarah Lyons... Robert Lyons was a brother to Thomas R. Lyons, and therefore, Sarah's uncle. William Allen Chipman was the Baptist minister in Pleasant Valley, near present day Berwick. Robert was married to Elizabeth Skinner, a sister to Ann Skinner, who married Robert's brother Thomas R. Lyons. (2 sisters married 2 brothers, no doubt all Baptists.)