[RAYMOND] PRE-LOYALIST SETTLEMENTS OF NOVA SCOTIA 207 
contained in Temple’s History of Palmer, Massachusetts, in which it is 
stated that one Alexander McNutt, with his wife Sarah, came to Palmer 
from Donegal in 1720. This Alexander McNutt was born in 1656 and 
when he arrived in America was too old to take part in public affairs. 
He died in Palmer in 1746, leaving a son Barnard, who had by his wife 
Jane a family of twelve children.! 
The fourth of these, William McNutt, born in Palmer, July 25, 1733, 
married Elizabeth, a daughter of Captain John Thompson of the same 
place, and came with his family to Onslow, N.S., in 1761. As most of 
the McNutt’s in Colchester County are descended from William and 
Elizabeth McNutt a list of their children is given. The first three 
were born in Palmer, Massachusetts. 
1. Abner, born August 29, 1756. 
2. Sarah, born June 30, 1757. 
3. Eunice, born October 21, 1759. 
4. Mary, born June 9, 1765, died August 15, 1765. 
5. Gideon, b. Sept. 22, 1766, m. (1) Elizabeth Thomson in 1801, and (2) Jane 
Lynds Dec. 23, 1806. 
6. Phinehas, born Aug. 11, 1768, m. Joanna Howard Nov. 12, 1789. 
7. William, born 1769, m. Isabella Dickson in 1798. 
8. Samuel, born Nov. 5, 1770, m. Myze Ann Dickson. 
9. Mary, born Aug. 11, 1773, m. Benjamin Lynds Sept. 12, 1793. 
10. Rufus, 
daughters. 


,m. July 26, 1802, Margaret Crowe and had ten sons and three 
The descendants of William McNutt are numerous and many of 
them have attained distinction. 
In Londonderry, Nova Scotia, large grants were made to Colonel 
McNutt and his relatives Benjamin, Joseph and John. These grants 
were sometimes called the Free Grants for the reason that they did not 
not contain any reservation of mines and minerals, as was commonly 
the case in the grants of that time. The grant to McNutt and his asso- 
ciates at Pictou was based upon conditions which were practically 
speaking impossible of fulfilment. The grantees were required to plant, 
cultivate, improve or enclose one-third part within ten years, one-third 
part within twenty years, and the other one-third part within thirty 
years, which meant, if strictly interpretated, that the township was to 
be entirely denuded of its forest growth, a thing no farmer could desire. 

1 Names and dates of birth, etc., of these children were as follows :— 
Joseph, b. 1727, m. Elizabeth Ward, Nov. 7, 1761. 
Elizabeth, b. March 28, 1729. 
David, b. April 27, 1731. 
WILLIAM, b. July 25, 1733, m. Elizabeth Thomson, May 8, 1755. 
Sarah, b. May 29, 1737, m. Isaac Ferrell in 1762. 
James, b. January 1, 1739. 
J Mary, b. May 6, 1744, m. Josiah Ferrell, May, 1768. 
\ Adam, b. May 6, 1744. 
Margaret, b. Dec. 15, 1746, m. Ruben Cooley, Jan. 22, 1772. 
John, b. April 25, 1749. 
Andrew, b. August 15, 1750, m. Chloe Chapin in 1774. 
Jean, b. August 25, 1754. 

