Rev. John Waddell was born in Scotland, April 10th, 1771, and obtained his education in Glasgow. He was licensed to preach the everlasting Gospel in the month of May, 1797, and in June following he was ordained and set apart for Nova Scotia. He left Scotland never again to see his native land, on August 12th, 1797, and on November 6th of the same year arrived in Truro, having been a short time in New York. Shortly after he arrived he accepted a call from the congregation in Truro, to be an assistant and a successor to Mr. Cock, and was inducted on November 16th, 1798. Mr. Cock being then about 82 years of age, of course the ministerial labors would be mostly performed by Mr. Waddell. He commenced and carried on his work with vigor and perseverance. He preached the first sermon that was ever preached in Brookfield, in the year 1800. His congregation extended over the whole of Onslow, Truro, and Brookfield, and continued so for about 18 years, when Onslow was set off as a separate congregation. In the year 1832, Brookfield was set off from Truro. At this time they commenced to erect a Church there. It was raised July 17th, 1833.
Mr. Waddell boarded with Alexander Barnhill, until he was married to Nancy, daughter of Colonel Jotham and Elizabeth Blanchard, September 2nd, 1802. Soon after this Mr. Waddell purchased Mr. Cock's house and wood lot, and removed into the house, where he and his partner spent the remainder of their days.
Mary, their eldest daughter, was born September 17th, 1803. She was married to Isaac Smith, February 23rd, 1823. They had two sons and four daughters. She died in the month of November, 1838.
James, the eldest son of Rev. John and Nancy Waddell, was born May 4th, 1805. He was also a minister of the Gospel. He was married to Elizabeth, the third daughter of Edward S. Blanchard, Esq., and Jane Archibald, September 28th, 1837. William Henry, their eldest son, was born June 29th, 1838. He was married to Eliza T., the third daughter of Hiram Blanchard, November 15th, 1866. They have one son. Jane Walker, the eldest daughter of James and Elizabeth Waddell, was born December 19th, 1840. She was married to the Rev. Edward A. McCurdy, November 6th, 1866. They have one son. They are settled in New Glasgow, Pictou County. Eliza B., the second daughter of Rev. James and Elizabeth Waddell, was born August 8th, 1844. She was married to John, son of James Tupper and Isabell Graham, his wife, February 28th, 1869. They have two sons, Edward Sherburne, their second son, was born August 18th, 1847. Mary, their third daughter, was born June 20th, 1849. Sarah, their fourth daughter, was born March 9th, 1855. John, their youngest son, was born September 19th, 1858. Rev. James Waddell died in Halifax, March 14th, 1870, aged 65 years. His body was interred in the family lot in Truro Cemetery.
Jotham Blanchard, the second of the Rev. John and Nancy Waddell, was born May 1st, 1808. He was married to Nancy, the second daughter of Alexander Kent, Esq., and Jane Christie, April 6th, 1830. John, their eldest son, was born April 5th, 1831. He left home about the year 1847, and was engaged in business at Pictou, until about the year 1860, when he removed to Hearts Content, Newfoundland, and is managing the business of the Submarine Telegraph. J. B. Waddell's wife, Nancy, died August 14th, 1852, aged 45 years. Nancy, the eldest daughter of Jotham B. and Nancy Waddell, was born January 5th, 1833. Richard Christie, the second son of Jotham B. Waddell and Nancy Kent, his wife, was born in Truro, May 3rd, 1835. He removed to Upper Stewiacke, and carried on his business there as blacksmith. He was married there to Margaret, daughter of William Fulton, Esq., and Isabell Rutherford, June, 1864. They had two sons and one daughter. On May 24th, 1871, as he was leading a horse from a neighbor's stable to his shop, the horse took fright, sprang and kicked him, and injured his so badly that he lived but about thirty-six hours after. He died on the 26th of May, aged 36 years. He left a widow and three young children to mourn their loss. Alexander Kent, the third son of Jotham B. and Nancy Waddell, was born December 23rd, 1837. He removed to the United States about the year 1858. He carries on the business of carriage building there. He was married there to Lucinda Woodberry, about the year 1860. They have two daughters. Jane, the second daughter of Jotham B. and Nancy Waddell, was born July 23rd, 1840. Susan Lynds, their third daughter, was born July 13th, 1842. William McCulley, their fourth son, was born January 2nd, 1845. He removed to the United States in the year 1869. Samuel James, their fifth and youngest son, was born August 8th, 1847.
John, the third son of Rev. John and Nancy Waddell, was born in Truro, March 10th, 1810. He was engaged in business as a merchant when young, and built the house that George Reading, Esq., now resides in, for a store. He was married to Susan, the only daughter of Dr. David B. Lynds and Sarah Blair, October 3rd, 1833. Shortly after this he commenced to study, and about the year 1837, he went home to Scotland to complete his education. He returned in about two years, and commenced to practise as a Doctor of Medicine, and continued to practice in Truro until the Fall of the year 1849. He then removed to St. John, N. B., took charge of the Lunatic Asylum, and still has charge of it at this date, May, 1873. Susan, his first wife (and her twin babes), died December 28th, 1834, aged 23 years. He was married again to Jane, the second daughter of Edward S. Blanchard, Esq., and Jane Archibald, his wife, June 25th, 1844. Susan, their eldest daughter, was born September 8th, 1846. Sarah, their second daughter, was born March 29th, 1848. Charles Melville Waddell, their only son, was born December 30th, 1849. He died at St. John, N. B., March 15th, 1859, being in the tenth year of his age. His body was interred in the Truro Cemetery.
Elizabeth, the second daughter of Rev. John Waddell and Nancy Blanchard, was born March 29th, 1812. She died at St. John, N. B., where she had been stopping with her brother, November 13th, 1870, aged 58 years. Her remains were brought to Truro and were interred in the family lot in Truro Cemetery.
Jane Walker, the third daughter of Rev. John and Nancy Waddell, was born in Truro, April 27th, 1814. She was married to John Albro, son of Colonel William Dickson and Rebecca Pearson, August 16th, 1836. Their only son, Robert Douglas Dickson, was born in Truro, June 16th, 1837. Mrs. Dickson died June 1st, 1840. Her husband, a few years after, perished at sea on board of a wrecked ship.
Sarah, the fourth and youngest daughter of Rev. John and Nancy Waddell, was born in Truro, January 5th, 1817. She died January 14th, 1824, aged 7 years. Mrs. Waddell died August 18th, 1818. By this sad bereavement he was left with seven young children, but with the assistance of his Master, he was enabled to persevere in his Master's work. In the month of October, 1828, he went to Upper Stewiacke to assist the Rev. Hugh Graham at a sacrament. He preached on Saturday, and on Sabbath morning when the people assembled Mr. Waddell was absent, having been struck during the night with paralysis. He was laid aside from active labor for a few months by this stroke, and after this he was not able to stand to preach, but had to sit in a chair, which was fixed up in the pulpit for that purpose. When he was assisted into the pulpit, and took his seat in the chair to resume his public labours, he gave out the 116th Psalm. The words of the Psalm being so very appropriate, his feelings were overcome, so that it was with difficulty he could proceed. He continued to persevere in his Master's work, until the summer of the year 1836, when he started to go to Pictou to attend Synod. The waggon was driven by his niece, Sarah Archibald. At that time there were very steep hills to pass over, and while going down what is called the Halfmoon Hill, about a half mile from Mr. Christie's, by some means he and his niece, together with the horse and waggon, were all thrown over the embankment. By this fall he was so much injured that he was laid aside again from his public labors, and in November of this year he demitted his charge of the Truro congregation.
His zeal for doing good work may be judged by one fact. In the summer of 1837, the widow of one of his elders was sinking under consumption, and he was assisted into his waggon and driven to the door of her house. As he was not able to be got out of the wagon, she was drawn to the door in her chair, where he conversed and prayed with her for the last time in this world. About his last public address was at the funeral of the five persons who were burnt to death in the house that was burned March 31st, 1841. Mr. Waddell closed his earthly existence Nov. 13th, 1842, in the 72nd year of his age.
It may here be observed that there was no other denomination of Christians in Truro, or its neighborhood, but Presbyterians, from its first settlement, in 1760, until the year 1782. This year, Mr. Henry Alline, who belonged to the Congregationalists, was travelling through Nova Scotia, exhorting the people to break off from their sins and come to Jesus Christ that their souls might be saved. He started from Pictou, in company with another man, August 5th, 1782, to travel through the woods to Truro, on foot. The journey being too great for one day, they lodged in the woods all night, having no other shelter than the trees that overhung them. The second day, when they came to the upper part of Truro, it was with the utmost difficulty that they obtained food or lodging. The people, having heard of him before, gazed on him as he passed their doors, as if he had been one of the Antediluvians; and when he came down to the Village of Truro, he went to the only Inn that was kept in the Village. The Innkeeper refused him lodgings for any amount of money; and while he was strolling about the road he met with Alexander Miller, who consented to lodge him, on condition that he would not speak to any of the family. He put him and the man who was with him into a room by themselves. They soon began to sing, and some of the family knocked at the door and asked if they might come in and hear them singing. He replied that they might, if they were not afraid of being caught with the spirit that went about with him. More freedom was then shown between Mr. Miller and him, and he was asked to pray in the family. The next day he was allowed to preach in Mr. Miller's barn. After this, he continued to preach in the Village. He was summoned to appear before the Session of the Truro congregation, to give an account of himself for coming into another man's congregation and preaching what they believed to be false doctrine; but they could not stop him. He continued his preaching in Truro, for three or four days, and then crossed over to Onslow, and labored there for some time, and went to Horton, in September of the same year. In the year 1809, Henry Hail and Amos Alline visited Truro, and commenced to preach, and again there was an attempt made to stop them. The Justice of the Peace threatened to have them arrested if they did not cease from preaching what they believed to be false doctrine; but they preached on, and they applied to the Government for permission to preach, and received a free license to preach to all who were willing to hear them.
