The Heritage Corner, Springhill Record
January 16, 2008
Jan. 16, 2008 – The Paul Family
One of the early settlers to Springhill was John Paul and his family. Born in Nova Scotia in 1831 John was the son of John and Catherine Paul and worked as a coal miner at the Chignecto mines before coming to Springhill where he also worked in the coal mines. He was a charter member of the Independent Order of Oddfellows Eureka Lodge No. 15. John Paul married Caroline Jackson on May 28, 1857and they had the following children: Elisha Bud; Emma T.; Andrew Jackson; Lillian Amelia; John Thomas; Charles E.; and Arthur Wellsley.
On Dec. 8, 1897 John Paul was working for the Inter Colonial Railway at Springhill Junction when he was involved in an accident and died two days later. According to the Amherst News “the deceased had gone up the incline to lower a box, the speed of which was controlled by a brake on the trestle. Thinking the man attending the brake was at his post, Mr. Paul started the box, which he was in, over the incline and it shot down at an awful speed, colliding with two more boxes that were standing at the bottom.”
For many years Mrs. Caroline Paul operated a boarding house for single miners between McFarlane Street and Church Street . Upon her death the land was transferred to her son Arthur.
Elisha Bud Paul was born in Amherst July 21, 1858 . He worked on the Inter Colonial Railway construction in 1870-71. He moved to Springhill in 1872 at the age of 14 and worked in the Anderson mine where he worked his way up from a trapper, driver, brakeman, cage-runner and loader before becoming a coal cutter. Because of a strike at the mines he moved to Pennsylvania and on his return operated a grocery store on the Herrett Road .
On January 13, 1880 Elisha married Frances Lavinia Shields and they had 8 children: Emma Teresa; Caroline Maude; Ethel May; Mildred; Walter; Herbert Fielding; Earl Barrington and Elbert.
Elisha Bud Paul was a councilor for the Town of Springhill when it was first incorporated serving 4 terms and was Deputy Mayor in 1892. He was also Grand Master of the Provincial Workmen Association. He appeared before the Royal Commission regarding boy miners in 1889 explaining the different jobs that the boys worked at. He, along with his brother Andrew, worked in the Springhill mines at the time of the 1891 explosion but was fortunate to be on the opposite shift. After the explosion there was another strike and striking miners were given credit at the Paul store which eventually went bankrupt and had to be sold. Elisha then bought a piece of land in River Philip. In 1896 he went to British Columbia and worked for the CPR. Returning in 1900 he traded the land in River Philip for a piece of land on Victoria St . When the new post office was being built he got the contract to transport the bricks from Springhill Junction.
He was a check weighman from 1902-1904 and in 1904 was elected to the Nova Scotia Legislature and served for two terms. While in parliament he worked on behalf of the miners by making a plea to management to recognize the United Mine Workers.
On April 11, 1911 he was appointed Registrar of Deeds in Amherst but was made Deputy Inspector of Mines in 1912 and served in that capacity until 1926.
Elisha Bud Paul was interested in sports and was active in the organization of local horse racing events. He even raced his own horse on the Cumberland Race Tracks.
Mr. Paul moved to British Columbia to live with his son in 1932 and failing in health he passed away Sept. 18, 1936 .
Emma T. Paul was born in 1860 in Amherst and married Malcolm Blue of Springhill on July 1, 1884 .
Emma and Malcolm had two children Emma G. and Gertrude.
Emma T. died Mar. 25, 1887 .
Andrew Jackson Paul was born Sept. 6, 1862 in Amherst . At the age of eleven began working in the mines and worked there for sixty years. Andrew married Julia A. Townsend Dec. 24, 1884 and they had five children: Clifford Douglas; John Leonard; Augusta England; Harry Jackson and Lloyd Townsend.
Andrew was elected to the Town Council in 1917 for Ward 111 and served until 1925. He was again elected in 1927 and served until 1929.
Andrew Jackson Paul died July 5, 1935 in Springhill.
Lillian Amelia Paul was born in Amherst in 1866. She was first married to Daniel Lockhart on May 24, 1877 and they had a son Charles.
Lillian later married John McLeod on March 22, 1893 and they had seven children: Jessie; Fauletta; Lorraine ; Danny; Lester; Letta and Gretel.
Lillian Amelia died in 1913 in Springhill.
John Thomas Paul was born Aug. 21, 1867 in Maccan and married Ellen M. Cameron Nov. 29, 1893 in Springhill and they had the following children: Charlotte; Gladys; Gertrude; Eleanor; Charles E; and Annie Ashford.
John T. Paul was a miner and he died March 17, 1943 .
Charles E. Paul was born in 1870 in Maccan, married Margaret J. Smith on May 6, 1889 . Charles and Margaret had a daughter Emma.
Arthur Wellsley Paul was born June 1, 1872 in Chignecto , Nova Scotia and married Ellen Christina Hanson Dec. 12, 1892 in Springhill. Arthur was a coal miner. Arthur and Ellen had six children: Lila; Edith; Susan A.; Charles Percy; Reta and Wilfred Laurier.
Arthur W. Paul died January 17, 1946 .
I will have more on the Paul Family next time.
