Smith's Cove - Volume I - Pages 13 & 14

Conway and American Privateers

In 1765 a grant embracing the territory now included in Digby was made by Letters Patent to Alexander McNutt, James Clarke, Michael Clarke, Anthony Henderson, William Mitchell and Sebastian Zouberbuhler. This grant was made on condition that fifty families should be settled thereon in one year - to each of which 500 acres would be allotted. The township, so erected, was called Conway in honour of General Sir Henry Seymour Conway.

In 1766 a party of English settlers from the Valley of the Brandywine in New England, but living in Annapolis, settled on the west shore of the Basin. These included William McDormand, William Fitzgerald, Robert McDormand, Joseph Webber and John Lawson, farmers; Joel Webber, sea captain and William Barbanks, a school teacher.

The settlement was rather short lived, the settlers gradually moving away to other parts, and twenty years later evidence points to the fact it had almost completely broken up some time previously.

The actual funding of Digby was in 1783. When the Loyalists from the newly established United States came to Nova Scotia, they settled quite largely in western Nova Scotia and a grant of 120,000 acres was given to a party of refugees, embracing much of the territory covered by the McNutt grant.

The first expedition of Loyalists settlers left New York in May, 1783, in convoy, under the leadership of Admiral Sir Robert Digby in his flagship, the Atlanta. They arrived in Conway June 1, 1783, landed and built camps in the wilderness. Shortly afterwards other ships bringing more settlers arrived. A Number of these early settlers brought oak house frames from their native land. Many built homes of logs, corked with moss, which were later covered with shingles, and stood for well over one hundred years.

A census of 1784 gives the population of this new settlement as two thousand. It comprised the scattered settlements of Smith's Cove, Joggin Bridge and others. The name Conway was soon changed to Digby. Many, finding life too hard here, left for New Brunswick.

During the American Revolution and the period following, even to the end of the War of 1812-1814, between the United States of America and Great Britain, and the Annapolis Basin and its coast waters were infested with American Privateers preying upon British shipping.

It was in the old settlement of Conway, in 1777, before the coming of the Loyalists, that we find an American privateer anchored in the cove, which today is called Privateer Cove, in memory of the event. This cove is at the southern end of Queen Street and in the vicinity of H.T. Warne's mill, not far from Little Joggin. Some folks have described Privateer Cove as being situated at the Racket, but from Wilson it will be noticed it was at the southern end of Queen Street.

Notice, too, that lots three and four were on Queen Street at Privateer Cove while he mentions a Mr. Prince establishing a trading post on lot No. 12 at the Racket. Information from the Probate Office, Digby, shows the cove in the vicinity of H.T. Warne's mill to be Privateer Cove.

Wilson also tells us that William McDormand lived on a lot occupied, at the time he was writing, by the Temperance Hall, formerly known as the Baptist Hall. This hall was situated across the street from the Baptist Church.

Some of the crew of this privateer seized Mr. William McDormand as he was accompanying his wife from the milk house to their dwelling and insisted he should pilot the privateer to Annapolis. He promptly replied, "I cannot, I will not violate in such a manner the laws of my beloved country. They, however, forced him on board, probably hoping that from fear he would eventually obey their command.

Fortunately the British man-of-war, Buckram, just then entered the Basin. The privateer attempted to sail out and hastened to St. Georges Channel, but was promptly driven ashore at Baxter's Point. The soldiers, aided by the people of Conway, tried to capture the pirates who ran into the woods. They fled toward what is now Centreville. "Three were captured and placed aboard the Buckram while the others escaped, and probably returned to the revolted colonies.