Hi Pat, I'm not sure why this message is on the New Brunswick list -- seems one of the main Nova Scotia lists would be more appropriate. Have you looked at the NS (Nova Scotia) vital stats database at https://www.novascotiagenealogy.com/? Two marriages are listed for James F Doull, s/o John and Elizabeth. In both of these James is a widower, and in both it says he was born in New Glasgow, Pictou County, Nova Scotia. West River is also in Pictou County (try using Google Maps). The death certificate for James Forbes Doull, 1921, in New Glasgow, Pictou County does not give his place of birth, other than Nova Scotia. The informant is his son John Doull. James' mother is stated to be Elizabeth Blaikie on the death cert; she is also stated to be b. in NS but of course one can't always rely on statements like this. The 1881, 1891, and 1901 censuses all show a household headed by James; I don't immediately find him in 1911. The 1881 census has wife Christie and children John (2) and Jessie (6 months). Several more children in 1891, with wife Mary. The easy way to get at these census records is through Ancestry, but at least the 1881 and 1901 are freely available. Here is an extract from an old (circa 1916) collection of biographies of Nova Scotians. ================================================== One of the best known and successful barristers of New Glasgow, Pictou County is John Doull, a man who is deserving of the success he has attained in this exacting profession because he has worked persistently and honestly for it, and, being yet a young man, his chief life work is ahead of him. Mr. Doull was born November 1, 1878, in the city where he now resides. He is a son of James F. and Christy Ann (MacLellan) Doull, the father born in New Glasgow in 1840, and the mother in MacLellan's Brook, Pictou County. John Doull, the grandfather, was a native of Caithness, Scotland. Evan MacLellan, the maternal great grandfather, was one of the pioneer residents of MacLellan's Brook, Pictou County. Our subject's paternal grandfather immigrated from Scotland to Prince Edward Island, where he engaged in farming, but a number of years later returned to Scotland. He resided for a time in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, but returned from there to Prince Edward Island. His wife lived to be over ninety years of age. The father of our subject was a young man when he came to New Glasgow, and has engaged in the grocery business there continuously to the present time, enjoying a good trade all the while, keeping a well selected stock of staple and fancy groceries and dealing honestly with his customers. His is the "family grocery" of Prevost Street ================================================== Hope this helps, John Cordes Halifax, Nova Scotia On [2011-08-16 at 10:45pm] Pat Rawlings <jessie@satlink.com.au> wrote: > I am trying to find the parents, marraige and death of John > Doull. He and his wife Elizabeth (presumed Blaikie) had a > son James Forbes Doull at West River, Nova Scotia on > 10/2/1842. Where exactly is West River in the scheme of > things? I am assuming that they had other children and I > would also like to find the boat he (or they) arrived on. I > have tried to find these questions myself but from here in > Australia I seem to find blanks at every turn. James ran a > successful Grocery business in New Glasgow with his first > wife Christy McLellan. Hope that someone can help me get > back into Scotland and link this big family into its > Scottish family. Cheers from a cold Melbourne morning. Pat