Charlos Cove is located on Route 316, Marine Drive, on the northeastern part of the Nova Scotia Peninsula in Guysborough County. (Red dot in the image on the right)
This region was largely uninhabited until after the Deportation of the Acadians, except by fishermen seeking refuge and the Mi’kmaq Indians.
According to land grant maps, Charlos Cove was originally known as Richard’s Cove in honor of one of its founders, Charles Richard.
Charles Richard, son of Charles Richard and Anne (Magdeleine) Bonnevie was born in Restigouche on December 28, 1759, in the middle of deportation period. According to the Restigouche census of 1760, Charles and Anne had only one child at this time.
We then find this family of three in the 1761 census of Nepisiguit. They will subsequently be detained in Halifax.
The family was then part of the fifth and final group of Acadians who made their way to Saint-Pierre et Miquelon. We find them on the 1767 Miquelon census where we see that they then have three children: Joseph (Charles Joseph) who is 8 years old, Marie 2 years old and Anne Charlotte 1 year old.
Charles Richard and Anne Bonnevie with their 3 children will then settle in the region of Chezzetcooke, Nova Scotia, near Halifax, where they will finally live the rest of their lives. They are part of a group of Acadians on the sloop “La Marianne” which left Saint-Pierre et Miquelon in 1767.
Charles Richard, fils, est de la 5e génération de Richard en Acadie. Il épouse Susanne Wolf, fille de Augustin Wolf et de Catherine Quimine vers 1780. Susanne est née vers 1760/1763 au Nouveau-Brunswick. Tous les Richard du comté de Guysborough en Nouvelle-Écosse sont descendants de Charles et Susanne qui ont eu 8 enfants :
- Joseph Richard born in 1781, deceased around 1853
- Benjamin Richard born in 1783
- Charles Richard circa 1790
- Ann Richard born circa 1795
- Adèle Richard born in 1796, deceased in February 1867
- Luke Richard born circa 1800
- Marguerite Richard born July 15th 1802
- Madeleine Richard.
In 1799, Charles applied for a land grant in the Charlos Cove area. Other pioneers in this area, Joseph Richard, Olivier Fleming and John Avery also applied for land grants. A census dated May 20, 1800 shows houses and buildings belonging to them, but which are on land which has not yet been granted to them. Charlos Cove became a fishing community, and several Richard were settled there. Some Richard were also known as “Charlois”.
To date, I have not found any information to confirm the ancestry of Joseph Richard who was also one of the founders of Charlos Cove. Further research will be required.
Source : Documents received from Irene C Schofield, Restigouche and Miquelon census records
Genealogical research : P. Richard