1818 Nova Scotia: what's the Oath of Allegiance

+7 votes
171 views

My ancestor Gould-2742 is enumerated in an 1818 Census for Nova Scotia, along with his son and son-in-law.  The census lists his profession (a "Joyner", or carpenter), his physical condition,"fit", his height, his eye color, and also --whether or not he had taken the "Oath of Allegiance".)  His son-in-law James Boutelier is enumerated on the same page, as well as his son William Gould.  Was this in preparation for a draft or conscription?  

https://novascotia.ca/archives/census/returnsRG1v445.asp?ID=3777

Could someone please clarify? 

Thanks in advance,  Janine

 

WikiTree profile: James Gould
in Genealogy Help by Janine Barber G2G6 Pilot (234k points)

3 Answers

+7 votes
His son-in-law's surname seems to be French, so perhaps he was an Acadian, who at one time were required (though many refused) to take an oath of allegiance to the British Crown. I don't know if that were still required as late as 1818. Gould doesn't seem to be a French/Adadian name. Perhaps the column in the census was generic.
by Jim Parish G2G6 Pilot (175k points)
Boutelier is not an Acadian name.  It is a French-German name from the Montbeliard Huguenots that came to Nova Scotia in the 1750's to escape persecution.  They first came to Halifax and then to Lunenburg where they settled and from there, around north America.  

Boutilier is my maiden name :)
+5 votes
by Frank Gill G2G Astronaut (2.6m points)
+4 votes

The Gould family name is quite common in South West Nova Scotia and also the North East coast of the USA back to the origins of the British Colonies. It is generally considered to be an English name and I have not seen it referenced in an Acadian context. The (Oath) was applied at the time of the Acadian Expulsion but was also used for many other purposes not related to Acadians.  "The Canadian Oath of Allegiance is a promise or declaration of fealty to the Canadian monarch, taken, along with other specific oaths of office, by new occupants of various federal and provincial government offices, members of federal, provincial, and municipal police forces, members of the Canadian Armed Forces, and, in some provinces, all lawyers upon admission to the bar. The Oath of Allegiance also makes up the first portion of the Oath of Citizenship, the taking of which is a requirement of obtaining Canadian nationality.

The vow's roots lie in the oath taken in the United Kingdom, the modern form of which was implemented in 1689 by King William II and III and Queen Mary II[1] and was used in Canada prior to Confederation. The Canadian oath was established at that time in the British North America Act, 1867 (now Constitution Act, 1867), meaning that alteration or elimination of the oath for parliamentarians requires a constitutional amendment. The Oath of Allegiance has also been slightly altered and made or removed as a requirement for admission to other offices or positions through Act of Parliament or letters patent, to which proposals have been put forward for further abolishment or modification."

by George Churchill G2G6 Mach 9 (98.4k points)

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