John Storey
By Doug Storey

John Storey is given credit for the drawing of a early map of Sydney.

Between 1783 and 1787 over 12,000 Loyalists arrived in Halifax Nova Scotia. John Storey was one of these Loyalists. It is said that he was born on the Isle of Wight in 1760.

Our first record of John is in a letter written to the Governor of the new colony in Cape Britain, Governor Des Barres, in July of 1785.
The letter tells the Governor that Mr. Storey is being sent to Sydney as Commissary in charge of provisions for the colony.
By November of that year John Storey was caught in a power struggle between the Governor and Colonel Yorke who was in charge of the 33rd Regiment in Sydney. John was called to account before the Governor several times. In December Des Barres writes General Campbell in Halifax saying that Mr. Storey's conduct is unfit since he refuses to obey the Governor. On the 24th of December 1785, the General replies that both Mr. Storey and the Colonel behaved properly in the matter and Mr. Storey must take his orders from his commanding officer, Colonel Yorke.

In that same December, John received 1900 feet of boards and 4,000 shingles to start building. He had a town lot at #7 in Block A and 56 acres just outside of town.

John was appointed a Justice of Peace in August of 1788.

By 1789 John Storey was Sydney's first Postmaster. A former postmaster confirms this in an article written in the Halifax Herald in 1885. William Blackburn and John Storey are named as merchants who in December 1790 bought lot A in Block 27. Today this is 54 Charlotte Street in Sydney.

John was Master of the Schooner Lady Apsley by 1793 and takes it to Halifax to pick up provisions to bring back to Sydney. In 1794 Governor Macarmick appoints him Acting Surveyor General. He drew several maps including a coloured one of the community of Sydney, which the Governor included in a letter to Lord Dorchester.

He also was Master of the coal ship Polly and later the Peggy and Sally. These ships transported coal on a regular schedule to Halifax. At the same time John was Master of the Treasury Schooner Hope. In May of 1795 John spent 5 weeks in Halifax while this schooner was being fitted.

On October 21, 1808 John Storey sends a letter to Governor requesting his pay as Public Schoolmaster. The requested is granted. The first mention of John's wife Easter is in the records of St. George's Church. Their children were John, Feb. 1801; Alice and Jane (twins), August 1802; Sarah, August 1804 and Charles, 1807. Charles was not baptized until 1811 when he was 4 together with his sisters Anne, 2 and Mary who was 6 months. John's wife at this time is recorded as Mary Storey.

The last record we have for John is that in September of 1813 he was granted money for provisions because his "large family was in much distress".

By 1861 Charles Storey, the second son of John and Easter were living in Maccan near Springhill, Nova Scotia. He and his wife Elizabeth (Herrett) had 5 children. The first son, born in 1848, Charles William was named after his father.

This Charles married Celia Brown in 1873. They had eight children, Rosanna, Mary Jane, Sarah, Joseph, Charles, James, Harriet and Rebecca.

Their son James, 1885-1956, married Ada Ellen Booth and had 4 children, Florence, Douglas, Marjorie and Grace. Their only son, Douglas, born in 1919 had 3 children, Douglas Gordon, Brian John and Elizabeth Anne. This Douglas Gordon is the author of this article.

An early map of the city of Sydney.
Maybe the earliest!


My 3rd great grandfather, John Storey,
painted this picture, at the top of a map
of the town that was sent to the Colonial Office.



It is now in the National Archives in Ottawa.
I have a full size copy.

At the bottom of the map
there is a description of the town.