_{Earltown is located in North Central Nova Scotia, halfway between Tatamagouche and Truro. Commencing in 1813, it came to be settled by a group of Gaelic speaking Highlanders from the northern parishes of Scotland. The great majority came from the parishes of Rogart and Clyne in Sutherland. Many were crofters who were evicted to make way for modern sheep farming. Some came simply with the hopes of owning their own land. Arriving in Pictou with very little in the way of material goods, they were welcomed into the homes of relatives who had previously settled in Western Pictou County. Many hoped to settle within these older settlements however land was becoming scarce. Instead, they were allotted lands in the Cobequid Hills of the Colchester District. To the north lived families of Montbeliardian Swiss and Lowland Scot extraction while to south reside the Ulster Scots of Onslow. Having little in common with those cultures, they lived in isolation with outside contact being towards their kinsmen in Pictou County. Consequently, family ties became very entangled as the early generations married within the community and, to a more limited extent, within certain family groups. Offspring of Rogart parish families married to offspring of other Rogart settlers. Clyne families married within the Clyne group. It was not until the late 1800's that these associations melted and it was not until the early 1900's that any significant associations developed with the Tatamagouche, New Annan or North River families. Contained within are approximately 30,000 individuals. Over half have some association with the hills of Earltown. The remainder are individuals with origins in the North Colchester and West Pictou areas as well as some strays in my own ancestry. While every effort has been made to verify this information, some information has come from oral traditions handed down over the generations. For the most part, these traditions hold true when verified but there are bound to be errors. I am indebted to hundreds of people who have willingly provided information. In particular I would like to pay tribute to two very special people who were particularly generous with their information and who greatly inspired and encouraged my research - the late Gladys Sutherland MacDonald, 1897-1990, of Earltown, and Margie MacKenzie Wilson of Waugh's River. In the words of an old Gaelic Bard, "May the earth rest lightly upon them'. I strongly encourage you to submit any corrections or additions.}