History of the Hallisey House and Family

     Daniel Hallisey was born July 4, 1834 in County Cork, Ireland. According to his death record, he was the son of John Hallisey and Julia Healey. He arrived at New York in 1854, travelled to Boston, from where he sailed on “The Empress” to Windsor, Nova Scotia. He found employment building the Nova Scotia Railway. Upon completion of the railway he was employed as Station Master at Beaver Bank (1858). In 1863 he also became the Postmaster for Beaver Bank. The homestead was listed as Daniel Hallisey’s Hotel in 1864 on the A F Church map. His daughter Mary Hopkins took over as Station Master on his retirement. In 1911 when the Beaver Bank Rural Telephone Company was being established, the Station House was the location of one of two telephones in Beaver Bank. Once the line was completed in 1912, it was then one of 5 homes with a telephone. Daniel died February 11, 1925 at 95 years of age. After Mary Hopkins, the station masters were: John Hopkins, Mr Abbott and Nellie O’Donnell, granddaughter of Daniel. Nellie served until the station was closed March 31, 1956. She continued on as Postmistress until it also closed in July 1962.

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     Daniel Hallisey was married and widowed three times. His first wife was Mary Ellen Ahern (1834-1866), they had three children: Julia married to Frank J Largie, they lived in Boston, Mass.; John Thomas who married Mary Catherine Carroll, they had at least 4 children and he was also a railway man based in Truro; and Mary Camilla who married Michael John Hopkins and stayed in the Hallisey homestead. His second marriage was to Annie Mulchey. They had one son William born 1868. It appears that they both died within the next two years. William does not appear on the 1871 census. Daniel married for a third time in 1870 to Mary McCarthy. They had two children: William Alex who lived in Halifax, married Mary Mahoney and had at least 4 children; and Ellen born 1877 who likely died young as she does not appear on the 1881 census.

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Mary Camilla Hallisey born in 1864 married Michael John Hopkins, he was born in Windsor Junction. They had at least 4 children: Thomas William who married Nellie Agnes Milbury; Mary Ellen who married Arthur John O’Donnell and stayed on the homestead; John Joseph also a railway man; and Leo, neither of whom appear to have married.

After the Station House closed the building was sold and moved. The Hallisey House is still part of our community. This was the second house built by Daniel in this spot, with the current building dating to 1872. It was used for apartments for several years. It was then the Putting Green Pub, the Black Crow Pub and now The Beaver Bank Station. As a heritage building the exterior has remained relatively the same as when it was built.

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Credits: Historical Recordings of Beaver Bank 1789-1968, Maribelle Smiley; Nova Scotia Historical Vital Stats, www.nsgenealogy.com; The Beaver Bank Kinsac Bulletin, various issues; and The Mary Kelly Collection, Fultz House Museum.