1852: An Acadia Tragedy Unfolds (Part 22, Jun 27/25)

The “six precious souls and a man from Gaspereau” discussion

The phrase “six precious souls and a man from Gaspereau” has been attributed to Rev. Dr. John Mockett Cramp, President of Acadia College. After extensive research through multiple collections locally and nationally, Archivist Wendy Robicheau found no written source to prove that he uttered this phrase. He may well have said it, but the written evidence no longer seems to exist.

According to historian R.S. Longley in his book, Acadia University 1838-1938, the College President Dr. Cramp spoke at Professor Chipman’s memorial service. Tradition indicates that at that funeral service, Dr. Cramp “expressed great sorrow at the loss of ‘six precious souls from Wolfville and a man from Gaspereaux.’” (69) The source of this quote is uncited by Dr. Longley, but the story remains to this day. In 2000, the local newspaper continued the tale, saying that the “story also goes that Perez’s six brothers, who were in attendance at the service and who heard Dr. Cramp’s statement, arose and walked out.” (The Advertiser, 3 March 2000, 13) Who could blame them?

The phrase itself is controversial. What did Dr. Cramp mean by this utterance? Did he simply misspeak during a time of intense grief? He personally knew six of the men who perished in the Minas Basin that day, but he did not know anything about the seventh man—the man from Gaspereau. This fact was admitted in the newspaper by a simple statement, “Mr. Coldwell the boatman I did not know.” (Christian Messenger, 18 June 1852, 194) Or, was the slight intentional?

If we accept that the utterance was deliberate, is it not conceivable that Dr. Cramp did not intend to slight Perez Coldwell but was instead trying to absolve the six, men he knew on the boat from a harsh, public judgement? Could he not have called their souls ‘precious’ because of a perception at the time that these men were purged by God due to any perceived acts of wickedness? Dr. Cramp would have wanted to shelter them from that belief. The accident was originally labelled a ‘calamity’ after all, which in 1852 was seen as a punishment by God rather than a tragic occurrence.

Regardless of the reason for Dr. Cramp’s statement, on 7 June 2025 at 4pm, the 173rd anniversary of the accident in the Minas Basin, the Wolfville Baptist Church rang the bell seven times to mark the departure of seven, previous souls.

Do you have written evidence in which Rev. Dr. Cramp used the phrase the “six precious souls and a man from Gaspereau”? If so, the Archives at Acadia University wants to see the document. Please contact us.

Let me tell you about a historical commemoration being planned on 27 June 2025. 173 years after his funeral, Professor Chipman, along with the other victims, will be commemorated at the Wolfville Baptist Church and the Old Burying Ground in the style of an 1852 funeral service. The family-friendly commemoration is open to everyone. Please join us at 6.30pm in the Wolfville Baptist Church to hear Rev. Dr. Cramp give a short funeral sermon before we process to the graves of Isaac Chipman and William Grant.