Presented below is a small selection of representative documents from the early years of township settlement in Nova Scotia. The examples chosen open a window into that past, including official government records encouraging and organizing settlement; pages from the Truro Township Book (be sure to look closely for the cattle marks); and the diary of the Rev. John Seccombe in Chester, July to December 1761, digitized in its entirety. Thoughts of food seem to have been uppermost in his mind, since the entries invariably mention the food and drink he consumed — a gem indeed for historians investigating 18th century foodways!