Then Mike and Sari suggested I see the Maccan Tidal Bore which was due to happen within the hour and made arrangements for me to meet Gordon Boss there. Gordon is in his 80's and frequently drives over to meet tourists and talk about the Tidal Bore if he notices cars down by the river. While we were waiting, he identified locations #61 and #62 on the Ernest Coates Map, his family homestead and the original Boss Garage. He also pointed out the house and barn near the Maccan River Bridge which he said had belonged to Frank Blenkhorn. I'd been told that Robert William Ripley lived there. However, I'd once received a document that said my great grandparents Robert Salter Ripley and Hannah Eizabeth Ripley lived right by the Maccan River Bridge in the old Blenkhorn homestead. If that's true, my grandmother Alice Malinda Ripley was born in that house.
After viewing the Tidal Bore I went back up the hill to pop in on Gardner Bud Hurley who showed me the original location of the house and well of Robert Ripley and Rebecca Vickery, my 2nd great grandparents. That house was later dragged across the road by a team of bulls. He said there was a second well down by the river which was likely their original place as there's an R. Ripley on the A. F. Church map 1873 in that location.
Mike and Sari had also arranged for me to meet Diane Bacon, their family historian. On the way over I wolfed down the delicious blueberry muffins Sari had given me. Diane has done some spectacular work on descendants of Henry Ripley and all four of her grand parents were from Cumberland County. A poster she had made for a presentation to the local genealogical society included photos of 5 generations and included many Bacons, Smiths, and Ripleys. She also introduced me to a fan-style family tree which seemed much better than a traditional tree.
By this time it was after 3:00 so I decided against driving to Parrsboro and headed back to the genealogical centre where I made an astonishing and completely unexpected discovery. Andrew Ripley had purchased land from the desBarres Estate in 1834 (Deed Book M, p. 253) that adjoined Henry Ripley's purchase. I've not yet determined whether this is the location of his homestead on Hwy 2 in Fenwick, but I'm heading down to the Deeds Office first thing tomorrow morning.