Perkins House Museum celebrates 50 years

Just as the Perkins House 50th anniversary as a museum approached, Director Linda Rafuse said they tracked down two “four great” granddaughters of Simeon and Elizabeth Perkins.

Rafuse told the story of how Perkins came to Liverpool in 1762 as part of a Planter migration.

Arriving from New England, Perkin’s built his house in 1766. He died in 1812.

His wife, Elizabeth lived for 10 more years in the Perkins home before moving to New York where two of their eight children lived.

Elizabeth took her husband’s well-known diaries, which he kept from 1760 until his death, with her to New York, Rafuse added.

Their daughter Lucy’s great grandson returned Perkin’s diaries to Liverpool in 1897.

The Queens County Historical Society bought the Perkin’s house sometime after 1929.

The society then gave the building to the Province of Nova Scotia in hopes it would become a museum.

On June 29, 1957 the Perkins House Museum officially opened, said Rafuse.

She said staff has always thought, since the Perkins had so many children, there has to be existing descendants.

To track them down, Rafuse said they concentrated on Lucy, one of the daughters who lived in New York.

By searching through www.worldconnect.rootsweb.com, a genealogy website, Rafuse found two descendants, Ann Prothro and Julie Matisoo.

“Of all the times for us to find them - on the 50th anniversary,” said Rafuse. “How exciting is that?”

Prothro lives in Kentucky, U.S.A. while Matisoo is located in New Zealand.

Both are the fourth great granddaughters of Simeon and Elizabeth Perkins, said Rafuse.

“I was totally surprised and delighted,” said Prothro in an email.

She has always known about Perkins’ earlier family in New England, but had very little information about him or his wife, she explained.

Rafuse sent both Prothro and Matisoo information about the museum via mail.

Both women plan to visit Liverpool next summer, added Rafuse.

“I look forward to learning more about Liverpool as well,” said Prothro. “It sounds like you have a delightful community.”