About this Project
The Prospect Genealogical Website has been a labour of love for me since 1999. It started as a place to put the research I had been doing on my family and has grown to become a community in and of itself.
My interest in genealogy started when my grandmother, Kathleen (Doherty) Coolen, and my mother, Linda (Coolen) Smith, allowed me to come with them to the Provincial Archives to search for the family. I had always been interested in history but never thought of my family's history as interesting. Long after both my grandmother and mother had grown weary of the microfilm machines I was allowed to stay and continue the search. That search led me to the Internet where I have since connected myself to hundreds of people all over the world and vice versa. Prospect, though a small fishing community today, was a central part to the inshore fishing industry of Nova Scotia throughout the nineteenth century. Because of this thousands of people have familial connections and the 'Prospect Diaspora' is very big.
Between November 1999 and September 2006 the Prospect Genealogical Website had been relatively unchanged in content and design. Over the years large amounts of data had been contributed by Ed Rogers and Doug Grant, but outside of these contributions very little has changed. In September 2006 I was approached by my first cousin Barry Coolen to re-design the site. I graciously accepted due to the fact that I had reached the limit of my computer skills when it came to website design. Barry with the help of a friend have transformed the website into a modern looking access point to the information that is available on the site. The re-launch of the website took place on 1 December 2006 .
The Prospect Genealogical website is a project that will continue for as long as there are people who come from Prospect and as long as they continue to search their roots. At 252 years old the village continues to grow and move like the tides that come in and out along its rocky shores. I hope that you have been able to use this website, and the information it provides, in putting together your family tree.
Doug Grant
In January 2003 Doug Grant passed away at the age of 67. Doug had fallen in love with Prospect as a youth and was able to come back to the village in retirement, settling with his wife in a nice home overlooking the government wharf. This website is dedicated to Doug because he was a mentor to me throughout the early development of this project and my early research. A geologist by profession Doug recognized in me something no one had before and he encouraged me at every step. It had been a goal of Doug and I to sit down some day and write the definitive history of the areas surrounding Prospect. It is hoped that someday I can finish the project he and I started so many years ago.
It is very true that someone who is 18 and someone who is 67 can have a lot in common and I miss Doug a lot, as do many people in the village. His family has become an integral part of the village and forever a part of its history.
Nat Smith (creator/author)
Nathaniel Smith was born in Halifax in 1983. He graduated from Saint Mary's University in Halifax with a B.A.(Hons.) in History. He also holds a Certificate in Municipal Government Administration from Dalhousie University. Nat has been actively researching his family since 1999 and is in the process of writing a number of articles concerning his family. Outside of history and genealogy Nat can be found participating in local politics. Nat ran for Halifax City Council in 2004 in District 15: Fairview-Clayton Park, almost beating the 10-year incumbent.
Barry Coolen (web master)
Barry was born 16 November 1981 and has spent his entire life in Prospect. He received a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Dalhousie University in 2004. He is currently working as a software developer at Abridean Inc. in Halifax. When not in front of a computer Barry can usually be found playing hockey or guitar.
Darius Graff (website design)
The design for this website was created by Darius Graff. You can check out more of his work at OrangeCat Media Group .
