Weldford History
Weldford is a combination of the surnames Weldon and Ford. It was named for Supreme Court Judge, John Wesley Weldon who was the first Member of the Provincial Legislature for the County of Kent after separation from Northumberland County in 1826. He was sole member for quite some time until a second representative was added. This man was J.P. Ford of Halifax, Nova Scotia and he constructed the Ford Mill at the mouth of the Coal Branch River.
In a 1920 Newspaper Article regarding the history of Richibucto the author states "Many names have become extinct and families prominent in the history of our county are but memories with most of their descendants having gone to distant lands."
The article goes on to list several "extinct" surnames and also makes an interesting reference to Weldford, stating "All goods that came into the town (Richibucto) must have cost more in consequence of the number of miles that they had to be hauled from Weldford"