Origins

William Black “Billy” Wells was a self-made man.  He was the original “Blueberry King”, and with forethought and hard work he led the way in creating a blueberry industry in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. During his later years, he developed a consuming interest in seven cemeteries where ancestors of his were buried.  Initially his focus was on the gravestones of his ancestors, but it later spread to the cemeteries as a whole. In his lifetime he spent considerable monies refurbishing or establishing memorials to his ancestors.

In his will he gave $700,000 for a Foundation to be set up “to provide for the restoration, maintenance and general improvement of cemeteries and burial grounds, located anywhere within the County of Cumberland….” 

Organization

The Foundation was established by his last Will and Testament. It was incorporated in 1985, less than a year after his death, under the Societies Act of Nova Scotia, and was registered with Revenue Canada, as a charity at the same time. The Foundation was established to assist nonprofit cemeteries, or burial grounds in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia with needed restoration or improvement projects. Such projects will be considered without regard to religion, sex, creed, race, colour or national origins.

Trustees: The Foundation is governed and administered by a Board of Trustees, consisting of five persons. Two of the five Trustees of the Foundation are, and are intended to be, descendants of W. B. Wells.

Audit: An annual audit by a qualified accountant or firm of accountants is done every year.