Robert Wheelock Ells was born on July 26, 1845, in Sheffield Mills, Kings County, Nova Scotia.

He was a geologist and civil servant. He studied at Horton Academy, Acadia University, and McGill University. He earned his B.A. degree and the Logan Medal in Geology and Natural History in 1872, his M.A. degree in 1875, and his L.L.D. degree in 1887. That same year he joined the staff of the Geological Survey of Canada and soon became a senior geologist (1871-1911). In 1893, he was elected to the Royal Society of Canada. In addition to numerous papers, reports, and maps for the Geological Survey and the Royal Society, he also wrote the books “A History of New Brunswick Geology” (1887) and “The Geology and Mineral Resources of New Brunswick” (1907). In 1895, he was elected President of the Ottawa Literary and Scientific Society. He was also the assistant editor of the Ottawa Naturalist.

In 1873, he married Harriet Neville Stevens (1845–1910). He died on May 23, 1911, in Ottawa, Ontario.

Sir Hugh Fletcher was born on December 9, 1848, in London, England.

He was a geologist, surveyor, and civil servant. He immigrated to Canada with his father in 1860. The son of a mining engineer, he obtained his education at the University of Toronto in 1870. His first practical experience in geology was from his father's work in the gold mines at Tangier, Nova Scotia. He spent most of his career, from 1875 until 1909, on coal measures in Cape Breton Island and Nova Scotia. His work also included the survey of the counties of Cumberland, Colchester, Pictou, Antigonish, Guysborough, Kings, Hants, and a portion of Halifax. He produced numerous maps and reports on geological surveys and explorations of Nova Scotia. In 1950, the Fletcher Geology Club was formed in affiliation with the Nova Scotia Mining Society.

In 1882, he married Christine MacLeod (1862–1892). He died on September 23, 1909, in Lower Cove, Nova Scotia.