File consists of genealogical notes on the Rettie family of Truro, Nova Scotia, with a particular focus on Captain Alexander Rose Rettie and the wreck of his vessel "Forest Chief." Also included are a family tree, photocopies of research correspondence, and historical newspaper accounts.

The accession contains index cards originally stored in 10 small plastic boxes and 1 long cardboard box. The cards were created by Trevor Bebb and contain entries from various shipping registers. The cards describe vessels, captains, and sailors. The accession also contains two oversized ledgers from the nineteenth century and several manuscript sheets of poetry. One plastic box was empty when it entered the archives.