Up until about 1749, the British had treated their part of Nova Scotia as an occupied territory and had made no serious attempt to build permanent settlements outside of the few military bases they had established. Since it had proven difficult to recruit suitable British subjects to settle in the harsh and warlike conditions of Nova Scotia, they followed the example of the New York and Pennsylvania colonies to their south and sent agents into Germany to find suitable settlers.
The principle qualification for becoming a colonist was that you were Protestant. Even though they were French speaking, the inhabitants of Montbeliard - and the Bissetts in particular - met that qualification. The British offered land, materials to construct houses, and full rations for a year to induce people to sign up. Given that the King of France was threatening to incorporate Montbeliard into France and impose Catholicism, the prospect looked very inviting to many Protestant peasants in Montbeliard.
