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History
of Inverness County, Nova Scotia
compiled by John
Dye
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History of Inverness County, Nova Scotia, by J.L. MacDougall - 1922?
Ships
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Saint Lawrence, 1826, all pass. Rum p. 126
Highland Lad, 1826 (Rum?) p. 160
Hector, 1773 (Kilmorack, Kiltarlity) p. 312, p. 464
Victory, 1819 (Canna) Pictou p. 316
The Three Brothers of Hull, 1816 (Morar)
Dove of Aberdeen, 1801 (Glenfinnan) Pictou p. 403
Commerce of Greenock, 1822 (Fort William) Pictou & Montreal p. 485
Dunlop, 1830 (Coll) p. 492
Northumberland, 1826 (Greenock, Uist) p.503
Commerce, 1822 (Tobermory) p. 511
Speculation, 1819 (Greenock, Lochaber) p. 600 (Name of ship uncertain,
renamed French capture)
Tamarlin, 1821 (Lochaber?) p. 612
William Fell, 1817 (Barra) p. 613
Notes taken
from the text - not all of the immigrants have identified areas of origin,
I have tried to identify those which seem to be from Moidart and Ardnamurchan.
There are a great many from Arisaig, Morar and the Small Isles which I
have not mentioned since they are outside the area of the Moidart Local
History Group.
p. 328 The
MacDougalls of B. C. Banks
Now we come to a large block of land containing seven hundred and fifty
acres, selected and located by Lachlan MacDougall, a native of Moidart,
Scotland, who emigrated with a grown up family in the last stages of the
eighteenth century and came here from Antigonish, to mark out and secure
a permanent home, in the summer of 1808.
This Lachlan MacDougall was an exiled scion of the House of Lorn. His
people fought like Trojans for William Wallace; but, yielding to the sinister
entreaties of "the red Comyn" , they fought with equal valour
against "The Bruce", and for Balliol, and thereby lost their
estate.
p. 359 Semuas MacRuaridh
John MacDonald, a native of Moidart, Scotland, Blazed out a farm of 200
acres of Crown land on the coast of Broad Cove Marsh in the beginning
of the nineteenth century. Not many years afterwards he died without issue.
His brother James (Semuas Mac Ruaridh), with his wife, two sons, Alexander
and Rory, and three daughters, Flora, Catherine and Ann left Moidart for
Cape Breton to occupy and develop the farm made vacant by the death of
John.
p.370
And lastly there was the well remembered family of Alasdair Mhor, particlulars
of whom we have long been waiting. These McDonalds are of the Kinlochmoidart
family in Scotland, and are descended from John, son of Alln, eighth Chief
of Clanranald. In 1584 john obtained from his father a charter of Kinlochmoidart,
Askernish and lands in Uist, and became the first chief of Kinlochmoidart.
This MacDonald family played a gallant and conspicuous part in the life
of Scotland. They fought with distinction under Montrose, Dundee and Prince
Charlie.
The first of the Kinlochmoidart MacDonalds to come to Cape Breton was
Alasdair Mor Aonghais 'ic Alasdair, who was born in Scotland about 1770,
and came to America about 1800.
p. 386 MacDonalds
A family of MacDonalds came to this Country from Moidart, Scotland, about
the year 1815. They were Allan, formerly known as 'Ailean Mac Ruari' or
'Capt. Allan', Donald, James, John and Catherine. Allan took up land at
S. W. Margaree having, on account of his being a captain in the militia
in the old country, obtained a free grant. He married Catherine Smith
(daughter of Angus ban Gow) of Broad Cove, also a native of Moidart, with
issue: Rory, Alexander, Angus, John, Ann, Mary, Flora, Catherine, Jessie,
Mary and Mary Junior.
p. 387
About the year 1828 Norman MacDonald arrived from Moidart. He married
a sister of Donald MacDougall (Piper) with issue: Hugh, Angus, Rory, Donald,
Martha, Ann, Jane and Mary.
p. 403 The MacFarlanes
Dougald MacFarlane, the progenitor of the McFarlanes of Antigonish and
Inverness Counties, was born in Glanorchy, a district in Argyleshire,
Scotland, somewhere about the year 1720. He was known as Dughal Mac Phadruig
'ic Phadruig 'ic Iain ic Illeschriosd 'ic Iain. His parents and all his
people were Presbyterians, but Dougald early in life joined the Catholic
church. He married a Knoydart woman, Margaret McDonnell daughter of Ronald
McDonnell, a grand-daughter of the Laird of Scots, a sept of the Glengarry
family. One of her brothers, the famous 'Spanish John,' on whom was founded
an interesting novel of the same title, was instructed by Cardinal Yorke,
Rome, with a mission to Scotland and a large sum of money for Prince Charles,
died at Cornwall, Ontario, somewhere between the years 1810 and 1820.
He had three sons, Miles, John and William.
After his marriage, Dougald lived for a number of years in Glanfinnan,
Moidart, where most, if not all of his family were born.
Douglad MacFarlane and family emigrated from Scotland in the year 1801
in the 'Dove of Aberdeen'. They landed at Pictou, Nova Scotia, and soon
afterwards rented a farm for a short time at Antigonish Harbour.
p. 417 McIsaacs
In the year 1822, Hugh McIsaac, a native of Moidart, Scotland, came from
South River, Antigonish, and settled at S.W.Margaree.
p. 419 Stewarts
Hugh Stewart arrived from Moidart, Scotland, in 1843, and settled at Piper's
Glen. He was married to Mary McVarish (Weaver's daughter) with issue:
John, Donald, Flora, Kate, Ann, Margaret and Mary.
p. 419 Mcvarish
About the year 1815 or 16 there arrived in Margaree a Moidart man named
Donald McVarish (big). He had one son, Rory, and two daughters, Mary and
Nancy.
p. 461
Donald MacDonald's ancestors were from Moidart, His paternal grand father
Angus MacDonald served in the army of Prince Charlie in the rising of
1745-46.
p. 484
In 1822 Samuel Cameron of Lochaber came to Pictou and two years later
settled on a lot immediately tot he south of the rory Morrison lot, Samuel
was followed shortly by his brothers, Donald and Duncan. (Samuel, Donald
and Duncan are common Cameron names around Acharacle, but this Samuel
is noted elsewhere as being a cousin of Donald Cameron of Fort William
- JD)
p. 521
Angus MacDougall (Ban) came to West Lake about the year 1812. He was a
native of Moidart, Scotland, and had spent weveral years in Antigonish
before coming to Cape Breton.
p.544
Maclachlans - The first settler in this case is a woman, Mrs Donald MacLachlan,before
her marriage her name was Mary Cameron. They belonged to Ardnamurchan
on the borders of Inverness and Argyle shires, Scotland.
p. 545
John Cameron (Captain) came into this district and settled here in 1817.
He was a native of Moidart, Inverssshire, Scotland. He did not come direct
from Scotland but from Prince Edward Island where he spent the best part
of a decade.
. His wife was Mary MacIsaac.
p. 586
The MacEacherns
In 1791 Duncan MacEachern (Donnachadh Mac Iain ic Allein) came from Moidart,
Scotland to Pictou, Nova Scotian.
.. there was not Catholic church
at that time in Pictou county. The immigrant felt the inconvenience of
the situation and was advised by Fr MacEachern of P.E.I. (afterwards Bishop)
to move further east down the Gulf shore. Accordingly he left Pictou and
went to Malignant Brook, in the county of Antigonish, where he took up
a plot of land and remained a few years. In 1798 he crossed over to Cape
Breton and settled permanently in Creignish.
Mr MacEachern was married in Scotland to Jessie MacDonald, daughter of
Allan of Moidart, with issue: John, Allan, Donald, Alexander, Angus, Ronald,
Archibald, Flora and Mary. All of these children except Ronald and Archibald
were born in the Old Country.
p. 590
The MacInnis Family
The family of John MacInnis of Moidart, Scotland, consisted of several
sons and daughters who helped to swell the early settlers of Creignish.
Some of the daughters were married in Scotland.
p.592
The MacMasters
John MacMaster (Iain Mac Ewwen ic Iain) commonly known as 'Iain Ruadh',
came, with his first cousin, Donald MacMaster, 'Weaver', from Moidart,
Scotland to Antigonish in the year 1801. After a brief sojourn in Antigonish
both came to Cape Breton, and settleddown, side by side, in the district
of Creignish. As a matter of course, their first dwellings were two of
the rude, little, log cabins of the period. Eventually, Iain Ruadh built
for himself a substantial stone house, which is still doing duty for his
grandson Dan MacMaster.
p.593
Donald MacMaster (Weaver)
In 1801 the above named Donald MacMaster came to Creignish from Moidart,
Scotland, and settled next to John MacMaster just described. He was married
in Moidart to Catherine MacEachern (Nighean Aonghneas ic Tearlach) with
issue: Angus, John, Duncan, Charles, Jane, Annie and Mary.
p.607
Angus MacDonald (Cross)
In 1835 the above named Angus MacDonald came, with his wife and family,
from Scotland to Mabou Rdge in this Country. He was called 'Angus Cross'
from the name of a farm, near a crossing or ferry, which he occupied in
Scotland. (Possibly Cross Farm in Arisaig? - JD)
p.635
Died at River Dennis Station, Cape Breton, on February 9th 1911, a remarkable
old lady, in the person of Mrs Alexander MacVarish, nee Stewart, daughter
of George Stewart of Mingarie Ard, Scotland. In 1843 she emigrated with
her husband to Cape Breton, landing at Ship Harbour, as Hawkesbury was
then called. As she was even then the mother of six children, she must
certainly have attained the age of 100 years. For the last eight years
or so, this dear old soul lived with her daughter, Maggie, the first child
to be born to her in the new country, who was married to Hugh MacLean.
Sam one of the pioneers Catholics of River Dennis.
Mrs Macvarish
had 14 children, 65 grandchildren, 68 great grandchildren, and 2 great
grandchildren, in all a progeny of 149.
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The above named Mrs Alexander MacVarish came with her husband and four
children from Mingarie Ard, Scotland, to Cape Breton in 1843, landing
at Ship Harbour, and ultimately settling down at River Inhabitants, where
eight more children were born to them. The names of the children were
as follows: John, Mary, Angus, Donald (and two infant children who died),
born in the old country; Margaret, Marcella, Annie, Hugh, George, Christie,
Mary and Jane (born at River Inhabitants).
.
Alexander MacVarish, the father of the above family; had three brothers,
namely: Black Donald who went to Australia, Hugh, who died in Scotland,
and Angus, who came to America, settled in the western part of Antigonish
county, and changed his name to 'MacDonald.' The brother Alexander at
River Inhabitants went to Antigonish to see this 'Angus' and had great
difficulty tracing him out owing to his change of name. We know a prominent
MacDonald family in Antigonish who are direct descendants of this Angus
Macvarish; and we know a large body of MacDonalds In Inverness County
who have come down in unbroken line from the great family of MacEachen.
It may be of interest to note that the name of River Inhabitants comes
from the French who, in their own language, would spell it 'Riviere des
Habitants'. Years before the Scottish immigrants began to settle at River
Inhabitants there was a colony of Acadian French located on the lower
part of this river, near and around the basin.
JD 11/9/03
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