THE "HOPE" PEOPLE

The beginnings of history-making in Pictou were modest; but they were highly promising if
there is aught of force in the adage which says that well begun is half done.  There was good
augury in the very name of the brig "Hope," the first
immigrant vessel which dropped anchor in the Harbor.  Yet the future importance of Pictou was
probably not even dreamed of by those connected with the little brig.   At that time the
enterprise doubtless looked hopeful mainly from a
land-speculator's point of view.

The "Hope," bearing officers of the Philadelphia Company, so-called, and the families of half
a dozen intending settlers, arrived at Pictou from Philadelphia, on June 10, 1767.  The
Company had obtained a Royal grant of 180,000 acres of land in the district.  To this grant
were attached the usual stringent settlement conditions.  It was in compliance with those
conditions that the expedition had been sent out.  The families who came by the "Hope,"
according to Dr. Patterson, were: Dr. John Harris, agent of the Company and his wife; Robert
Patterson, the Company's surveyor, his wife and five children; James McCabe, his wife and six
children; John Rogers, his wife and four children; Henry Cumminger, his wife and four or five
children; and a sixth family of unknown name--it may have been Hand.  There is on record in
the Pictou Registry, a deed to Recompense Hand of land adjoining that originally taken up by
John Rogers.

Of these pioneers the only name which has remained continuously prominent in the County, is
that of Harris. J. Sim. Harris, the High Sheriff, is a lineal descendant, in the fourth
generation, of Dr. John Harris.  He is the fourth Sheriff in succession in that family.  None
but a Harris has ever been Sheriff of Pictou County.

No descendant of Robert Patterson, bearing his name, is now resident within
the County, although his blood runs in the veins of a number of well-known
Pictou families.  A few of McCabe's descendants bearing his name are to be
found in the County.  John Rogers gave his name to the district since known
as Rogers Hill.  His descendants are few, the most distinguished of them
being Rev. Anderson Rogers of Halifax, late Moderator of the Presbyterian
Synod of the Maritime Provinces.  The Cumminger name early disappeared from
the County.

The courageous little band which came in the "Hope" had to encounter the
usual trials and difficulties of pioneer settlers in a densely wooded
country, remote from human neighborhood.  But they had plentiful supplies;
were busy making improvements, and were cheered from time to time by the
arrival of other families and individuals to join their settlement.  Of the
early followers of the "Hope" from Philadelphia the most important were
Rev. James Lyon, a large shareholder of the Company, and Matthew Harris, an
elder brother of Dr. John, who settled on the Davidson farm at West River,
above the Saw Mill bridge.

Additional settlers came from Truro.  Of these the most noteworthy was
William Kennedy, who located at the mouth of what has since been known as
Saw Mill Brook, where he erected, in 1769, the mill from which the stream
took its name.  This mill was the first frame building erected in the County.

Up to the 1st of January 1770, there had been 67 arrivals and four births at
Pictou.  But 36 had removed or died, and the total population was 84.  The
first census, then taken, sets forth that the settlement possessed 6 horses,
16 oxen, 16 cows, 16 young cattle, 37 sheep and 10 swine.  Dr. Harris is credited with the
ownership of a fishing boat and a small vessel, the pioneer of Pictou's subsequent extensive
mercantile fleet.  The settlers had that year harvested 64 bushels of wheat and 60 of oats.

The heads of families were: John Harris, Robert Patterson, Robert McFadden,
Henry Cumminger, James McCabe, Nathan Smith, Rev. James Lyon, Barnabas McGee,
William Kennedy, Moses Blaisdell, William Aiken, George Oughterson, Thomas
Skead, Matthew Harris, Barnett McNutt, James Archibald, Charles McKay and
Robert Dickey.

The "town" or centre of the settlement, was located opposite Brown's Point,
at the mouth of Haliburton Creek, since generally known as the "Town Gut."  This most
unsuitable site had to be accepted because when the Philadelphia
settlers arrived, Colonel McNutt, that notorious Nova Scotia land-grabber,
had secured a grant of all the shore lands from Brown's Point to the mouth
of Pictou Harbor, and thence around the coast to Cariboo Harbor.  It was not
until the escheating of McNutt's grant that the Harbor front was made
available for settlement.  After that, a village sprang up at Norway House
Point.  But it was only at a considerably later date that the present Town
site began to be occupied.

The nearest settlement to Pictou was at the head of Cobequid Bay, near what
is now, the town of Truro.  It was imperative that a safe means of access to
this settlement, then known as Cobequid, should be immediately opened up.  Accordingly, one
of the first cares of the "Hope" settlers was to have a
trail laid out between the two places.  This path, known as the "Cobequid
Road," was in no true sense of the word a road; but it served most useful
purposes.  It was free from dangerous obstructions; was clear-cut and direct,
and could be easily traversed on foot or horseback.

It seems rather singular that exact knowledge of the location of this most important land
route should so soon have perished.  Even Dr. Patterson appears to have been able to secure
only vague information as to the location of parts of it.  But it can be clearly traced
through the land Registry office.  The Cobequid Road followed the line of the present West
River Road from the Town Gut to "Belmont," the Evans farm.  Thence it ran along the West
River "old road" to a point near Leithead's stone house.  Thence it struck across the face of
the hill back of Durham, following exactly the south-west line of James D. Maclellan's lands,
and came out near the late Robert Patterson's house.  Thence, following the same direction,
it crossed Auchincairn to the Four Mile Brook Road, a short distance from the house of the
late Thomas Rogers, Postmaster.  Thence it followed the present Brook Roads to Mount Thom,
over the top of which it passed, and thence down the Salmon River to Cobequid, now Lower
Truro.  The complete oblivion into which the very existence of this road had fallen, even
among the grandchildren of the settlers to whom it had been so important, was curiously
illustrated some forty years ago when a rusted cannon ball was picked up in the woods at
Auchincairn.  There was much speculation in the district at the time, as to how this old
round shot could possibly have come there.  It was
not until long afterwards that recovered knowledge of the actual course of
the Cobequid Road suggested a partial, but only a partial, explanation of
the mystery.  By whom or for what purpose such a piece of property as a cannon ball was being
transported through the woods between Truro and Pictou,
over the Cobequid Road, and how it came to be dropped in such a spot, cannot
even be guessed.  The Cobequid Road is said to have been laid out by Thomas
Archibald and John Otterson of Truro assisted by John Rogers.

The "Hope" pioneers with the exception of Rogers' family, and possibly one other family, were
all located along the north side of the West River estuary, from the Town Gut to the "Harbor
Head," when the ship "Hector" with her contingent arrived.

The Truro settlers had been advised of the coming of the "Hope," and had sent a delegation to
meet and welcome those on board.  The delegation consisted of Samuel Archibald, father of the
afterwards famous S. G. W. Archibald, John Otterson, Thomas Troop and Ephraim Howard.
Tradition says that the two last-mentioned bestowed their names as they passed on the
outstanding hills still known as Mount Thom and Mount Ephraim.

The whole County was densely wooded at that time.  On the shores of the Harbor, extending up
the river valleys and clothing the hills were magnificent growths of pine, almost every tree
a gigantic model of its kind.  The grove which covered the present site of the town is said
to have been notably fine.  To the north, more particularly around the shores of Cariboo,
there were splendid stretches of oakland.  The coast-waters and streams were overflowing with
fish, the woods with game.  With shelter, fuel and food thus at hand in richest abundance,
the original pioneer band and the succeeding parties of settlers can scarcely have suffered
the harrowing experiences which later imaginations have conjured up.  No doubt they endured
certain trials, and privations, like all pioneers.  But they were young and vigorous, and
their healthy joys must have far more than counterbalanced their troubles.  The physical
delights of pioneering are too often overlooked in listening to the reminiscences of old men
and women regarding their youthful days in the wilds.

One thing is certain, the children of the pioneers never ceased to regret the
good old times, "the golden age" of their youth, when they and their
neighbors' young folk gathered in the evenings, around blazing wood fires in
wide, hospitable, log-cabin chimney places, and when social intercourse had a peculiar
freedom and charm, which was sadly missed in later and supposedly more happy years, of
greater seeming comfort.

The "Hope" settlers had completed the political organization of the Pictou
district, and their members had been materially increased from other sources
before the next large band of immigrants joined them, six years later.  These
are facts which should be duly kept in mind, because they suggest a very
different idea of the relative importance of the two first bands of pioneers
than that generally entertained.  They also shed valuable light on the real
condition of the Pictou settlement when the ship "Hector" arrived in 1773.

Effective municipal government had, at that date, been established.  The
following is a list of its officials in February, 1775:

        John Harris     Clerk of District
        Robert Meresom
        John Harris     Overseers of Poor
        James Fulton
        Moses Blaisdale
        William Kennedy         Surveyors of Lumber
        William Aiken   Constable
        James Fulton    Clerk of Market

        Abraham Slater    Culler of Fish

Before the "Hector" arrived, McNutt's grant had been, in 1770, escheated to
the Crown.  The whole Harbor front and Cariboo shore were thus thrown open to
settlement.  The "Hector" reached Pictou on September 15, 1773.  Some forty or
more years ago this date was arbitrarily selected as Pictou's "Natal Day," a
selection made for purely temporary purposes, which has been largely
responsible for the popular modern belief that the real history of Pictou
began with the coming of the "Hector."   But the truth is, that September 15
was chosen because June 10, the "Hope" day was past at the time when it became desirable to
hold a public picnic for a charitable purpose.

THE "HECTOR" PEOPLE

Those who reached Pictou by the "Hector," on September 15, 1773, numbered, according to one
statement, 189; according to another, 179.  On January 1,
1770, there were 84 in the Pictou settlement.  Probably a good many others
had arrived in the intervening three years; so that had the whole "Hector"
contingent remained in the County they would scarcely have outnumbered those
already in the settlement.  But it appears from the list given by Dr. Patterson, which was
compiled by William Mackenzie, who ultimately settled at Loch Broom, and was admittedly the
only specially educated member of the party, that of 57 heads of families or single men who
came by the "Hector," only 27 remained in Pictou.  Thirty almost immediately left for other
parts of the Province.  Even of the 27 who found ultimate resting-place in Pictou several at
first went elsewhere; and they or their children only returned at later dates, when the
settlement had been very materially increased by immigration from various other sources.
These facts indicate that the "Hope" settlement was far from being submerged or eclipsed by
the "Hector" party.  It seems unlikely that those from the "Hector" who actually settled in
the County numbered as many as the "Hope" people whom they found in original possession.
Moreover, the "Hector" element was much weakened in influence by two special causes.

With the exception of William MacKenzie, Alexander Cameron, George McConnell,
Alexander Fraser and John Patterson, not many of its members could speak
English at all fluently; and they scattered themselves over the County,
while the "Hope" people were compactly settled together on the Harbor front.
It was the descendants of the "Hector" people rather than the first-comers of them who made
their influence felt in the District.  But there were certain marked exceptions to this which
will be duly noted.

The party had been recruited from many parts of the North of Scotland.  Of those who shipped
at Glasgow, John Patterson settled at Pictou; and George
McConnell, great-grandfather of the late Robert McConnell, the wellknown
journalist, at West River.  Of those from Invernesshire, William McKay settled on the East
River, near Stellarton along with Roderick McKay, Colin McKay, Donald Cameron and Donald
McKay; Hugh Fraser settled at McLennan's Brook; Donald McDonald at Middle River; Colin
Douglas at Middle River; Hugh Fraser at Twelve Mile House, West River; Alexander Fraser, at
Middle River; James Grant, settled first in King's County but returned to upper East River;
Alexander Cameron settled at Loch Broom; Alexander Ross, at Middle River; Colin McKenzie at
East River, near New Glasgow; William MacKenzie at Loch Broom; John McLennan at the mouth of
McLennan's Brook; William McLennan, his relative on the east side of West River; above
Durham; Alexander Falconer, near Hopewell. Of those from Southerlandshire, Kenneth Fraser,
after first settling at Londonderry returned and settled at Middle River, back of Green Hill;
Walter Murray settled at Merigomish; James McLeod, at Middle River; Hugh McLeod at West
River; William Matheson settled first at Londonderry, but returned to Rogers Hill.  Of those
above-named, the following impressed themselves specially on the history of the County:

William McKay, who settled at East River became a Justice of the Peace; and
exercised much influence in his day.  One of his sons, William, prepared a
map of Nova Scotia, which was published in London and was regarded as
authoritative for many years.  Another son, Alexander, owned the town site
of New Glasgow.

Roderick McKay of Beauly, Invernesshire, also settled at East River.  One of
his daughters was married to Rev. Dr. McGregor, the pioneer Presbyterian
clergyman of the County, and was the grandmother of James D. McGregor the
present Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.  Another of Roderick McKay's
daughters was the mother of the late J. D. B. Fraser, of Pictou, who,
besides being prominent in business, was a distinguished leader in the early
temperance movement.  R. P. Fraser, Esq., Collector of Customs at Pictou, is
his son.  Roderick McKay's son, the late Robert McKay, Esq., was long Keeper
of the Rolls of the County.  His grandson, John U. Ross, K. C., is Chairman
of the Nova Scotia Public Utilities Commission.

Alexander Cameron settled at Loch Broom which was so named because of its resemblance, from
the Harbor approaches, to Loch Broom in Invernesshire.  He
was of notable family, being a near relative of Cameron of Lochiel, who
figured so prominently at the battle of Culloden, which young Alexander
Cameron witnessed as a runaway boy of fifteen.  Many distinguished Pictou
County names are in his line of descent.  "Among them, Rev. Alexander
Blaikie, D. D., long a leading clergyman of Boston; Thomas Fraser, a
Californian Senator, and Alexander Fraser, his brother who constructed the
first ship railway across the Isthmus of Panama; the late E. M. Macdonald,
M.P., a prominent journalist and at the time of his death Collector of
Customs at Halifax; his brother A. C. Macdonald of Pictou, barrister, at one
time Speaker of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly and father of the late
C. D. Macdonald, barrister, of Arthur C. Macdonald, a prominent Consulting
Engineer and capitalist of London, England, and of Mrs. James Primrose of
Pictou; John D. Macdonald, late Treasurer of the County of Pictou and his
sons, E. M. Macdonald, K. C., M. P., barrister, at present representing the
County in the Dominion Parliament, Rev. Peter M. Macdonald, a leading
clergyman and literary man of Toronto, and John D. Macdonald, editor and proprietor of the
Pictou "Advocate"; the late Hon. W. D. R. Cameron, formerly of Durham, Member for Guysborough
County of the Legislative Council of Nova Scotia
William Cameron, ex-M.P., at present Municipal Treasurer of the County,
and Mrs. W. E. Maclellan of Halifax.  This partial list of Alexander Cameron's
better-known descendants furnishes striking evidence of the possible value
of one good settler to a new country.

Alexander Fraser, settled at Middle River.  He also was of excellent birth.  He was an
immediate descendant of the Frasers, Lords Lovat.  Along with the noble head of that House he
was deeply involved in the "Forty-Five."  Two of his brothers were slain at Culloden.  His
wife was Marion Campbell, youngest daughter of the Laird of Skreigh, Invernesshire, who had
raised a troop for
Prince Charlie, and was wounded at Culloden.  A son of this couple was the
first native-born Pictonian.  From them descended the Rocklin Frasers, so
prominent in the industrial life of the County.  John Fraser of Hopewell, is
a grandson.  His son, Thomas, the "Beachcomber" of the Morning Chronicle and
formerly editor of the Halifax "Daily Echo," is at present a leading citizen
of Saskatoon.  Mrs. J. P. Esdaile of Halifax is Alexander Fraser's great
grandaughter.  Dr. Patterson states that Fraser was in most "comfortable
circumstances" when he left Scotland.

William MacKenzie ultimately settled at Loch Broom, beside his particular friend and
associate, Alexander Cameron, after having spent some years at Liverpool, Nova Scotia, where
he married a daughter of one of the pioneer settlers of that place, a lineal descendant of
one of the "Pilgrim Fathers," who came to Massachusetts Bay in the "Mayflower," in 1621.
William MacKenzie also was of good family.  His father was a gentleman of title and a scion
of the Seaforth MacKenzie family.  Young MacKenzie was a student of eighteen, when he left
Scotland.  He engaged himself as schoolmaster to the "Hector" party in a spirit of youthful
adventure, but pressed also, no doubt, by the necessities of the
times.  The party broke up at Pictou, and he was never required to exercise
his assumed vocation; but he became, which was of much more importance, the
historian of the party.  It was from his memoranda and diaries that Dr. Patterson obtained
most of his definite authentic information concerning
the "Hector" party.  He had only one son, and nearly all of his grandchildren
removed to the United States where, without exception, they prospered in
business or industry.  Only two of his lineal descendants are now in Nova
Scotia--Mrs. W. E. Maclellan of Halifax and Mrs. John Carson of Pictou.

He was known in his day as the "Peacemaker."  It was he who donated the site
of the first church erected in Pictou County, which was situated at Loch
Broom, close to the east shore of the West River estuary, on lands latterly owned by the late
Duncan McCabe.  John Patterson, grandfather of the late Rev. Dr. Patterson, the painstaking
and talented historian of the County, settled near the future town, where he became a
prosperous business man, a Justice of the Peace and a leading citizen.  Several of his
descendants, besides the late Dr. Patterson have been prominent as public and business men in
Colchester and other counties of the Province.  His Honor, Judge Patterson, of the County
Court, New Glasgow, is a son of Dr. Patterson and a great grandson of John Patterson of the
"Hector".

Alexander Falconer, who settled near Hopewell, was the grandfather of the late Rev. Dr.
Falconer, a few years ago Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in
Canada, whose two talented and highly distinguished sons are Dr. R. A. Falconer, President of
the University of Toronto, and Dr. James W. Falconer, of the Presbyterian College, Halifax,

William Matheson who settled at Rogers Hill was the father of the late William Matheson, of
Durham, grandfather of the late David Matheson, barrister of Pictou, and great grandfather of
E. S. Matheson Town Engineer, Yarmouth.

Should it seem surprising to any that so many men of good birth came to Pictou among the
pioneers, it is only necessary to point out that the same thing is now happening in the
Northwest.  Sons of some of the best families in the United Kingdom are at present
homesteaders and working farmers on the Canadian prairies.  A few years ago the titled head
of one of the oldest Baronetcies in Ireland died as a billiard-marker in a Winnipeg Saloon;
and he was no scapegrace.  He had gone to the West in the hope of restoring the fallen family
fortunes, and had accepted the first employment available.  It was only after his death that
his identity was disclosed, although without proclaiming his title he had not changed his
name.

Speaking of the times when Pictou was first settled, in connection with the
fact that a noble Lord, a member of the Scottish House of Peers and the
representative of one of the oldest families in Scotland was a glover in
Edinburgh, Burke, compiler of "Burke's Peerage" and "Landed Gentry", in his
"Vicissitudes of Families" states that a Nobleman, one of whose family
afterwards settled in Pictou County, "used to stand for years in the Old
Town, Edinburgh, selling gloves to those present; for, according to the
fashion of the time, a new pair was required for every dance. The only
occasion in which he was absent from his post was at the ball following
the election of a representative Peer, when he appeared in full dress, and
joined with those present in the dance.  It may be added that sons of the
best families in Scotland are often found at trades in these times, arising
from the difficulty of being provided for."

The great disadvantage under which most of the "Hector" settlers labored was
lack of means.  The fact that they were able to emigrate at all, at their own
charge in those days of "hard times" is proof positive that they were the
most prosperous and enterprising of their contemporaries, and that they were
much better off than the average of their countrymen at that time.  Scotland
was then in a state of extreme financial and industrial depression.  With
reference to that period the latter half of the eighteenth century, Lord
Rosebery, in addressing the annual meeting of the Edinburgh Savings Bank, in
1909, stated that "there was not then more than two or three hundred
thousand pounds of current money in all Scotland," whereas at the date of
his speech there were "over fourteen million pounds of deposits in the two
savings Banks of Edinburgh and Glasgow alone."  Lord Rosebery said, and his
words are well worth pondering by all who would form just conceptions of the
character of the "Hector" settlers in Pictou, "Our great grandfathers, my
great grandfather, at any rate, was living at that time.  Our great
grandfathers did great things in those days on a mess of pottage, they had no
more, but with it they helped to mould the Empire.  They maintained their
poor without legal compulsion.  They sought nothing from external help; and
they laid, in their nakedness, and barrenness, the foundations of the
prosperity which reigns in Scotland at this moment.  None of us would care to
live as they did.  Some of the poorest in our country at present would shrink
from the manner of life which was endured by some of the noblest in those
days.  We should not care to share their privations; but we should not be
unwilling to be convinced that we possess their independence, their
self-reliance, their self-respect; and I regard that as the greatest
blessing resulting out of thrift, independence of character.  Whether
Scottish pride arose out of Scottish thrift, or whether Scottish thrift
arose out of Scottish pride, I really cannot decide; but they axe closely intertwined so
closely that you cannot perhaps separate them.  But, at any rate, the combination produced a
character which has governed the country."

These are striking facts, vouched for by a very great and reliable man.  Dr. Patterson's
invaluable history of Pictou County makes it clear beyond
dispute that the "Hector" settlers possessed "the thrift" and "the pride" of
their country in the highest degree.  The subsequent lives of them and their
descendants have demonstrated beyond question that they possessed also the
"governing character."

At the close of 1773, there were thus in Pictou County, two very distinct
pioneer strains, almost equal in numbers, the "Hope" settlers of mixed
American, English, South of Scotland and North of Ireland origin, who had
been some years in the country, and the "Hector" settlers, of north of
Scotland extraction, newly arrived and, for the immediate time being, a
charge rather than a help to the struggling settlement, although they
contributed so materially to its development and progress in later years

THE SOUTH OF SCOTLAND PEOPLE

A year and a half after the arrival of the "Hector" came the third and last
band of those who may properly be called the pioneers of Pictou.  These were
the south of Scotland people, sometimes erroneously spoken of as the "Dumfries Settlers."

Their party was organized to take up lands in Prince Edward Island.  They
chartered their own vessel; sailed from the port of Annan, in Dumfriesshire,
and arrived at Georgetown in the spring of 1773.  Although exceptionally well
outfitted, they were immediately overtaken by bad luck.

A great plague of mice destroyed their first season's crop.  The following
spring they procured seed from Nova Scotia, and re-planted; but the mice ate the very seed in
the ground.  That autumn, to crown their misfortunes, supplies which they had brought from
Scotland and stored at Georgetown Harbor were plundered by riotous New England sailors and
fishermen, who were ashore on a drunken orgie on the eve of sailing for their homes.  The
settlers were left in dire straits for food; and suffered intensely during the succeeding
winter.  In the following spring, 1775, they removed in a body to Pictou.  There were
thirteen families and one single man in the party.  With one exception they settled
permanently in Pictou County.

Seven of the party located at West River.  These were Anthony Maclellan, William Clark, David
Stewart, William Smith, Joseph Richards, John McLean and Charles Blaikie.  Four settled on
the Middle River, namely, John Crockett, Robert Marshall, Robert Brydone and John Smith.
Two, Thomas Turnbull and Anthony Culton, went to the East River.  One, Wellwood Waugh,
remained in Pictou for a time, but later removed to Colchester County where he gave his name
to Waugh's River.  His half brother, William Campbell, the bachelor of the party, settled at
the Beaches, a mile below the present Town of Pictou.

The members of this party added a new and specially valuable element to the primitive Pictou
settlement.  They came from one of the best agricultural districts in Scotland.  They had
been closely associated with the land all their lives.  Several of them were sons of
landowners; others had been tenant farmers.      They knew how best to deal with the soil,
and they had the means to enable them to put their knowledge into practice.  They lost no
time in getting to work. Most of them prospered from the beginning.  This party, more than
any of its predecessors, directly and indirectly influenced the future of Pictou.  They seem
to have been well satisfied with their new home; and at once, by means of letters to those
whom they had left behind, became the most effective of immigration agents.  Through their
representations their relatives and acquaintances in the South of Scotland were directed to
Pictou; and continued coming in increasing numbers, or many years.

The original members of the party were mostly from Galloway, that famous, old Principality in
the extreme southwest of Scotland, made up of the Shires of Kirkcudbright and Wigton; but a
few of them were from Dumfriesshire  and Ayr, or had connections in those counties.  A glance
at the names of those most prominent in the early commercial, industrial and political life
of Pictou will show that a large proportion of them were from one or other of the south
Scottish counties above mentioned.  The monuments in the old Cemetery of Pictou, and the
still older Durham Cemetery reveal an overwhelming preponderance of Galloway, Dumfries and
Ayrshire names.

These south of Scotland settlers imported, live-stock, seeds and fruit-trees from the land of
their birth.  At West River traces of the famous black cattle of Galloway were distinctly
discernible not many years ago; and quite possibly are yet to be found.  The sturdy Galloway
breed of horses, too, left its mark in the county.  But the Galloway people made a far deeper
and infinitely more valuable impress on the social life of the county.  From them, to mention
an outstanding name, came Rev. Thomas McCulloch, the founder of Pictou Academy, who, although
himself a native of Renfrewshire, was the descendant of one of the oldest and most honorable
of the baronial families of Kirkcudbrightshire, with a history dating back almost to the
Norman invasion.  The names of Thomas, Michael
and William McCulloch, so familiar in Pictou history, are distinctly traceable through
hundreds of years of the annals of Galloway.  John Dawson, another of Pictou's worthy early
settlers, who, following the southern pioneers, came
to Pictou in 1791, and whose great grandson Mr. Bonar Law is now leader of the Conservative
party in Great Britain, was also a Galloway man, a native of the Parish of Irongray in
Kirkcudbrightshire.

Of the members of the south of Scotland party, Wellwood Waugh, as already stated, did not
remain long in Pictou.  He was of the Waughs, Lairds of Barnbarroch, Kirkcudbrightshire.  His
father had married a daughter of Dr. Wellwood, of London, hence the name "Wellwood."  After
the death of her first husband, Mrs. Waugh married a Mr. Campbell, and had a son, William
Campbell, who came to Pictou with his half-brother Waugh, and settled at the Beaches.  His
sons, in after years, went to Tatamagouche where they entered into commercial and
shipbuilding enterprises, and became prominently identified with the public life of
Colchester County.  Mrs. Patterson and Mrs. John S. Maclean of Halifax are William Campbell's
granddaughters, as was also the late Mrs. Howard Primrose, Pictou.

Of the two members of this party, Thomas Turnbull, and Anthony Culton, who settled on the
East River, there are few descendants bearing their names in the County.  Dr. Albert Culton
of Cumberland County is a great grandson of Anthony Culton.

Of the four who settled on the Middle River, John Smith early lost his life by drowning.  His
descendants if any are unknown. John Crockett's descendants are still to be found on the
Middle River and a number of them in Upper Stewiacke, Colchester County, to which place one
of his sons removed.  Most of Robert Marshall's descendants bearing his name, have removed to
the United States.
David Marshall and Robert Brown, merchants of Pictou, are his great grandsons.
There are few of the Brydone name now left in the County, but a large number of Robert
Brydone's descendants remain; among them have been two clergymen, three lawyers and four
physicians.

Of those who went to the West River, Anthony MaclelIan settled at Durham where he purchased a
large block of land on the west side of the River.  In addition, he owned lands purchased
from one of the Blaikies on the east-side of the River opposite Durham, which were reconveyed
by his son Anthony Maclellan, junior, to James Blaikie by deed dated February 23, 1800.  It
was out of this lot that Anthony Maclellan set aside the site of the old West River Church
and of the older part of the West River Cemetery in which he was the first man buried, in the
year 1786.  A Mrs. Gerard was interred there a year earlier.  With this exception, Anthony
Maclellan's is the oldest marked grave in Pictou County.

His eldest son James, was killed in 1793, by falling from a building which was being erected
near the Ten Mile bridge.  His remaining son, Anthony, succeeded to his property.  Of his
three daughters, Ann, was married first to William Smith and after his death to Donald
McLeod; Catherine, to Joseph Richards, grandfather of the late Rev. John Richards; and Janet
to John Collie, whose grandson is Dr. J. R. Collie, of River John and great grandson Dr. J.
R. M. Collie of London, England.  A somewhat striking incident, in this connection, was the
marriage, at the same place and date, of the widowed Mrs. Smith and her daughter to Donald
McLeod and his son, who by these marriages became respectively the forefathers of Judge John
D. McLeod of Pictou and Rev. John M. McLeod, formerly of Charlottetown, and later of
Vancouver, B. C.

Anthony Maclellan was of the Maclellans of Bombie, Hereditary Sheriffs of Galloway.  He was
born in 1720 and was fifty-three years of age when he left Scotland.  In the list of his
descendants are to be found the names of thirteen clergymen, six barristers, seven
physicians, one member of the Dominion Parliament, many successful business men, among them
the late John S. Maclean of
Halifax, the late Daniel Macdonald, Collector of Customs, Pictou, the late Robert McConnell
of the Finance Department, Ottawa, W. E. Maclellan of Halifax, Post Office Inspector for Nova
Scotia, and, last but not least, Robert Maclellan, LL.D., the present honored Principal of
Pictou Academy.

On the east side of the River, opposite to Anthony Maclellan settled Charles Blaikie.  His
lands were extensive, including at one time or another all those now or lately occupied by
his descendants on Green Hill, and all of the David Matheson farm, opposite Durham, now owned
by Mr. Hamblin.  Charles Blaikie, too, was in very comfortable circumstances on his arrival.
He was a skillful farmer, and the family have always been prosperous.  One of his early
descendants was the late Rev. Alexander Blaikie, D.D., long a prominent Clergyman in Boston.
Another is Mr. Blaikie of Londonderry, a wealthy retired merchant, at one time a business
partner of the late A. W. McLelan, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.

Next above Anthony Maclellan, on the west side of the River, settled William Clark on lands
all of which have ever since been continuously held by his descendants.  No farmers in the
County have been more enterprising and successful than they.  Among the descendants of
William Clark have been three clergymen of the Presbyterian Church.  Next above William Clark
settled David Stewart on lands which are now in the possession of his great grandson, Robert
Stewart. The Stewart name has at all times been synonymous with integrity. Among Robert
Stewart's descendants are the two Drs. Collie above named.

Next above Robert Stewart settled William Smith, where his grandson Wilson Smith, now
resides.  He was descended from a Dumfriesshire land-owning family, members of which had
borne titles of honor.  He too was possessed of considerable means.  A milling industry was
early established at his place, which proved highly successful and was of great benefit to
the surrounding country.  His son, the late Anthony Smith, father of Wilson Smith and
grandfather of James W. Smith of Pictou, head of the Atlantic Milling Company, was long a
prominent and active member of the old Court of Sessions for Pictou County.  This family too,
has contributed most generously to the professional as well as to the business life of the
Province.  Among William Smith's descendants have been one member of the Dominion Parliament,
six clergymen and three prominent barristers.

Next above William Smith settled Joseph Richards, on the lands occupied by his descendants
until Robert Richards removed some thirty years ago to Manitoba, where he and his family now
reside.  A brother of his, Rev. John Richards, a Presbyterian clergyman, was called to
Ontario, where he passed his life.

Above Joseph Richards settled John Maclean, the farthest south of the members of this party.
He was of Dumfriesshire family. Rev. John Maclean of Richibucto, N. B., the father of the
late John S. Maclean of Halifax, was his grandson. John Maclean, arriving in July, 1775, was
one of the first-chosen elders of the first Presbyterian congregation organized in Pictou
County, to which Rev. Dr.
McGregor was called to minister in the autumn of 1786.  The family have ever since been
prominent in Church work.  The late Howard Maclean, of Halifax, one of the most promising
young barristers in Nova Scotia when his untimely death occurred was a great grandson of John
Maclean, as was also the late J. J. Maclean of Hopewell.  Mrs. George Arthur Bayne of
Winnipeg is a great
granddaughter.

With such settlers on its banks it is not surprising that the West River should so long have
been the ecclesiastical and educational centre of the County.  To Durham was early moved the
first Presbyterian Church, located originally at Loch Broom. Durham did not receive its
present name until the time of the late Lord Durham in Canada.  The name was the suggestion
of the late William Graham, merchant, and was confirmed at a public meeting held for the
purpose.  The late Miss Margaret Cameron of Durham distinctly remembered-the meeting, and
that it was on Mr. Graham's motion that the name Durham was chosen.  At the West River church
all those settled around the Harbor, including the people of the Town, continued to worship
until Rev. Thomas McCulloch arrived in 1803 when a separate congregation was organized in
Pictou.  In Durham Cemetery most of the pioneer settlers of West Pictou are buried.  To
Durham, at a later date, the Presbyterian Theological Seminary for Nova Scotia was removed,
and there stablished and conducted for a number of years.

But Durham, as a village, did not start until 1822.  The first lot was sold on March 19, of
that year, by Anthony Maclellan, junior, to John Henderson, shoemaker.  It was the half-acre
lot, at the lower end of the village, on which Waller's blacksmith shop stands.  The price
paid was 14 pounds, 10 shillings, not a bad price for a beginning.  But on April 13, 1824,
two years later, Henderson bought the adjacent half-acre lot, for which he paid 25 pounds.
Henderson must have been prospering, for on June 14, 1826, he bought 30 acres of land in the
rear of his first two purchases for which he paid 100 pounds.  Durham ham seems to have been
experiencing a "boom" at this time.  On May 16, 1830, Alexander MacDonald, blacksmith, bought
an acre lot adjoining Henderson's lots, price 50 pounds.  Two years later, on August 15,
1832, a large lot, in the southern angle of the Rogers Hill road was sold for pounds.  The
following day it was resold to J. R. Ritchie for 175 pounds.

>From this time on, during a number of years, Durham grew and prospered greatly, owing to the
development of the timber trade of which it was a large purchasing centre.  At one time it
had four inns, three of them "licensed," and many places of general business.  It had
mechanical establishments of almost every kind; two churches, and the Presbyterian Seminary.
In 1849, Durham Post Office ranked fifth in the Province in revenue collected, being, in this
respect, at that time ahead of New Glasgow.  The Post Offices, with a larger revenue than
that of Durham were Halifax, Yarmouth, Truro and Pictou.  With the decay of the timber trade
Durham fell into rapid decline.  But the surrounding country has lost none of its solid and
long-established prosperity.

THE EARLY SETTLERS OF THE EAST RIVER

The East River is well known for the variety and the beauty of its scenery.  On its banks are
Springville, Bridgeville, and Sunny Brae, villages of abundant peace and plenty.  It is well
known for its rich deposits of iron and lime; its vales and hills, its towering elms and
winding river, but it is still more
famous for the men and women it has produced; for the district from Churchville
to Kerrowgare, a distance of about fifteen miles, has given thirty-five clergymen to the
Presbyterian Church, a Governor, a Chief Justice and a Premier to the Province.

What a community produces along educational and religious lines depends not a
little upon its antecedents.  The early settlers of the East River were a sturdy
stock, a sober, stalwart worshipping set of men and women, with iron in their
blood, and a burning love in their hearts for the Church and the School.  They
yoked education and religion together, and the combination produced a fine type
of men and moralities.  The writer, thirty years ago, taught the Shorter
Catechism in the public school at Sunny Brae.

As far as can be ascertained the first settler in Churchville was John
Robertson.  He emigrated from the Highlands of Scotland and arrived in 1784, in
Pictou.  He was a brother-in-law of Roderick McKay, who was one of the first
settlers on the East River.  The first clearing Robertson made in Churchville
was where John Robertson, miller, once resided.

John Fraser was among the first settlers of Springville.  To distinguish him
from others of the same clan he was called Iain Ruaidh, or Red John.  He settled
about 140 years ago on the place now known as the Holmes Farm, where he built
the first frame house in Springville.  It is still standing.  Later, the
property was bought by Senator Holmes and here he always lived and ended his
days.  The house is low, but comfortable, reminding one of "the lowroofed house
of Socrates."  Here the Hon. Simon H. Holmes, once Premier of the Province, was
born and bred.

John Fraser, Red, had three sons James, Donald and William who settled in the
community.  One of his daughters married Simon Fraser, Basin: she was the mother
of Thomas Fraser, Foreman, and consequently, grandmother of Graham Fraser, the
Iron King of New Glasgow.  Another daughter, married Mr. Fraser of McLennans Mountain and was
the mother of William Fraser, Postmaster, New Glasgow.

James, his eldest son, always called Seumas Iain Ruaidh, was a devout man and
well known for his honesty.  He raised a large family, who were all of an
intellectual turn.  It was James Fraser who gave the name Springville to the
place from the many sparkling streams in the vicinity.

John Fraser, eldest son of James Fraser, who went always by the name of "Catach"
was quite a celebrity in his day.  His second son, Donald was the geologist of
the East River.  His second daughter was mother of James A. Fraser, Editor of
the Eastern Chronicle.

James Iain Ruaidh and David McLean were near neighbors and each had an
inexhaustible lime quarry on his farm.  In 1836, three thousand bushels of lime
were manufactured and sold at the Albion Mines.  In the same year twenty-five hundred tons of
square timber were rafted down the river by the athletic sons of Sunny Brae - the Chisholms,
Kennedys, Thomsons, McDonalds and McIntoshes.  David
McLean was the father of the Rev. James Maclean D. D., and Dr. Duncan Maclean,
both settled for a long time in Shubenacadie, N. S.

James Grant, one of the passengers on the Hector settled first in King's Co., N.S.  He came
from Glen Urquhart, Scotland. He was married and some of his
children were born in the old country.  He moved from King's Co. to Cariboo,
Pictou Co., and lived there for some years.  Before coming to this country he gained some
knowledge of milling.  By this time the Upper Settlement people
began to raise considerable quantities of grain, especially wheat, but they had
no mill to convert it into flour.  So they persuaded James Grant to leave
Cariboo and move to the East River.  This he did, and settled at Millstream in
1790.  He erected a mill on a stream issuing from Grant's Lake, on a site some
twenty rods further down than the one now occupied by Grant's Mill.  This was
the first regular gristmill on the East River.

James Grant died in February, 1822, age ninety-seven.  He is described as a quiet, peaceful
man.  He lived for some years before his death on a farm
subsequently owned by Duncan McPhee.  When James Grant died, there were twelve
families in Millstream and Lime Brook: Duncan Grant, James Grant, dyer,
Alexander Grant, miller, Robert Grant, elder, John Fraser, James Fraser, David
McLean, Donald Fraser, Duncan McPhie, Donald Mor Fraser, David McIntosh, and
Donald Cameron.

James Grant had four sons and two or three daughters.  One of his sons, Duncan,
died in 1847 and was buried at Springville Bridge, and was either the first or
one of the first buried there.  He once owned the farm on which the Rev. Angus
McGillivray lived and died.

His sons, Alexander and Robert were men of influence and note and had much to do
with the making of the life and the growth of the community.  They succeeded
their father in the milling business and were leaders in the Church and the state.  Alexander
Grant was married to Nellie McKay.  The Rev. Robert Grant, the
historian of the East River was their son. James, eldest son of Alexander Grant and Nellie
McKay, was known as the Dyer.  He owned woolen mills near Springville.  His sons Alexander,
John Walter, Hugh and Robert succeeded him.

Robert Grant was married to Mary, daughter of James Robertson.  He had three
sons; James, who owned a saw mill at the head of Grant's Lake and was for many
years an elder under the Rev. Mr. McGillivray; Alexander Robert, who owned a gristmill on
Millstream; and Dr. William R. Grant, a distinguished professor
in Pennsylvania Medical College.  One of his daughters, married John Fraser, Basin.  Another
was the wife of Colin Robertson, Churchville.

In 1784, a settlement of disbanded soldiers was made further up the river.  They
came to Pictou at the close of the American War.  They were, originally, from
the Highlands of Scotland.

The first who came was James Fraser, Big James, who in company with Donald
McKay, elder, settled on the intervale a little below where St. Paul's Church
now stands.  He and fifteen others took up a tract of over three thousand acres,
extending up to Samuel Cameron's on the east side of the river, and to James
Fraser's, Culloden, on the west side.  They were a sober and industrious class
of people and endured great hardship.  But they endured it with characteristic
Scottish tenacity and in the belief that the future had much in store for them.
A few years rolled by and they had made homes for their families and laid the
foundations for a God-fearing and prosperous community.  To ponder over the hazards and
hardships they faced with such optimistic heroism, is but to admire and pay them a justly
earned tribute.

The names of these first settlers were: Donald Cameron, his brothers Samuel and
Finlay, Alexander Cameron, Robert Clark, Peter Grant, first elder in the settlement, James
McDonald, Hugh McDonald on the east side of the river.  James
Fraser, Duncan McDonald, John McDonald, brother of James, John Chisholm,
drowned at the Narrows with Finlay Cameron, John McDonald, 2d, John Chisholm, Jr.

John McDonald was born at Glen Urquhart and belonged to the Glencoe McDonalds.  At the time
of the Glencoe Massacre, 1692, one of the McDonalds fled to Glen
Urquhart and settled there.  John McDonald was a grandson or great grandson of
that man.  He was about eight years in the Royal Highland Emigrant Regiment, and
three of his sons fought with him in the Revolutionary War on the Loyalists' side.  He was
married twice.  By his first wife he had Duncan, Alexander, Mary
and Christy.  By his second wife, Margaret Grant, he had James, Ewen, Ann and
Ellen.  Ann was married to Thomas Fraser, Basin.  Ellen was married to James Robertson.  The
well known Deacon Robertson, Churchville, was their son.  Duncan, eldest son of John
McDonald, was married to Catherine Fraser.  James,
their third son, was born about 1759.  He was a Corporal in the 84th regiment.
He married about 1782, Mary Forbes, by whom he had Alexander, Edward and other
sons.

He left East River about 1834, and settled in Upper Canada where he died in
1857. He was an elder under Dr. McGregor and a very prominent man on the East
River in his day.  Alexander McDonald, his fifth son, settled near Bridgeville
and was the father of Hon. James McDonald, Chief Justice of Nova Scotia.

Edward, second son of James McDonald, had a son John A. McDonald, who left the East River and
settled in Ontario.  John A. was the father of James A. Macdonald, LL.D., editor of the
Toronto Globe and one of the ablest political writers in Canada.  He is a Presbyterian
minister and still preaches occasionally.  Ontario claims the honor of being his birthplace,
but the East River is entitled to some recognition in any reference to his parentage for both
his parents were born there.

James Fraser, Culloden, married Ann Robertson, Churchville, and had John,
Catherine, Margaret, Alexander and James.  Alexander married Catherine Rankine,
of Merigomish.  The late Rev. James W. Fraser, of Scotsburn, was their son.

Alexander Cameron settled on the first lot above Culloden.  Donald Cameron with
his brother Samuel were natives of Glen Urquhart.  Donald served eight years in
the army.  He was settled on the saddle lot.  It is said that the price given for it was a
saddle.  Thomas Fraser, who lived in Springville, purchased it from
Donald Cameron and settled on it about 1815.  He married Janet Fraser, widow of
Hector Thompson.  He left the lot to Simon and Donald Thompson, sons of his wife
by her first husband.  Duncan, son of Donald Cameron, was an elder in Dr. McGregor's time.

John Campbell, son of James and Elizabeth Campbell was born at Garabeg, Glen
Urquhart, July 24, 1790.  He entered the army in 1812.  He married Janet,
daughter of Archibald Fraser, in 1812.  He came to Pictou in October 1818.
Peter G. was his eldest son.  He married Elizabeth Kennedy, a sister of Donald
Kennedy, Sunny Brae.  His son, Donald K., is a minister in Illinois.  One of his
sons is a physician in Illinois.

Donald, son of Charles McIntosh, settled on the lot above Donald McDonald, Roy.
He lived there for a few years and then sold to William Ciuin McDonald and
removed to Fox Brook.  William Ciuin was a teacher but gave it up for other
pursuits.  In the course of time he started a store in New Glasgow.  He put up a frame house
on his lot, boarded it, but never shingled it.  Donald McDonald, Roy, bought a piece of land
near New Glasgow from Dr. Skinner.  He exchanged it with William Ciuin for the lot in the
Upper Settlement and gave it to his son, John McDonald, Roy.  John finished the frame house
which William Ciuin had begun and lived in it.  It is a question who had the honor of living
in the first frame house above Springville.  It may have been an honor, but what of it?
Were not the men who were born in log houses as strong, as wise and good as the men born in
frame houses?

David McIntosh, son of Charles McIntosh, settled a short distance above his brother, Donald
McIntosh. David was born in Inverness, Scotland, and married
Christie Chisholm.  James McIntosh, his son, Island, East River, married
Catherine Grant.  Two of their sons David C. and Finlay G., entered the
ministry.  Hugh, another son of David McIntosh, married Isabel Polson and gave
that man of weight and wisdom, Rev. Charles D. McIntosh to the ministry.  Two
other sons entered the medical profession.

Alexander McDonald, Roy, was a native of Glen Urquhart, came to Pictou in 1803,
and settled at Sunny Brae.  He married Christy Fraser and had four sons and four
daughters.  Squire McDonald of Springville was his second son.  Alexander, his
third son, was well known in Sunny Brae for many years.  The Rev. Finlay R.
McDonald, a minister in Scotland, was the youngest son of Squire McDonald.

John Thompson and his son Alexander settled at Sunny Brae, in 1801.  Alexander
married Bella McIntosh by whom he had John, Andrew, Alexander, William, James,
Finlay, Christy, Janet and Mary.  John Thompson had a brother Donald who settled
at Nine Mile River.  Rev. James Thomson of the West River was his grandson.

Angus McPhie, in Glen Urquhart married Christy, daughter of John Thompson and
had Duncan, Christy, John, Ewen, Alexander, Mary and James.  He came to Pictou
in the ship Aurora in 1803.  Duncan, his eldest son, settled at Springville and
was an elder in Rev. Angus McGillivray's day.  His son, John McPhie, was one of
the old Pictou magistrates.  He died in May 1912 in the ninety-sixth year of his
age.

The first settlers in Sunny Brae were: Robert McIntosh, Donald Kennedy, James
Chisholm, John Grant, Duncan McDonald, John Thompson, John McDonald, Peter
Cruikshank and John McGregor.  They came to Pictou in 1801 and settled in Sunny
Brae in 1802.

Peter Cruikshank was a native of Strathspey, and came to Pictou in 1789.  In
1792 he had two hundred acres of land and a cow.  He was married and had
Elizabeth, William, John, Alexander, Marjorie and Peter.

Robert McIntosh married Jessie, daughter of John Thompson, and had John,
William, Jessie and others.  Finlay, his son settled on Blanchard Road.  He
married Catherine Fraser.  John Robert McIntosh, his son, married Margaret,
daughter of Donald McDonald, blacksmith.  Their son Finlay H., is pastor in
Sydney, C. B.

John McGregor was a man of great strength.  When they were making the Big
Miller's dam, he stood before a log that was rolling down the bank to stop it,
but the log went over him and killed him.  The Big Miller's dam was built about
the year 1807.

Donald McDonald, Breac, came from Kerrowgare, Scotland, in 1802.  He was an intelligent man,
and was an elder under Dr. McGregor.  In 1811 he had four
hundred acres of land, two cows and eight sheep.  He had eight children.  Finlay
settled in Caledonia; Donald, his eldest son, settled in Sherbrooke, and was a
tailor.

His son, James McDonald, was born in Scotland in 1801.  He was a tailor but gave
up the tailoring business for farming.  He married Catherine, daughter of Alexander Fraser,
Downie.  He was ordained to the Eldership by the Rev. D. B. Blair and fully adorned his
office.  He was succeeded on his farm by his son, the late John A. McDonald, Kerrowgare.
James A., his son, is a minister in the United States.

Donald Ross, was born in Eddrachillis, in Sutherlandshire.  He came to Nova
Scotia in 1816.  He lived for one year on Irish Mountain, but removed to Iron
Ore, and settled back of Alexander McDonald's place.  He lived there twenty-two
years.  He then purchased the farm of James McIntosh and occupied it.  He had
eight children.  Jessie was married to Kenneth McKenzie, elder, Churchville.
Jane, who was born at Irish Mountain was married to James Cumming, elder, of
Sunny Brae.  William, his eldest son married Mary, daughter of William Cumming,
and had by her, Donald, William, Peter, Hugh and John who settled in Ontario.
Donald, his eldest son, has lived in New Glasgow for many years where he is
greatly beloved.  He has been an honored elder in St. Andrew's Church for nearly
half a century.

Hugh Ross was an elder in the United Church, New Glasgow, and died some years
ago.  William Ross was an elder in Sunny Brae Church.  He was married to
Christy, daughter of Robert Grant, Finlay's brother.  He had a large family, who
were all actively identified with the church.  Two of his sons, William and
Robert D., entered the ministry.

John Grant was born in Glen Urquhart and came to Pictou in 1801 and settled at
Sunny Brae.   He married Margaret McIntosh, and had by her Peter, William,
Robert, Catherine, and Finlay.  Robert was three years old when he came to
Pictou.  He married Mary McDonald, and had five sons, John, Alexander, Peter,
William and Duncan.

A son of Duncan Grant, William M., is a minister in Ontario.  William, who settled in
Providence, R. I., married Jessie McDougall, a sister of Roderick McDougall of Westville.
One of his sons became a physician, another a lawyer, and two daughters are teachers in the
Grammar schools, Providence.  Marjorie, daughter, of Robert Grant, married Joseph McKay; two
of their sons William R. and Robert G., are clergymen.  Catherine, a sister of Finlay Grant,
married Duncan McPhie, Springville.  They had John, Christy, Alexander, Jessie, Margaret,
Mary, Angus and Peter.  Their youngest son, Peter McPhie, married Isabella Cruikshank.  Their
two sons, John P. and Duncan A., entered the ministry.

Finlay Grant was born in 1800 and was one year old when he came to Pictou.  He
married in 1827, Ann, daughter of Alexander Fraser, Downie, and had Alexander, a
merchant in New Glasgow and elder in the United Church.  John, an elder in Sunny
Brae church who gave two sons Robert J. and William P., to the ministry;
William, who entered the ministry, gave two of his sons to the church,
Melville and Clarence.  The latter died while a catechist.  Finlay Grant was
ordained to the eldership by the Rev. John Macrae in 1834. He was a clear-headed, well-read
and useful man.

The descendants of John Grant who came to Sunny Brae in 1801 were numerous and
took a leading part in the activities of the Church.  Fifteen of them entered
the Christian ministry and fourteen were regularly ordained elders in the
church.  This is perhaps as many or more than was given by any other family in
the county.

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