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A FORGOTTEN
DOCTOROF THE NINETEENTH
CENTURY
.
A N D A N OT EON THE
ASSASSINATION
OF THOMASD'ARCYMcGEE
by RoyceMacGillivray
The nightof 7 April 1868 is memorablein Canadianpoliticalhistory.In
the small hoursThomasD'ArcyMcGee,on his way homefrom the Houseof
commons, was assassinatedin ottawa. just outside his Sparks Street
boarding house. M cGee,the most brilliant figure among the Fathersof
confederation.
was a poet,h istorian,journalist,and orator.Ai a memberof the
literaryand nationalistgroup, Young lreland.he was involvedin the 1g4B
Rebellionin lrelandagainstthe crown. But in canada he found the British
governmentwore a f riendlie.rfacethan it hadeverdonein lreland.Hetherefore
concludedthatthe interestsof the Catholiclrishin Canadawerebetterserved
by an acceptanceof the established
order.includingthe imperialconnection.
than by the type of revolutionary
struggleto which the lrishAmericanswere
attracted.
Though McGeewas a man of great influence,there were Jnanyin the
canadianlrish communityto whom theseopinionswere unacceptable.
lt was
believedthattheassassination
was carriedout bythe powerful lrishnationalist
group,the Fenians,activeat that time throughoutthe English-speaking
world.
An ottawa tailor called PatrickJ. whelan was convictedof the murderand
hangedfor it in February1869.
A few minutesafterthe ou nmanfelled McGee,an ottawadoctor,Donald
McGillivray.
arrivedon the sc'ene,and declaredMcGeedead.McGee'sblood.
he later reported. had flowed down the sidewalk and into the gutter.
McGillivrayfound the lead pistolball "impacted"in the door of the boardino
houseand gaveit to the coroner.Sincefragmentsof McGees'dentures
wer;
found in the hallwayof the boardinghouse.twelveto eighteeninchesbeyond
the door sill. McGillivrayconcludedthat the door must havebeenooenwnen
the shot was f ired.Hewas one of the two physicians
who did the autopsylater
the sameday on McGeein the boardinghouseattic,and hetestifiedbothatthe
coroner'sinquest(alsoon 7 April) and at Whelan'strial (Sept.1g6B).j
This involvementin the final tragedv of McGee'stumurtouscareer
represents
the one point at which,so far as we know,Dr. McGillivrav'wasan
actor, howevermarginal.in 'history".lt wi ll not tie contendedthat he was
great,or evenan importantman.Nevertheless.
his modeststory has enorgh
human drama in itto beworth recording.And tellingitwill bring beforeuja
few connectionswith the significantpeirpleand eventsof canJdian history.
and will remindus that thereis somewherein the remotef uture.waitingto be
written.a bookon Glengarrycounty h istorythatwill explorethe many personaI
and family linkagesamong eminent Glengarrians,
and betweenthem and
some of the leadingfiguresof Canadianhistory.
DonaldMcGilIivraywas borni n Lochielrownship, Glengarrycou nty.on
3 Sept. 1836, just west of the present-dayvillage of Datteith.His faiher,
Duncan,McGillivray
was a farmer.His motherwas MargaretMccuaig.2This
part of Glengarry
was the homeof a considerable
numberof McGillivrjys.we
are probablysafe in assumingthat the ancestorsof most, if not all. of them
came to canada in the MacLeodsettlementgroup of 1793-g4.3In an area
whereone farmernormallylivedat muchthe Sameeconohic levelasanother.
rt seemsunlikelythat superiorprosperitywas the reasonwhy Donaldreceived
he studiedmedicine
a universitveducation.But whateverthe circumstances.
recervinghis degreein 1861. His graduatingthesiswas
at McGillUniversity.
Graduatingin the same year was another
on "A PeculiarH- eartDisease."4
Glengarian,born i n the same year,NapoleanLeclair(1836-1884) of North
Lancaster.The Leclairswere a well-to-do family who had prosperedin
storekeeping.hotelkeeping,farming and money-lending.Napolean was
probablythe first FrenchCanadianphysicianof Glengarryorigin and must
have been one of the earliestFrench Canadianphysiciansin Ontario.His
the building of the CanadianCollegeat
brother Louis William supervised,
Romeand laterservedas its Rector.s
contributedarticlesto a
In the 1B6O'sand early1870's Dr. McGillivray
Montreal medicaljournal called the CanadaMedicalJournal and Monthly
He was identified by the journal as
Recordof Medicaland SurgicalScience.6
physician
to
the GeneralProtestantHospitalat
attending
at
this
time
being
DonaldMcGillivray
hadan
Ottawa.Accordingto the CityofOttawadirectories,
office on SparksStreetin 1863, but had movedto 128 Wellingtonby 1866
and to 172 Wellingtonby 1876.7lt alsoappearsthatinthe latteryearhewas
livingatthe boardinghouseof ThomasMatthewsat 'lB0WellingtonStreet.Dr.
McGillivray'savailabilityat these central locationsts presumablythe sole
ltwould be
reasonwhy he was calledto the sceneof the Mccee assassination.
him as a
interestingto knowhow far his practiceattheselocationsestablished
physicianfor Membersof Parliament.
All the evidencewe have seen so far suggest a man rising in his
orofessionand determinedto stand well in it. But disasterwas to follow.
Sometimein the autumnof 1877 Dr. McGillivrayhad a mentalcollapse.The
severalyearsearlier
veryf irst symotomswere saidto haveshownthemselves
but to have attractedno public altention.In June of 1B7B he was rn the
Cornwall,Ontariojail irr accordancewith the contemporarypracticebf f irst
beforethe
confiningmentalpatientsin a jail.FromCornwallhewastransferred
end of the monthto the mentalhospitalat Kingston.Froman examinationof
we get a few glimpses
his casepreparedin Cornwallduring his imprisonment,
he was not a victimof
mig
ht
f
irst
plight.
what
one
at
suspect.
to
Contrary
of hi s
that standardfailingof 19th-centuryCanadianmedicalmen,alcoholism.His
insanitvshoweditself,accordingto the report.throughfoolishtransactionsin
businessby which he lost all his property.He had the delusionof tmagining
himself rich when he had in fact lost everything.He was believedto be
dangerousin his presentstateto himselfand to others.Noneof'his relatives
in the asylum.s
All
were believedto be in a positionto payfor his maintenance
of this must,indeed,haveplacedemotional.if notf inancialstrainon hisfamily.
The significanceof the nearcoincidenceof the datesis probablyimpossible
now to recover,but it is noteworthythat his motherdied just three daysafter
Donald's arrival at the Kingston asylum.Donald's own life in the bleak
atmosphereof a 19th-centuryCanadianmentalhospitalwas to be merctfully
brief.He died on 24 Oct. 1879, at the age of 43, and was buriedat Kirk Hill,
GlengarryCounty,a few milesfrom the family home.An Ottawanewspaper.
reporting his death, noted, presu,mablyincorrectly.that McGillivrayleft
"considerablepropbrtyin Ottawa".Stncehe was unmarried,it was believed
that the propertywould be dividedamong his kinfolk.s
One of Donald'sbrothers.ArchrbaldDuncan,was educatedat Ottawa
Universityand was employedin canal and railwaybuilding.About the mid1B7O'she settledin Alexandria,Ontario.as a liverystableproprietor.In the
1B8O'she acquireda furniturestoreand undertakingbusiness.Hisobituaryin
the GlengarryNewsof 24 Dec.192o honourshis long careeras a successful
Alexandriabusinessman.
Among the peoplewho paid tribute by flowersor
attendanceat the funeralwere Dr.W.L.and DuncanJ. McDougald,uncleand
father respectively
of a celebratedCanadianof a latergeneration.the multimillionaireBud McDougald(died 1978) of the Argus Corpoiation.One of
Archibald'ssons,also calledArchibald.who died in 1962,wasa secretarvto
LordBeaverbrook.l0
Anotherson, Eddie,( 1893- 1949) was MLAforGlengarry
from 1937 to 1948.
NOTES
1 McGillivray's
medicaltes'timonyis printedin T.P.Slattery.'TheyGot to Find
Mee Guilty Yet" (Toronto, 1972]r.pp. 7-9, B1-82. T.P. Stattery.The
Assassination
of D'ArcyMcGee(Toronto,1968), p.465. Reportonautopsy
in canada MedicalJournal and Monthly Recordof Medicaland surgical
Scoence,V(1869), pp. 433-437 (pictureof bullet inctuded).
2 Recordsof Lochielchurch of scotland(nowSt. columba)of KirkHill,ont.
Thetornbstoneof Donaldand his parentsis in the cemeteryof the otherKirk
Hill church.the WestChurchor UnitedChurch.I am gratefulto Mrs.Mary
C. Beaton,of Ottawa,for kindlysupplyingme with informationrelativeto
Donald McGillivrayfrom the st. columba records. the west church
cemetery.and the manuscriptcensus(1861 , 1O.7Lochiel).
3 For this group, see The lVlacLeods
of Glengarry:The Genealoglrof a Clan
(lroquis,n.d.)andRoyceMacGillivray
and EwanRoss.A Historyof Glengarry
Glengarry(Belleville,1979). p. 12.
" The BritishAmericanJournal,ll (1861 ), pp 231-233.
5 For the Leclairs,see Dr. Norbert Fer16."The Leclairsof Glengarry".
GfengarryLife {yearbookof the GlengarryHistoricalSociety),jg71, and
MacGillivray
and Ross.Glengarry,pp. 158-160.
6 CanadaMedicalJournal(as in note 2), ll(1866).pp.51
-56 to Vil(1B7 1)pp.
537-538.
7 "Tne Ottawa Citizen" Directoryof Ottawa ... 1863 (Ottawa,The Ottawa
Citizen,n.d.). p. 40; Ottawa City and Countiesof Carletonand Russell
Director1866-7 ( Ottawa:Hunter,Rose & Co., 1866), p. i94: The Cityof
Ottawaand CentralCanadaDirectory(Ottawa:A.S.
Woodburn,1876), pp.
I 84,143.
e Recordof examinationand LieutenantGovernor'swarrant for Donald's
commitalto the asylum,OntarioArchives,R.G.10, 2O-F-1. H 1 153.
Ontario. Office of tl-ie RegistrarGeneral,record of death of Donald
McGillivray.
OttawaDailyCitizen,25 Oct. 1879.
10GlengarryNews,29 March 1962 (obituary)and privateinformation.
DOCTORS
WE R EN OTON L YH E A L ERSBUTCONSOLERS
by EdgarAndrew Collard
In the Montreal General Hospital in the '1B9O's, Charles Robert
Shewas dying.As a doctor
Kirkpatrickhad the caseof a girl from Glengarr:y.
there was nothing more he could do for her. But she told him she wantedto
havea ministercome to see her beforethe end.
not as a memberbut as
She had attendedservicesrn a Montrealchurch,
asktheministerof
a visitorwhosat in the gallery.ShewantedDr. Kirkpatrickto
the church to come.
went himselfto askthis clergymanto come as quicklyas
Dr. Kirkpatrick
possibie.Not muchtime was left.The clergymanlookedthroughhis members'
roll. Her namewas not there.He declinedto go; she was not one of hisflock.
"astoundedand shocked".went backto the hospital.He
Dr. Kirkpatrick,
intendedto go to his own room.get a Brble,and then readand praywithher as
best he could.
In the hospitalcorridor he met FatherJosephToupin,a priest at St.
the doctor looked.He
Patrick'sChurch.FatherTouoinnoticedhow distressed
askedhim what was wrong. Dr. Kirkpatrickexplained.FatherToupin said at
^^^^
^^
^{
^^,,
course.
once, "t'il| il go,
or
At her deathbed
from Glengarry.
The
But therewas a difficulty.The girlwas a Protestant
of a strangeand alien
arrivalat her deathbedof a priest,the representative
farth,would onlv bewilderand distressher. lt was no time forthe intrusionof
the unfamiliar.But somethinghad to be done.Time was running out.
FatherToupin had a solution.He would go with Dr. Kirkpatrickto his
room.Therehe would divesthimselfof his robe- his soutane- as well as all
other indicationsof his Catholicstatus.Shewanteda minister.FatherToupin
would make himselfinto the ministershe needed.
The change was made.Togetherthey went to the dying grrl. Father
Bible - the
Toupin read to her comfortingpassagesfrom Dr. Kirkpatrick's
ProtestantBible.Then he offeredup an extemporeprayer,in the mannerof a
Protestantminister.She died at peacein the way she had wished.
When the doctor and the priestcame away.fromthe bedside,Father
impropriety.
Toupinwas awar ehe had beenguiltyof a seriousecclesiastical
a Protestant
ministerat a deathbedwas an
Fora Catholicpriestto impersonate
irregularity.
eventhough motivatedby nothingbut compassion.
extraordinary
andwarnedhim,"Saynothingaboutit".Thedoctor
Heturnedto Dr. Kirkpatrick
neverdid - not until after FatherToupinwas dead.
died when he was only 34. Alreadythis McGill
Dr. Kirkpatrrck.himself
of the MontrealGeneralHospital
graduatehad been medicalsuperintendent
Journal.in December
and then one of its surgeons.The Montreal"Medical
1897, claimedhe was "the first in Canada"and one of the f irst in Americato
successf
ully repairthe stomachin perforationf rom ulcer."
had spentin f rndingconsolationfor
The amountof trme Dr. Kirkpatrick
the dyinggirl was only one rnstanceof the placehe gaveto consolationamong
a doctor'sduties.l'here arr:other similarstoriesabout him.
The view that medicinewas more than sciencewas very evidentin Dr.
WrlliamOsler,often regardedas McGill'smost illustriousmedicalgraduate.
Shortlyaftergraduationhe was appornteda professorin the medicalfacultv,
so yo ung as t o be k n o w n a s " th e b a b y p ro fessor." H e w ent on to great
a ch i e v em ent s in his p ro fe s s i o n i n th e U n i te d S ta tes and ended hi s career as S i r
Wi l l i a m O s ler . Regi u s Pro te s s o r o f Me d i c i n e a t Oxford U ni versi ty.
W hile a pr of e s s o r i n M o n tre a l i n th e 1 B7 O' sand l B B O' s.Osl er remai ned
a cti ve in t he M ont r e a l G e n e ra l H o s p i ta l . T h e re hi s rol e as consol erw as often
o b se r v ed. lt was s aid th a t h e " w e n t a b o u t th e h o s pi tal as a f ri end and practi sed
ki n d n e s s as a br a n c h o f m e d i c i n e ." So me trrnes j ust a few w ords had a
su rp ris ing ef f ec t , bu t th e y w e re th e ri g h t w o rd s at the ti me.
O n going t hr o u g h a w a rd In th e h o s p i ta l he came upon an ol d S cots
w o man. S he was m a k i n g " a d e v i l o f a ro w ." On e o f the doctors had tol d her she
w o u l d hav e t o unde rg o a n o p e ra ti o n .
T his announc e m e n t h a d th ro w n h e r i n to an agony of gri ef and protest.
Sh e was lif t ing up h e r h a n d s a n d s c re a mi n g i n despai r. The w hol e w ard w as
d i sturb ed.
Dr . os ler wen t o v e r to s e e h e r. H e p a tte d her on the shoul der. " poor ol d
Sco tch body , " he s a i d s o ftl y . " T h o l e a b i t. th o l e a bi t." (" Thol e" w as the ol d
Sco ts wor d f or " end u re " . Wh a t h e w a s s a y i n g t o her w oul d i n E ngl i sh have
me a n t: " Y ou m us t t ry to b e b ra v e ." )
T he old wom a n tu rn e d a ro u n d . S h e s e i z e d both hi s hands. S he smi l ed
a n d wept . and s aid. " o s i r, I h a v e n ' t h e a r s i c a ta l k si nce I parted frae E di nboro.
Bl e ss y ou, I m aun t ry to s to p fra e g re e ti n g a n d gri zzl i ng."
os ler t alk ed t o h e r fo r a fe w m i n u te s . w h en he l eft to go on dow n the
w a rd , t he old wom a n w a s re s i g n e d a n d q u i e t.
T he pr ac t ic e o f m a k i n g h o u s e c a l l s (possi bl e,_nder the medl cal
co n d i tr ons of t hat t i me ) ma v h a v e s tre n g th e n e d the rcl e of the doctor i n a
fa mi l y ' s lif e. T he docto r k n e w h i s p a ti e n ts a l l th e betterw hen he saw them In
th e i r h om es . He c a m e to u n d e rs ta n d w h a t th e home si tuati on w as - an
i mp o rt ant c ons ider a ti o n i n e v e ry c a s e .
O n his c alls a d o c to r d i d n o t ru s h i n a n d out. H e often staved aw hi l e.
re l a xe d and c hat t ing H i s c a l l s w e re s o m e th i n g of soci al vi si ts. H e came as a
fa mi l y f r iend.
Dr . T hom as R o d d i c k w a s a n e x a mp l e o f a doctor w ho mai ntai ned hi s
p rl va te pr ac t t c e and h i s h o u s e c a l l s (i n c l u d rn g n i ght cal l s) even after hi s Ii fe
w a s cr owded wit h m a n y o th e r o b l i g a ti o n s . H e w as dean of the McGi l l Medi cal
Fa cu l t y f r om 1901 to 1 9 0 8 , c h i e f s u rg e o n o f the R oyal vi ctori a H ospi tal .
p re si d ent of t he B r r t rs h Me d rc a l As s o c i a tro n , a member of parl i ament for the
sa ke o f int r oduc ing u n i fo rm s ta n d a rd s fo r th e regi strati on of doctors i n
C a n a d a, and ac t iv e in a g re a t ma n y o th e r i n te re s ts.Y et he conti nued hi s ori vate
p ra cti c e t o his las t ye a rs .
I n his biogr ap h y o { Si r T h o m a s R o d d i c k i n 1938, D r. H .E . MacD ermot
sa i d that S ir T hom as " g a .v eh i s p a ti e n ts a n i n d e fi n abl e sense of securi ty w hi ch
ma d e t hem f eel t ha t h e h a d s h o u l d e re d a l l th e i r w orri es and forebodrngs.
Pe rh aps t his was be c a u s e h e w a s n e v e r h u rri e d rn hi s manner."
Dr . M ac Der m o t q u o te s a l e tte r fro m o n e o f D r. R oddi ck' s ol dest pati ents:
" A par t f r om hi s s k rl l a s a s u rg e o n a n d p h y s i ci an, he had the great grft
of
i n sp i ring his pat ients w rth c o n fi d e n c e , a n d u p on enteri ng the si ck room he
b ro u g h t c heer and h o p e . In c a s e sw h e re h o p e c o ul d not be gi ven, hi s presence
b ro u g h t c alm and pe a c e .
" He nev er gave u p try i n g to b ri n g c o m f o rt to the pati ent, l eavi ng noth
i ng
u n d o n e t hat t hought a n d s k rl l c o u l d s u g g e s t. H e w oul d srt w rth the sufferer.
o n l y l e av ing when t h e e n d h a d c o m e . a n d h e h ad hel ped the fami l y i n krndl y
a d vi ce. His int er es t s i n h i s p a ti e n ts b e c a me a p e rsonal one; thevfel tthey had a
f ri e n d t o whom t hey c o u l d a p p e a l u n d e r a n y c ircumstances."
S uc h doc t or s a l l fu l fi l l e d th e o l d m e d i c a l i deal : " S ometi mes to cure;
o fte n t o r eliev e; alw a v s to c o n s o l e ."
W#;:l:;' :{*::'rMalc'tm
MA L C OL MMA C GREGOR
C H A IR MA K ER
enon
e
A C a s eS tu d yo f th e R e ta rd i nair Phenom
by Bruce Kennedy
T he abilit y to a c c u ra te l y e s ti m a te a date of constructi on for earl y
fu rn i t ur e depends o n i n te g ra ti n g i n fo rma ti o n fr om several sources. P roposi ng
su ch a dat e m ay be b a s e d o n a c o mb i n a ti o n o f evi dence i ncl udi ng the styl i sti c
i n f l uenc e s hown byth e p i e c e . ma te ri a l s a n d methods of constructi on, ori gi n or
p ro v enanc e, and d o c u m e n ta ti o n . D o c u me n tati on may take the form of
i n vent or ies ,wills , b i l l s o f s a l e , o r s i g n e d p i e c e s. U nfortunatel y.veryfew pi eces
o f f ur nit ur e m anuf a c tu re d o r fo u n d i n O n ta ri o had any sort of documentati on
a sso c iat ed wit h it . T h i s l e a ' re s o n e w rth s ty l e . constructi on and provenance
w i th whic h t o dat e m o s tf u rn i tu re . In ma n y c a s es,w here the provenance i s l ost,
th e o n ly c lues lef t f o r d a ti n g a p i e c e o f f u rn i tu re a re i ts styl e a nd constructi on e sse nt ially t he pie c e i ts e l f. w i th n o p e ri p h e ra l i nformati on.
When usingfurniturestyleto asstgna dateof constructionto a pieceof
furniture it is possibleto consideronly a period or time window when that
piecemay havebeenmade.Comparingvariouscomponentsof the piece(feet.
cornice,turningor mouldingprofiles,etc.)to the popularstylemanualsof the
late 18th and early 19th centurieslit is usualto determinethe earliestdateof
construction by identifying the latest stylistic influence.For example.a
Hepplewhite-influenced
chest of drawers that has an Empire-influenced
galleryboardwould be assessed
as a laterpiecethana chestofdrawerswhich
is entirely influenced by.Hepplewhite.The same principle applies when
materials or methods of construction are examined.provided that the
componentsbeingexaminedareoriginalto the piece.Again,the earliestdate
of constructionwill be determinedby the latestfeatureof construction.Here
the primary features to consider include the decorativehardware,the
constructionhardware,Joinery,and the woods used.
When settingabout the task of estimatinga date of constructionit rs
importantto rememberthat differentstylesand methodsand materialsof
constructionhave periodsof overlap.The forcesfor changewere generally
slow to act in the earlierdays of settlement.Thiswas particularlytruein the
non-urbanareasof the province wheref urniturewas producedby individual
craftsmenfor a fairly small geographicmarket.Becauseof the paucity of
newspapersand newspaperadvertisements
for 'modern' furniture styles,
these craftsmen tended to produce furniture of the same style and
constructionfor relativelylong periodsof time. Often,thesestyleshad lost
popularity,someyearsearlierin more urbansettings,wherethe influencefor
change was stronger.and where mass production and importationwas
prevalentfrom about 18502.Michael Bird has termed the occurrenceof
"traditionaltechniques,modesand designs"at a laterdatethan fashionable
the retardinairephenomenon.3
He has documentedan excellentexamplein
the craft of John Gemeinhardtof Huron County.who prodr.rced
a varietyof
furniturein the last half of the 19th century.4
Another personwhose work should also be regardedas a part of the
retardinaireptrenomenonis Malcolm MacGregor(1863-1953), (Fig. 1)
MacGregor (originally spelled McGrigor, and later McGregors)was a
descendantof a HighlandScotchfamilythatemigratedin 18U3,settlingin the
St. Raphael's
areaof GlengarryCounty.MalcolmMacGregorwas a farmerby
trade.In 1906 or 1907 he purchasedafarm on Lot 19,2nd ConcessionSRR.
CharlottenburghTownship, GlengarryCounty. lt was severalyears after
buildinga new house,in about 191 2-1 5, that Malcolmslippedon a frontstep
and injuredhis hip.lt is lrkelythisinjurywhichcausedhim towalkwitha cane.lt
appearsthat he startedmakingchairsafterhis accident,and continueduntil
sometime in the 1940's.MacGregor's
workshopconsrstedof a smallcorner
on the secondfloor of a garage.where he had a bench and vice set up.
The style which he tended to produce most often was a comb-back
arrow-backrockingchair(Fig.2). MacGregormust havebasedhis designon a
comb-backarrowrockingchairwhichwasin the possession
of the MacGregor
famrlyfor manyyears,and which is attributedto HenrVStackhouseof Pevril.
Ouebec.ThisStackhouse
Chair.which is identicaltoPlate286 rnThe Heritage
of Upper Canadian Furniture6.was likely purchasedby the MacGregors
directly from Stackhouse,as they brought their wool to be carded at the
StackhouseMills at Pevril.T
ltwas in thesemillsthat HenryStackhousemade
sonre of these rocking chairs.The MacGregorrocking chair illustratedin
Fi g ur e 2. whic h i s o n e o f s e v e ra l
kn own ex am ple s , s h o w s ma n y
fe a tur es s im ilar t o th e S ta c k h o u s e
fo r
C o m p a re ,
c hair .
ro c k ing
e xa m ple, t he s lig h t s h a p i n g o f th e
se at . t he s hape o f th e a rm . ro c k e rstyle, s iz e of c omb a n d th e n u mb e r
o f a r r ows in both th e c o mb -P i e c e
a n d bac k . A s liqhtl v d i ffe re n tv e rs i o n
o f t he bas ic f orm w a s a l s o l i k e l y
ma de by M ac G re g o r (F i g . 3 ).
Fo rm er ly in t he c o l l e c ti o l o f J .E.
Fl anigan of B r oc k v i l l e a n d n o w w i th
C a n adian His t or i c a l Si te s . O tta w a .
th i s c har r ( and a m a te to F rg u re 2 )
w e re ac quir ed i n th e v i l l a g e o f
Mo ulinet t e in S t o rmo n t C o u n tV i n
th e 1 950s . T his p a i r o f c h a i rs h a s
b e e n illus t r at ed p re v i o u s l YB a n d
mi sat t r ibut ed t o R e n fre w C o u n tv .
Th e pr im ar y d if f e re n c e s b e tw e e n th e
ch a ir s in F igur e 2 a n d 3 a re th e
n u mber of ar r ow s , th e d o u b l e s i d e
stre t c her s . and t h e ro c k e rs w h i c h
a re m or t is ed ont o th e l e g s o f th rs
so m ehat s m aller c h a i r. E v i d e n c e to
i n dic at e t hat M ac G re g o r a l s o ma d e
th i s v er s ion of a ro c k i n g c h a i r c o m e s
fro m t he f ac t t h a t b o th ty P e s o f
2
FVa
bock r@klng
emh.hMk attu
'rotr
stain Slt t8h : SW 19
Ddrk bM
.
S D t I %" : O H 3 5
rockers,as well as a numberof crude arrows,werefound in his workshopsa1
the time of the dispersalauctionof the MacGregorfarm in 1911.
A numberof thesecrude rockingchairswere sold to an antiquedealer
by the MacGregorfamily in the early 1950's.The chairsfrom the Flannigan
collectionlikelycame from that group
MacGregoralsomadeseveralotherchairstyles:avariationof a Boston
rocker(Fig.ai, an arrow-backhrghcharr(Fig.5).a captain'shighcharr(Fig.6)s,
child-sizerockingchairs,and a rather btzarrecomhinationof a comb-back
arrow-backaddedonto a late Victorianwicker rockingchair (Ftg.7).
The chairs that MacGregor produced are all very prrmitive in
construction.Most componentsappear to have been shaped by axe and
drawknife.Many havelointswhich are reinforcedwith round nails.the heads
of which are left exposedand qurtevrsrble.Most havebeenmadewithoakas
as secondarywoods.
the predominantwood,with pine,basswood,and h ici<ory
Oakwas a readilyavailablewood on the MacGregorand neighbouringMowat
farm, where quite a few matureoak remaintoday.
Thesechairs,which havethe appearanceof havingbeen made in the
mid-19th century,are excellentexamplesof the retardinairephehomenon.
The style and methods of construction (although not the materials of
construction.i.e.the round rrails,whic,hare likelyoriginal)pre-datethe actual
d ateof constructionby aboutone century.Withoutknowingthe provenanceor
having some documentationthey would probably be assumedto be the
antu-buk
r@hns ctuir
Cmb.buk
painbd dark red, ntu'
OisiMlI!
stAwed. Photo cMb4
oI Philip
FiNft
5
hi4h ciaar. OrbiMIr
Atu-b@*
phrdre&+rM,
@ rtrfuFn
sH t1":3W 4i';3D 11ui': On t5".
BBM
stlh reki\9
chnir. Rd&h'
ttrM poinl. SH 15h ; SW 12'4";
sD t8\": oH 50".
Etffi'"roo^*r.n*r*12";
wiil.8E a"; Sw trr"; sD
oE rt".
FiNn
7
Affi M r tu - b w
hdJwinrd-
ci a i r . Tq
OH u\
product of some proneerbackwoodsman(as they were by Stewartlo)In the
retdrdtnarrephenomenonit is not a requisitethat primitivefurniture be a
product of frontier communities.produced out of necessity,as has been
dairyf arming
suggested.llMalcolmMacGregorwas worki ngin a progressive
area,settledsome 125 yearsbeforehe producedhisf irstchair.Judgrngbythe
quantityof chairshe produced,and the fact that he gavesomeawayto f amily
members,it would seem reasonablethat they were not produced out of
necessityeither. More likely Malcolm MacGregormade chairs becausehe
en.loyeddoing so.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all the membersof the MacGregorfamily who
helped in the documentationof this work, and who loaned items to be
photographed.
References
1. Pain,Howard.The Heritageof UpperCanadianFurniture.Van Nostrand
ReinholdLtd.,Toronto.'1978,pg. 544.
2. Minhinnick,Jeanne.At Home in UpperCanada.Clarke,lrwin & Co. Ltd..
Toronto,1970.
3. Bird. Michael & Terry Kobayashi.A S plendid Harvest.Van Nostrand
ReinholdLtd.,Toronto,1981. p. 68.
4. Bird, Michael Perpetuation and adaptation: The furniture and
craftmanshipof John Gemeinhardt(1826-1912ll.CanadianAntiques&
Art Review2(16): 19-34.
5. EarlVdocumentsof the McGregorf amily in the author'scollection.
6. Pain.Howard.op. cit., p. 121.
7. McKendrv, Ruth. Ouilts and Other Bed Coveringsin the Canadian
Tradition.Van NostrandReinholdLtd.,Toronto,1979, pS. 54.
Furnitureof English
B. Stewart, Don R. A Guide to Pre-Confederation
Canada.LongmansCanadaLtd.,Don Mills, 1967, p. 65.
9. Minhinnick.Jeanne.op. cit. c.Lp. 17 1.
10. Stewart,Don R. op. cit. p 65.
1 1. Mrnhinnick,Jeanne.Early Furniturein Upper CanadaVillage. 18001837. The RyersonPress,Toronto,1964, pp 3-6.
appearedin the UpperCanadianand is reprinted
This articleand photography
with their kind permissionand that of the author.
10
DUNVEGAN
Fromthe TweedsmuirHistory
compiledby the DunveganWomen's lnstitute- 1942
In the first quarterof the eighteenthcenturyour ancestorscamefrom
Scotland- Hebrideansfrom the lsle of S kye and men of Glenelgon the
Scottislrmainland.Strong men and bravewomen they settledhere in virgin
forestand hewedtheir homesteads
out of the bush,makingpossiblebytheir
heroic determination the fertile, smiling fields that characterizethe
prosperouscountrysidetoday.
Thesepeoplecame up from the St. Lawrenceto Lochiel,wendingtheir
way wvstward;some came by way of the OttawaRiverthrough Hawkesbury.
The Campbellfamilycamein f rom Harrington- Mrs.John A. MacRaewho was
ni ne monthsold being carriedin her mother'sarms on horseback.Her aunt
walkedher cow from there.Theynamedthe communityDunvegan,afterthe
Dunvegan in their native land. The Stewarts settled in Stewarts'Glen,
M acLeods in Skye and Caledonia.There were Camerons,MacLennans,
Chisholms,Grants,Dewars,MacRaesand MacCrimmons.
Having cleareda small patch of land they erecteda log cabin with
earthenf loor and sleepingquartersabove.A hugef ireplacewith a cranefrom
which hung a pot was their first cooking apparatus.Their furniture was
perhapsonly blocksof wood, a bunkwith a strawmattressservedas sleeping
quarters- itfolded up in the daytimeand servedas a settee.Thecabinswere
built by the combinedeffortsof the neighboursrn bees-- as a stimulantthey
partookof an occasionaldraughtof whiskey.The roof of the cabinwas of elm
bark,the chimneyof stone.They had no matchesand usedflint and steelor
went to the neighboursfor a live coal. Pineknotsfirst then tallow dips gave
light at night.Candlescame laterand the ThreeRiversbox stove.Carpenters
becamemoreefficientso theyhad betterf urnitureand irnprovedthe buildings.
Theirlifewas one of harshipandtoil.Therewere no beastsof burdento
help lightenthe labourof the pioneers.Men heweddown trees,burnedthe
wood and sold the ashesto the potashmanufacturer- this was the first cash
they received.Grainwas sown amongthe blackenedstumpsof the clearingsit was cut with a sickle,threshedwith a flail,and fannedwith a hand fan.The
ploughswere madeof wood,the ox was the first beastof burden.Latersheep
were sent out to this country, providingwool which the women washed,
picked,cardedand spun into yarnto be knittedinto socksand mitts,or woven
into cloth and blankets.Theseblanketshad to be fulled -- all the community
m et and sat at a long tableand the pieceto be f ulledwas poundedaround.and
beatenuntil it was the desiredthickness-- at the sametime they sang Gaelic
songs suitableto the occasion.
Duringthe winterwhen sleighingwas at its bestfarmersmadetrips to
Montreal.severaltravellingtogether.Their sleighswere loadedwith grain,
pork,butterand home-madecheese.whichtheyexchangedf or hardwaresuch
as axes,saws,nails.etc. and Liverpoolsalt - it being cheap at a shilling a
bushel.Theyalwaysput up at a ScotchTavern,stablingtheir horsesfpr twentyfive centsa day and feedingthem out of the supplieson the sleighs.Boardand
lodgingwas fifty cents a day.Thesepioneershad certainenjoyments--they
had loggingbees,stoningbees.and raisingbees.Thewomenwerenotwithout
their bees- they had quiltingbees,spinningbees,fullingbeesand beesto pick
wool. We would not liketo saythat Grandmother
indulgedin the 'O BeJoyful"
11
likethe men folksbut thev hadtheir snuffwhich madean occasionalround.In
the eveningthe workwas clearedawayand the violinsbroughtout and then
followed hours of song and dance.
When cominginto Dunveganfrom the southdown Mrs.Urquhart'sHill- which at one time as Big Kate'sHill.she beinga Mrs.MacLeod-- you seemto
be descendinginto a vale.The first objectto catchthe eye is the spire of the
church pointingupwardto the sky. indicatingthat our forefatherswere God
fearinqpeople.Thereis a smallcreekf lowingthrJUghwhich crossesthe road
at the corner in the village.lt flows northwardand emptiesinto the Scotch
Rivernear St. lsidore.The first roadswere the horsetrailsthroughthe bush.
Therewas one trail which wended its way down through Malcolm Dewar's
Thef irstv ehicleon the roadwas I lumber
acrossto the MacMillansettlement.
cart
and buckboard,shortlyfollowedby the
wagon,.latercamethe one-horse
Duggy.
At one time liquorwassold in Dunvegan.both wholesaleand retail.In
the brickbuildingwhichAlex MacRaebuilt he keptan hotel.AngusMaclntosh
kepta liquorstore.The ScottAct came into force in 1BB5 and was repealedin
again-- untilthe passageof the
1888. Then liquor could be had in Dunvegfan
TemperanceAct.
Thechiefindustriesin thevillagerncludeda gristmill ownedby Malcolm
McRaewith a Mr. Crooksas miller.A tanneryoperatedowned by Alexander
McCrimmon-- the tannerybuildingis now Mrs.W.J.MacLeod'sbarn.Another
tanneryoperatedby MalcolmMcRaewas on the cornerwherethe cemeteryis
today.Therewas an asherybelongingto C.P.Welles,and anotherownedand
built by Angus MaclntoshsituatedbehindMrs. D.C.MacLeod'shouse.There
were severalsaw mills-- that of John Grantand D.C.MacCuaigoppositeMrs.
D.C.Macleods'house.A portablemillwas herefor two years.Hugh MacTavtsh
boughta millherewhich
had a mill on south-eastMain St. Dan MacKeracher
was soldto D.A.Gray.Thismillwas removedfrom Dunveganin 1941.Thefirst
tin shop was kept by John MacCallum-- in those days he peddledhis wares
aroundthe countryside.barteringhis tinwarefor hidesand rags.A latershop
was openedby DuncanMacKay.followedby Alex Maclean.who was assistant
to Maccallum.ThenfollowedDanCampbell.Dunveganhad manyblacksmiths
-- Norman McRae. Neil McConnell,Duncan and Murdoch MacCrimmon,
Donald Campbell,Rory MacCuaig,Hughie Gillis (who built the shop later
operated by J.A. Stewart);Norman MacDonald, Sandy Fraser and Dan
-- AlexMacCrimmon,Malcolm
Campbell.Therewerea numberof shoemakers
Morrison,John Campbell,DonaldGillis,Tom MacGowanand David Blythe.
The first storewas on the site of DonaldDewar'shouse-- operatedby
I ittle PiperMacLeod.When he sold a pound of tea on credithe drewa tea leaf,
and if it was halfa poundyou boughthe drewa halfleaf- rnthis mannerhe kept
his books.Mr. Welleskepta storewhere MartrnFergusonis now, and William
Urouhartin what becamgthe Stewartblacksmithshop.AngusMaclntoshkept
storein the Cranehouse,then he boughf rom Donaldand ForbesMacRaewho
on the north-eastcorner'- this is claimedto be the f irst
were carriage-makers
buildingin Dunvegan.
Afire brokeout in 1892 which destrovedmost of the industrialpartof
the village.lt startedon the south-eastcornerof the mainstreettakingwith tt
gristmill,an ashery.a
somestables.Allen'sfurniturcshop, MalcolmMacRae's
CrippleDick
the
shoemaker
in
which
MacCrimmon
tannervowned bV Sarrdie
had a shoo and severalhousesto the east.
12
The Dunveganblacksmithshop was built in Novemberof ,l894 by N.K.
Macleod for Hugh Gillis.blacksmith.They startedto build it on the 5th of
Novemberand it snowedthat night but saturdayof that weekit was complete.
The boys around helpedput in the wi ndows and doors, put in the floor and
shingles on the roof. The first horse shod at the shop belongedto J.R.
MacPhee.This shop was taken down in 1954.
Thevi llagecheesefactorywas builton the bankof the creekjustwestof
the villageby Duncan"Captain"MacLeod,one partbeingthe old log houseon
hisf ather'sf armandthe othera buildfngAlexMaccrimmonhadf rom the south
end of his father'sfarm."TheCaptain"madecheeseherefor someyears,then
sold to "Billy D. MacLeod"who was followedbvWilliam MacRaewhomacle
butter and cheeseand finallyNormanMacRaewhoowned and operatedthe
factoryfor forty years.
The first school in Dunveganwas north of Dan MacLeod'scorner.
gate-- this schoolhouseburnt,and manyof
oppositeMalcolmMacGillivray's
the pupils outgrewschool age beforeanotherschoolcould be built.school
was held for a year in David Urquhart'shouse,with senator MacMillano{
Alexandriaas the teacher.Schoolwas then held east of the cornerclose by
Dan Campbell'shouse,with teachersMiss Deyand Miss KateMacNaughton.
The first schoolhousesitewas bought in 1B6Ofrom the "Captain"MacLeod
for the sum of Eightdollars.A log schoolwas built north of the factorygate.
Manyof the biggerfarm boysattendedschoolduringthewintermonths.There
beingno playgroundthe pupilswanderedaboutoftengoingdownto the creek
for amusement,and some no doubt arrivingbacklate.on one such ocoasion
duringthe tenureof M r. Seldonwho waswaitingwith the ever-present
hickory
stick-- one of the pupilsretaliated.an incidentneverafterf orgottenbythe rest
of the pupils. In 1BB4 the old log school house was bought by Angus
Maclntoshfor $85 and movedto the 6th of Kenvon.The new schoolwasbuilt
by Angus O. MacLeod,and brickedby Mr. Mcl aughlinof VankleekHill.
The first cemeterywas laid out near the road on the farm of John F.
campbell north of Dunvegan.The remainsof those who passedawav in the
earlydayswere buriedthere-- theyplannedto builda churchnearbybutthobe
planswere changedwhen Norman"Captain"MacLeoddonated a piece of
propertyfor a church and cemeteryon the south-westcornerof his farm.The
f irst burialin this cemeterywas the youngson of MalcolmMacRae.Theoldest
inscriptionon a headstonebearsthe date 1846 althoughtherewere burials
before that time. There are one or two Gaelic inscriptions.one stone,
constructedby a villagerJohncampbell,shoemaker,
is f ieldstonedressedand
rnscribedand all the tools he usedwere a grindstone,chiseland hammer.
Among the quaintold customsbroughtover by our ancestorsf rotn the
Highlandswas one of visitingas manyhomesin the communityas possibleon
NewYear'sEve-- knownas BannockNight.upon arrivalata homethevisitor
proclaimed"NewYear'sgift'onyou" - to whichthe hostreplied"Sayyour ditty"
without which there was no admittance.Translatedfrom the Gaelicis this
rhyme sometimesused -- "Blessingson the house and everythingin it.
Betweentimber,stone and door latch; Plentyof food and plentyof clothing;
May healthypeoplelive in it on New Year'sDaV."
Therewas no residentdoctorin Dunveganin the earlydays.Dr. Donald
McDiarmidwho livedat Atholwould be occasionaly
called.AtAlexandrialived
Dr. Simpson(DoctorDhu.the Blackdoctor)whoalsoadministered
tothe rllsof
the vil lagers.when you went for himvou tooktwo horses- onefor him to travel
13
on. Then he was vervoften underthe influenceof liquorso he'd haveto sober
up beforemakingthe journey.On his returntrip two horsesaccompaniedhim
too -- someonehad to bring backthe horsethe doctor rode.
The Scotchwere a rathersuperstitiousrace and were great at telling
ghoststories.Oneevening a certaingentlemanwentto visith ts neighbour and
saw,or thought he saw,an objectin thedistance.Hesaystohimself- "lf it be
the devill'll givehim just halfthe road- but rf rt is a bearl'll haveto f ight for my
lifel" Mrs. MacLeod lived north-westof Stewarts'Glenand one Sunday
mornrnq she dressedin her bonnet and great shawl to go to church. She
ryendedher way acrossthe Glendown to the schoolhouseandthereshewent
for a drinkto the spring.Likelyit was somewhatmuddyaroundthe springand
as shestoopeddownf or a d rink shegot hershawldaubedwith mud.Sh-esaton
a log th.ereto rest.Shethought- "l must not go to churchlikethis.....lf the Old
Fellowhimselfis tryingto preventme from goingto God'sHousetoworshipl'll
play a trick on him". She turned her shawl insideout and went on her way.
In the long ago people when they went visiting outside of the
neighbourhoodhadto remainovernight-- travellingon foottooksometlmeto
get overthe road.Somevisitorscameto this housewherethey were shortof
The ladyof the houseroseveryearlyrn the morningand
breadfor breakfast.
get
field
a sheafof grarn.Thisshethreshedwith a f lail,fannedtt
to
went to tne
then she roastedthe grainandf inallyput it
througha sievemadeof sheepskin,
through a hand-grinderand sifted it again.The oat-cakeswere readyfor the
visitorsfor breakfast
Poemby William Maclennan
The Hillsof Skve
"O my heart!my weary heartl
There'sne'era day goes by
But it turns hame to Dunvegan
Bv the storm-beathrllso' SkYe"
DUNVEGAN
'Dun'asa prefixmeansa fort,the'Vegan'part may referto a princeorwarload
known in the days of the Celtsor Picts.
Re Bullfrog Tavern.The explanationmayor maynot be authentic.A Mr.
DonaldMcPheeof the Manor gavewhat soundslikea plausibleexplanation.
A sc.rldier
came Into the "Swamp Hotel" and was refused a drink by the
innkeeper.
Apparentlyhe went out to the nearbystreamandspeareda bullfrog
with his bayonet.He returnedwith the frog danglingon his upheldbayonet.
"You'llpour me that drinkor you'llbewherethe frog is now!".Onecan i magine
a hastycompliance.
FISHERMAN
OF A WEARYHEBRIDEAN
THE PRAYER
Would that the peatswould cut themselves
And the fish jump on the slrore
That I upon my bed might be
And sleeoforevermore.
1A
T H E S C H OOL SOF McGIL L |VRAY'BRTDGE
S
by Jean Maclntosh
Thef irstschoolat McGillivray's
Bridgeis knownto havebeenlocatedon
the south sideof the river,west of the bridge,betweenthe roadand the rrver.
Thereis littleinformationregardingit but it is logicaltosupposethatit
was the schooldescribedin the precedrngdocumentasa commonschooland
built in 1820.
Thiswas one of the earlyloyalistsettlements
and someof the homesin
the area date back to that perrod.One earlypupil was JamesGrantlaterto
become Sir JamesGrant A teacherrn its laterhistorywas Mary Cameronof
CameronHall of the RiverRoad.
The doiument was found among the family papers tn an old chest
belongrngto WillramUrquhart.U.E.L.,
who was grantedlandon the southside
of the RiverRaisin1% mileswestof McGillivray'sBridge.lt not beingsignedby
the Trusteescalledfor a closerstudVof the locationof S.S.#18Char.,dated
1820. Avisit to the archivesin Ottawaand a letterto the Dept.of Educatronrn
Torontoyieldedno informatronexceptto say thatthe educationsystemwas
very dis-organizedrn canada from 1812-1840. Little informationcan be
found. lt is a knownfact that the common school systemwas set up in 1B 16.
Howevercertainfacts known point to the beliefthat S.S.#18was a
Commonschoolknownto havebeensituatedon the south bankof the River
Raisinwest of McGillivray's
Bridge.
(1 ) Therewas detrnitelya schoolon that locatton
12l The location of the Urquhartfarm 11/zmilesfrom the Bridge wouid
reasonablyestablishthe fact that this would be the school in whrchthe
Urquhartfamilywas educated.
(3 ) Addedto thesefacts is the followingexcerptf rom a letterreceivedf rom
one of the descendants
of WilliamUrquhartlivingin the SouthernStates:
"E.L. (EliasLeonardUrquhart)son of James Urquhartand Margaret
Leonard,commencedschool at the age of six. going to a log sChool
houseat what was knownas McGillivray 's
Bridge.a mile and a halffrom
his home. Hrsfrrstteacherwas Henrysmith of Martintownand his last
teacher was H.D. McArthur who later becamea prominentChicago
o octor.
Rethe ceriificateon charlesScrimgcour,it was learnedattheArchives
of canadathat there had indeedbeena teacherof that nameemployedin the
common Schools of ontario and that he later joined a regiment in New
Brunswick.He resrgnedand settledin Ontario.
Informationand documents
The late Miss EmmaUrquhart,Dated Aoril7. lgll
S.S.#11 Charlottenburgh
Thereis no documenteddate for the erectionof the Schoolknownas
S.S.#11,Char.,but if one refersto Belden'sAtlas,a map for 1B7g shows a
schooI locatedon the northbank of the RiverRaisinon the easts ideof the road
where such burlding remains standing in 19BB. The Public School Act
replaced the Common School System in 1871. S.S.#11 was no doubt
establishedsoon after. For some ninety years it was the seat of primary
educationfor the childrenof a largesectionincludingthreeconcessions,
the
15
RiverRd. east and west.the Kings Rd. and the 7th ConcessionRd.
An earlyinstructorwas DuncanFaulknerto be followedbVa long lineof
l964.Attendanceovertheyearsvaried
thirtvsometeachersuntrlitsclosingrn
but until its closingyearstherewas alwaysa largeclass.at one time reaching
6O pupils.About 1920 an experimentwas tried. dividingthe classroomto
allow for two teachers.This was unworkable.
Formanyyearsthis was a redschoolforthosewholong rememberit but
in its lateryearsit was paintedwhite.
ln the 1 950',stherewas much controversyin the sectionregardingthe
possibilityof closingthe schoolwith its much smallerattendanceto bus the
childrento a largercentre.This was delayed.
l'he teacherto taughtthis writerto readandwriteand do arithmeticand
other subjectswas MissBerthaMcGregorof the King'sRd.whilethe one who
preparedher for the Entranceto High SchoolwasMiss ElizabethFergusonof
bt. f tro. the lateMrs. ElizabethBlair,well knownGlengarryhistbrianof many
years.
On a warm eveningin June 1964 friendsand formerstudentsgathered
in the little school, then modernizedconsiderably,to honour Mrs. Mary
of the
McDonaldwho had taught their for 21 yearsand to mark the cl1.1stng
Mrs.
McDonald;
Mrs.
present
well
as
as
were
school.Threeform er teachers
(McDermid),
Jean
and
Mrs.
McMillan
(Maclntosh),
Helen
Mrs.
Barton
Jean
Maclntosh(McCuaig).Followingthe closingof the schoolthe buildingwas
renovatedand becamea dwelling.
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18
THE GLE NGA RRYTE LE P HO NE
by Hughina McK in n o n
)
I
I
)
associationheld its f irst meeting
telephoneco-operative
TlreGlengarry
at the town hall in Alexandria.Tuesday,June 4. 19O7' when a number of
prominentmen from LochieltownshipGlengarryCo. metto form a company.
At the meetingthe constitutionwas adoptedand threetrusteeswere namedMr. PeterChisholm,Lochiel,Dr. K.A. MacLennan,Alexandriaand Mr. J.J.
The
MacMillan,MacCrimmonEast.with Mr. ChisholmbeingnamedPrestdent.
committeeimmediatelygot to work to secureconnectionwith the town and
outsidepoints.
At once men were hired to start construction,digging post holes
erectingpolesand stringingthe wire to connecton poles.By Octoberof that
and a total of 19 phones.Thef irst
yeartherewere two toll linesto Alexandria,
Lochiel,operatinghours being
Bros.
store
at
centralofficewas in the Morris
from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m.week days and 9 until 1O a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. on
Sundays.
In 1913 a small brick buildingcloseto the storewas obtainedby the
companVand the switchboardwas installedthereinwith Mr. RobertHayhired
and manager.
as secretarv-treasurer
ln 1915 W.J. MacKinnon(my husband)was approachedby Mr. M.J.
and managementof the telephone
Morristo takeoverthe secretary-treasurer
to whrchWillie at once refusedsayinghe knew nothingat allaboutthework.
However.Mr. MichaelMorriswould not accepthis refusalandtold him to think
it over.Willie came home and we talkedit over.He said"l can'ttake it, I even
don't know how to changea battery".So I said"Othershavelearnedand I am
sureyou can.Justthink aboutit and see it for yourself".So afterconsideringit
well he decidedto accept.
where he sold farm
At the time we owned a houseand lot at Fassifern
machinery,McLaughlrnbuggies, etc. The telephone company had their
meetingand he was hired- this meanta move.lt was only 3 milesbut itwasan
The
upheaveland on arriVingit lookedratherdismalbut it was an adventure.
make
it
liveable.
repairs
to
lot
and
a
of
doing
it
needed
burldingwas smalland
We just had one littlegirl,Christenawho was 3 vearsold.Therewasnot a bit of
ground connectedwith the building.Therewas a verandahat the front. the
edge of which was at the edgeof the road.Insidethe house.downstairshad 2
rooms,the front one had a part of it partitionedoff with spaceenoughin one
part for the switch board and operatorschair at a window at one end and a
at the
small safe and cupboardto take care of booksand small necessities
other.on the wall was a cablewithallthecarbonsof the differentoutsidelines.
sat in thewaiting
Duringa bad stormat nightwe manytimescamedownstairs,
room andwatchedthe lighteningf lashup and down the cableand of courseit
meanta lot of work riextdayfor Willie.Allthosecarbonshadto be cleanedand
put back as well as the carbonsin the phonesin manyof the lineswherethe
lighteninghit the hardest.In horseand buggy days it made long drivesand
long days.Well the restof that roomwe usedas a waitingroom.We alsohadto
use it as a diningroom as therewasn'tany otherplacefor our furniture.A door
ooened into the other room where our kitchenwas. The back kitchendoor
openedrntothe hotelyard.The hotelstableandshedscameto within 1o feeto{
the kitchendoor.The hotelwas not in operationatthattimesosometimelater
tv
th e te l e phone c om pa n v b o u o h t a l l th e v a c a n t l a nd. tore dow n al l the sheds and
sta b l e and put up a n tc e s ta b tefo r o u r h o rs e a n d l ater a garage w l th an upstal rs
wh e re a lot of t eleph o n e e q u i p m e n t w a s k e p t.
I s hall alwav s re me mb e r o u r fi rs t d a y a t Lochi el central . W e kept the
o p e ra t or who oper a te d fo r R o b e rt H a y . L e o O u e snel . H e w as a good operator
a n d 'a ver y lik eable bo y o f a b o u t 1 5 o r 1 6 y e a rs o f age. H e w ent out to hi s l unch
so we had t o t ak e o v e r th e s w i tc h b o a rd . F o rt unatel y my si ster-i n-l aw w as
h e l p i n g m e and s he h a d h a d s o me e x p e ri e n c e wi th the operati ng as she had
wo rke d wit h t he B ell te l e p h o n e i n Mo n tre a l . Sh e knew a bi t about i t. H ow ever at
th a t ti m e no one as k e d fo r th e i r p a rty b y n u mb e r. they j ust gave the names of
th e p a r t y t hey want e d , s o w e h a d to l o o k u p the number i n the book. One
d i ffrcult y was t hat t h e re w e re ma n y o f th e s a m e name. for i nstance w e had 4
D .J. M ac M r llans s o w h i c h o n e d i d th e y w a n t, th e one at Laggan, K i rk H i l l or
L o ch i el and what wa s th e n u m b e r o f th e l i n e th a t ran that w ay. l t al l tookti me
a n d so m ewould los e p a ti e n c e . S o b e l i e v e me . L eow asw el come backfrom hi s
l u ch and f r om t hen o n I g a v e h i m h rs l u n c h a n d al l hi s meal s.Then w e started
h a vi n g ev er y one loo k u p th e p h o n e n u mb e r o f the party they w anted. l t took
ti me but ev ent uallv w e s u c c e e d e d . A tth a tti me therew eren' ttoo many phones,
p ro b a bly les s t han 2 0 0 .
T he ups t air s c o n s i s te d o f 3 ro o ms . On e a very smal l one and one had a
d o o r opening on t o a b a l c o n y w h i c h w e u s e d a s a si ttrng room for a ti me. W e
we re for t unat e f or aw h i l e to b e a b l e to g e t O p e ratorscl ose by w ho w ere abl e to
Sl e e p at hom e and w e w e re s o o n a b l e to re l i e v ethem part of the ti me. l t took a
l i ttl e tim e t o lear n t o ri n g th e n u mb e rs a s th e re w asn' t any el ectri ci ty and the
ri n g i n g had t o be do n e b y o n e h a n d a n d th e o th e r hand had to pul l the keys. l t
w a s a bit dif f r c ult us i n g b o th h a n d s to w o rk d i fferentl y.
T he s er v ic e a t n i g h t w a s t^ b e o n l y D o ctors cal l s, occasi onal l y there
w o u l d be c alls , s om e mi g h t h o p
d o w n st air s t o ans we r s o w e p u t rr L i l ro u g n b u t i t wasn' t too often. Most peopl e
w e re ver v c ons ider a te . H o w e v e r, a f{ e r a c o u o l e ef years i t w as approxi matel y
2 4 h o ur s er v ic e.
I n 1917 t he G l e n g a rry c o -o p e ra trv € a s s o ci ati on w as i ncorporated tnto
th e G lengar r y T elep h o n e C o . L td . T h e y h a d t hei r fi rst meeti ng at Lochi el
to wn ship hall on A u g u s t 4 , 1 9 1 7 N /.J . M o rri s w as appoi nted P resi dent,J.J.
Mo rri s was appointe d s e c re ta ry -tre a s u re r.U p to that ti me I l ooked after the
b o o ks but an addit io n to th e fa mi l y m a d e l i fe a bi t busi er. In 1 921 a tol l l i ne to
Va n kleek Hr ll was p u t i n . In 1 9 3 0 th e y j o rn e d the Independent Tel ephone
Asso c iat ion. W r llie h a d ma n y l o , l e d i o u s d ri v e s i n horse and buggy days and
i n w i n t er long c old d ri v e s w i th h o rs e a n d c u tter and as many as 15 or 1B
su b sc r iber s on s om e l i n e s . m a n y a l o n g w a y o ff the road, but he al w ays sai d
mo st o f t he s ubs c r ib e rs w e re th e " Sa l t o f th e e arth" . H e w as never al l ow ed to
co me hom e wit hout a h o t d i n n e r. O n e l a d y i n p a r ti cul ar w ho w as a l ong w ay off
th e ro ad s eeing him re p a i r th e l i n e w o u l d w a v e a w hi te f l ag so he w oul d come
d o wn t o t he hous e. D tn n e r w o u l d b e a l m o s t ready so he must stay, w hi ch I
e xp e ct he was glad t o d o . Su p p e rw a s d i ffe re n t, hew as usual l y home qui te l ate.
Afte r a num bei of y e a rs th e re , h e b o u g h t a s e c o nC handtouri ng carw hi chw as
a g o d s end. lt m ade d ri v i n g s o m u c h e a s i e r b u t o t course i t w as horse and cutter
i n w i n t er as r oads we re n o t p l o r4 re dfo r m a n v v e a r s after. H eavysnow f al l s made
b a d roads .
I n 1934 or t h e re a b o u t - th e c o m p a n y a uthori zed hi m to buy a car.
Te l e p hone r ent s we re i n c re a s e d fro m $ 1 2 .OOto S 1 4 OOand l ater to $ 1 6.00.
20
so h e b ought a Chev y ru n a b o u t s o w e h a d o u r ow n car for our ow n use.
H is lif e was a ve ry b u s y o n e o n c e l i n e s w e r e bei ng extended. t\ew Ii nes
w e re being built , m o re te l e p h o n e w i re b e i n g i n s tal l ed.There w ere some very
h e a vv s now s t or m s an d s e v e ra l s l e e t s to rm s w h e n l i nes and pol es w ere broken
d o wn whic h m ade a l o t o f w o rk . S o m e s u b s c ri b ers w ere w i thout servi ce for
d a ys or week s but e v e ry e ffo rt w a s ma d e to re store servi ce as qurckl y as
p o ssi b le. Help was ea s y to g e t b u t n o o n e h a d much know l edge of tel ephone
wo rk so it t ook m uc h l o n g e r to g e t th i n g s w o rk i n g but through ti me men w ere
g e tti n g t he ex per ienc e w h i c h m a d e i t e a s i e r.
Th i s a rt ic le was giv en to M r. M c l e o d b u t h e w a s n ever abl e to obta i n the second
i n sta l m ent . S he m ay h a v e c o m e d o w n w i th h e rf i nal i l l ness shortl yafterw ri ti ng
th i s a cc ount . T he lad y w h o p u t o u t th e s i g n a l to come to di nner w as the w el l
l o ve d 'K at ie' .widow o f D u n c a n W . M a c l e o d . Ka ti e w as l eftw i th a l argefami l yto
ra rse a nd a f ar m t o lo o k a fte r..S h e d i e d a t th e a g e of 99.
CLAN CHATTAN
ON WE A R IN GH IGH L A NDDRESS
by Jamie Scarlett
The growth of Clan Societiesand the comparatrveease with which
Clansmenf rom overseascan visitthe homelandhasresulted.in the summeral
least.in many more kilts being seen in Scotlandthan has been the ss5c for
many a decade.Somelook good,some not so good;someas if they areworn
everyday and some as if they havebeensuppliedasthe rightthingtowear in
Scotland.lt is apparentthat there is some need for gentle guidancein the
matterof wearingHighlanddress.In mv viewthcre is no bettermanualon-the
subjectthan J C Thompson'slittlebook'SOYOU'BEGOINGTO WEARA KILT'
But a few wordsf rom one who hasfound the kilt idealHighlandwear,summer
and w inter,formal and informal,over severalyears,maystill not come amiss.
Firstof all,we must bear in mindthat Highlanddressis a dressand like
any other,subjectto the rulesof comfort,good tasteand aesthetics.lt is not a
fancy dress; although Army regulationsand Victorian rule-makerscame
perilouslynearto makingit so. lt is the idealdressfor itsown environmentand
similarconditionsanywhere,fullyadaptableto climateand occasion.Whatwe
haveto do, then, is to wear the dresswith dignityand propriety,with sucn
individualityas we can musterand, aboveall, make it look good!
Letus beginwith the kilt,probablythe mostexpensiveitem in the outfit.
A good mediumweight worstedis good for day or eveningwear.summeror
winter.lf you livein a veryhot place,you maypreferto try a lightercloth but my
feelingis that the temperatureoutsidethe kilt has very little bearingon that
insideand that the heaviercloth has a better'hang'.lwould alwayseschew
those tartanson a white ground,termed 'Dress'tartansby the trade.At best
these are corruotions of women's tartans, and at worst Victorian
The l engthof a kilt is difficultto specify,but rememberthat it is
abominations.
intendedto showthe kneesandthat if it is too longthe bottomedgewilichafe
truewhen the kilt is wet, as it often rs in its
the backsof them;this is especiallV
21
home territory.Whetheror not you wear underpantswith the kilt is entirely
your businessand nobodyelseoughtto know;but the truthof the matteris that
did not knowaboutthem.SomepuristswilI saythatthe kilt
the old Highlanders
pin is an anachronismand should not be worn. However,lfind that a little
weighton the cornerof the apronhelpsto preventit fromf lapping aboutin the
breeze. lf you do weara pin do not makethemistakeof pinningthetwo aprons
together;to do so only enhancesthe chancesof tearingthe apron or pulling
the pin out and losing it.
I dislikethe abbreviated'monkeyjacket'styleof kilt jacket.which feels
skimpedand hasno roomf or pockets.I g reatlyprefer the longer'hacking'style,
but the BritishServicebattleblouse(or the day doubletlargelyc.rpiedfrom itJ
makesa fullv satisfactorysubstitrrte.On the other hand,an ordinarvtweed
sportslacketor ablazerdo not lookwell wlth the Ktttano should be avoided.
Thereare few occasionswhich callfor f ully-rrggedHighlandeveningdress.A
darkjacketin somesmooth materialwith plainor silverbuttonswill suit most
formalaffairs,and manyinformalas well. For'full rig'thereis nothingto touch
one of the High landstyledoublets.Jacketsthat are modifiedversionsof those
that belong to.trousered evening dress make a very poor showing by
comoanson.
It rsaboutthe legsthat most Hrghlanddressrevealsits shortcomings.
A
man in a kilt looksa bit likeone of thoseVictorianvasesuoportswhich stands
on threeof itsfourverythinlegsandwobblesalarminglywhen
anybodypasses
within abouttenfeetof it. He needssomeweightatthe base.Thickstockings
white.with an Arran pattern.are suitablefor day or evening- and stoutshoes
are the answer.The rulesusedto saythat shoeshad alwaysto be blackand I
was surprisedto learnrecentlythat brownshoesare obligatorywith a red kilt.
Despitethe blackshoe rule being a hang-overfrom militaryorders,lthink I
would still go alongwith it; shoesshow againstthe hose,not againstthekilt.
You will neverguessin advancehow much you wi ll haveto packinto a
sporan(anglice-sporran),
so makesureit is big enough.Ornamentedleatheris
the stufff or daysporans a nd silvermountedsealskinor the likef or evening;but
a leatherbag on a brasscantle is good for either.Sometimesthe sporan ts
slungon short lengthsof chainloinedby an adjustablestrapatthe back;these
chainswearthe apronof the kiltto a th readbarestateveryq u rcklyand are best
avoided.A broad leatherbelt with a plain bucklejoins with the sporanto
enhancethe appearanceof the kilt and keepthe wearer'smiddleregiontidy.lt
is debatablewhetherit shouldbe brown.to matchthosesooransor blackfor a
dark kilt and brown for a red.
That leavesonly a clusterof minor items,mostlymattersof personal
preferencebut beginningwith the sgiandhu. lt usedto be that this hadto be
worn in the top of the right stocking.but light has beenseenand left-handed
sgianscan be found.TheordinaryroundHrghlandbonnetis as good as anyfor
the cli mate,thoughsomepreferthe Glengarrystyle.I tlrrnka deerstalker
looks
dreadful!My preferredchoiceof shirt is plain,white or coloured.worn wrth a
tie that surtstne lacket.Tartantresdo not, generally,go wellwrthtartankilts.
On lastword for men.The kilt feelsstrangeat first,so go on wearingit
until rt does not.
has survivedof the earlrestform of women's
No intelligibl"6s5gpiption
outdoor dress..theARiSAID.Arisaidis translatedas "gown" but experiment
suggeststhat the orrgrnalVersionwas no more than a blanket,caught up in
hasteand usedas a wrap.Worn with the narrowwidtharoundthe body.a light
Highlandblanketcan be made into a gracefulovergarment
by lightlypleating
22
Loose
wrap-over-skirt.
and beltingit roundthe waistto makean ankle-length
mater ialis then pulledup underthe armsanddown overthe shouldersandthe
four thicknessespinnedtogetherat the breast.This leavesenough material
Later,the arisaid
hangingdown behindto be usedas a hoodwhen necessary.
was worn with somethinglikea sleevedwalstcoatand providedthe modelfor
the'Aboyne"dressfor Highlanddancing.After the arisaidproper had fallen
into disuseit becamecustomaryforHighlandwomen towear eithera taitan
gown or a plain gown with a tartan'screen'dra plaid.lt can fairlybe saidthat
Highlandwomen'sdressis the fashionof the day with a touch of tartanand
of the simplejumper and skirtoutfit;
most ladiesare awareof the adaptrbility
pleated
lightly
and not imitationsof the men'skilt.
but pleaseletthe skirtsbe
materialdoes not becomethe
layers
of
extra
padding
several
out
with
The
femalebottom.
There is one aspectof womens Highlanddressthat is the subjectof
strict rules;that is the wearingof a sashwith formal dress.Regulationslaid
the sashshouldbe worn diagonallyround
down by the Lord Lyonrequire'that
the bodyfrom hip to shoulder,whereit rspinnedwith the ends hangingdown
the wife of a Ch tefor
equallyor with the longerend at the back.A Chieftainess,
pins
her
on the leftshouldei.
regiment,
sash
the wife of a Colonelof a Highland
pins.hers
has
married
out of her clan
who
right.
Awoman
the
on
clanswoman
A
and pinshersashby the middleto the rightshoulder
reverses
the arrangement
and ties the ends in a bow on the left hip. Sinceanyof theseare inconvenient
for dancing,or when decorationsareworn, on s uch occasionsa smallloop at
the centreof the sashis attachedto a buttonat the waistof the f rockand both
ends are pinnedto the right shoulderand let fall down behind.
Finally,over-useof tartan, such as wearing bonnets made up of
segmentsof severaldifferenttartans.marksout the weareras a tourist and
thereforea targetfor the worst that tourism can do!
articlewas writtenon request.As an authorityon tertan,and
Footnote:Jamie's
its weaving,and as someoneinvariablyseenwearingthe kilt.we could not
as he
havehada bettercontributoron howtowearHighlanddress.Remember.
saVs.this is not fancydress.Wearitwith pride.bui alsowith goodtaste,dignity
and propriety- Ed.
This articleappearedin the CLANCHATTANmagazineand is reprintedby their
kind permissionand that of the author.
23
T HE WEARING OF S A S HE S B Y LA DI E S I N E V E NI NGDRE S S
No. 1 Style - worn by clanswomen.The sash is worn over the ri ght
shoulder across the breast and secured by a pin or brooch on the ri ght
shoulder.
wivesof clan chiefsand wivesof
No. 2 Style- worn bv Chieftainesses.
colonelsof Scottishregiments.
Thesash.usuallyf ullerin stze(24 incheswide
with a 1 2 inchf ringe)is worn overthe leftshoulderand securedwith a brooch
on the left shoulder.
No. 3 Style-worn by ladieswhohavemarriedoutoltheirclan butwho
still wish to use their originalclan tartan.The sash usuallylongerthan No. 1
styleis worn over the right shoulder,securedthere with a pin, and fastened
with a large bow on the left hip.
No. 4 Style-worn by countrydancersor whereanyladydesiresto keep
the f r ont of the dressclearof the sash.Thisstyleis similartothe beltedplaid.lt
is buttonedon at the backof the waist,or is hel dby a smallbelt.and is secured
at the right shoulderby a pin or smallbrooch,so that the endsfall backwards
from the rrght shoulderand swing at the back of the right arm.
No. 5 Style- worn by ladieswho haveno clan. She is freeto wearthe
tartan of her fancy.The sash is worn over the right shoulderwrth the ends
knottedor broochedand Iayrngon the right hip.Thesashmay be attachedto
the nght shoulderby a brooch.
z+
SIR ALEXA NDE RMA CK E NZ]E ,P IONE E RE X P L O RE R
by Donald N. MacMilla n
the two notable
Canadiansareto havean opportunityto c ommemorate
'\/oyages'of Sir AlexanderMackenzie,the outstandingpioneerexplorerof
NorthfuesternCanada.In 1 789. with a smallcrew,he went by canoethrouqh
an tmmensearea,not previouslytravelledor known to white men,from Fort
Chipewyanon LakeAthabasca.north to the Arctic Ocean,some 1 500 miles,
mostlvon the watersof the great riverthat now honourshis name.Then tn
1793. with another small crew. he made an even more hazardousand
significanttrip to the west,at firstascendingagainstthe currentsof the rivers,
then climbingon foot over the heightsof land,and finally,in an oft-repaired
canoe,movingswiftlydown to the PacificOcean.There,as the f irstto achieve
althoughtn a verydrfferentway than he
the long-soughiNorthwestPassage.
had hoped.he inscnbedon a rock thesewords:"AlexanderMackenziefrom
Canadaby land,the twentysecondof July,one thousandsevenhundredand
ninetythree. Lat 52" 20' 48" N."
of coursewe havethe same interestand pride as our
As Glengarrians,
fellow Canadiansin Mackenzie'sexplorations.However,because of his
we havean evenmorepersonalinterest.Bornin 17 64,
Glengarryconnections.
in Stornowav,lsle of Lewis.to KennethMackenzieand his wife, lsabella
4
Maciver,who bied witnrna fewyearsof his brrth,Alexanderemigratedrn 1-7-7
A
to NewYork,with hisfather,his uncle,John,and hisaunts,Maryand lsabella.
year or two later, his father and uncle receivedcommissionsin Sir John
Johnson'sRoyalRegiment,andAlexanderand his auntsmovedup-stateto the
MohawkValley.to be with the Highlandfamiliesthere,many of whom were
As the hostilitiesincreased,the Mackenzieaunts,
laterto settlein Glengarry.
concernedfor the safetvof the boy, sent him rn 1778to Montreblto attend
school.Then in 1179, he becameemployedin "the countinghouse"of a fur
trading Company.His early maturityand markedabilitycontributedto.his
being sent to the Company'sDetroit Post rn 1785. Soon he was offereda
positionas a "partner",on conditionthat he proceedto the Indiancountry,i.e.,
to WesternCanada.
thatthe agent in chargeof the NorthWest
It is of interestto Glengarrrans
located,was
Companyin the Athabascaterritory,whereMackenzieeventually
PeterPond.suspeotedbut neverfound guilty of the murderof Jean Etienne
of the Rev.John Bethune.Within a vearor
Wadden,a Swiss,the father-in-law
was apporntedto be Pondlssecondso of his arnvalin the f ar west,Mackenzie
in-commandand understudy.Young Mackenziebelievedhim to be guiltyof
more than one murder.Pondhad a historyof violence,whereasWaddenwas
and knownsobriety"(p.xvi).Hisdeathwas
regardedas a man "of strict'probity
while he was entertainingPondto
it
occurred
in
that
all the more shocking
dinner. Mackenzieseemsto havemadethe best of what could have been a
difficult situationbyworkingwith his superiorand trying to learnas much as
possrblefrom him. He did so recognizingPond'sabilityas a trader with an
extensiveknowledgeof the f ur bearingcountry.lt seemslikelythat the telling
of Indianstoriesabout a great river.which flowedto the north buteventually
the youngermanand motivatedhim
emptiedrntothe Pacific Ocean.fascinated
Pond'slessthan
to dream dreamsof becomingan explorer.Unfortunately,
in his first
discomfiture
Mackenzie's
to
information
contributed
accurate
25
voyage, when he realtzedthaf to him the Mackenziewas "the river of
disappointment",in that it was not the passageto the Pacificand a second
voyagewould be necessary
to achievehis dream.Nevertheless,
his timewith
Pond playedan importantpart in stimulatingthe future explorer.In 1788,
Pond'sstatusin the North West Companybecameuncertainand he reftthe
post never to return. Mackenziewas appointedto be in charge at Fort
Chipewyan,thus giving him a basefor his two voyages.
Meanwhile,the Glengarryconnectionof the Mackenziefamily was
becomingmoretangible.As Loyalistofficers,KennethandJohn wereentitled
if they settled in Canada.
to 2,000 and 3,000 acres of [and respectively,
it took a numberof petitionsto gainapprovalof theirgrants:500
Surprisingly,
acresin Kenneth'snameand 1250 to John in the earlyperiod;then 1500 to
Alexander.,
as Kenneth'sheir, in 1796; and finally,in 1806, the remaining
1750, a total of 5,000 acres.Possibly,becausethe claimswere made some
years after the 1784 initial settlementof the southern concessionsin
Glengarryand Stormont,a considerableportionof the grantswere in Dundas,
andothersin Concession
of WinchesterTownship
somein the 7th Concession
grantsare moredifficultto
1 of Williamsburg.lhelocationsof the Glengarry's
place, possibly because of the early custom of naming the southern
or the RaisinRiver,
with referenceto eitherthe lake(St.Francis),
concessions
"Charlottenbutgh,
E. 1/zLot 17, 1st Conc.from RiverRaisin,being 5th
e.9.,
Conc.or rangefrom Lake,- 10O acres".Otherlotsseemto havebeenin the 6th
lt would appearthat the presenthighwayfrom AppleHill
and 9th concessions.
to Martintownrunsrhiougha partoTone lot (west3/lLot 30 9th Charl),Theone
grantwithinthe presentKenyonrownshipis easiertoidentify;"Kenyon,
Lot 25,
4th Conc. 200 acres,18O7".Alexander(Mclsaac)McDonaldpurchasedthis
land in 1858 for f 1 75-0-0.John and hissisterswerein Cataraouiin 1 789 and
are said to have movedto Glengarrya little later.likelyto the Williamstown
area.Johndied in 1795, Mary in 18OBand lsabellain 1835. ThatAlexander
went to Britainin the autumnof 1BO5,and onlymadea fewvisitsto
Mackenzre
to explainthe lack of any confirmedcontacts.
Canadathereafterhelps
,
Mackenzie.however.was concernedabout the welfare of his fellow
Highlandersin Glengarry,especiallyafter his uncle and aunts locatedthere.
Aware,no doubt,that the peoplewere not ablein the earlyyearsof settlement
to afford the luxuryof a church bell, he donatedthe first one to come to the
county,the one that still servesin Williamstown.The date on the inscription
probablyindicatesthe year in which it was cast:
1806 ThomasMears & Sons of London,Fecit.
The gift of Sir AlexanderMackenzie,
Church of Glengarry,
To the Presbyterian
Provinceof Upper Canada,North America
The Rev.John Bethune,Minister.
Whetheror not Sir Alexanoereverworshrppedin the church.the peoplewere
gratefulfor his generosity.When the first divisionof pews was made in the
presentchurch in 1818, a pew was set asidefor Mackenzie.
of Mackenzie's
epochIn preparingto celebratethe 200th anniversary
making'Voyages'.it is appropriateto note someof the thingsthat makethem
so worthy of commemoratio:'I.
l. Sir AlexanderMackenziewas the pioneerexplorerof vastregionsin
northwesternCanada.Although his routes were "simply lengths without
breadth".they were truly "voyagesof discovery".From Athabasca,which
zo
seemedat the ttme to be the extremelimitsof the areaknownevento the fur
traders.he travelledto and from the Arctic and PacificOceans.His splendid
accounts of'the journeys inspiredothers, including David Thompsonand
Simon Fraser,bothwith significantGlengarryconnections,
to explorein depth
some of the territorythrough which he had passed.Equallyimportant,the
publicationof his'Voyages'aroused
the interestof manyin Britain,including
Lord Selkirk,and gave them a vision of the possibilitiesof extensiveBritish
commercewith, and settlementin, WesternCanada.Some claimthat. had it
not beenfor his pioneerwork.a greatdealof the West mtghtnot havebecome
nor remainedCanadian.
ll. Mackenziewas well fitted for his voyages.He claimedto have"a
constitutionand frameof body equalto the most arduousundertakings".
He
was able to lead a rigorouslife on a varying,and. attimes, meagrediet.and
oftenwith only a littlesleep.He believedthat he had "an inquisitivemind and
an enterprisingspirit".(Preface,p. XVI).When he reaiizedduring hisfirsttrip
that hewassomewhatdefrcientin astronomyand navigatron,
he determinedto
spend a winter in Britainto learn more about thesesciencesand to acquire
betterinstruments.
lll. He made his remarkable
voyageson his own initiative,usinghis
own meansor thoseat hisdisposal.Hedid not askhis Companyfor permission
becauseit seemedlikelythat he would be refused.Althoughofficiallyrn the
employmentof the Company,and missing no opportunityto promote its
inter ests,he was carefulto take time off only after he had arrangedfor his
cousin.RodericMacken2ie,
to administerthebusinessof his postwhilehewas
absent.Whereasmany other voyagesof exploration,both beforeand after,
were sponsoredby wealthyand influentialpersonsor corporationsin Britain,
few knew in advanceabouthistravelplans.Indeed.evenon their completion,
some of the senior officersin his own Companywere of the opinionthat it
would havebeen betterif he had remainedat his pr:st;attendingto practical
matters.As an activepartnerin a flourishingtrade,Mackenzieacquiredsome
wealth,but he receivedno remunerationfor his exolorations.
lV.
Hesetthepatternfor explorationin WesternCanadabytravelling
light and livingoff the land as much as possible.Awareof the severityof the
long winters,he plannedhis trips for the period betweenspring thaws and
autumnfreeze-ups.
The narrativeof his first voyagebeginswith the modest
statement:"We embarkedat nine in the morning (June 3rd, 1789) .... in a
canoemadeof bircn bark".Thecanoewas poweredby paddlers,but whenthe
wind was favourablea sailwasusedto relievethemen.thus makingit possrble
to averagesomeseventyf ive m ilesper daywh ile on the g reatriver.Therewere
four Canadians(French)and a German.and Mackenzie
thoughttheywere"the
mostexpertcanoe-menin the world".untrlhe sawtheskillsof someIndianson
the westernsideof the Rockies.
Thereweretwo smallercanoesfor his Indians
who acted as guidesand interpretersand rn the repairof the canoes.There
were also a few wiveswho helpedby pickingfruit and in the preparationof
meat and fish. The large canoe carried extra clothing, merchandisefor
presents and bar ter. arms and ammunition. and some pemmican for
emergencyuse.Therewere timeswhen game and f ishwerescarceand every
one was put on two mealsper day.On a few occasions,Mackenziereckoned
therewas only provisionfor a weekor two. In the 1793 trip. a twenty-fivefeet
long canoe"so lightthattwo men could carryher on a good roadthreeorfour
mileswithout restingwas used (p. 151 ). The vesselcarrieda cargo of three
27
thousand pounds and ten people. Usually,even the birch bark for the
frequentlyneededrepairswas obtaineden route.
V. Mackenziewas an able leader,dealingfirmly and kindlywith his
peopleand being concernedfor their healthand safety.Once,he refusedto
abandonone of his Indianswho was ill. On anotheroccasion.when it was
necessary
to wadeacrossa riverford wherethe c urrent.somethreefeetdeep,
was extremelyswiftand dangerous,
the membersincludeda youngIndian.not
sufficientlyrecoveredfrom illness,to attempt such an ordeal. Mackenzie
carriedhim "with some difficulty"on his back.(p.378). Healwaysinsistedon
payingfor provisionsobtainedfrom the nativesalong the route,e.g.,forfish,
dry as wellas fresh."we paidwith the usualarticlesof beads,awls,knivesand
tin". (p. 88). At one lodge,from which the nativeswere absentand it was
proposedto takesome articles.he agreedto do so only if some paymentwas
left.His own Indiansfound "thisact of justicedifficulttocomprehend".(p.9O).
Not one lifewas lost on eithervoyage,and it is not surprisingthat two of the
voyageursin the first crew willinglywent with him on the secondtrip.
Vl. In hisvoyages,Mackenzieenduredinnumerable
toils,perils,trials,
phrasessuchastheseoccuroften:"our
frustrationsand cares.In his narrative,
toilsomejourneyof this day" (p. 1191,"ata quarterpastthreein the morning
we continuedour voyage"(p. 153); and "aftermuch toil andtrouble"(p. 179).
"l could not but reflect.
Therewere "whitewaters"that threatenedeverybody;
with infiniteanxiety.on the hazardof my enterprise;
onef alsestepof thosewho
were attachedto the line,or the breakingof the line itself,would haveat once
consignedthe canoe,and everythingit contained.to instantdestruction."(p.
169). Nearthe PacificOcean,he was confrontedby a group of natives.who
had probablybeen mistreatedby CaptainCook'ssailors.and one of them,
armedwith a knife,grabbedhim f rom behind.AlthoughMackenzie
was alone
at the time, with great dexterityand strength he threw off the assailant.
(pp.352-3).A long sentencesometimessumsup the life-threatening
dangers
and sufferingsthat he sharedto the full with his crew: ".....For though our
effortswereshort,theywere pushedto the utmost.as lifeanddeathdepended
on them. ....I was on the outsideof the canoe,wherelremainedtilleverythrng
was got on shore,in a stateof greatpainfrom the extremecold of the water;so
that at length,it was with drfficultyI could stand,from the benumbedstateof
my limbs."(pp.21B- 9).He had his shareof frustrations.LikeChamplainwho
lost his astrolabeat an earlierperiodIn the UpperOttawa.Mackenziehadthe
misfor tuneone day to drop his pocket-compass
into thewater. (p. 154). On
anotheroccasion,he lost his note book,it beingsweptoverboardby hanging
brancheswhile he dozedin the movingcanoe.(p. 183).Althoughhe selected
his Indranguides carefully,he was sometimesvexed by their unreliability.
Nearingthe Arctic,he had to dismissa guidewhohad becomeso tror-iblesome
that rt was necessary"to watch him night and day,exceptwhen he was upon
the water".(p.44],.The new guide deserteda few days later!
Vll. On both voyages,Mackenziekept a daily lournal in which he
the
recordedas much informationas possibleabou"tthe land,the inhabitants.
climate,the trees, the vegetation,the insects.the birds, the fish and the
animals.The followrngare typicalof everso manyentries:"Notwithstanding
almosteverypartof them produceberriesof various
their barrenappearance,
junrper-berries,
partridgeberries"(p.
raspberries,
kinds.such as cranberries,
19), ".... cranberriesare found in great abundance..... lt rs a singular
circumstance,
that the fruit of two succeedingyearsmay be gatheredatthe
10
sa me tim e, f r om t he s a me s h ru b " (p .6 9 ); " Ou r nets thi s morni ng produced
fo u rte en whit ef is h. t e n p i k e , a n d a c o u p l e o f tro u ts" (p.1121: " Our hunters .....
ki l l e d two r ein- deer " 1 p 6 9 ); " T h e tre e s a re s p ru ce. red-pi ne, cypress, popl ar.
wh i te b ir c h. willow, a l d e r, a rro w -w o o d , re d -w ood, l i ard, servi ce-tree, boi sp i ca n t. . . . . ( p. 179) ; "
th e fi n e s t w o o d o f c e d ar trees that I have seen. I
me a sur ed s ev er al of th e m th a t w e re tw e n ty -fo u r feet i n the gi rth. and of a
p ro p o rt r onat e heigh t." (p . 3 6 8 ) Al th o u g h th e re are pages that seem to be
o ve rl o a ded wr t h or ie n ta ti o n fi n d i n g s . th e n a rra ti ve contai ns an abundance of
i te ms int er es t ing ev e n to th e re a d e r i n o u r o w n ti me. S ubl ect to hi s l i mi tati ons
o f ti me and paper , M a c k e n z i e i n c l u d e d w h a t h e j udged w oul d be of hel p to
th o se w ho planned to fo l l o w h i m i n to th e a re a .
V lll. W it h t he a b l e a s s rs ta n c eo f h i s c o u s i n, R oderi c.the account of hi s
tra ve l s was publis he d rn 1 BO1 u n d e r th e ti tl e ,' Voyages from Montreal on the
Ri ve r St . Laur enc e t h ro u g h th e C o n ti n e n t o f N o rth A meri ca to the Frozen and
Pa crfrc O c eans : in t he y e a rs 1 7 B 9 a n d 1 l 9 3 ." N ow a ra re book sel dom seen by
th e re ading publr c , it h a s b e e n l i s te d i n a re c e n t catal ogue at $3.000. Overthe
ye a rs, m any aut hor s h a v e w ri tte n a b o u t M a c k e nzi e' s expl orati ons. W . K aye
L a mb has inc luded t h e ' V o y a g e s ' i n h i s ' J o u rn a l s and Letters of S i rA l exander
Ma cke nz ie" , 1970. T h e n , i n 1 9 1 1 , M . T . H u rtrg , Li mi ted, has publ rshed the
'Vo ya ges ' , as a delu x e v o l u me i n th e C a n a d i a n R epri nt S eri es of rare and
va l u a ble f ir s t edit ion s . B o th b o o k s a re i n th e R e ference R oom of the C ornw al l
Pu b l i c Libr ar y , and t h e q u o ta ti o n s i n th i s a rti c l e are from the l atter.
A lt hough M ack e n z i e s ta te d i n h i s P re fa c e that he had been much better
ca l cu l a t ed t o per f or m th e v o y a g e s , a rd u o u s a s th ey mtght be. than to w ri te an
a cco u nt of t hem , hi s ' V o y a g e s ' i s a n e x c e l l e nt book of i ts ktnd. A l though
cri ti ci z ed " f or it s aus te re s ty l e .....l e a n a l mo s t to the poi nt of starvati on" . there
i s a mp le ev idenc e t ha t h e e m b e l l i s h e dw h a t c o u l d have been a dul l theme. In at
l e a st o ne ins t anc e, h e b e c a me a l mo s t l y ri c a l . a s he recal l ed the most beauti ful
sce n e ry he had ev e r s e e n . l t h a d " a l l th e d e c o rati ons w hi ch the trees and
a n i ma l s of t he c ountry c a n a ffo rd i t; g ro v e s o f p o pl ars i n every shape vary the
sce n e ; and t heir int e rv a l s a re e n l i v e n e d w rth v a s t herds of el ks and buffal oes.
. ... At t his t im e t he b u ffa l o e s w e re a tte n d e d w i th thei ryoung ones w how ere
f ri ski ng a bout t hem , a n d i t a p p e a re d th a t th e e l k s w ou l d soon exh i b i t the sa me
e n l i ve ning c ir c um s t a n c e . T h e w h o l e c o u n try d i s pl ayed an exuberant verdue;
th e trees t hat bea r a b l o s s o m w e re a d v a n ci ng fast to that del tghtful
a p p e ar anc e, an. ' dt he v e l v e t ri n d o f th e i r b ra n c h e s refl ecti ng the obl i que rays of
a ri si ng or s et t r ng s u n , a d d e d a s p l e n d i d g a i ety to the scene, w hi ch no
e xp re s s ions of m ine a re q u a l i fi e d to d e s c ri b e ." (p. 155).
I t has als o bee n s u g g e s te d th a t M a c k e n z i e' s " bl eak S cots consci ence"
p re ve nt ed him f r om d o i n g a n y th i n g fo r th e sheer toy of i t and thbrefore
a cco u nt ed f or t he l a c k o f h u mo u r i n h i s n a rrati ve. S urel y the hazards and
u n ce rt aint ies of t h e j o u rn e y s w o u l d h a v e been a better expl anati on!
N e ve rt heles s ,one ex a m p l e o f h u m o u r - a l mo s t o f grave humour - ts to be found
rn h i s des c r ipt ion o f th e e ffe c t o f s o me w i l d onrons that hrs peopl e had
g a i h e r ed. W hen m ixe d w i th th e s ta l e a n d s l e n d e r suppl y of pemmi can, they so
mu ch im pr ov ed it t ha t " th e y p ro d u c e d a p h y s i c a l effect on our appeti tes.w hrch
wa s ra t her inc onv en i e n t to th e s ta te o f o u r p ro v i si ons." (p. 235).
lX . M ac k enz i e w a s c o n v i n c e d th a t th e successful compl eti on of hi s
e xp l o r at ions was his tru e re w a rd . H i s l o u rn a l e n ds w i th these w ords: " H ere my
vo ya g es of dis c ov ery te rmi n a te . T h e rr to i l s a n d thei r dangers. thei r sol i ci tudes
a n d suf f er ings . hav e n o t b e e n e x a g g e ra te d i n my descri pti on. On the contrary.
29
rn many Instances,languagehas failedme in the attemptto descnbethem. I
received,however,the reward of mv labours.for thev were crowned with
success."(p.397).
Therewere, of course.other rewardsand honours.Wrthin the North
West Company.,there was increasrngrecognitionof the uniquenessand
importanceof his exploits.His Royalistfatherwould havebeenpleasedwith
the royaI f avoursthat cameto Alexander.TheDukeof Kent.laterto becomethe
fatherof Victorra.thefuture Oueen,befriendedhim and appointedhim as his
travelling companion,both in Canada and in Britain. and probablv had
somethingto do with the knighthoodconferredrn 1802. And yet, therewas
on ly a slownationalrecogn itionof the g reatnessof h isvoyagesof d iscovery.In
1808. Sir Alexanderreturnedto Scollandto spendhis remainingtwelveyears
at Avoch in the Blacklsle.reallya peninsula,not far f rom the Highlandtown of
Inverness.
The ancestralseatof the MackenzieClan had beenin the area,and
there he marriedhisclanswoman.
GeddesMackenzre,
who becamethe mother
of his two sons and his daughter.Theretoo he purchasedher father'sestate
and on it he livedthe lifeof a countrygentlemanand assistedin promotingthe
agrrculture.of the neighbourhood.In 182O, while returning home from
Edinburgh.hetook illand died suddenlyin awaysideinn. Hewasburiedinthe
Avochchurchyard.lt would seemthat afterthe lapseof so manyyearsthereis
little local recognitionof hrsgreatness.Somewill recallthestatementof the
Ottawahistorian.Dr. RobertLegget.in his 19BB lecturein the Nor'Westers
and
LoyalistsMuseum.Wi lliamstown.when hevisitedMackenzie's
gravehe noted
that the memorialtabletpaystributeonly in generaltermsto the life and work
of the explorer.
In Stornoway,there is recognition.Martin's Memorial Church now
occupiesthe siteof the housein which Mackenzie
was born,and in itthereis a
bronzetabletwiththisinscription:"SirAlexanderMackenzietheexplorer,who
was the f irstwhite manto followthe MackenzieRiverto the ArcticOcean;and
the first to crossthe Continentof NorthAmericanorth of Mexico.was born rn
the year,17 63, in a houseon this site."lt is now generallyagreedthatthe date
of his birth was 1764. With this correction.it is likelvthat the tablet'stribute
would be acceptableto Mackenzie.
As he himselffelt at the end of hisvoyages,
his true rewardhad been in their successfulcompletron.Likeso manvof his
fellow countrymenin an age when the BritishEmpirewas expandingrapidly,
h is ambitionhad beenrelatednot so m uch to what h is countrvcould do f or h im
as to what he could do for his country.Therefore,it is indeedfitting for us to
commemoratehim by celebratingthe two hundrethanniversaries
of hrs 1 789
and 1793 voyages.
30
SOCIEr y
Y IS TORICAL
AD D R E S ST O GL E N GA R R H
6, 1988
AT AL EX A N D R IAON
, T .,OC TOBER
b y H i s H o n o rJu d g e Matheson
Historyis the storytold by someonewho wasn'tthereof somethingthat
never happened,or perhaps more accuratelyit is the retelling and the
from a particularpoint of view of somethingdimlyremembered.
refurbrshing
Your roots do havemuch to determinewhat you are,you musttry to controllt
and not iet your genealogycontrolyou. Herein the companyof severalof my
blood relationsI must endeavourto restrainmyselfand not revertto the ltttle
bov who heardfrom his father,DawsonMathesonborn in Apple Hill,about
Bannockburnand Flodden long before learningthat lwas born a British
subjectand long long beforediscoveringthat l was a Canadian.lrejoice in
thinkrngthat many of our ilk, Sir John A Macdonaldis our classicexample.
have been better Canadiansbecause'theblood was strong'.When Robert
Mitchell left Falkirk,Scotland,wrth his wife and two children tn 1913
"Grandma"Mitchellsummonedhim to meether in'the big house'.Speakingto
him for the lasttime she said,"Now Robert.you are goingto Canada."Raising
Thisis
when you arrive,tsEA CANADlANl."
her voiceshe added,"Remember.
for
any
of
us.
not bad advice
This highlandcharacteristicof deep attachmentto place,to loch or
mountainor g len,th is ratherold f ashionedq ualityof loyalty iswhat Str Willtam
Johnsonsoughtwhen he wrote to BritainforJacobitesettlersto serveas an
inner guard in the MohawkValleyat a time when manyambitiousmen were
The men hewantedaroundhimweremenof f rghtingquality
talkingre.volution.
and courageand of tolerancefor difference,they hadto livewith peoplewho
spoke English,and German.and Dutch, as well as severalof the native
tongues,but most particularlyhesoughtfierceloyalty.ltwasoutof thisstock
that his son SirJohn Johnsonproducedat ChamblyOuebecin 1716 the First
Battalionof the King'sRoyalRegimentof New York,f rom which many of us
herepresentaredescended.lt was this samequalityof loyaltythat stoodout in
1812-13. in 1831, and again at the close of the AmericanCivilWar when
Feniansbelievedthat Canadashould be capturedas compensationto the
UnitedStatesfor the Britishhavingsunk the Alabama.
You will recall that in the three yearsfollowing Culloden Parliament
revisedsome of the lawsthat had beenpassedafterthe'1 5 and enactedstill
harshernew onesthat wereto destroyfor everthe Clansystemand the feudal
power of the chiefs,a power of life and death over the clansmen.The chief.
sublectto no law, but his own had power of capitalpunishmentover all his
people,a right 'from the dawn of societybeforea writing of the laws'.John
Prebbletellsthe storyof a.chiefwho attemptedto stampout larcenyamonghts
tribe by tying a clanswomancaught in some triflingtheft by her hair to the
seaw eedso that AlmightyGod,throughhis inexorabletide,shouldwreaka fit
punishmentupon her by drowning.Many of the chiefswere well educated,
indeed many tar better than the Englrshgentry. In Europeanand Brrtish
universitiesand by traveltheywerewellversedin the languagesand very as
connectionbetweenthe highlandsand Romers
well in Latin.Thelongstanding
of tolerance.
remarkable.lwill speaklater of the highlandcharacteristic
Culloden.on April 16th 1746. brought sudden and savageend to a
ronranticdreamwhrch had been kept alive since the '15 and which was lit
JI
afreshto burnfiercelywhenCharlesEdwardStuartlandedat Barraon the 1gth
of August 1145.lt becomesa greatwatershedof history,the tasttmportant
battlein GreatBritainwith far reachinginternationalconsequences.
when the
Sooo ill-equippedhighlandersundershockinglyinadequatecommandwere
routed by a professionalBritish army of twice their number supportedby
powerfulartillerythe remainrngclansmenwere put to the sword'.We believe
that Major Jameswolfe saveda numberof the defeatedFrasersunder Lord
Lovatfrom the f ury of both Cumberlandand GeneralHawleywho were urging
their mento'killeveryprisoneralive'.Theconsequences
of Wolfe'schivalryare
mrnd boggling for thirteenyears later it was Lovat'sFightingFraserswho
stormedthe heightsof Ouebec.And it was Wolfe who died!
By brutalitythe highlandswere subdued,the glensemptied.the clans
destroyedand the Hanoveriandynastymadesecure.The warriorspiritof the
clansmenwere usefullyextendedrn England'swars.My secretary's
husband,
Harold Cameron,is descendedof a sergeantCameronwho served under
WellingtonatWaterlooand who was settledin the BathurstMilitaryDistrictby
GeneralDrummond as army back-upafter 1812-13. But long beforethai
North Britainhad to be destroyedas a possibleally or pawn of France.The
tartan was banned.the kilt gone, their raw l egs put into breaks.'so that
highl anderswould becomeas other men'. Becauseclothingwas so scarce
they sewedtheir kilts betweentheir legsto make breekswhrletheir women
d ippedtheirtartan plaids intovatsof vegetabledyeand m ud so thatthe pattern
wouldn't show. This proscriptionwas onlv lifted in 1782 | know this well
'sent
becauseI haveherea silvertankard
to me by mv clan Chief,Sir Torquhil
Matheson of Matheson.6th Baronet of Lochalsh six years ago to
commemoratethe 200 yearsof f reedom!Of course,the pipeswere similarly
proscribed.The lastto die by hangingat Yorkminster
on Novemberj S, 17 46,
(allthe Highland prisonerscontraryto Magnacartaweretried in England)was
James Reid from Angus, a piper of Lord Ogilvy's Regiment.The jury
recommendedmercybecausehe had nevercarriedarmsnor strucka blow but
the ludge. Lord Chief Baron Parkeroverruledthe jury declaringthat "No
regimentevermarchedwithoutmusicalinstrumentssuch as drums,trumoets
and the like;and a Highlandregimentnever marchedwithout a piper, and
thereforehis bagpipe,rn the eyes of the law, is an instrumentof war". This
historicjudgmenthas proveda sourceof considerableprideto generations
of
militarypipersever since, but it stretchedone good piper'sneck.
While there are widely differenttastes in music it is hard for us to
imagine the fear that pipes engenderedin London, in England,and even
throughout the lowlands.We hear beauty in the EriskayLove Lilt and in
piobrachbut many heardthe rant of the pipessouth of the Valleyof the Tav
with alarm and dread.BeverleyMacOueenwho ovvnsthe log home between
Dunvegan and MacCrimmonwhich was bui lt by my great-grandparents
AlexanderMathesonand Flora Nicolson.and with whom I claim a distant
kinshipthrough my ancestressAnn McSwanof Skye,showed me his fiddle
musicbroughtto Canadafrom the Mistylsle'.lt hadthe ancientpipetunesbut
weittenfor the violin. some uncultivatedSassenachcustomsofficer might
imagineit was comoosedby Bachto whosecompositionspipe music bearsa
curious resemblance.
At Culloden,and duringthe crueloppressivemilitaryoccupationof the
glensthat followed,the Britishgovernmentf irstdefeateda tribal uprisingand
then destrovedthe societvthat rnadeit possible.Lordchesterfield,the model
32
of good breedingby his famousletterson mannersto his bastardson,wroteto
Newcastlerecommendinggenocide,"Starvethe countryby your ships,put a
priceon the headsof the Chiefs and letthe Duke(thebutcherCu m berland)put
allto the f ireandsword.And so the lowlandersinheritedour hillsandthe tartan
becamea shroud.And that is why you and I arefar from Scotlandand herein
Alexandriatonight.
Of course there was bitternessand pain. My grandfatherRev.John
Mathesonwas born in Edinbanein Skve,on the seacostwith the lslandof
Lewisrn distantview. He camewith his parentsto KenyonTownshipwhen he
was two. I askedmy father if my grandfatherwas very proud of havingbeen
born in Scotland.My fatherrepliedthat once he had askedhim that,and that
his father had taken a very long time to reply.He said "lt is a strangeland,
duringthe crisis
Dawson,that would prefersheepto men."In Sutherlandshire
of the CrimeanWar not one soldiercould be raisedfor the army.An old man
and a veteranof the wars told the Duke of Sutherland"Shouldthe Czarof
of DunrobinCastleand of StaffordHousenexttermwe
Russiatakepossession
could not expectworsetreatmentat his handsthanwe haveexperienced
at the
handsofyourfamilyforthelastfiftyyears."AllovertheHighlandsthefabricof
ancientloyaltieswas mouldering.Oncethe chiefs lost their powersmanyof
them lost also anv parentalinterestin their clansmen.Mv Clan Chiefwas an
exception.The 'TarPan'of the famousJardineMathesonempireand f ounder
of Hong Kong.he is disguisedin the Clavellnovelas'Dirk Struan'.Matheson
purchasedthe lsland of Lewrsand becamethe greatestbenefactorto the
hrghlanders
of NorthBritain.Yetwhen he diedwith a massivefortunef rom his
trade in opium leaving vast moniesto be paid to all those who would claim
kinship.not one Mathesoncameforwardto say he was related.I thinkthat the
remembranceof this manwas one of the influencesthat leadmy grandfather.
and my father, and my uncle killed at the Somme, in the directionof the
Christianministry.
Yetthesepeoplehad loyaltybredinto them,and when a newtestcame
tn 17 7 5 rn the NewWorld to which they had beenso crudelytransported,
they
werethef irsttodeclarefortheHanoverian
king.Thelittleflower.wecall'Sweet
William'wascalledin Scotland'Stinking
Willie'becauseitwas namedaftera
h atedand veryi nconsiderate
sovereig n.Yetou r peoplewereamong the f i rstto
become Loyalistseven though it meant them abandoning new found
possessions
and lush MohawkValleyfarms.
Mv mother'smother was born Kate Mclntosh.She married Duncan
McCuaigof Bainsville
who I believedto be the greatestman in allthe world.I
learnedmy highlandgenealogywith tartanpatchworkquiltsrn Bainsville
with
each sett representing
anotherrelative.At four yearsof age Grandmataught
meto be a snob.Whenlsaid "lsn't itwonderfulto be a McCuaig!"shewould
replywith a sniff,"Och,theycamef romthe Third.but we camef rom the Front!"
And then she would prevailupon poor Dunc to drive us in the McLaughrin
Buickup pastwesley'swhereshewould point out Murchison,shepronounced
it Merkisonland and another propertyowned at one time by the Rosesof
Kilrannoch.Much later llearned that Duncan Muchisonof Lancaster.
while
servingwrth the KRRNY,had been responsiblefor bringing57 familiesfrom
the MohawkValleyintowhat becameUpperCanada.Hewasf luentin Mohawk
and was latercommissionedwrth ColonelCampbell'sIndianDepartment.Hrs
father,in North Carolina,a retiredHighlandofficer.though elderly,wrth kilt
and sword declaredfor the King. He was thrown into prison, escaped,
33
recaptured,escapedagainand againrecaptured.He perishedin gaol.Laterin
Montreal,beforethe Britishauthoritieshis widow Jennethad him recognized
as a Loyalist,and shewasgranteda smallpension.Duncan'sdaughter.Janet,
marr iedCharlesRoseof the KRRNYand they at one time ownedthe property
patentedto Sgt. PeterSommersof the Lancaster-Summerstown
area.
Rev.John Matheson'swrfewas ChristyAnn ElizabethMacNaughtonof
Charlottenburgh
who warnedme at aboutfiveyearsof age of the greatperilof
strongdrinkandwild women.Shewas a piousladywhopaintedand playedthe
organ.With great prideshe showedme the entry in her Bibleof her ancestor
Peter FergusonKRRNYwho was carried,while deliriols. into Canada by
Mohawkwarriorsand later restoredto health by being fed po.tionsof dog
meat. He marriedJane Cameronof Cameron'sBushwhose fatherwas also
KR'RNY.
Thiswas the PeterFerguson
who gaveup his propertyrnWilliamstown
in f avourof Rev.John Bethunewho is mentionedin Dr. MacMillan'sbook,'The
Kirk i n Glengarry'.
My sister, Catherine ElizabethGordon Matheson, before she was
marr ied was named after her two grandmothers.Rev. Dr. Gordon (Ralph
Connor)whobaptizedher insistedin addinghis name,'Gordon',
tothe distinct
chagrinof my motherwho thoughtthe nameto be too masculine.lt is too bad
that we do not morefully understandthe significanceof names.I hadan uncle
Dr. Charnock Matheson,a longtrme professorat Oueen's.who actually
despisedhis name. He had to answerfrom everythingfrom Shamrockto
Charcoal.lt was vearsafterh is deaththat I discoverednear Lochalshthe 'field
'Charnock'themost
of the two declivities'whichin Gaelicwas orono.unced
piece
sacred
of earth to Clan Matheson.My father had been named after
PrincipalWilliarn
Dawsonof McGill.andthe secondson was intendedto have
an even nobler name.lvery nearlygot called'Homer'afterone of my soldier
uncleswas killedbut fortuitouslymy grandfatherhada severeheartattackjust
after larrivedand myfather promisedhis fatherbeforehe expiredlwould be
plain'John' like himself.
Macaulay said, "A people which takes no pride in the noble
achievements
of remoteancestorswill neverachieveanythingworthy to be
rememberedwith prideby remotedescendants."
I rememberoverthirtyyears
ago how delightedand proud the Right HonourableSir Thomas Innes of
Leaneywas,then Lord LyonKingof Arms,when a numberof our old Glengarry
familiesregisteredArms in the heraldicregistryin.Edinburgh.Shakespeare
said of Scotland," Alas poor country.too sickenedro know itself".We. the
childrenof the diaspora.who came hereto this favouredland when eventhe
name Scotlandwas anathemaand need be disguisedas'North.Britain'will
neverforget'the pit f rom which we weredigged'.Becausewe continueloyalto
her memoryScotlandis particularlycloseto her chrldrenbeyondthe seas,by
they in Australia,Hong Kong, Cape Brrtain or Trinidad. Like our Viking
ancestorswe havehelpedto f loweralltheraces.Thereare Scotsin Hungary,in
Italy,branchesof my Clan in Norwayand Denmarkwith minor changesin
spellingof name:Yearsago one of our covernorsGeneralvrsitrng
FortWrlliam
expresseda desireto actuallymeeta'full blood'lndian.TheHudsonBayfactor
said what was equivalentto "no problem"and went to the backto producea
young giant called Macdonald.Whether he was of Sleat,or Keppoch,or
Clanranald,or GlengarryI cannotsay,but he was a prideto any race and the
GovernorGeneralwas enchanted.
34
to d isappear.We aretoo importantto Canada.
Letus not allowourselves
We understandas few otherswhat it meansto be an underdog.a despisedand
fearedminority.The Glengarrysettlementof Jacobites,settledbesideFrench
Canada. consisted of ardent Catholics and tolerant Protestantswhose
commoncausebecamea passionf or decencyandf air play.ThesetraditionsoI
courtesy,toleranceand compromiseovercameall the sectarian
hosprtalrty.
all pasthurts.More importantthan
allthe hatredsand grievances.
differences,
the massivemilitarVcontributionsor historicexplorationswere the spiritual
Glengarryhavelaidovertheyearsupon
andintellectualgrftsthatthepeopleof
nation,
what Brockingtoncalledthis world's
com
passionate
this
of
altar
the
f irst great experimentin brotherhood.
Beforeembarkingwith the First CanadranDivisionto jorn the Britrsh
EightArmyrn Sicilywespentsomeweekslearningto mountainclimbwith pack
lwas saddenedone day to l earnthat the young Graham
mulesrn Perthshire.
heir,The Grahamand last of his lrne,had beenkilledwith the 51st Highland
Divisionin the AfricanDesert.I spentpreciousmomentswith htscourageous
mother.LadyGraham.The thought of that time we spent togetherbringsto
mind these somewhatmvsticallines.
'A GrahamTartanto a Graham'.Try to imaginethe tartan speakingto
living
clansmanwho will carryforth its traditionand honour!
some
'Use me in honour,cherishme,
as ivy from a sacredtree,
mine in the winds of war too close
aroundthe armourof Montrose
and kissthe deathwoundof Dundee.'
SIR EDWARDPEACOCK
who many now haveneverheardaboutwas
An illustriousGlengarrian
Sir EdwardPeacock.Hewas born on August2, 1871 in the manseat St.Elmo.
HismotherwasJaneMcDougallofthis community.Hisclosestlivingrelativeis
Miss Emily Kennedyof Ottawa and formerly of Maxville.Miss Kennedy's
parentswere CatherineMcDougalland John Kennedy.He was also a first
cousin of Mrs. Anne McRae'smotherand of the late D.H. Kennedvof Three
Bridges.
An articleon Sir Edwardapoearedin theTorontoStaron October16.
1982. The following informationwas taken from this article which is the
propertyof Mrs. McRae.here at the Manor.
In 1902 an angry young housemasterstormedour of UpperCanada
uollege and got a 1ob as a bond salesman.beginningan astonishingnew
career.Duringthe nexthalf-centuryhe becamethe confidantof a procession
of kingsand queensof Englandand bythetime of his deathhewas one of the
financialgeniusesof this century.In 192 1 Peacockbecamethe firstCanadian
to be made a directorat the court of the Bank of England.He had such a
thorough understandingof internationalfinance that he made one of hrs
clients.the RhodesTrust. so enormouslywealthythat he was called "The
SecondFounder"of the Rhodesscholarshrps.
35
At the outbreakof WorldWar ll. lt was Peacockwho wasf lownsecretlyin
a Britishbomberto Washingtonto solvethe delicateproblemof how Britain
i n the U.S.to f i nanceitswar with Germany.TheTimes
could useits i nvestments
oncewrotethat "therewas probablyno oneto whom the entiref inancialworld
f or
turnedso readily- or so often".and in tokenof their personalappreciation
his services,the royalfamily conferreda knight-hoodupon htm.
It is only rarelythat the Ontariogovernmentplacesone of its historical
a site
plaquesoutsideOntario;when it decidedto raisea memorialtoPeacock.
was selectedwhere it would be seenby most of hrsfriendsand itwas placed
insidethe Bank of England.For in the last yearsof his life. Sir Edwardhad
becomeknown as " The Conscienceof the Citv of London."
ln the traditronof the Scots.he was raisedin the beliefthatthetwo most
worthwhile professionsfor a man were to become either a ministeror a
teacher,and byworkingas a f arm laborerhe was a bleto saveenough moneyto
pay for his tuition at Oueen'sUniversity.
He not only graduated"magnacum laude,"he won both gold andsilver
medals,and soon afterwardsreceivedan offerf rom UpperCanadaCollegein
Torontoto becomeits new Englishteacherwith a handsomesalaryof $BO0a
year and his "tceep".
In the 1920's he was alsoaskedto becomea personalf inancialadviser
to the royalfamily.The Princeof Walesmade him a memberof his councilof
advis ersand he remaineda valuedconfidantof the royalfamilyuntil hisdeath.
At the end of the complex negotiationsarising over Edward Vlll's
abdicatron,
on Dec. 10, 1936, the new king,GeorgeVl wrote n his diary,"ERP
was a very great help."
Bv the trme he was in his 60's Peacockhad won for himself an
unassailablereputationas a man of absoluteintegrity,a witty and graceful
man with allthe qualitiesof a greatjudge and a seasoneddiplomat.
No one was surprisedwhen it was later learnedthat he had beenthe
personal choice of Winston Churchill and his government to fly to
Washingron,at the herghtot the tsattleof Britain.to find waysto use British
investmentsin Americato buv more food and ammunitionto help Britain
during the worst yearsof the war.
In his B0'swhen Peacockwas almosttotallydeaf,he was askedto help
createthe banksupportedCommonwealthDevelopmentFundto f inancelong
range projectsin the developingcountriesof the BritishCommonwealth.
Throughouthis long life, Peacockneverlost touch with his friendsin
Canadaand came back almosteveryyear. He held a life long interestin the
affairsof Upper CanadaCollegewhich had developedinto the best boys'
school in the countrY.
Afewweeksbeforehis deathin 1962 atthe ageof 91 hewasshownthe
rnscriotionthat was to be placedabovethe main door of the "Prep"school.lt
"Named
was now to be knownas!he PeacockBuildingandthe inscriptionread
in honor of Sir EdwardRobertPeacock,Master1895-19O2,A Founderofthe
PreparatorySchool."
Thisarticlewas givenby Mrs.Ann MacRaeto NeilD. MacLeodand is reprinted
with his kind oerm ission
36