A Chairdean Ionmhuinn Mo Chinnidh
|
MC DONALD NEWSLETTER, Summer,2002,Vol.16, No.2, |
"A WEST WIND TO EAST BAY"
"The east wind, which brought them from Scotland, left them with unfulfilled dreams, but the west wind that brought them to East Bay fulfilled their dreams of liberty and peace". So stated Fr Allan in his new book about the East Bay Pioneers.
I met Fr Mac Millan in 1987 when I visited him in his home in Nova Scotia. He was writing this book then. Needless to say, it was a lengthy project for in this 652 page book he details the family trees of twenty six pioneer East Bay families. I am proud to say that he devotes numerous pages to our Mac Donalds, Gillises, Mac Adams, Mac Isaacs, Mac Gillivarys and Mac Eacherns.
The author goes on to say, "As stories of free land in Nova Scotia and in Cape Breton (at that time a separate colony) drifted across to PEI, some of the disgruntled tenants began to make plans. It is said that as early as 1810 some were talking of moving to Cape Breton. It is perhaps worth noting that this was the year that Captain John Mac Donald of Glenaladale died. Did his heirs change the policy of "leasing forever"? In any case, Donald Gillis, Duncan Curry and Donald Mac Isaac went first and scouted out Cape Breton Island in 1812. They staked out land and got grants at and near the Head of East Bay. The following year some more came and each succeding year seemed to bring a few more. All got grants from the Crown. The land wsa theirs forever and no one could kick them off it!"
This is a book that you should have in your library as part of your legacy to your children and grandchildren. Purchasing directions follow:
"A WEST WIND TO EAST BAY"
Music Hill Publishers
PO Box 1612
Sydney,Nova Scotia
Canada
Price:$50 Canada $37 U.S.
Shipping
Canada $6.00 USA $9.00
================================================================================
He Visited the Farmer's Daughters
Cousin Gary Hacker recently shared this early recollection with me.
"When I was 16 and during one of my summer visits to my Uncle Les in San Luis Obispo, we met an elderly gentleman in San Miguel who was familiar with the McDonalds and who used to date several of my grandaunts. He showed us pictures of Laughlin and Michael and he had some family photos showing the whole family together. He claimed that he was a close neighbor and I told Tessie about my encounter. She was thrilled and knew the gentleman well. She told me that in his early days he was a horse thief and that her Dad (Laughlin) was responsible for saving his life and kept him from being hung. He also, supposedly, got one of the sisters pregnant but Aunt Tessie (I called her "Nana" then) laughed and would not give me any details. Even when I asked her about that many years later, she just laughed and said that was not a "repeatable" story. She did go into details with me about her life on the Estrella and of the hard times they endured. Every once in a while, some of those stories come back to me.
That must have been a wonderful era to live in California during those years
of innocence. I'm sure we will never comprehend all the hardships of life
growing up in San Miguel and of the isolation they must have felt as young
people".
Gary Hacker
Don't laugh, Cuz, one of us may have a step aunt or step grand uncle out there. ================================================================================
MC DONALD FAMILY CD ROM AVAILABLE
Last chance for this special offer. Like they say on TV, this used to be $19.95 but, if you order today, it is yours for the low low price of $3.00 This is a MC Donald Family Narative Slide Show which contains 145 thumbnail picture files or full size pictures, 30 narative files, and can run automatically or by a click of the mouse or space bar. It covers eight generations of our family with picture from several provinces and states. Also included are a variety of pictures from various family reunions.
Be the first kid on your block to own a copy of this splendid family artifact by sending me your snail mail address and $3.00. My address is 2341 Silvertree Rd, Claremont Ca. 91711
===============================================================================
Global Gazette Plug
"Bill Norin, who has published the quarterly MacDonald Family newsletter for 11 years shares this story after reading the column about Maritimers going to the Boston States.
'My favourite (not my fault if the Canadians can't spell the mother tongue.) story (all we genealogists go on for hours with our family tales) was about J.J. Mac Donald who married a Protestant girl on Prince Edward Island. Her father disowned her and so they moved to Boston. Caught up in the fervour (There they go again adding those "u"'s) of a group of Irish Patriots who wanted to fight the Rebs, J.J. enlisted in the 28 th Massachusetts Volunteers. He wrote home and to the newspapers about his valiant fellow Yankees. Unfortunately, as an unarmed colour (ye gods! "color") guard he was slain in his first battle.His widow and two small daughters returned to P.E.I. J.J's letters, which I still have were very moving.'"
Visit Bill’s webpages for an eyeful of MacDonald stuff:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9632
or
http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/n/o/r/William-W-Norin
================================================================================
This picture from the Cape Breton Genealogical Society Newsletter accompanied an article about our summer reunion. I regret it wouldn't scan better than this but perhaps you can pick out some folks. I see cousin Jodie, the Sutter twins and their mom, Barry Bennett, our gracious host, Richard Mac Terry and family, our illustrious chef, Jim "Emil Bam" La Tore and myself.
In the last issue my feature story was about cousin John Samuel Gillis* who, while on his way to the Spanish American War, jumped ship and settled in Hawaii where most of his descendents still live today. Cousin Elizabeth Sutter Gillis sent me this picture the original of which which hangs in the Bishop Museum. It shows one Colonel Soper dismissing Queen Lillu'okalani's Palace Guards following the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy. Next to the Colonel in a straw hat is Jack Gillis. What he was doing there or his role in the overthrow is totally unknown, even to his grandchildren.
* He was a son of Hugh Gillis, Lauchlin and Michael's uncle who accompanied them when they came west.
==========================================================================