Colin
Douglass
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Colin Douglas was one of the earliest settlers in Canada, sailing on
board the Hector, from Loch Broom in Scotland.
Below are extracts from An Historical Account of the Settlements of Scotch
Highlanders in America, by J. P. MacLean
The following is a The following is a list of passengers that arrived on board the
Hector, originally drawn up, about 1837, by William McKenzie, Loch
Broom, Nova Scotia:
From Invernesshire: Colin Douglass, wife
and three children, two of the latter lost on the Hector, on Middle
River.
However great may have been the expectation of these
poor creatures on the eve of their leaving Scotland, their hopes
almost deserted them by the sight that met their view as they
crowded on the deck of the vessel to see their future homes. The
primeval forest before them was unbroken, save a few patches on the
shore between Brown's Point and the head of the harbor, which had
been cleared by the few people who had preceded them. They were
landed without the provisions promised them, and without shelter of
any kind, and were only able, with the help of the earlier settlers,
to erect camps of the rudest and most primitive description, to
shelter their sick, their wives and children from the elements.
Their feelings of disappointment were most bitter, when they
compared the actual facts with the free farms and the comfort
promised them by the emigration agent. Although glad to be freed
from the pest-house of the ship, yet they were so overcome by their
disappointment that many of them sat down and wept bitterly. The
previous settlers could not promise food for one-third of those who
had arrived on board the Hector, and what provisions were there soon
became exhausted, and the season was too late to raise another crop.
To make matters still worse, they were sent three miles into the
forest, so that they could not even take advantage, with the same
ease, of any fish that might be caught in the harbor. These men were
unskilled, and the work of cutting down the gigantic trees, and
clearing up the land appeared to them to be a hopeless task. They
were naturally afraid of the Indians and the wild beasts; and
without roads or paths through the forest, they were frightened to
move, doubtful about being lost in the wilderness.
Under
circumstances, such as above narrated, it is not surprising that the
people refused to settle on the company's land. In consequence of
this, when the supplies did arrive, the agents refused to give them
any. To add still further to the difficulties, there arose a
jealously between them and the older settlers; Ross quarrelled with
the company, and ultimately he left the newcomers to their fate. The
few who had a little money with them bought food of the agents,
while others, less fortunate, exchanged clothing for provisions; but
the majority had absolutely nothing to buy with; and what little the
others could purchase was soon devoured. Driven to extremity they
insisted on having the supplies that had been sent to them. They
were positively refused, and now determined on force in order to
save the colony from starvation. Donald McDonald and ass
went to the store seized the agents, tied them, took their guns from
them, which they hid at a distance. Then they carefully measured the
articles, took account of what each man received, that the same
might be paid for, in case they should ever become able. They then
left, leaving behind them Roderick McKay, a man of great energy and
determination, a leader among them, who was to liberate the
agents—Robert Patterson and Dr. Harris—as soon as the others could
get to a safe distance, when he released them and informed them
where their guns might be found, and then got out of the way
himself.
The people were all religiously inclined, and some
very devout. All were desirous of religious ordinances. They would
meet at the regular hour on the Sabbath, Robert Marshall holding
what was called a religious teaching for the English, and Colin
Douglass doing the same in Gaelic. The exercises consisted of
praise, prayer and the reading of the Scriptures and religious
books. They were visited once or twice by Reverend David Smith of
Londonderry, and Reverend Daniel Cock of Truro came among them
several times. As the people considered themselves under the
ministry of the latter, they went on foot to Truro to be present at
his communions, and carried their children thither on their backs to
be baptized by him. These people had so little English that they
could scarcely understand any sermon in that language. This may be
judged from an incident that occurred some years later. A
Highlander, living in Truro, attended Mr. Cock's service. The latter
one day took for his text the words, "Fools make a mock of sin." The
former bore the sermon patiently, but said afterward, "Mr. Cock's
needn't have talked so about moccasins; Mr. McGregor wore them many
a time."
Afterword
On July 23, 1973, thousands of Scottish-Canadians and
Scottish-Americans gathered at Pictou to celebrate their common
ancestry. Anchored in the harbour was the schooner Bluenose II
standing in for the Hector. The guests of honour included
Justice William O. Douglas
of the United States Supreme Court who was present to pay homage to
his ancestor Colin Douglas. Throughout the day hundreds of copies of
the refurbished passenger list were distributed by high school
students. William MacKay's document had been transformed into an
elegant souvenir of the event. For the first time the actual list of
Hector passengers was available to the general public and family
historians. Genealogists would have no problem finding familiar
names in the crisp, new reproduction.
Note:
The Hector's passenger list has been transcribed and shows Colin as
the only adult Douglass. There is a Margaret Douglas, aged between 2
and 8 years old and under 2, a Colin Douglas, son of Alex. However,
there was no Alex Douglas on the Hector. Colin's daughter is
said to have married Peter Fraser, so how Justice Douglas is a
descendant of this family remains to be determined.
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
Errors and Omissions
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