Sannox people arrive at Lac Joseph
More from Jim Henderson on the Clearances journey of Arran people to Canada
At the end of their long trek to the allocated land at Lac Joseph, the Sannox folks found a forested area running down to the lakeside – and nothing else. In the year 1829 a total of four thousand eight hundred and thirteen people emigrated from Scotland to Canada, but the Arran settlers were the first to be directed to this part of the Megantic County. They were true pioneers, for no preparations had been made for them. On a dry piece of ground near a ford by what is now known as Hamilton Road (named after the Duke of Hamilton), they put up makeshift tents by stretching blankets or other such material over poles held together with whatever ropes or tying material they could find. Luckily they had arrived during a period of excellent weather conditions and fires were only required for cooking.
They soon found that the lake and adjoining river were abundant with trout, a good source of food. The water became their main mode of travel, too, as the men could use canoes to fetch supplies from the next settlement, called Inverness, to sustain the Scottish community. At the time when the Arran contingent arrived, the total population of the Inverness area was only 60 persons. For the Sannox people, there was a pressing need to start building some form of proper accommodation before the Canadian winter set in, but the Quebec agent did not arrive until September to allocate the grant lands. This created some disappointment and anger as the Arran people could not start building until well into the Autumn, making it difficult to secure wind and watertight structures before the onslaught of winter. As the weather worsened, life became harder in the makeshift tented settlement, and fever struck the group. Most survived, but two of the children died.
There was little time for mourning. The work of clearing areas of the forest and making use of the felled trees to build log cabins was urgent, and so was the need to work the ground, making it able to raise crops and livestock. Even though they were not used to forestry work, they soon became expert at wielding the axe and learned how to construct pits in which they could saw the timber into boards.
The agent allocating the grant of lands reneged on the Duke of Hamilton’s promise that every able-bodied person over 21 would receive a minimum of 100 acres. Instead he only allowed 100 acres for each family, which was far less than they had expected. The group’s leader, Archibald McKillop, was given 200 acres and a free choice of location, but the others had to accept the land allocated to them. The 100-acre plots were often in a bad situation, located some distance from the lake side. In time it was discovered that a lot of the best land surrounding Lac Joseph had been sold to speculators from Quebec – but there was work to be done, and indulging in bitterness would be a waste of energy.
By now a further four Sannox families (23 persons) had arrived at Lac Joseph. They had originally been part of the Caledonia exodus in April but were sent back to their homes as the brig was overcrowded. Two months later they travelled to Greenock with the SS Helensburgh, which began a royal mail service to Arran in 1825, and there boarded the brig Albion, captained by Mr William Hall and carrying 202 settlers. The brig left Greenock on June 5th and arrived at Quebec on July 24th. By the end of the month this additional Sannox group had joined the little colony at Lac Joseph, increasing the size of the tented village to 109 persons. They were, the passenger list says, ‘Mrs J. McKillop, widow, and 9 others, Mrs P. Gordon widow and 2 others, James Fullerton (blacksmith) and 4 others, John McKenzie and 4 others.’ Peter Sillars (Tanner & Shoemaker) and 7 others arrived in mid-August, having left Greenock on June 18th aboard the brig Foundling, captained by Mr G.McLeod. These additional five families brought the total number in the tented Lac Joseph village to 117 men, women and children. They were honest, robust, frugal, religious and persevering, and these qualities gave them the strength to make a success of their new life. But ahead of them lay a winter that would put all their resources of character and determination to the test.
Jim Henderson will continue his story of the Sannox settlers in next month’s Voice for Arran.
