[The following article won the Ontario Genealogical Society's Marion Keffer Award for "Best Original Article 1997" as printed in 'Branch Notes' by the London & Middlesex County Branch for "London Leaf" co-editors, Dennis Mulligan & Gerry Tordiff.]

In 1838, the island of South Uist, part of the estate of Clanranald in Scotland's Outer Hebrides, was purchased by Colonel Gordon of Cluny. The vast majority of his new tenants were poor peasant crofters and destitute cottars. For economic reasons, Gordon proceeded to evict the tenants from the better lands in order to establish large sheep farms. Much of the tenantry found themselves attempting to eke out an existence on rocky or boggy land. The potato crop failures between 1846 and 1848 exacerbated the already desperate situation on the island.

Reluctantly, in 1849, the family of Lachlan MacDonald, his wife Catherine MacMullin, their eight children, along with their neighbour, James MacIntyre, his wife Catherine Bowie, and their seven children, joined hundreds of other residents from the middle district of South Uist and sadly trekked to ships awaiting them at Lochboisdale. They had to carry their little food and their few possessions the ten miles. These two families boarded the Tusker - its destination not being disclosed until after two days at sea.

Their rapid voyage of two weeks was spent in the cramped steerage quarters with occasional respite on deck in fair weather. Free from cholera, the vessel passed the quarantine station at Grosse Isle in the St. Lawrence River, and proceeded to Quebec where its mass of Gaelic-speaking passengers was unloaded. The date was August 30th, 1849.

The 180 miles from Quebec to Montreal were covered in fourteen hours by steamship. From Montreal, passage was obtained on Durham boats which were slowly propelled against the current by setting poles and square sails. After several days of laborious effort, the emigrants reached the town of Prescott where they transferred to a lake steamer for the two-day voyage to Hamilton at the head of Lake Ontario. There had been a cholera epidemic in Toronto in July, so perhaps authorities did not want to aggravate the situation by having these new immigrants disembark there. However, at Hamilton an outbreak of cholera did occur among the throng of immigrants and the MacDonald and MacIntyre families were among the few families who escaped the loss of a dear one.

By stagecoach and wagon, a group of three hundred made their way westward along the Dundas Rd. to London in Middlesex County. After a brief rest they continued to Williams Twp.; the women and children rode in wagons while the men walked behind. At the village of Nairn, the miller, Mr. McIntosh, gave them food and supplies on credit. The final leg of their long journey entailed the carrying of these possessions on their backs for six miles through mud up to their knees, swales, and dense forest with only a blaze on odd trees for direction. A Choille Mh�r (the Big Woods) presented a harsh challenge to these weary pioneers from the treeless island of South Uist. The MacDonald family settled on lot 11 con. 13 and the MacIntyre family chose lot 7 con. 12 west of the Centre Rd. in Williams Twp. Log shelters were quickly constructed as winter was ominously approaching.

In February, 1850, the first death in the new community occurred. At the age of forty-two, Mrs. Catherine MacDonald succumbed to the rigors of the journey followed by the cold winter in the wilderness of Canada West. Following discussion, the heads of the households decided to establish a burial ground nearby on the crest of a hill on lot 8 con. 12. and she was interred there.

Education was held in high esteem by these pioneers; James MacIntyre, a farmer, became one of the first teachers, in both Gaelic and English. A log schoolhouse was soon constructed near his home, just east of the burial ground. In succeeding generations of his family, and of the MacDonald family, numerous educators can be identified.

Lachlan's MacDonald's son, John, married James MacIntyre's daughter, Mary, in 1863 at St.Columba Church, Bornish. All their children were born and raised on the MacDonald homestead. In addition to farming, John was active in local politics; the MacDonalds were Tories; the MacIntyres were Liberals. One of Mary's brothers, L.C. McIntyre, was a Justice of the Peace who also operated a small general store from the front room of his parents' home. When accounts were paid in full, a customer would receive a small bottle of uisge bheatha (water of life = whiskey) in appreciation - a noble idea!

John McDonald's son, Lachlan, named in the Gaelic tradition after his paternal grandfather, joined other young men sailing on the Great Lakes. It is said that more young men from the 12th concession sailed the Lakes than from any other concession in West Williams Twp. During the 1880's and 1890's, these men also found winter employment in the lumber camps of Michigan and Alabama. Young women of the community worked as housekeepers or teachers in London, Detroit and Chicago.

Lot 11 Concession 13 West Williams Twp., Ont.

As the decades passed, more and more farmland was wrested from the forest and families prospered with mixed farming. The MacDonalds replaced their log home with a two-storey brick house in 1899 and a new well was dug. John and Mary retired to McLeod St. in Parkhill in 1907, where they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary six years later with a large extended family.

In 1911, Lachlan married a local schoolteacher, Hannah Dalton of Kingsbridge, Ont., one of three Irish girls in the Scottish community. Their seven children were born on the McDonald homestead, the births assisted by Dr. Racey. The 12th concession has many hills and dales; in the 1930's, young people with motorcars nicknamed it "the Road to the Isles" . They enjoyed local dances and activities but the lure of the city was stronger, and so, all of this generation moved away. The centennial celebrations of Bornish, Ont., in 1949, attracted many visitors from near and far to the St. Columba churchyard with speeches, socializing and bagpipe music being the order of the day. The next year, Lachlan and Hannah sold the family farm and retired to Main St., Parkhill.

... The McDonald Family, 1930
Left: Anna, Ursula, Ronald, Joe, Dalton, John, Jim.
Right: Lachlan P. and Hannah McDonald

The descendants of the Lachlan MacDonald and James MacIntyre families are now scattered across North America and number almost 300. They wish the reader Sl�inte Mhath (Good Health).

Other families who emigrated from South Uist at the same time included: Bowie, Ferguson, MacCormick, MacDonald, MacEachen, MacInnes, MacIntosh, MacIntyre, MacIsaac, MacKinnon, MacLellan, MacLeod, MacMillan, MacPhee, Morrison, O'Henley, Steele, and Walker.

A database containing over 32,000 individual names has been constructed to identify spouses, ancestors and descendants of all these families. For information or exchange of data contact:
Donald E. Read E-mail: ap357@ncf.ca

Copyright 1996