Friday, March 5th, 2010
The following was written by Maggie Smith for Hebridean Connections. The genealogies of all the known inhabitants of the island of Vuia - uninhabited since 1841 - can be found here.
Life on the island of Vuia Mhòr was hard, with little fertile land and no safe anchorage. The peats were ...
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Friday, December 25th, 2009
Further to the previous item about WJ Maclean of Gisla, who was a Chief Trader with the Hudson's Bay Company: an account of the one Christmas he and his family spent at Fort Pitt before it was burned to the ground in April 1885. This is from an article by ...
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Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
We've mentioned before the story of William "Big Bear" Maclean, who was born in Scaliscro in 1837 and, after his family moved to Gisla, went on to an eventful career with the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada. His HBC record has recently come to light (thanks to Donald Macaulay, Stornoway) ...
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Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009
Fearchar (Farquhar) Macdonald, son of Angus, was about born about 1809 at Capadal, roughly on the site of 3 Ardroil. In 1832 he joined the Hudson's Bay Company, as a "slooper" - a crewman on HBC decked vessels. According to the Company's personal records, he boarded the Prince Rupert IV ...
Posted in emigration, history, people | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
O an strì ann an tìr a phailteis,
O am fallas, o am fuachd,
Cha robh cùisean mar bha dùil seo idir
Le olc is aingidheachd is cruas.
-- Tìr a Phailteis, Calum Martin
The Megantic Outlaw, Donald Morrison, is a folk hero in Quebec and Uig alike and his story is well-known on both ...
Posted in audio, emigration, history, news & events | 4 Comments »
Saturday, January 24th, 2009
The National Film Board of Canada has just launched an extraordinary website with hundreds of clips from 90 years of film-making in Canada. So far I'm not finding anything specifically Hebridean, but here's a full-length dramatisation of the settling of the prairies, featuring a family from Montreal that takes ...
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Friday, August 15th, 2008
Family home from Canada for a visit to Geshader. Dolina (or Ina), #3, married Duncan Macleod from Embo, Sutherland in Toronto in 1921 and lived in Vancouver; they came home for good after WW2. Ina, Christina and Catriona were three of the five daughters of Effie and Angus.
Back: 1. Christina Morrison (nee Macritchie) with Murdo, 1 Ungeshader ...
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Sunday, August 10th, 2008
Donald Maciver was born in Crowlista in 1857, son of John Maciver, the Gaelic schoolmaster and missionary, and they lived in Ness and then South Lochs. Donald also became a teacher, at Lemreway (see the school log), Breasclete and latterly Bayble.
The family had come from Carnish, just across the sands, ...
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Sunday, August 10th, 2008
In 1851, at least six emigrant ships took Lewismen to Canada: the Marquis of Stafford (500 passengers), the Barlow (287), the Wolfeville (69), the Prince George (203), the Islay (68) and the Urgent (370). In 1852, the Blanche (453) and the Melissa (330) followed. The first port of call after ...
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Friday, August 1st, 2008
By Peggy Eiric Maciver, Kneep; an elegy for Iain Morrison, son of Angus Morrison of 13 Reef who was a policeman in London. Iain emigrated to Canada and was killed in a mining accident in 1970.
Marbhrann air Iain Moireasdan, Uig agus Lunnainn, a chaochail an Canada.
Iain ‘s mòr an àmhghair ...
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Tuesday, July 29th, 2008
A further entry from the 1851 Diary of John Munro Mackenzie, enumerating his difficulties in getting the emigrants away. They sailed first for Troon, and thence for Quebec. It seems the Marquis of Stafford that took them to Canada was a steamer, unless the reference here refers to another boat that ...
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Thursday, July 24th, 2008
[gallery]
On TB Day, 18 June 1929, TB Macaulay of the Sun Life Assurance Company, Montreal, visited Valtos and was presented with an illuminated address by Rev Malcolm Maclennan, on behalf of the people of Uig. Rev Maclennan gave a speech, and TB followed, as reported by the Gazette:
Mr Macaulay, acknowledging the ...
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Monday, July 21st, 2008
Pic: some of the worthies of Uig and Stornoway at the ceremony.
TB Macaulay, president of the Sun Life Assurance Company of Montreal and descendent of the Macaulays of Uig, visited Lewis in the summer of 1929 to open the new Municipal Buildings in Stornoway (replacing those destroyed in the fire ...
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Sunday, July 20th, 2008
Donald Matheson, an Saighdear Chaluim Bhain, was a son of Malcolm Matheson (Calum Bàn) of Valtos and Crowlista. (Calum Bàn has some interesting ancestors who can be found by following the lines back via Hebridean Connections.) Donald was born in the 1740s and joined the army, serving at the siege ...
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Sunday, July 20th, 2008
Calum Aonghais a'Bhreabadair was born in Valtos in 1862, a son of Angus Maclennan who had travelled the world. The family moved to 11 Kneep. Calum went to Canada as a young man and studied at McGill University in Montreal. He worked for some years as a ...
Posted in history, people | 2 Comments »
Stornoway, UNITED KINGDOM