In the summer of 1803, some 800 Highlanders bid a tearful fairwell to the ancient lands of their keith and kin, and sailed off aboard three little ships into a new future in a strange new world. How frightening it must have been for them. Most of them had probably never travelled more than a mile or two away from their homes in their entire lives, nor ever had their fathers or grandfathers before them.
Unfortunately, passenger lists do not survive for these ships, the Polly, the Oughton and the Dykes, but it would be neat to see, one day, a reconstruction made up from family records alone.
The Polly under the command of Captain Darby, arrived in the harbour of Orwell Bay Prince Edward Island on Sunday, August 7th, 1803. She carried 250 adults and some 150 children. Most all were Presbyterians from Skye, (Lord Selkirk called her "The Skye Ship") and most of them settled in or around Belfast Prince Edward Island, although a few bought land near Tyron.
The Dykes, with Lord Selkirk on board arrived in Charlottetown 2 days after the Polly, she carried emigrants from Mull, as well as some of the other Hebridean Islands.
The Oughton arrived in Prince Edward Island some days later, on August 27th 1803. This ship carried 40 or 50 people from Uist, mostly Roman Catholics. These people settled on Selkirk's land around Georgetown (once called Three Rivers)
Finlayson, Donald, with wife,
2 sons, and 2 daughters, settled Pinette, PEI.
Gillis, John, with wife,
2 sons, and 2 daughters, settled Pinette, PEI.
Kennedy, Christina settled Flat River PEI, and married Findlay Macrea.
Kennedy, Isabella settled Flat River PEI and married Mr. Mactavish of Newtown PEI.
Kennedy, Miss, married William Nelson of North West River.
Lamont, Alexander, emigrant
from either Kingsburg or Uigg district of Skye in 1803 on Polly with wife
Eunice
Currie. They emigrated with their children and settled in the Portage
Belfast area of PEI.
1.Angus Lamont born Skye c1799 married Margaret Gillis
d/o John Gillis and
Catherine Nicholson emigrants on the
Polly.
2.Peter Lamont married Anne Gillis d/o John Gillis and
Catherine Nicholson
emigrants on the Polly.
3.Euphemia Lamont born Skye married Allan Shaw.
4.Mary Lamont born Skye, married William Og Macleod (1800-1885)
s/o
Malcolm Macleod and Euphemia Macdonald
emigrants on the Polly.
5.Daughter Lamont.
Descendants for this family available
at the Alexander
Lamont Page
Source: Lamont family archives, catalina@intergate.bc.ca
Macaulay, Aubrey, settled Point Prim, PEI.
Macaulay, Malcolm, settled Point Prim, PEI.
Macaulay, John, settled Point Prim, PEI.
Macdonald, Duncan, with wife 1 son and 2 daughters, settled Flat River PEI.
Macdonald, Findlay, from
Mull, born c1750, emigrant on the Dykes in 1803 with wife Jessie
Mackinnon They settled in Point Prim, where he was listed as one
of the lighthouse keepers, and they had 6 children.
1. Anne Macdonald born 1786 Mull, married Donald Og Murchison,
s/o Donald
Murchison and 2nd wife Margaret Macgillivrey,
emigrants on the Dykes from
Mull.
2.Hector Macdonald born jan or Feb 1803 on Mull age 6
months when
emigrated, married Catherine Maclean
d/o Murdoch Maclean and Mary
Martin of Point Prim.
3.Janet Macdonald married David Spence of Ely Scotland.
4.Mary Macdnald married Angus Macdonald.
5.Margaret Macdonald married Donald MacInnis
6.Catherine Macdonald married John Macdonald
Descendants available for this
family at Findlay
Macdonald Page
Source: Scottish Settlers to Canada before Confederation ref # 5606,
#7649
Source: Hebridean Pioneers page 35, 36
Source: Frank McLean archives, Frank_McLean@mindlink.bc.ca
Macdonald, John with wife,
settled Red Point PEI, with children;
1.John Macdonald
2.Ronald Macdonald
3.Euphemia Macdonald
4.Christina Macdonald
5.Catherine Macdonald
Macdonald, John, settled
Flat River PEI, married Mary Morrison with children probabley among others;
1. Marion Macdonald b. Jan 23 1825 Flat River PEI.
2.Hector Macdonald b. Dec 16 1827 Flat River PEI.
Source: Macdonald family archives, EG, catalina@intergate.bc.ca
Macdonald, John, from Kinloch
Skye on the Polly in 1803, with his wife Margaret
Macdonald and 2 sons, and 2 daughters. His wife Margaret was sister
to Catherine Macdonald who died on Skye, wife of Donald Macleod of the
Kendrom Macleods. John and Margaret settled first in lot 48 near the mouth
of Ch'town harbour, where they remained for a few years calling the place
Kinloch, and then moved to Orwell Cove, where they were known as the Kinloch
Macdonalds. He m. 2ndly without issue Elizabeth Smith of Newtown, d/o Findlay
Smith. He took up a beautiful 400 acre farm facing Orwell Bay and River.
It passed out of the family in 1938. John Kinloch Macdonald and his wife
Margaret had ch;
1.Donald Macdonald m. Margaret Macleod of Kendrom Macleods
2.Catherine Macdonald b. c1807 PEI m. Alexander Gillis
2.Anne Macdonald b. c1810 m. John Small Macdonald
3.Mary Macdonald b. c1800 Skye, m. Charles Nicholson
4.Jane Macdonald m. Angus McInnes of Pinette
5.John Jock Macdonald b.c1802 in Skye m. Margaret Macdonald
of Point Prim.
Descendants for this family available
at John
of Kinloch Page
Source: Macdonald family archives, catalina@intergate.bc.ca
Source: Scottish Settlers to Canada before Confederation ref # 5735
Macdonald, John, with wife and 3 sons, settled Glashvin, PEI.
Macdonald, Ronald, settled
Point Prim, PEI, married Catherine Gillis with children;
1.Peter Macdonald b. March 15 1827 Point Prim.
1.Catherine Macdonald b. Aug 2 1843 at Point Prim
2.Christina Macdonald b. Sept 11 1849 at Point Prim
3.Donald Macdonald b. Aug 20 1824 at Point Prim
4.Euphemia Macdonald b. Jan 28 1832 at Point Prim
5.John Macdonald b. July 1 1834 at Point Prim
6.Angus Macaulay Macdonald b. May 9 1838 Point Prim
7.Anne Macdonald b. March 7 1834 Point Prim
8.Margaret Macdonald b. Feb 22 1840 Point Prim
Source: Macdonald archives E.G., catalina@intergate.bc.ca
MacInnis, John, settled Gallows Point (Earnscliffe) PEI.
Mackenzie, Alexander, with wife 1 son and 4 daughters, settled Flat River PEI.
Mackenzie, John, with wife and 3 sons, settled Flat River PEI.
Mackenzie, Kenneth, senior church elder, emigrant on Polly in 1803, signatory for Dr. Macaulay in 1811. With wife, 2 sons and 2 daughters, settled Flat River PEI.
Mackenzie, Mrs, settled on Wood Islands Road PEI.
Mackenzie, Roderick, with wife, 2 sons and 2 daughters, settled Pinette, PEI. This family later moved to Wallace Nova Scotia.
Maclean, Lauchlan, probable emigrant on Polly in 1803, signatory for Dr. Macaulay in 1811.
Maclean, Murdoch, emigrant
on Polly in 1803, signatory for Dr. Macaulay in 1811. He settled Point
Prim PEI and married Mary Martin with children;
1.Catherine Maclean married Hector Macdonald s/o Findlay
Macdonald and
Jessie Mackinnon emigrants from Mull
on the Dykes in 1803.
Source: Frank McLean archives, Frank_McLean@mindlink.bc.ca
Macleod, Alexander, with
wife and son, settled Point Prim PEI.
1.Alexander Macleod
Macleod, Alexander, settled Pinette PEI.
Macleod, Donald, from Kendrom,
Kilmaluaag Skye, a widower who came with his grown up sons. His wife was
Catherine Macdonald who died on Skye. She was sister to John of Kinloch
Macdonald's wife Margaret. With children;
1.Alexander Macleod married Miss Macleod d/o Major Macleod
of Raasay, she
was cousin to Annabella Macleod
2. Malcolm Macleod married on Skye, Rachel Macqueen and
emigrated on the
Polly.
3.Murdoch Macleod married Flora Nicholson, d/o Old Donald
Nicholson and
Catherine Macarthur, emigrants on
the Polly.
4. Roderick Macleod married Miss Mackenzie who was related
to the Flat River
Mackenzies.
Descendants available for this
family at
Donald of
Kendrom Macleod Page
Source: Macleod family archives, catalina@intergate.bc.ca
Macleod, Donald, with wife and 3 sons, settled Pinette, PEI.
Macleod, Donald, with wife
and 1 son settled Point Prim, PEI.
1.John Macleod
Macleod, Donald with wife,
2 sons and 1 daughter settled Point Prim PEI.
1.Angus Macleod
2.John Macleod
3.Catherine S. Macleod married Mr.Mutch.
Macleod, Donald, with wife and 3 sons, settled Glashvin PEI.
Macleod, John, settled Point Prim PEI.
Macleod, John, with wife and 2 sons, 2 daughters, settled Pinette, PEI.
Macleod, Malcolm from Glashvin
Skye, and his wife Euphemia Macdonald of the Glengarry clan, emigrated
on the Polly in 1803. With 4 sons and 5 daughters, they settled in Glashvin,
PEI.
1.John Macleod
2.Donald Macleod married Miss Macleod.
3.Malcolm Macleod married Margaret Maclean of Point Prim,
d/o Angus
Maclean and Charlotte Macaulay, emigrants
on the Polly.
4. Mary Macleod married Findlay Dockerty, s/o Donald
Dockerty and Anne
Stewart, emigrants on the Polly.
5.Catherine Macleod Jr., married Mr. Mcfadden of West
River, PEI.
6.William Macleod jr. born c1800 Skye, married Mary Lamont,
d/o Alexander
Lamont and Eunice Currie, emigrants
on the Polly.
7.Christina Macleod, born c1780 skye, died c1862, married
Donald Macqueen
in Skye and emigrated on the Polly
in 1803.
8.Angus Mor Macleod, born 1796 Skye
died Jan 28 1885, called Big Angus
married Margaret Dockerty died Dec
11 1863 age 64 years, emigrants on the
Polly in 1803, d/o Donald Dockerty
and Anne Stewart of Skye.
9. Catherine Macleod Sr., married Angus Dockerty, s/o
Donald Dockerty and
Anne Stewart, emigrants on the Polly.
10.Anne Macleod, married her cousin Alexander Macleod
and emigrated on the
Polly.
11.William Saighdear Macleod emigrated to PEI a few years
later, he married
Macpherson.
Descendants available for this
family at the Glashvin
Macleod Page
Source: Macleod family archives, catalina@intergate.bc.ca.
Macleod, Murdoch, settled in Pinette, PEI.
Macleod, William, settled Point Prim PEI.
Macleod, Samuel, with wife, 2 sons, and 3 daughters, settled Pinette, PEI
Macrea, Donald, With wife and family, they moved to Cape Breton.
Macrea, Donald B., settled Point Prim PEI.
Macrea, Donald, settled Pinette, PEI.
Macrea, Duncan, single, settled Flat River, PEI.
Macrea, Edward, with his wife, settled Pinette, PEI.
Macrea, Evender, a church
elder, from Skye in 1803, a petitioner for Dr. Macaulay in 1811. With wife
and children, settled in Point Prim, PEI.
1.Roderick Macrea
2.Donald Macrea
3.Alexander Macrea
4.William Macrea
Mactavish, Alexander, with
wife 2 sons, and 4 daughters, settled Newtown PEI.
Murchison, Alexander, settled Point Prim PEI.
Murchison, Donald, died march
21 1831 aged 88 years, and his 2nd wife Anne Macgillivrey died april 1838
aged 87 years. They emigrated on the Dykes in 1803, settled Point Prim,
PEI. With children;
1.Neil Murchison b. 1795 died march 18 1830 m. Euphemia
Macdonald.
2.Samuel Murchison b. 1793 died 1864 married Alice Macaulay,
d/o Dr Angus
Macaulay and Mary Macdonald emigrants
on the Polly.
3.Donald Og Murchison b. 1780 died july 1 1836 married
Anne Macdonald d/o
Findlay Macdonald and Jessie Mackinnon,
emigrants on the Dykes.
4.Peter Murchison died unmarried.
5.Malcolm Murchison drowned crossing to Pictou NS.
6.Simon Murchison remained in Scotland.
7.Alexander Murchison.
8.John Murchison (son of Donald's first wife) married
Miss Mackenzie, he
drowned while crossing to Pictou with
his half brother.
Murchison, Malcolm,. settled Point Prim, PEI.
Murchison, Neil, settled Point Prim PEI.
Murchison, Peter, settled Point Prim, PEI.
Murchison, Simon, settled
Point Prim PEI.
Nicholson, Old Donald, from
Flodigarry Skye, a widower, with his grown up children, 7 daughters and
2 sons to Orwell Bay on the Polly in 1803. His wife Catherine Macarthur
died on Skye. He settled Orwell Cove PEI, schoolmaster, granted 100 acres
of land. Petitioner for Dr. Macaulay in 1811. With children;
1.Catherine Nicholson married John Gillis on Skye.
2.Flora Nicholson married on Skye Murdoch Macleod, s/o
Donald of Kendrom
Macleod and Catherine Macdonald.
3.Charles Nicholson (?) married Mary Macdonald.
2.Flora m. Murdoch Macleod s/o Donald of the Kendrom
Macleods.
3.possibly Charles m. Mary Macdonald.
4.Mary Nicholson married on board the Polly, John Ross
s/o Ewen Ross and
Nancy Gillis of Kilmuir Skye.They
settled in Flat River PEI.
Descendants available of this family
at the Old
Donald Nicholson Page
Source: Nicholson family archives, catalina@intergate.bc.ca
Source: Scottish Settlers to Canada before Confederation ref #10158
Source: Hebridean Pioneers page 27, 74.
Source: Harold Macleod, h.macleod@pei.sympatico.ca
Nicholson, Donald, with wife, 2 sons and 2 daughters, settled in Pinette PEI.
Nicholson, John, from Stencholl
Skye, s/o Malcolm Nicholson, tacksman of Stencholl, Kilmuir Skye, with
wife Jane Martin, settled in Orwell Bay beside the Newtown River, granted
500 acres. He was known locally as "Steinshole." Jane Martin was a cousin
of Samuel Martin who also emigrated. John and Jane are buried in the old
French Cemetery. With children;
1.Hannah Nicholson m. in Skye, died on PEI without issue.
2.Rachel Nicholson, unmarried.
3.Donald Nicholson b. c1780 miller, Magistrate m. Isabella
Nicholson of Skye.
4.John Nicholson Jr. b. c1812 of Orwell Cove, m. Mary
Macleod d/o Roderick Macleod of Kendroms and Miss Mackenzie with issue.
Descendants of this family are
available at John
Nicholson Page.
Source: Hebridean Pioneers page 92
Source: Skye Pioneers and the Island page 153
Source: Scottish Settlers to Canada before Confederation, ref #10135
Source: Nettie Gove Nicholson archives, catalina@intergate.bc.ca
Source: 1841 census, they possibly had 10 children. 5 sons, 5 daughters.
Nicholson, John,
from Skye, he married Mary Macdonald, emigrated on the Polly and settled
possibly in the Point Prim area. With children;
1.Charles Nicholson born 1796 Skye,
died May 20 1864 buried Polly Cemetery.
He married Mary
Macdonald with children;
1.Angus Nicholson m. Sarah ? with son Donald John m. Christina
Mackenzie, d/o James Mackenzie of Uigg.
2.John Nicholson
3.Alexander Nicholson b. 1827 died 1880 m. Barbara Irving.
4.Donald Nicholson
2.Catherine Nicholson b. 1780
3.Donald Nicholson b. 1787
4.Alexander Nicholson b. 1780
Source: David Hunter Archives, www.isn.net/~dhunter
Nicholson, John, with wife, 4 sons and 3 daughters, settled Flat River, PEI.
Nicholson, Neil, from
Skye to Orwell Bay on the Polly in 1803. He married Mary Stewart with children.
Source: Scottish Settlers to Canada before Confederation
ref #10141 page 352
Nicholson, Samuel, (Soirle) settled
Eldon PEI, with 1 son. Signed petition for Dr. Macaulay in 1811.
1.James Nicholson born c1799 Skye
Source: Scottish Settlers to Canada Before Confederation Ref # 10144.
Nicholson, Samuel, with 2 sons and 2 daughters settled Flat River PEI. He was related to John Nicholson of Stencholl Skye.
Ross, David, with wife, 1 son and 1 daughter, settled Red Point PEI.
Ross, David, with wife and
1 son, settled Pinette, PEI.
1.William Ross
Ross, Donald, settled Flat River PEI.
Ross, Ewen, with wife Nancy
Gillis, from Kilmuir Skye with grown children, settled in Flat River PEI.
With children;
1.John Ross, married on board the Polly, Mary Nicholson
died 1813, d/o Old
Donald Nicholson. They had son Ewen
Ross who m. Frances Macdonald.
Source: Harold Macleod, h.macleod@pei.sympatico.ca
Source: Nicholson family archives, catalina@intergate.bc.ca
Smith, Findlay with 2 sons
and 2 daughters settled Newtown PEI.
1.Margaret Smith was 2nd wife to
John Kinloch
Macdonald.
Stewart, Alexander, settled Georgetown Road, PEI.
Stewart, Allan, was the first man born in Belle River PEI.
Stewart, Charles, with
wife, settled in Belle River PEI. With children;
1.Malcolm Stewart.
Stewart, Donald, settled
in Belle River PEI.