Monthly Archives: April 2024

The Story of My Life, with Several Reminiscences by the Rev. John Murray, D.D.

Eric Wilson and Bill Collett (of Scotsburn and Bettendorff, Iowa respectively) are third cousins and descendants of Alexander Murray, the patriarch of an extensive network of families in West Pictou and North Colchester.  They are also descendants of  William Murray “Catechist” of Dornoch, Sutherland which is another network scattered across the same area.   Both are fifth cousins of my son, a sobering thought.

Together these gentlemen have compiled a book about their great grand uncle, Rev. John Murray  DD.  Those interested in local history, church history and genealogy will be quite familiar with Rev. Murray’s two published works:  “History of the Presbyterian Church in Cape Breton” (1921) and “The Scotsburn Congregation of Pictou County” (1925).   Rev.  Murray  grew up near Bethel Church in Scotsburn in an era when a few of the original adult settlers were still living along with many who came from Sutherlandshire as children.   

Scotsburn, (better known as Roger’s Hill or Dalhousie in the mid 1800’s), had many ties to Earltown. The two communities shared common origins in the North of Scotland, the Gaelic, and the same brands of Presbyterianism.  Many Earltown families had strong blood ties to Scotsburn and intermarriage between the two was common.

Consequently there are several ties between Rev. John and Earltown.   Three of his sisters married Earltown men,  (Janet Stewart, Annie MacBain and Margaret MacKay “Achany”);  he was a second cousin to the Valley and Craig lines of Murrays; a first cousin of Margaret Sutherland “Mighty” and Adam Murray; a widespread family of Mathesons in Balfron and Tatamagouche and countless others such as the Prince Sutherlands, Gorm Murrays, Big Jim MacKay’s family and an extensive tribe of MacKenzies in nearby West Branch.

I’ll let editor Eric Wilson describe the contents:

The stories in his “Reminiscences” provide a window into this very interesting man’s personality and his time in history. He was a great and engaging preacher and writer and he had a roving and adventurous disposition. He traveled widely in Canada, the US and Scotland visiting relatives and friends and even shaking hands with both the Prime Minister of Canada (MacKenzie King I believe) and the President of the United States (Grover Cleveland). He was a mining recruiter, coal investor and an inspired preacher and converter of lost souls. He wasn’t averse to politics and was completely Zealous for the Lord! . His text (grammar, spelling, capitalization, etc. etc.) has been duplicated word for word to remain true to his writing style and nuances. The stories are personal, often comical, interesting, full of details and frequently inspiring.

Several very interesting Appendices have been written by the editors. Also, pictures have been added that help the appeal and flow of the book. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A COPY PLEASE CONTACT EDITOR ERIC MURRAY WILSON BY EMAIL AT ericnosliw1@gmail.com

The objective is to subscribe 100 interested parties; the printing cost drops down significantly at 100.  It should be very close to $20/copy. Of that amount, $5 will be donated to St. John and Bethel Cemeteries for restoration of headstones in particular need of attention. If sales go well a second printing will occur. Thank You!
Eric Murray Wilson, Scotsburn

PS: St. John’s Cemetery is the final resting place of at least two of the first settlers of Earltown as well as the ancestors of others who once lived in Earltown. This is a great way to support the cemetery while brushing up on local history. GMM

Jack Sutherland – Rancher, Miner, Writer and Politician

Obituary 1958 in Hanna Herald:

J.K. “JACK” SUTHERLAND -Alberta Friends Mourn Death of Colchester County Native. (From the Hanna, Alta., Herald) Men and women in cities, town and villages across the farm lands of the west are today mourning, the passing of one of western Canada’s most well known and respected men, J.K. “Jack” SUTHERLAND. The doughty Scot, who was born in Earltown, Nova Scotia, passed away in the Hanna Hospital on Sunday, Aug. 31 following a lengthy illness, that finally sapped the life of this stalwart of the plains. Known far and wide for his ever constant efforts on behalf of the farming industry, Jack SUTHERLAND’s work, his visions and his personality will long characterize the pioneer “sons of the soil.” Known as a real but fair fighter in the farm and political causes in which he indulged down through the years, his sincerity in his beliefs stamped him as a man who commanded much respect and admiration from people in all walks of life. Fine Gentleman. His accomplishments, his ideas and his vision of better things yet to come are legion. Jack SUTHERLAND’s life here will long remain a legend to this district, to residents in all walks of life. We in this section of Alberta, in particular, have lost a staunch friend, a faithful worked, and a fine gentleman. John Kenneth SUTHERLAND was born at Earltown, Nova Scotia on February 16, 1889, the son of Annie McKAY SUTHERLAND and Daniel SUTHERLAND. In 19011, twelve years later, his parents both passed away in the same summer, so his education was limited to a short attendance at public school, working on farms, lumbering, shipbuilding and in the sawmills until 1908, he came west on the harvest excursions accompanied by the late Andrew MacKAY. Taking up a homestead and pre-emption in what was then to be the Hanna area early in the spring of 1909, he was one of the first settlers in this country with the exception of the early ranchers. In the winter months he worked out in the mines, smelters and bush in British Columbia. Four oxen and a saddle horse were his first motive power on his homestead, the nearest town and the end of the steel, was Settle in 1909 and 1910, and in 1911 steel reached Castor, while in 1912 it reached Hanna in the late fall. He was married to Elizabeth Jean MUNRO of Earltown, Nova Scotia, by the Rev. Bill IRVINE. Two daughters and one son survive, Ruth, of Olds, Anna of Midnapore and John at Hanna, also four grandchildren. He first became a member of the United Farmers of Alberta late in the fall of 1909 and he continued until his death. He was also a member of the Trail Mill and Mine and Smelter Workers Union and the Western Federation of Miners the same year. In 192(?) he was elected to the Board of the UDA organization and served as Board Member, Executive Member and Vice President until 1945, Representing that organization, he served on the old Canadian Council of Agriculture, the new Federation of Agriculture, and the Western Marketing Conference under John BRACKEN, at hat time Premier of Manitoba. Help Draft Manifesto. He took part in the organization meeting of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation in Calgary in August in 1932 and next year helped to draft the Regina Manifesto at the next annual meeting of that party. He was a member of the Earltown Board of School Trustees for many years, a Board Member of Hanna Local United Grain Growers and Secretary and charter member of Hanna Local U.F.A. and later the FUA and later was still a member of the Earltown FUA, secretary of Acadian District FUA Association. He was also an Alberta Wheat Pool delegate for 12 years in the ‘twenties’ and ‘thirties’, delegate of Alberta Poultry Producers for 15 years and chairman at annual meeting for almost an equal number of years. Was CCF Candidate. The late Mr. SUTHERLAND also took an active part in politics and in the Federal election of 1945 was defeated as CCF candidate.

Genealogy Notes:

Jack was an only child. His parents lived on Campbell Road with his mother’s parents, John MacKay “Achany” and Marion Matheson. His father Donald was married previously to Christena Murray “Ardachu”, sister of Johnny Murray “Bible”. She died within six months of marriage.

Jack’s wife, Eliza Jean, was born on the Captain’s Road, Clydesdale, to Hugh Munro and Isabel MacFarlane. Eliza Jean’s obituary, entitled “Mrs. J. Sutherland Was One of Hanna’s Pioneer Women”, (Drumheller Mail, October 10, 1957), states that she was born in 1880 and educated in Earltown. She finished her education in Halifax. Eliza moved to British Columbia and joined a smelting company in Trail as an accountant in 1918. As indicated in Jack’s obituary, he often spent the winter months working in the smelters of BC and we now have another example of how members of the Earltown diaspora would find each other in far off places. They were married in 1920. Like Jack, Eliza Jean was active in community service and used her business skills to further community development and took a lead in farm organizational work. She served on the provincial executive of the FWUA and was a director of Acadia FWUA for several years. She also played a role in provincial and federal political affairs. In religion, both were active in the local United Church. The obituary notes that their farm was six miles miles southwest of the town of Hanna.

  1. The parents actually died in 1903, Mom in June and Dad in December according to Earltown Village Cemetery inscriptions. ↩︎

Earltown Native Harvests Texas Wheat

John Kenneth “Jack” Sutherland was born in Central Earltown in 1889 to Donald Sutherland “Elasaid” 1and Nancy MacKay “Achany”.   His parents died within a few months of each other in 1903 after which Jack lived with his aging Sutherland grandparents near Matheson’s Corner.

In 1909 at the age of 20,  Jack and his next door neighbour,  Andy MacKay “MacIubh”2,  left Earltown to find their fortune in Alberta.  After roaming the prairies east of Red Deer, they filed claims to adjoining acreages in the vicinity of Hanna.  

 In 1920 he was joined at Hanna and in marriage to Eliza Jean Munro, a Halifax schoolteacher, who was a daughter of  Hugh Munro “Captain” 3and Isabel MacFarlane, Clydesdale near Earltown. 

Jack was active on many fronts which we will review in a future post. 

In 1949, at Jack’s invitation, the National Film Board documented an extraordinary harvest excursion.  Self-propelled combines were relatively new. Jack and his neighbour, Ted Quaschnick, hauled their combines, supplies and camps south to Texas and made their way back through Oklahoma, Wyoming, Montana, and southern Alberta before returning to Hanna to harvest their own crops.  This was a short-lived solution to the early harvests in the South as combines became more affordable to ranchers in the early 1950’s.

It would be a few years before the folks back home in Earltown had televisions where they could view the adventure.   

Here is your link    Harvests on the March – NFB   .    It is 43 minutes.  Old farm boys like myself will watch the whole film whereas those with other interests may want to watch the first 10 and last 10 minutes to get a feel for the experience.

  1. Elasaid, pronounced Allsage, was the descriptor attached to the descendants of Donald Sutherland and Elasaid Ferguson. The homestead was at the junction of the Matheson Corner and Spiddle Hill roads. Elasaid was Gaelic for Elizabeth. ↩︎
  2. “MacIubh”, pronounced MacYew, is a descriptor for a MacKay family on the Matheson Corner Road. The name followed them from Strath More in the northwest of Sutherland to Muie in Rogart and from there to Earltown a few generations later. ↩︎
  3. Captain describes the descendants of Captain Hugh Munro, an early settler in Clydesdale, notables for firsts in Earltown: first horse, first sawmill and first pair of boots. ↩︎