The Waugh River School District more or less followed the boundaries of the old DesBarres Manor farm which is better known today as the Waugh Block. Bounded on the south by Balfron and the north by the Village of Tatamagouche, it took what is now Highway 311 from a small creek near Tatamagouche to the Mine Hole Brook near the Balfron boundary, most of the Shea (Jim Sutherland) Road, and out the Upper River John Road to approximately the Charles Laurie Road. The school was located on the Upper River John Road about a half kilometer from where the Loop of Eleven and and Jim Sutherland Roads join onto the Upper River John Road.

The following photo was generously shared by Frank Wilson along with the names of those pictured. Although outside our Earltown diaspora, there will many familiar names to those hailing from further south. (I must be getting old. I remember many of these people).

Maude Fraser, Teacher            – Also known as Alice, she was a daughter of David Fraser and Eliza MacPherson,  Tatamagouche.  She was 17 at the time, boarding with the Robert MacKay family during the term.   Nine years later she married the MacKay’s son, Harry, in Portland, Oregon.

Mary Cameron  – daughter of John Cameron and Mary Jane Taylor, River John Road.  She married Warner Forbes, Denmark

Mabel Lindsay  –  daughter of John Lindsay and Elizabeth Waugh who lived on the west side of the river.  She married Harry Shannon and lived in Melrose, Ma.

Jennie Murdoch – daughter of John Murdoch and Lydia Faulkner who lived on the farm on the east side of Murdoch’s Bridge.   As a young woman she went to New York.   At some point she married a Mr. Fell but had no children.  She returned to her childhood home in the 1940’s to live with her sister Queenie.

Lill MacLeod was a daughter of James Isaac MacLeod and Margaret Ellen Waugh.  Her father was from River John and the family was living among the Waugh families in 1901.  Shortly after this picture, the family moved to Rutland, Ma..  She married Henry Johnson.

Bessie Wilson – most likely the daughter of William and Annie Waugh.  She married John Baillie of West Earltown.  They lived next to the Willow Church Cemetery.

Maude Murdoch – daughter of John Murdoch and Lydia Faulkner.  She married Tommy Drysdale of Tatamagouche Mountain.  They lived in Portland, Maine.

Nellie Johnson – daughter of John Johnson and Clara Waugh, Shea Road.  She married Simon Patriquin of Amherst.  They moved to Detroit before 1940.

Bobby Urquhart –  son of  J. William Urquhart and Dorothy Gordon.  The Urquhart family lived on what is now the Cripp property on River John Road.   Bobby went west as a young man and was living in Radison, Saskatchewan, when he enlisted in WWI in 1917.  Prior to 1933 he moved to Vancouver where he died in 1964.

Second row

Minnie Morrow – daughter of Robert Morrow and Agnes Forbes.  The Morrow family lived on the farm of the late Gordon Murray, River John Road.  She never married and lived with her sister Ethel near River John.

Marjorie Currie –  daughter of Abram Currie and Maggie Lindsay, lived at the north end of Waugh’s River near the Tatamagouche Village limits.   She was twice married, first to Thomas Grant while living in Saskatchewan, second to Ingram Banks.

Margaret Urquhart – daughter of J. William Urquhart and Dorothy Gordon.  She died unmarried in 1951.

Lizzie Currie – sister of Marjorie,  married William James MacRobbie.   She retired to a new home on the Currie farm.

Bella Waugh –  daughter of William Waugh and Maggie MacLanders, grew up on River John Road.  She married Earl Rae of New  Aberdeen, Cape Breton.  They later lived in Hawthorne, California.

Bella Johnson –  daughter of John Johnson and Clara Waugh.  NFI

Elsie Mingo – daughter of George and Catherine Mingo, River John Road.  She married John Ashmer Perrin, Kemptown.

Bobbie MacKay – son of Robert MacKay “Tailor” and Bessie Murdoch, Loop of Eleven Road.  Bobbie went west as a young man and worked at one time delivering milk in Regina.  He also spent time in Minnesota with relatives.   His last years were spent  in a small house on Loop of Eleven near the Balfron boundary.  He was a hunting guide.

Les Cameron – son of the John Cameron and Mary Jane Taylor, River John Road.  Les married Stella Mingo and lived the most of his life at Ferguson Crossing.

Queen Murdoch – daughter of John Murdoch and Lydia Faulkner, Murdoch’ s Bridge.  Her name was actually Ethel but her father nicknamed her his little Queen when she was a toddler.  The name stuck.  Queenie obtained her teacher’s license and taught in  this school.  She later taught in Saskatchewan for a few years before returning to Waugh’s River to care for her parents and farm.

Jean Craig –  daughter of John Craig and Lizzie Waugh.   Her mother died in 1895 and Jean was sent to live with her grandparents,  Thomas Waugh and Catherine MacIntosh, Millbrook Cottage, River John Road.  Jean married Frank Smith and lived in Vancouver.

Front row

Ira MacKay – son of Robert MacKay ‘Tailor” and Bessie Murdoch, Loop of Eleven.  Ira took over his father’s farm.  He was briefly married to Eva MacLanders.  Ira lived his whole life at Waugh’s River.

Elsie Waugh – daughter of Sarah Waugh, Mine Hole farm. She married Herbert Drysdale and lived near Tatamagouche.

Dottie Blackall –  daughter of James Blackall and Jessie Urquhart.  Dottie was born in Somerville, Ma..  It would appear she was staying with her grandparents,  Alex and Nancy Urquhart, when this picture was taken.   She married Alvin Wood.

Eliza Blackall – sister of Dottie, married Raymond Keith

Gladys Currie – daughter of Abram Currie and Maggie Lindsay.  She married Jack Fletcher.

Glennie Laurie –  daughter of Charles Laurie and Mary Duhy, River John Road, married Seldon Swan of Middleton

Pearl Johnson – daughter of John Johnson and Clara Waugh.  NFI

Tommie Waugh – son of James Blair Waugh and Rose Pratt, Melrose, Ma..  The parents parted and Tommie was brought up by his grandparents, Thomas Waugh and Catherine MacIntosh, Millbrook Cottage.  He later joined his father in Portland, Maine.  He was married twice.

Fred Cameron – son of John Cameron and Mary Jane Taylor.   Fred farmed on River John Road. He married Rhoda Walker.

Eddie Cameron – a brother of Fred, lived in Truro.

Melvin Laurie – son of Charles Laurie and Mary Duhy,  River John Road.  He married Beatrice Stevenson of Middleton.