Recently we were able to share a picture of the 1889 class of the East Earltown School. Since then, Ian MacCara has shared the following picture of the 1900-1901 class of the same school. There are a few older students who appeared in the 1889 photo but the majority are new faces.

Unlike 1889, this group includes a couple of families from across the line in Pictou County. The Munro and MacLeod families lived on the College Grant Road. College Grant had its own school for many years, located near the junction with the main road between West Branch and River John. It would be a similar hike either way for the MacLeods but East Earltown was 1.5 km closer for the Munro family.

What the future had in store for these students was typical of most rural schools in that era. Some of the girls married local boys and settled into rural life. Some of the boys, not many perhaps at this stage, took over the family farm. Several went west across the continent for better opportunities. Some died before finishing school and in this class, one died on the battlefield.

The names were documented at the time. The comments are mine and subject to correction

Doorway L-R

Jessie MacKay – Teacher
Jane Matheson -Daughter of John and Annie (Murray) Matheson, Back Mountain

Back Row L-R

Josie MacLeod – Daughter of Dan and Jessie (MacKay) MacLeod, College Grant.
She married George MacIntosh, Earltown.
Sarah Gratto – Adopted daughter of Peter and Christy (MacKay) Gratto, MacBain’s
Corner. She married Ed Carruthers in Boston in 1902 and settled in Claresholme,
Alberta where she died in 1907.
Bertie Langille – Albertena Langille, daughter of Solomon and Emily (Langille) Langille,
Mountain Road. She married William Haldane, Red Deer, Alberta
Bessie Sutherland – Possibly from Mountain Road
Christy Baillie – Daughter of John and Johanna (Sutherland) Baillie, Balmoral Road
She married Allister Hamilton and lived on Brule Point.
Alex Matheson – Son of John and Annie (Murray) Matheson, Back Mountain.
He married Ellie McNutt and took over the family farm and later moved to
MacBain’s Corner.
Jamie Murdoch – Foster son of James and Ann (MacKenzie) Langille, Balmoral Road.
Believed to have gone west after finishing school.
Lawson Langille – Son of Solomon and Emily Langille, Mountain Road. Lawson died at
Vimy in World War I.

Middle Row LR

Margaret MacLeod – Daughter of Dan and Jessie (MacKay) MacLeod, College Grant.
She married Bert Rae of West Branch. She died in 1916.
Millie Priest – Daughter of Barbara “Pensioner” MacKay and George Priest, Vasselboro,
Maine. She lived for a few years with her grandparents, Dan and Jane MacKay “Pensioner” before returning to Maine.
Bessie Matheson – Daughter of John and Annie (Murray) Matheson, Back Mountain.
She married George Ferguson of Balmoral. They first lived in Montana, returned to Balmoral and later moved to Brule Point.
Gus Gunn – Angus Gunn was a son of Dan and Jessie (MacKay) Gunn, Squire MacKay
Road. The family moved to New Glasgow when the father took ill. Gus married Margaret Hadley and lived in Moncton.
Willie Munro – Son of Dan and Dolina (Sutherland) Munro, College Grant Road. He married Libbie MacKay and lived at East Branch River John.
Jim Munro – Son of Dan and Dolina (Sutherland) Munro, College Grant Road.
He married Jessie MacKinnon and lived in Massachusetts
Jack Gunn – Son of Dan and Jessie (MacKay) Gunn. He married Irene Douglas, New
Glasgow.
Peter Matheson – Son of John and Annie (Murray) Matheson. he married Hilda
Poignant and lived in Bellingham, Wa.
George Murray – Son of John Murray “Hodge” and Mae Sutherland “Dearg”, MacBain’s
Corner. He married Berte Handschu and lived in Ashcroft, BC

Front Row L-R

Stanley Langille – Son of Solomon and Emily Langille, Mountain Road. He married
Jennie Murray of West Branch. He was a merchant.
Johnnie Munro – Son of Dan and Dolina (Sutherland) Munro, College Grant Road. He
married Bessie Baillie and lived at College Grant Road.
George Robert Munro -Son of Dan and Dolina (Sutherland) Munro. Died young
Georgie Matheson – Daughter of John and Annie (Murray) Matheson, Back Mountain.
She married 1) Dan G. Sutherland, Balmoral 2) John D. “Jack” MacKay
Christena Matheson – Daughter of John and Annie (Murray) Matheson, married
John J. Sutherland. They farmed at Nuttby and retired to Balmoral. Christen lived to 103.
Rena Ferguson – Raised by Jim and Ann Langille, Balmoral Road
Little Willie MacKay – This guy is a mystery at the moment but seems to be connected to the Achany MacKays. (Notice that the plaid leggings match the dress panels of the two MacKay girls).
Lena MacKay – Daughter of Robert and Margaret (Murray) MacKay “Achany”. She
married Gardiner Forbes, Denmark Merchant.
Marion MacKay – Daughter of Robert and Margaret (Murray) MacKay. Died in 1903 age 12.
Lena Munro – Likely Tena Munro, daughter of Dan and Dolina (Sutherland) Munro
and wife of Dan Bain, West Branch.
Jennie Murray – Daughter of John Murray “Hodge” and Mae Sutherland “Dearg”,
MacBain’s Corner. She was better known as Jennie Hodge. She married Dan MacDonald of PEI and lived at Saltsprings.

Jessie MacKay, the teacher, was a student in the 1889 photo when she was living with her aunt, Marion A. MacKay who was the teacher that year. Jessie was the daughter of Joe MacKay “Strathy” and Margaret MacKay, Spiddle Hill South, West Earltown. Jessie’s mother was from East Earltown. In 1905, she became the wife of Thomas Murray, “Bonesetter”, formerly of Earltown and then the minister at Mount Stewart, Prince Edward Island. Not finding the ministry to his liking, he went to work in the Westville mines until he secured the position of Town Clerk of Westville. Jessie died in 1919.

Janie Matheson, standing next to the teacher, would have been 18 at the time. With only
eleven grades offered in those days, she was likely assisting the teacher on this occasion. She showed great promise as a teacher her career and life was cut short on December 29, 1903 when she died of TB¹.

Many may have seen this last photo which is in the North Shore Archives. This digital copy was provided by Alex and Mary Ann MacKay. It was taken inside the school in 1909 and shows what a difference eight years can make.

Back to Front, Left to Right

Georgie Matheson, __________ , Tena Munro, Jennie Murray, John Munro, John A. MacKay, Margaret Matheson.
Georgie Matheson, Tena Munro, Jennie Murray and John Munro are described after the first picture.

John A. MacKay “Bratten” lived on the farm behind the school most of his life. He was a son of Alexander F. MacKay of Diamond and Marion MacKay, East Earltown. The father died when John A. was an infant compelling his mother to return to her home at MacBain’s Corner. He married Jessie Murray.

Margaret Matheson was the daughter of John Matheson and Annie Murray, Back Mountain. She died in 1922 age 22 of TB.

Sources:

Census of Earltown, Nova Scotia 1901

Census of River John, Nova Scotia 1901

MacCara Reid, Mary, John Alexander Matheson – A Collection of Family History and Memories, 2019

Ian MacCara

1. TB was fairly common in those days and followed certain families. Georgina and her sister both died of TB. Two other sisters successfully survived it. Their mother Annie died of it in 1904. She was a Bonesetter Murray from The Falls. Many in her family were afflicted with TB which was traced to the house at The Falls. That house burned down around 1900 thus sparing future generations. ↩︎