What's in a name?
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My name is Maurice Fraser McDonell. My father gave me his names. His family came to the "States" from South River, a district in rural Nova Scotia. Before that, his family had lived in Butte, MT where he was born. When I was very young, I was examining a map of Nova Scotia and noticed a Frasers Mills. Was that place "family"? No, but "Angus" had lived there. Then what? Tradition was vague, family history was of no interest to those of my family who where alive when I began to persecute them about our origins. So, I had to settle on being a second generation American and a member of the 4th generation in the new world. Were there any ancestors? If so, where did they come from? When? |
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I knew that my aunt "Kay" and one of her brothers had visited the old homestead around 1965 so, in 1977, I asked her how to get there. Her instructions were brief: "Go to Nova Scotia, go to 'Ant'gnish' and turn right. On the left there is a big white house on a hillside." We did that. And there was the house. And a nearby graveyard full of relatives who did not live to see us. At St. Andrew's Church, pastor Chisholm let us see the early parish records, in a book not much larger than a modern popular hard cover novel. In it were records begining in 1835 or so and on page 2 is Mary Fraser's baptism record dated 16 Feb 1836. Her marriage to Angus McDonell on 15 Feb 1856 was also noted therein. For events prior to those years, we adjourned to the graveyard. There, we noted that the father and his two children had their surnames spelled differently. We drove on down to examine Fraser's Mills, hesitated at the bridge, then turned around and went back - ignorant of the fact that our McDonell roots had been put down only a hundred yards away. At Antigonish Town, we found a copy of the two volume "History of Antigonish" which I thought would be sufficient and then we fled away back to California. |
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Over the years, I culled some data from that "History"; which was full of names and imprecision. After some effort, I was right back at square one. Then came the publication of the 1891 Census of Antigonish County. My Great-Grandfather Angus, of Frasers Mills, had responded and listed the names of his children, one of whom, Ann, had been unknown to us. In 24 years of looking I had only added that single name to our list. |
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Just a month ago (Jan 2000) came the news of "Drummer on Foot". We are now the fortunate owners of a copy of the newly published "Drummer on Foot", a book the name of which was the nom de plume of the author, one William D. Cameron. "Drummer", edited by D. MacFarlane and R.A. MacLean, contains a collection of letters dated from 1912 to 1919 that were directed to the editor of "The Casket", a parochial newsletter published in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia. The letters contain the results of his "notes" on local history and his interviews that were obtained by going ,on foot, from door to door in each community in the county. Alarmed at the loss of historical information that occurred with the passing of every pioneering settler in the area, he set about to preserve whatever he could acquire in personal interviews. To any person who has researched the "Roots" in this county, "Drummer" is a welcome treasure trove of Names and Family History. On July 3, 1913, he walked up to the door of a house in the 'McDonnell' settlement in Fraser's Mills, Antigonish County, Nova Scotia, Canada. He interviewed Angus who, at age 91, recited the names of his siblings, his parents, his grandfather Alexander, and great-grandfather James. He mentioned that his father Donald had emigrated to Nova Scotia from a place in Scotland called Morar in 1814. It was exciting to discover that people had known him and spoken to him. He had been a man of substance, repute and had earned the public trust. He had prospered through a half dozen careers. Now, 87 years afterward, I was at the end of my quest. Drummer on Foot proved to be the key to unlocking the data I had sought. Much of it was right under my nose in the "History" but I had not recognized it because of the strange spelling of those strange names. |
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"Drummer on Foot" and "History of Antigonish" are full of names, some of them are Celtic or Gaelic words. Comparing one to the other let me discover some relationships of interest and then I understood. Other names included the local county communities and the locations in Scotland where a family had originated or from which that family had emigrated. So: |
On page 33 of "Drummer" this example is set forth for a Dougald MacFarlane:
Gaelic: "Dughall MacPhadruig, 'ic Phadruig, 'ic Iain, 'ic Illechriosd, 'ic Iain."
Or: Dougald, son of Patrick, son of Patrick, son of John, son of Christopher, son of John.
Please note how easily the names of six generations are preserved. Further examples in "Drummer", which is a rosetta stone for our use, provide translations for many other names. The name Patrick was common in Scotland but became Peter in the new world. Study of names and their meaning can make reading "History" (and "Drummer") easier for descendants.
Yesterday, February 18, 2000, we took a day and visited the library at the University of Nevada. There, we examined an atlas of Britain; which includes Scotland. Place names mentioned in "Drummer" were found. What struck me at once, was the symbolic emptiness of those Western Highlands today. Explaining to us how Antigonish forests differed from Scottish Moors, "Drummer" mentions that a man was ill prepared to deal with trees because he was "...a shepherd, not a woodsman..." Well said. The maps suggest that the country that furnished us our ancestors was, and is, a wilderness of moors where the dominant flora was, and is, grass. Not tall nourishing grass, either. It is the kind that can live where the winds scour the earth. Man cannot live on it without a conversion device (i.e. sheep). A moor would be similar to areas of Sagebrush or Rabbit Bush here in the West. The Highlands empty excess water down to small ports in districts called Arisaig, Morar, Moidart, Knoydart and Glen Garry. For many reasons, after 1746, the population also began to drain away, into ships in which some made it across to the New Scotland. Antigonish must have looked like a paradise to the pioneers; who were used to the dreary aspects of their native country. Although they were now landowners, for some reason, Pioneers tended to treat their own children like chattel. Few allowed their children the privileges and pride of ownership of the land. After a couple of generations, those large families of dispossessed children looked to the opportunities evident in the States and here we are. Oh, yes, their names:
Revised on: Tuesday, March 07, 2000