McEwings and McPhails of Kintyre and Ontario

Written by the late James McEwing (c1857-1950), and submitted by Allan McGillivray.

Continued

    Emigration to the colonies was a live question among the common people away back in the 50’s. Although my father and mother were getting along fairly well on their little farm at Clachan, there were favourable reports coming from Canada from the relatives who had crossed the Atlantic so that my father, especially, became uneasy as to the future with now a family of six children and the limited size of the farm. But my mother was very unwilling to bid adieu to her native land and parents and brothers and sisters, although two sisters had already started pioneering in what was then known as Upper Canada. These sister’s names were Mrs. McKinley (Aunt Katie) and Mrs. McNish (Aunt Mary).

    My father, during the eight years he was on the farm, had greatly improved it, and was in the good graces of Sinclair the factor. Father complained to the factor one day of the smallness of the place for a growing family, to lay up something for the future. Sinclair said, “If you will consent to remain, I’ll put Dr. McKellar out.” Dr. Mckellar had a beautiful little farm called “Queen Hill” right along side of “Avchavallich,” but my father wouldn’t listen to such a cruel proposition as the factor suggested. Another element that contributed largely in making my father discontented with the existing state of affairs was that in the Presbyterian Church in Scotland, an agitation was started about the year 1832 called the “Ten Years’ Conflict,” which culminated in the disruption of 1843. It would take up much of my time and space to enter into a discussion of the leading causes that brought on the climax, suffice it to say that my father and mother were among those who cast their lot with what was known as the “Free Church,” whose ministers had to be supported on the voluntary principle, they having left the Established Church of Scotland. The heritors, that is, the land owners, taxed their tenants for the support of the Established Church, and the whole authority, which was called Patronage, lay in their hands. One was choosing the ministers when a vacancy occurred.

    The Free Church party had to build not only free churches, but also free church schools and provide teachers for these schools. They were very fortunate in having the choicest men who were then in the ministry as leaders. Dr. Chalmers, who was a host in himself, was head leader, and there was McCheyne, the Bonars, Cunningham, McDonald, Summerville, and many others. There were real genuine revivals in many places, such as Kilsyth, and Dunipace, Murray McCheyne’s first charge.

    They also had to build a new college at Edinburgh, of which Dr. Chalmers was appointed the first principal. My father had to leave pretty early on Sabbath mornings to walk to the nearest Free Church, which was in Tarbert, eleven miles distant. Mother went an odd time too, but it was beyond her strength to do it continuously, and as is always happening in such circumstances, coldness will arise, not only among neighbours, but even among families. None of my grandfather McEwing’s family but my father left the Established Church, and of the McPhails, none left but my grandfather and Aunt Effie and my mother. The parish minister, Mr. McArthur, was very popular and was quite a factor in keeping many families and individuals in the Established Church. It was during these years that my grandfather died.

    The family at “Loop” then consisted of Grandmother, Uncle Dougald and the two youngest girls, Christina and Sarah. The problem of another home was still an undecided one. However, notwithstanding eight years of fairly successful farming in “Auchavallich,” my parents decided to make preparations for emigrating to a country with wider spaces and more opportunities for a growing family in some settlement in Upper Canada. This was in the month of June, 1857. My Grandmother McEwing died a few years after our family left Scotland. New Zealand at this time was attracting a good many emigrants from Scotland, and it was at this time that Duncan Campbell and family, Dougald McEwing and Aunt Christina, set sail for New Zealand. The Campbells had a number of children at the time they left. As the eldest was attending medical school preparing himself to be a doctor, he did not go with the rest of the family. When he got through with his medical course, he practiced his profession in a suburb of London, called Greyfriars. The eldest daughter, Sarah Campbell, did some corresponding with my father, also with my sister Phemy. She qualified for a governess, which profession she followed, until she got married to a Mr. Scolon. There were three other brothers and two younger sisters. One brother called James came back to the United States. He followed ranching in New Mexico, and was reputed to be rather clever. He, however, was so badly hurt in a runaway accident that he only lived a short time after the mishap. The two other boys were in the banking business the last I heard of them. The two youngest, Grace and Jessie, when they got to be up in years, returned to Scotland, and I understand made their home in Gourock, a little town on the Clyde. Aunt Christina married a short time after locating in New Zealand, a Perthshire man, named McGillivray, a blacksmith by trade. She had a small family, I think one son and two or three daughters. One of the girls kept house for her uncle Dougald for some time and inherited what property or money he possessed.

    I will now devote some notes to my mother’s relatives in Scotland. My maternal grandfather’s name was Archibald McPhail, but I cannot recall what his father’s first name was, or the name of the farm on which he lived, and my grandmother’s maiden name was Euphemia Gilchrist. My great grandmother’s name was Keith, I think – Margaret Keith. My grandfather and his family lived many years on a farm called “Drumnaleck.” When visiting the old place in the year 1886 so that I might report to my mother, I went, in company with two of my cousins, Effie and Mary McPhail, up to the spot where once stood the old home, and like the wrecked Temple of old at Jerusalem, there was not one stone left upon another. Not that they were thrown down, but not one stone was to be seen but with the exception of one large flag stone perhaps about three feet each way and about eight inches in thickness. It possibly was the old hearth stone that did service for generations who had possibly been occupants of that dear old home and farm, with all its happy and joyous associations of former years, when the unbroken family, father, mother, and six sisters and two brothers lived and moved in an atmosphere of love and affection for one another which was so deeply rooted that it continued to manifest itself in the separate homes that those brothers and sisters set up for themselves.

    My grandfather McPhail like my other grandfather was from home a great deal of his married life, as he was postman between Tarbert and Campbellton. As there were neither buggies nor gigs in those early days, the mails were carried on horse back.

    Eastern customs seem to have been in vogue in the Highlands, for the oldest daughter was generally the first to get married and leave the old home. And so in this case, my aunt Catherine, the eldest of the sisters, married Duncan McKinley, and next Elizabeth, or Bettie, as she was generally called, and next Aunt Mary who married Malcolm McNish and sailed for Canada shortly after the wedding. Aunt Christina married James Keith and went to live on a farm called “Amod.” I often wonder where the name “Amod” had its origin. There is a tradition that Robert Bruce at one time owned a tract of land in what is called “Barr Glen Amod” and the farm adjoining called “Arnicle” was situated here.

    It is a matter of history that the Scottish King was in hiding in those secluded glens for some considerable time. I always felt interested in the anecdote about Bruce being left in charge of the housewife’s bannocks being baked on the kitchen griddle, but Bruce’s mind was so intent on the stupendous problem on securing the freedom of his beloved Scotland that he forgot the oatmeal bannocks and they were burned to a crisp. But as to those two Crown Land farms -- it is told that Bruce offered them as a prize to the man who would rid the country side of a wild boar which had become so large and so savage that it was the dreaded terror of the whole district. The honor of destroying the savage beast fell to a man named McNeil, and he was awarded the valuable prize and his descendants for generations were the owners of those farms. In the year I visited there, my uncle, James Keith and family were the tenants of “Amod” and their forebears were there some generations before them. Aunt Effie married a Mr. Smith, a native of the Island of Gigha. I never saw this uncle. Aunt Nancy married John Leitch and Uncle Angus McPhail married a Miss Campbell. Uncle Archie never married, as he was handicapped by delicate health and impaired eyesight.

    Uncle Duncan and Aunt Katie farmed for some years on a farm in the Largie district, the name of the farm being “Kilmichael.” I think probably the three oldest of their children would be born while they were living at “Kilmichael.” However, they concluded to follow the stream of emigration that was taking place to Canada during those years. While the farmer’s lot in Scotland was by no means easy in those days, yet the untried experience and heart breaking hardships endured by those early colonists I have not yet seen fully described on paper. It certainly was a Herculean task that required all kinds of courage, strength and endurance to hew out a home from the primeval forest with much of the timber two to four feet in diameter which had to be all reduced to ashes. I don’t know the year in which the McKinleys sailed for Canada, probably in the late 30’s of 1800. They took up land in Lambton County in what was then known as Upper Canada. When I first visited them, Uncle was dead, but the remaining members of the family were: Euphemia (Mrs. Charlie Greer), Jane (Mrs. D. McBean), Finlay, Ann (Mrs. George Scott), Mary (Mrs. John McKenzie), Catherine and Janet, still at the old home, Archie who is unmarried, residing in the old home along with Catherine and Janet, and Betsie, the youngest, who died a couple of years ago.

    Uncle Malcolm McNish and Aunt Mary came to Canada pretty early also, but as I have no data as to the year, I cannot be sure. It would be perhaps 90 years ago. Their family consisted of four sons and two daughters, and I believe there were two children who died suddenly with Diphtheria while quite young: Neil, the eldest who remained on the homestead as long as he lived; next was Archie, who is the only one now living – his home is in Ancaster where he conducts a vegetable garden; John, the third, died a number of years ago. He was living near St. Thomas not far from the old home in Elgin County; Angus, who took up the law profession when a young man, died in Toronto a year ago, where his widow and son and daughter, Malcolm and Nora, still have their home. Effie, the second youngest sister, who was unmarried, died a few years ago; and Christina who was Mrs. D. Ferguson of Yarmouth Township, died only a few months ago.

My aunt Effie, after her marriage, went to reside I believe in Greenock, Scotland, where she had the misfortune to lose a couple of her children with some contagious disease. Her husband’s health broke down, and he passed away while a comparatively young man, so aunt came back to assist her mother and brother in the old home “Drumnaleck.” Not very long after this, Grandmother died and owing to Uncle Archie’s want of health, the burden of running the farm was laid on Aunt Effie. She had two young children, Archie and Euphemia, but they were too young to be of any great help on the farm, but they were kept in a school and succeeded in acquiring a fairly good education. However, Aunt decided to come to this country and accompanied by her son and daughter and Uncle Archie McPhail, Aunt Effie’s brother, they crossed the pond that separates the continents. Uncle only lived a few years after coming to this country, but Aunt lived to a fairly ripe old age and saw her children established in homes of their own. Aunt Nancy married a young man named John Leitch. The calling he followed all his married life was that of shepherd. When I visited them, they were in the Island of Gigha, and Uncle had a real good situation, but thy all passed away but the two youngest who are still together. Their names are Mary and Archie, who occupies the position his father held, that of a shepherd in a place called “Curshelich” on the Cardale side of Kintyre. Uncle Angus McPhail had been a tenant on a farm called “Stranafanaig” all his married life. It joins Granfather’s farm on the Strachan side. They had a very good dwelling house and out buildings. Quite a number of years ago a large area of the Stonefield Estate in the Clachan district was purchased by William McKinnon, who as a young lad started in business in Campbellton running a small provision shop but became involved in debt, so that he was not able to pay them. He left for India and got employment as a clerk in the Head Office of the East India Tea Company, where he seemed to meet with wonderful success from the start. Later, when he paid a flying visit to his native place, he wiped off every cent of his debts and his success in the Tea Company was rapid and most wonderful. He rose from being a clerk to be a Director, and from Director to be President, and from that to be chief owner of the East India Tea Company, one of the wealthiest institutions in the world. He had a line of steamers trading from India to New York, also a line trading between the British Isles and Africa, and to many other parts of the world. He was reckoned to be one of the wealthiest men in the United Kingdom. He became President of the Glasgow Bank, which office he held for some time, but as he took exception to some unworthy methods the Directors were insisting on practicing in the managing of the institution, he resigned his position as President and withdrew his capital. Not many years afterwards the Glasgow Bank failed with disastrous consequences to many unfortunate people. He was knighted by the reigning Sovereign, the late Queen Victoria. It was Sir William McKinnon who outfitted Henry M. Stanley to go in search of Dr, David Livingston, whom he found. It was surely a tribute to the Clachan district that he chose to make his home there when he had wealth enough to buy any estate in Scotland. Of course, he had another estate in the Island of Skye, but Balanakel was his favorite summer home, although he had a large mansion in London, too.

    Uncle Angus’ family were the following: Archie and John; Margaret, the eldest of the daughters died many years ago; next to her was Euphemia; then Mary and Annie; and Christina, who was the youngest. They are all dead but the two youngest, John and Christina. The later has been married and living in Glasgow for a great many years, and is now a widow, her husband’s name was Donald Steel. There were three of a family, a son and two daughters. The son had finished his course as a medical doctor, but was killed in the Great War, 1914-1918. The second married a doctor, and is living in Glasgow, and the youngest, Janet, living with her mother, is also a doctor practising in Glasgow.

    John McPhail, the other survivor of Uncle Angus’ family still lives on the farm on which he was born. The tenants are cousins named Glenn, and he makes his home with them.

    I forgot to mention the names of the Keith family – Margaret, Isabella, Euphemia, and Christina; Archie, Robert and Sandy, and one called Neil who died many years ago, but they are all dead now but the two youngest, Sandy and ‘Tena. Some years ago, “Amod” changed ownership and it is not now under lease, so Sandy and ‘Tena had to hunt up another home, and are now located in Skipness. The name of the farm is “Lawnlea.” It was there that Euphemia died. There is a niece, a daughter of Bell’s, living with them, whose name is Christina Armour. Their home is in a lovely location which I have already described. I might mention another McPhail – a sister of my grandfather. She was married to Alexander McLeod. They seemed such an ideal old couple, and so friendly when I visited them. I stayed several nights with them while in Tarbert. Their house is called “Lily Bank Cottage.” They had quite a trade in catering to summer tourists. Aunt Katie had her granddaughter with her when I visited there. Not far from their house, upon the side of a hill, was to be seen the ruins of an old castle, built by Robert Bruce, in which he made his home, on and off, at different periods in his career in the Highlands.

    There was to be seen in the Tarbert Harbour a cute looking little island, where, tradition says, the money that paid for building Tarbert Castle was minted. I found the old ruins to be quite interesting with its narrow windows and polished arches, which indicated that the architecture of those early days in Scotland is not by any means to be sneezed at by present day artisans.

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