Creating communities in Pictou County
Land grants given to Scottish soldiers led to settlements
Many communities throughout Pictou County began as permanent settlements because of the Scottish Highland Regiment's involvement in the American War of Independence of 1775-1783.
These regiments fought on the British side during this campaign and for loyalty to the English Crown they were given thousands of acres of land throughout the county, which would include the communities of Ponds, Lower Barney's River, Big Island, Baillies Brook, French River, Merigomish, Kings Head, Little Harbour, Chance Harbour, Pictou Landing, Abercrombie, Granton, Lorne, Elgin, Springville, Bridgeville, St. Pauls and Glencoe.
Organizing and retaining these regiments during this time was very challenging because of what happened in the Scottish Highlands after the Battle of Culloden on April 26, 1746. The Highland way of life ceased to exist after that day. Terrible laws were imposed and held for many years.
The centuries-old chief and clan system was eliminated. They were forbidden to carry arms, wear the kilt, play the bagpipes and speak Gaelic in public. Many Highlanders were hunted down, slaughtered, jailed, hung or sent to penial colonies in other parts of the world.
However, over time the strict laws were relaxed, and the second generation of Highlanders after Culloden would not know the ancient ways of before.
The spread of the English culture throughout the world during the 18th century would cause conflict. Many British distant colonies needed soldiers for protection and battle, especially in North America.
And the Highlanders were called to sign up to join British Regiments. Some 15,000 Highlanders are thought to have joined the British Army in the build-up to the War of Independence.
Although Scottish regiments were formed in the British army as far back as the early 18th century, all were disbanded because of the volatile situations in Northern Scotland for the next five decades. With the rising tensions with the British and French throughout Europe, especially during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763).
Britain needed fighting men, and the call went to the Highlands of Scotland. Within the next 10 years, several Highland Battalions formed, including the 42nd Black Watch, 71st and 78th Fraser Highlanders, 73rd Highlanders, 74th Campbell's Highlanders, 76th MacDonald Highlanders, 77th Murray Highlanders, 81st Gordon's Highlanders, 82nd Duke of Hamilton Regiment, which combined a force of Lowland and Highland Scots and the 84th Royal Emigrant Regiment.
The second 84th Battalion was raised in Nova Scotia with many recruited from the Scots living in the province and North Carolina.
When the American Revolution ended in 1783, The Highland Regiments were disbanded and were offered free land and provisions in Nova Scotia and as with many Highland Scots they liked to live where other Highlanders lived. After the landing of the Ship Hector in 1773, Pictou County was filling up with fellow Scots.
The land grants in Pictou County were offered in three lots: The 82nd Soldiers Grant, mostly shore frontage from the Ponds around to the tip of Middle River and the 84th Soldiers Grant at East Branch and West Branch of the East River.
Hundreds of soldiers became interested, many came and looked and many sold their lots without even visiting the area. However, about 60 soldiers from different Scottish regiments, many with families, decided to start anew in the county.
Life in the first years for the soldiers and their families would be very challenging. To retain their free land, they had to abide by the government's requirements, including clearing a portion of property each year, building a log cabin and planting crops, and all were subsistence farms for the first number of years.
These humble abodes were the initial steps in what formed most of the early communities throughout Pictou County. Many Scottish soldier families that settled in the area during this time, have many descendants still living in the communities and elsewhere.
Soldiers surnames that settled Pictou County 17831784: Allardyce, Anderson, Arbuckle, Ballantyne, Ballie, Bogey, Brown, Burnside, Cameron, Chisholm, Clark, Colley, Dempsey, Carmichael, Chisholm, Douglass, Dunbar, Dunn, Faulkner, Forbes, Fraser, Gillies, Gordon, Grant, Ives, Kirk, Muirhead, McDonald, McDougall, McQueen, McKinnon, McPherson, McLean, McLeod, McDonald, McMillan, Peacock, Robson, Robertson, Robinson, Simpson, Stewart and others.