Hattie Family Memoirs

HATTIE FAMILY MEMOIRS HATTIE FAMILY MEMOIRS An Account of the Families Descended from Alexander Hattie, Emigre of 1786, with Sketches of the Family Pioneers and Related Material BY ROBERT McCONNELL HATTIE AND JOSEPH HOWE KIRK Printed by The Imperial Publishing Company, Limited, Halifax, N. S., Canada, for Private Circulation by the Authors. 1936 FOREWORD HE present history is only a fragment, but it is hoped it may serve as a nucleus around which to gather T information on which to build up the family archives. The writer would be glad to have material not incorporated in this record that any descendant of the pioneer Hatties may have to supply-material relating not only to the pioneers them selves, but to any descendants down to the most recently born babe. While it is not proposed to produce a revised history, the writer would be glad to be the repository of authoritative in formation that in some way may be made available to the folk coming after us. In the form in which this history appears it is as complete in details as the limitations of time and circumstances have per mitted. Even in its incompleteness it results from much corres pondence and many personal interviews, and, indeed, from much travel in the countryside from which the descendants in this generation are sprung. There are many gaps; for there have been several points at which it has not been possible to make contacts whereby information could be obtained. In spite of much effort to have every name and date and statement herein fully verified, there are still no doubt many errors. With these we trust readers will be lenient. Errors and omissions have not occurred because of lack of interest or effort in the direction of achieving accuracy, and perhaps those who may observe such will be kind enough to let the writer have the correct information. When the work was first undertaken it was hoped to make it so complete and exact that it might be referred to in times to come as a complete and authoritative source of information about those with whom it deals. So far as it goes and so far as it has been possible to check data, the work is authoritative. It is regretted that many of the biographical notes are limited in scope, but the writer has been able to record only the informa tion made available to him. VJ HATTIE FAMILY MEMOIRS While this book is the work of the two whose names appear on the title page, the writer wishes to make special acknowledge ment of the great service Mr. Kirk has rendered in gathering data. Except for the time and effort spent by him in visiting family connections in the eastern part of Nova Scotia, in corres ponding with others in distant places, and in communicating for the writer's use the information so gained, it would have been impossible to record the story of the descendants of our pioneer even in the fragmentary way in which the work has been done. Classifying and recording the information gathered by Mr. Kirk has been very largely the co-author's particular task, along with the duty of putting it in final form and seeing the work through the hands of the printer and into the hands of those interested. Some of the information used in building up this history was gathered many years ago by Mrs. Henry Johnson Duncan, daughter of the late Dr. Alexander George McHattie, and of the lineage of the pioneer's son John. Acknowledgement is made of this contribution to our record, and also of valuable help rendered by Mr. and Mrs. James A. Ross, of Newport, in relation to the descendants of George MacHattie. Time and space would fail to speak of help rendered by many others in supplying informa tion regarding their own immediate families. One difficulty that faces the family historian now is the fact that curiosity about our ancestors wakens too late to save in formation that was well known to members of the first genera tion following the pioneers. If someone had thought then to record data, we should not now be asking the Christian name of our pioneer's father, the name of the parish in Scotland from which he came, and other questions that can be answered only with difficulty if at all. It is astonishing how quickly know ledge vanishes that is not recorded. We can only do the best we can in saving what information is now available. Perhaps the present effort will serve to keep alive and stimulate an interest in family affairs so that important facts in relation thereto will not be lost to future generations. Indeed, the purpose in pre paring this history has been to put in permanent form such information as it is still possible to get about the earlier genera tions for the benefit of the generations to follow. FOREWORD vii Descendants of our pioneer who use this book for reference may be interested in determining their relationship to others whose names are here recorded. The principle of relationship to keep in mind is that children of brothers and sisters are first cousins, or cousins-german; the children of first cousins are second cousins; the child of a first cousin is to the first cousin of his father or mother a first cousin once removed. This is mentioned because many are accustomed to think of first cousins once removed as second cousins. It is not customary to speak of third cousins or of cousins in any degree after second. What would be third cousins are sometimes facetiously called forty second cousins. The various generations are differentiated in the genealo gical tables by the style of the numerals ahead of the names. For the first generation after our pioneer Roman numerals are used; for the second generation lower-case Roman letters; for the third, Arabic numerals; for the fourth, Roman numerals in lower case letters; for the fifth, Arabic numerals in bold face type. It should be explained, perhaps, that where the word "now" appears, or the expression "at this writing," or similar diction, the date appearing at the bottom of this page is intended. It should also be explained that in the genealogical tables we have given the name of the parent first by whom the descent from Alexander Hattie is derived. The maiden name only of maternal parents is given, which will facilitate placing them in their correct family connection. While the earlier portion of this book is being made up in page form so that alteration cannot easily be made, information is still coming forward that might have been incorporated had it been available sooner. The reader's attention is therefore called very particularly to the Addenda. In many cases where no information about an individual was available it seemed that inclusion in the genealogical tables was sufficient; consequently, the genealogy at the end of each chapter not only summarizes the names in the text of the chap ter in question, but may contain many other names as well. This book is for private circulation among descendants of Alexander Hattie and is prepared in response to a wish ex pressed by some of the relatives for recorded information about Vlll HATTIE FAMILY MEMOIRS their ancestors and family connections. It is the history of a family that makes no claim to social eminence but that on the other hand has no cause to be ashamed of the name. While of humble origin, our ancestors were god-fearing people who commanded the respect of their fellows and the heritage they left abides with us still. While this might be called the history of a humble family it is a history that is not devoid of interest ing incidents, and it may be that future generations will be glad that in these pages knowledge of the family descents is preserved that otherwise might have vanished away. R. M. H. HALIFAX, N. S., July 27, 1936. CONTENTS PAGE Foreword V CHAPTER r. The Pioneers 1 II. William Hattie and His Descendants - 21 III. Jane Hattie and Her Descendants 65 IV. Elizabeth Hattie and Her Descendants - 75 V. Alexander Hattie and His Descendants - 91 VI. John Hattie and His Descendants 101 VII. J runes Alexander Hattie and His Descendants 131 VIII. Daniel Hattie and His Descendants - 151 IX. George Hattie and His Descendants - 168 X. Hugh Hattie and His Descendants - 187 XI. Janet Hattie and Her Descendants - 195 XII. The Newport Family 221 Addenda 234 Appendices: A. Rebecca Hattie - 243 B. A M'Hattie Crest - 243 C. The McGregor Connection - 245 D. The MacQuarrie Connection 247 E. The Dewar Connection - 251 F. Family Worship at Glenelg - 256 G. The Data Sought 258 H. The Names MacHattie and Hattie - 259 CHAPTER I THE PIONEERS Our sires-brave hearts that crossed estranging seas, And broke the hush of the primeval wood, Who lit their candles in the solitude, And met the saffron morn upon their knees- What though their homes were void of luxuries, Learning ne'er begged, nor altars smokeless stood, Nor Cheer nor Friendship lacked the joys their rude, Kind, log-heaped hearths could give. It is to these I bare my head! Alexander Louts Fraser. N the year of our Lord 1786 three brothers, Alexander, William and George MacHattie, came to this country from IScotland. Their old country home was most probably in Banff shire, as most of the older descendants of Alexander MacHattie now living believe, though some have thought it was in Aberdeen shire and still others that it was in Elginshire.

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