The Participaper Vol 33, No 4
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HE ARTICIPAPER T A N PINVERNESS COUNTY PERIODICAL [Photo courtesy of Communications NS] Above centre, Joanne MacIntyre of West Mabou represented all Inverness County volunteers at the 42nd Provincial Awards ceremony held in Halifax April 4th. She is pictured here with the other Cape Breton Region recipients (L) Vicki Stubbard (on behalf of George Stubbard) Port Hawkesbury and (R) Heather MacInnis, Victoria County. In this issue: Ancestors Unlimited Salute to our Volunteers Cribbage Winners Breton Bracelets Engage Inverness County ...and More Vol 37, No. 2 May 2016 The Participaper Vol 37 No 2 Page 1 Editor’s Notebook Inverness County Recreation, Tourism, Culture and Community Development Office n annual rite of Spring in Inverness County took place on April 13th when Municipal Councillors Aand staff gathered to salute county volunteers at a special awards dinner in Port Hood. Each April we have the honour of hosting this event to thank volunteers (nominated by their organizations or individual residents) for all that they do. Our volunteers give selflessly of their time and labor, expecting nothing in return. They are the “backbone” of our communities and worth their weight in gold! In mainstream media news stories we too often see and hear about the negative, and at times inhu- mane, behaviour of people. Inside these pages, taking time to read the biographies of our volunteers will restore your faith in the innate goodness of the people who call Inverness County home. On pages Marie Aucoin 8 through 18 learn about some of the Inverness County volunteers who are working hard to make this Editor county such a special place to live. On the front page is a photo showing Joanne MacIntyre of Mabou Mines who accepted the Volunteer of the Year award for our region. Her name was drawn from all of the volunteer nominations that were submitted by February 12. She travelled to Halifax to accept the provincial award on behalf of all Inverness County volunteers at the Provincial Volunteer Awards ceremony on April 4. Thank you Joanne for taking time out of your busy schedule to make the journey. Another rite of Spring in Inverness County is the annual Cribbage Tournament Championship. Held this year on April 23rd, the tournament is just one of several annual events that I always look forward to covering; the competitors at the crib tournament always have such a good time socializing as they play. We congratulate the 2016 winners in both categories. The results and the Winners and Runners-Up Division photos may be found on page 20. Another enjoyable annual event is still on the horizon: The 2016 Seniors’ Games will be held this year on June 11th. These Games are a great way for those 50+ to spend the day socializing with one another and having fun. If you wish to participate in the competitive events be sure to contact your local seniors club as soon as possible. Although some of the events may already have a full roster there may be others with space still available. New to the event this year is the game of Auction. Contact information for the clubs can be found on page 5 along with more information on the event. The Inverness Academy/Education Centre students who volunteer their time setting up the venue for the Senior Games and spend the day working at them are yet another shining example of the selflessness prevalent in all of our Inverness County volunteers. If you attend the Games be sure to thank them as well as the adults volunteers who help out at the Games. On pages 21, 22 and 23 you will find a story about a group of incredibly smart, organized and hard-working young adults from Dalbrae Academy who had taken up the challenge of Jr. Achievement last Fall and came out winners. While gaining valuable experience, they also learned a lot about themselves. Hats off to them! County Artists and Artisans can get themselves listed on the Inverness County website under “Creative Artisans” on the Visitor Information page by calling 902-787-2274 or emailing: [email protected] . Access the webpage at http://www. Contents of this Issue inverness-ns.ca/celebrating-our-creative-artisans.html to check it out. Editor’s Notebook ....................... Page 2 Happy Spring everyone! Ancestors Unlimited ................... Page 3 Senior Games Notice ............... Page 5 Note: All Volunteer Awards Ceremony photos and individual Volunteer Awards ...................... Page 6 photos of volunteers contained in these pages Volunteers ................................... Page 8 (with the exception of Daniel Aucoin, Michael Gibson, Engage Inverness County .................. Page 19 Lyne Larade and Fr. Duncan MacIsaac) Cribbage Results ................................... Page 20 are courtesy of Betty-Anne Cameron Photography, Inverness. Breton Bracelets ................................. Page 21 Naturopath News .................................. Page 24 Economic Development News ............ Page 26 the next issue of THE PARTICIPAPER Cape Breton Camino Walk ................. Page 27 is the Fall Programming issue Art Centre Event Schedule ............ Page 28 to be delivered to residents Call for Applications .......................... Page 29 early-September 2016 Strathspey Event Schedule .......... Page 29 ECRL Schedule ................................. Page 30 the deadline date for submissions is Municipal Contact Info ................ Page 31 August 8 Page 2 The Participaper Vol 37 No 2 ANCESTORS UNLIMITED FINDING YOUR INVERNESS COUNTY ROOTS by Dr Jim St. Clair I. Source for Fishing the importance of the American fishing fleet. Information Moses Morgan of Halifax, who identified himself as a Award of the Fishery Commission, Documents and Proceedings of fish merchant, provided much information about the extent the Halifax Commission 1877under the treaty of Washington of of the fishery, mackerel and cod and its importance to the May 8, 1871, provides much information about reports economy. of the decline in the 1860s and 1870s of mackerel fishing James McKeen, the Justice of Peace, certified that all by both American and Cape Breton fishers. In a series of of the informants had participated in the gathering of the interviews, authenticated by James McKeen, Justice of the information of their own free will. Peace in Port Hastings, a number of Cape Bretoners gave This material could provide local historians with much testimony about the fishery. insight into the fishery along our western and southern In these interviews, they presented their views about the shores. change in the amount of mackerel and other fish available. As well, they revealed that many local people were employed II. Petitions for Crown Land by United States firms. It has often been suggested that While it is uncertain that all of the background informa- some of these workers remained on board the fishing boats tion provided by petitioners for Crown Land is correct, the and went to the United States as im- insights are very valuable to both local migrants - legal or illegal. Dusty archives, places of discovery... historians and family genealogists. For In addition, the interviews reveal reveal answers to questions of times long past. example:a) Petition number 8060 dated considerable information about the What will we learn of family history... 1824: In this petition, James McKay states or the way things used to be informants as to their place of resi- that he arrived from Scotland in August dence, their age, the number of years when the archives reveal their secrets? 1824 and describes himself as married working in fishery, etc. For instance: - Marie Aucoin with a family. He requested a lot of land In a statement before McKeen and at the southern end of Lake Ainslie, "near the local U.S. Consul, John Grant says that he is “Living in the section granted to James Pringle as a Hawkesbury, Strait of Canso, sixty-four years old, by occu- site for a grist mill." McKay further states that Pringle did pation fisherman.” He further states that for forty years, he not build a mill and the local inhabitants have built a mill had been employed as a fisherman and pilot for American on another stream. The petitioner “binds himself ” to build vessels. He noted that, “For the past six years, the mackerel another grist or sawmill "as the inhabitants desire" if, "he re- fishery has fallen off.” and added, "As many as seven-hun- ceives the land". The petition was approved. [Ed. Question: Do dred American sails have been in the Gulf of St. Lawrence any of our readers know where the McKay/Pringle Mill was located?] and only fifty Nova Scotian." Interviewed in July of 1877, b) Petition number 243 dated in 1806: In this petition, a he gives an insight into the importance of the American group of people requested land as they "wish to establish a fishery as he noted that the people on the boats buy “a good settlement on the Southwest Branch of the Margaree River. deal of country produce, beef, mutton, potatoes, and other If they receive the grant, they will proceed in the spring of vegetables, homespun cloth and socks and mittens made by 1807 to settle there." The petitioners were: John McCoy, country people.” Donald McDonald, Murdock McKenzie, Roderick Ross, In an August 1877 interview, Nicholas Nicholson of Alexander McLeod, Duncan McKenzie and Murdoch Ross. Port Hastings stated that he had been employed for the c) Petition number 324 dated1807: Daniel McLeod and an- previous six years on American Vessels. Also, in an inter- other (unnamed) petitioner requested two lots of land nearly view conducted on August 4 1877, George Laidlaw of Port opposite Margaree Island. They planned to move there in Hastings said in his deposition that he was thirty-nine years the spring and, at the time, were living in Nova Scotia near old and sailed with the American fishing fleet from 1851 to the Bay of Fundy.