The Logans of Amherst
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THE LOGANS OF AMHERST (This is the valour of my ancestors). Compiled by Harold A. Logan Stouffville, Ontario Canada <,- ~, ? ~'- i.__ , ,,. ·, :· :· ! 1 ,:j: ~- ~ ·~ ~ Y ,'v· ' ~ if r-:..--..-- "'--·· -~ '----', •• .,_ _ _,,,.,_ .--,.~,. ' ,.M.o -• ,..,., ••• • •" • •• ........ ..,.,,,, ',,._,_,,,.~ _.,,,,.. ,.,, ~ ,,,,.,,.,~, ,,.., ~,, .... ,, . ----~------·· , /,/ ., .., /j/f:,/,-7, uL &/) 0>~1/"' l/f 1 /7 i j , ✓'fw-A/J.~ l)-07! , I . --- -:/-· L/' ~7~ ~r/4 .(,r~- :;;_/j ~ 7X' '; ~/~ /J-.f I .f t ~ -~~ : A~1.( lcPtJ! FOREWORD This is a useful foreword. In a few lines it reviews the book in advance. It tells of its pur poses and the way these are carried out. To read a review in advance, in itself serves a useful purpose. It assists with the further reading, or it may save the reader from continuing. THE LOGANS OF AMHERST is a presentation of a Nova Scotia family over seven genera tions covering the period 1761 to 1966. After a brief introduction dealing with the political and social situation around Chignecto Isthmus in the period 1750 - 1763 attention turns directly to th is family. Thereupon 1·he story proceeds throughout in two channels - or ways of describing its people. Channel I consists entirely of genealogical tables showing the names of all members of the seven generations, each in his one and only right place. He is surrounded by his near relatives with each of them also in his right place. This part uses several double pages in its· display of blood relationships and marriage unions. Channel II uses straight ahead prose to the tune of some hundred pages. It is about the same people and takes them in about the same order. It seeks to acquaint the reader with them al I as persons and families; and the method used is to tell him significant things about them such as: where each member lived; his formal education; what occupation he follows; what other interests shown or services rendered. It gives special attention to the spouse - husband or wife - marrying into the family from outside - particularly with respect to origin. With the first generations, of course, the technique is somewhat different. There was no step-ladder education; and greater emphasis has been on farm and home placement involving government grants and old land-deeds. Acknowledge men ts Among the many who assisted in various ways I must name especially Miss Lucy Fowler Logan of Generation IV for doing the first systematic work on this Tree. She travelled widely across Canada, visiting and interviewing relatives and, on her death in the 1930's, left copies of her 18 page product with the interested members. Her wel I organized genealogy, accompanied direct I y by spotty descriptions, awakened interest and served as foundation for subsequent efforts ..... Mrs. Charles (Jean) Gass and Donald MacGregor for materials (including our frontispiece), and memories throwing new light on the early years ..... Marguerite Robb Chandler and Alex. Logan Robb of California for their enthusiasms as well as their work ..... Mrs. Mary Dawson for valuable old letters reprinted in this book •...• the late Hugh Logan IV of Nappan, grec.dy missed after 1964, for facts on the Salem front, and his wife Geneva Blenkhorn Logan ..... the late Merle Bancroft and Mrs. Helen (Bancroft) Robinson, both cut down in the midst of their work on their branch ..... Miss Margaret Pugsley for effective labour in the field and for typing ..... Dr. Wm. H. Irving and Mrs. Lucy Humphrey Seeley for information on the lrvings and Humphries ..... Dr. Laura Logan for suggesting channels of correspondence and Pearl MacDougall Atkins for her History of West Amherst in Amherst Daily News December 1962 and Mary Dickson Jenks for sending clip pings of it and other i terns from the Press ..... Mrs. Ernest (Bessie) Mc Tague for reporting on the Flemings of the West. .... Robert Logan for getting out 2 general letters to members. Others less specialized in their contributions - Mrs. Ralph Langille of Truro ..... Miss Dorothy Fowler of Amherst. .... Miss Jean Baird of Mass ... Charles Robb of Amherst ..... Ernest Coats of Nappan ..... Donald Logan of Amherst ..... Douglas L • Ralston and Douglas H. Fu I lerton both of Ottawa. Lastly, my wife Georgina Ettinger Logan, in her generous supporting role throughout. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction: Our New \Vorld Heritage 9 Book I The Logan Family: A Tree Takes Root l 1 Generation I The Pioneers 11 Generation 11 Settlement 13 Book II Progeny of Hugh 11 and Elizabeth Archibald 18 Book 111 Progeny of Thomas and EI izabeth Bent 61 Book IV Progeny of David and Margaret Cumming 86 The Logans and the Robbs 86 Book V Progeny of James and Elizabeth Cumming 97 Rebecca and James Bliss 7 INTRODUCTION Our New World Heritage In the middle 18th century, the power of France in America was definiteJy broken. Britain, directed, assisted, and impelled by her New England colonies had taken in succession, Fort Beausejour in 1755, commanding the inland waters of Acadia at Chignecto and the trade route to Quebec, the great Fortress of Louisbourg in Cape Breton in 1758 and finally Quebec itself in 1759. In addition, in 1755, she had insured herself against further trouble from the Acadians - French settlers established through 80 years in Annapolis, Cobequid and Chignecto,-by confiscat ing their property and driving them from the land. Further, and a bit earlier, in deference especially to New England's fear of French inter ference with trading in local sea areas, she had in 1749-50 as a government project, cleared away the forest, and built and fortified a city, naming it Halifax. This was to be the focus for ocean trade, a mi I itary headquarters, and a center of government for the new Nova Scotia.* Since the captuie of Port Royal, and the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, mainland Nova Scotia had been acknowledged as British Territory. But Britain in all these years had never been active in colonizing in the peninsula. France by contrast, ably supported by Catholic Orders, had been aggressive in es tab I ish ing co Ion ies in the fertile areas, making friends and converts of the native Indians, and maintaining interest and helpful contacts. The colonists well chosen, largely from the peasantry of West France, responded wel I, adapting themselves agriculturally to the new situation developed their vii lages near the rivers, and made use of meadows and marshes and chosen up Iands. As usually with pioneer communities, they·increased rapidly in numbers. At the time of expulsion, there were perhaps 5,000 living in the well-watered areas, Annapolis, Cobequid and Chigriecto. In Chignecto with whose later settlers we are chiefly concerned, there were in 1754 close to a thousand persons distributed as fol lows, (places arranged from S. To N.): River Hebert 122; Minudie 169; Maccan 86; Nappan 142; Les Planches (Amherst) 59; Beaubassin (Fort Laurence) 190; La Butte (Pt. de Bute) 86; Westcock {Sackville) 115; (Selected from figures shown in Will Bird I s - A Century of Ch ignecto, P. 81, Ryerson Press). Our purpose in presenting the Acadians, is not to discuss the causes of their dismissal, or to picture in detai I their way of I ife. It is rather to show that our own ancestors did not come to a who 11 y new land untouched by civi I ized man, but that farms had been cu I tivated, houses and barns built, cattle, sheep and poultry raised, trade carried on with New England, and - yes - surely, churches and village sociability flourished - and especially that marshlands had been wrested from the tides by the bui Iding of dykes and ab iteaux, the undisturbed core of some of which remained 220 years while our own marsh owners have built other dykes further out, to add to their acreage. Again from Will R. Bird ibid p. 40. "In 1735 an experienced government engineer came from France to Beaubassin, and instructed ·the people in better means of dyking the marshes. Under his direction, great areas were reclaimed from the sea at Minoudie and Nappan. This Engineer named Gould, settled at Nappan, and with his son Francois, cleared a home in the forest." On the debit side the Acadians living on British soil had 1) refused repeatedly, to sign the oath of allegiance, which would in case of war, require them to fight against France, and 2) certain priests - not of the peoples choosing of course, but to whom they looked for guidance - incited the Indians to violence against the British. The cruel expulsion which was carried through in Annapolis and Cobequid by total capture in their churches and their distribution along the Atlantic seaboard, in Chignecto was only portly successful. The rest with their homes destroyed escaped deep into N.B. forests. Some of these soon found their way back, and taking the oath of allegiance, slowly re-established settlement, but not in their former homes or areas. A Question affecting our work: How far its duties include keeping old records of early land transfers already registered with the township or county? 9 The whole episode seems to have worried their successors - our ancestors - settling on their lands, very Ii ttle. The Acadians I losses were the newcomers gains, as spoils of war. The continu ing skills however, that the returning losers still retained, were appreciated, paid for, and put to use. New Acadian settlements slow I y appeared in N. B. and Minudie. Just now after 200 years they are rather suddenly experiencing an advance in education, political consciousness, and status. Free Land as Popu Iat ion Sti mu Ius With France and the French thus disposed of, and 3 forts and mastery of the sea to the good, but practically no population, Nova Scotia was now safe for settlement, and Gov.