by Kyle van der Raadt, Student Researcher
In Memory of /
COLIN MACPHERSON /
WHO DIED /
Sept. 15. 1868. /
Aged 23 years /
May his soul rest in peace. /
Walker /
Gold was the cry at Wine Harbour, Guysborough County in 1862. News of the strike spread like wildfire throughout the region and around the province of Nova Scotia. Miners and their families migrated to the area seeking their fortune. At its peak several thousand people tried their luck at mining locations along the Eastern Shore. The boom at Wine Harbour ended about 1874; with a complete shutdown of all operations by 1905. Young men like Colin McPherson and his older brother John were attracted to the gold fields.
In accessing the death record for Colin McPherson, we note his parents are identified as Angus and Ann McPherson of North Grant. [1] We now start to build a family around three names and location. The birth/baptismal records of three siblings are located in the church records Jennet b 21 Sep 1833 bap 22 Sep 1833, sponsor Neil McLeod; Joseph b 6 Sep 1835, bap 4 Oct 1835, sponsors John McDonald and Elizabeth McDonald; Alexander b 24 Jun 1837, bap 29 Jun 1837, sponsors Neil McKenna, Sarah McDonald.[2] Unfortunately the record for Colin’s birth has not been located.
In following up with the 1871 census, we find the McPherson household at Clydesdale, Antigonish County, Division 3 Household #84.[3] Noting that Angus is missing from this document, we try to find an explanation and discover that just a couple of months after the death of his son Colin, Angus dies in December 1868. [4]
The Isle of Eigg, Scotland is the ancestral home of these Clydesdale MacPhersons. ‘In 1790 or 1791, they emigrated to Nova Scotia. They did not settle in the Antigonish area right away. They first acquired land, along with several other Scottish families, along the northern shore of Minas Basin. “[5]
Colin’s cause of death is listed as inflammation. Evidence suggests that Colin’s occupation was miner; and considering his age it is possible that McPherson’s death is as a result of exposure to workplace toxins, industrial chemicals or pollution in the mine. Health and safety was left to the individual and there was little or no company or government oversight. Wine Harbor hosted several mining companies where underground shafts ranged from 16 to 60 feet in depth. [6]
Remediation work to clean up mercury and arsenic contamination of former 19th century gold mining sites has begun by the Nova Scotia Government.[7]
[1] Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics https://archives.novascotia.ca/vital-statistics/death/?ID=2858
[2] St Ninian Parish Records
[3] Library and Archives Canada 1871 census Antigonish Division 3 Household #84 https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1871&op=img&id=4396739_00321
[4] Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics – Death Record Angus McPherson https://archives.novascotia.ca/vital-statistics/death/?ID=2890
[5] Robbins, Chris “History of the Clydesdale McPhersons” unpublished manuscript and family tree
[6] Hart, H C “A History of Guysborough County”
[7] Willick, Frances (Oct 13, 2018). “N.S. plans to close 2 sites contaminated by old gold mines”. CBC News.