Stories of the
Buchanan and Watson
Families
of Elma Township, Perth County, Ontario
and of Neepawa and Riding Mountain, Manitoba
and their descendants
(Expanded and formatted for easier printing on 3 November 2003)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• The Buchanan Story
• Early Buchanans
• Pioneers of Perth County (Ontario)
• William Buchanan Family History
• The Abduction of James Buchanan
• Wm. & Ann's marriage - from the International Genealogical Index
• The 1949 Buchanan Reunion
• Pioneers of Perth County
• Our Trip to Manitoba in the Spring of 1879.
• Death of Mrs. Isabel Buchanan
• Death of Mrs. (Jane) Jas. Watson
• Elizabeth Hardie's Letter
• Annie Brae (Buchanan) McMane's Letter 1
• Annie Brae (Buchanan) McMane's Letter 2
• Mary Jane Copeland's Letter 1
• Mary Jane Copeland's Letter 2
• The Buchanans - A Summary
• Winter Widows, Mining, and Vigilantes
• The James Buchanan Story
• Margaret Matilda Buchanan Buchanan
• Interesting Obituaries
• Biography of Samuel Buchanan
• Holding off the CPR at Gunpoint
• The Watsons - James Watson and Elizabeth Linnen's Family
• A Forbidden Romance - Robert Buchanan & Elizabeth Watson
• Stories from the John Buchanan Branch of the Family
• Early History of Donegal, Ontario
• Buchanans of Donegal
• The George Watson Family
• Acknowledgements

Also see:
 "Memories of the Buchanan Farm at Birnie, Manitoba" by Don Buchanan
Rosedale or Buchanan Cemetery Inscriptions - 1962

[This is from the dedicatory page of the Buchanan Family Tree book]

THE BUCHANAN STORY

Because of a potato famine in Ireland, there was a mass migration to Canada and the United States. In 1847 Andrew and Jane Buchanan of County Tyrone Northern Ireland set sail with their seven sons and one daughter. They were nine weeks in a sailing ship, and before they landed a fever broke out and many died. When they landed at Kingston, Ontario they were quarantined in the harbour for three weeks. Here Andrew Buchanan died of the fever and was buried. The mother and her eight children settled in Perth County, Ontario, where three grave stones still stand in their memory.

The names of the family are as follows:
1. Robert Buchanan 1815 - May 22, 1868  - m - Margaret Booth
2. Charles Buchanan 1817 - Jan 13, 1905  - m - Nancy Porter
3. James Buchanan  - m -  Bessie Glen
4. William Buchanan Sept 20, 1824 - Oct 8, 1885 - m - Anne Thompson 1824 - Nov 6, 1911
5. Andrew Buchanan 1826 - m - Mary Jane Booth
6. Samuel Buchanan 1830 - m - Mary Watson
7. John Buchanan 1831 - 1909 - m - Isabelle Watson
8. Jane Buchanan 1836 - m - James Watson

In memory of Uncle Nels
Compiled by Lorne and Doris Buchanan, Neepawa, Manitoba
printed in 1970

[This is the dedicatory page of the Buchanan Family Tree book]

Early Buchanans

The name Buchanan originates in Stirlingshire, Scotland. "In the year 1013, after seven centuries of raiding, the King of Denmark had gained control of most of England and Ireland. During a Danish (Viking) celebration to mark the occasion of the crowning of Canutus, son of the King of Denmark, as the new King of England, the furious King of Ireland conceived of a massacre of the Danish soldiers in Limerick, in which Anselan took part. Anselan escaped the Danish King's retaliatory force and came to Argyll in Scotland in 1016. There he acquired lands in the Levenax (now Lennox) as a reward for helping Malcolm II, King of Scotland, in his own struggle against the Danes, who were also invading Scotland at that time. With the grant of this barony, Anselan became 1st Laird of Buchanan. Malcolm II also granted arms to Anselan in recognition of his noble lineage and heroic achievements." (from a now-dead link: www.compassnet.com/buchanan) The Buchanan castle or manor house was built on this land on the north-east shore of Loch Lomond. For nearly 700 years the Buchanan clan was a power in this part of the country. After the death of the 22nd Laird Buchanan of Buchanan 1681, James Graham, 3rd Marquis of Montrose purchased the mortgage for the Buchanan estate and foreclosed. The old Buchanan castle, also called "Buchanan Place" or "Buchanan Auld House" was destroyed by fire in 1852. In 1855, the Graham family completed the construction of a castle nearby, the present Buchanan Castle, which now lies in ruins. The few remains of Buchanan Auld House are a Scottish national historical site.

In ancient books there is a record of Anselan's son Gilbert signing his witness to an agreement. Later, his grandson Maurice adopted the name "Buchanan", after the land, which bore that name.

A descendant of Maurice owned an estate in Kippen. It came about in this way. The elderly lord of Arnpryor had no children or nephews or nieces to leave his estate to. The person who stood to acquire the property after his death was his avowed enemy. Rather than let his enemy inherit the estate, the lord offered the estate to the Liard of Buchanan on the condition that members of Buchanan family would live there and that Clan Buchanan would protect the lord from his enemy until the end of his days. Understandably, the Liard of Buchanan was very happy to comply. This story comes from pages 41-43 of "The Family of Buchanan", a genealogy written in 1732 by William Buchanan of Auchmar. This is the origin of the Buchanan of Arnpryor (or Arnprior) cadet branch of the Clan.

On with the story of Kippen ... One day some hunters for King James V passed through Kippan, and Buchanan sent his men to seize the meat, saying "King James may be king of Scotland, but Buchanan is king of Kippen". King James, in disguise paid a call and wished an audience with Buchanan, whose guurdsman kept the king waiting and ignored his threats. The King changed his tactics and "desired of the porter to tell his master that the Good-man of Ballageich desired to speak with the King of Kippen". Buchanan was very apologetic, and the king found the whole incident rather amusing.  He forgave Buchanan, knowing that a man would have to be "drunk or a fool" to do what he had done, and said "The least you can do is invite me in to eat my own meat". Thereafter, the two men remained friends, and the king would jokingly refer to his friend as the "King of Kippen". - contributed by Bill Buchanan, Calgary, Alberta [me] [Printed in the Buchanan Family Tree Book, and revised in 2003]

[Note: All items in square brackets are my comments and are NOT part of the original documents.
- Bill Buchanan, son of George, son of William, son of John Buchanan]

Pioneers of Perth County (Ontario)
[Taken from London Free Press in 1941]

Mrs. Richard Terry, 87, is a living link with pioneering days in Elma Township, where she was born. Her grandfather, Andrew Buchanan, came to Canada from Armagh [Omagh], Ireland in 1847 by sailboat, with a family of seven sons and one daughter. After starting there was such as severe storm they had to turn back.

Making a second start, they were seven weeks on the ocean. They landed in Kingston in the fall of 1847, but some had taken fever and the boat was quarantined at Kingston dock. Mr. Buchanan died during that winter and was buried in the pioneer cemetery at Kingston. The oldest son William, and wife Anne Thompson also lost a little daughter of the fever.

The mother (formerly Jane McNeilans) and family came west in Ontario and settled on crown land, which was three years later surveyed as Elma Township in Perth County. William Buchanan's daughter Margaret, born that first summer, 1 July 21, 1848, was the first white baby born in Elma Township. Their third child, Jamie was once kidnapped by Indians and found by a scout party of settlers.

One of the first family of seven sons was Robert, a weaver, and from his loom came much of the cloth and blankets used by the settlers. He donated the ground for Trinity Anglican cemetery on 12th concession of Elma.

His brother James once went to B.C. in early mining days and returned through the Rockies on horseback.

[contributed by Annie Brae McMane, Aylmer, Ontario]

William Buchanan Family History
by Mrs. Elizabeth Hardie of Woodstock, Ontario.

William Buchanan and Ann (Thompson) emigrated shortly after their marriage. The family paid its way out despite the fact that the government was bringing people out. Thus their money was all gone before they settled. The boat wasn't allowed to land for 5 weeks because of the sickness aboard. Quite a number were buried at sea (just put overboard without coffins.) Among the dead were great grandfather Buchanan and a daughter of William and Ann.

The family spent a while around Kingston, then tramped through the bush to North Easthope. The women and children camped about 40 miles south of Donegal for the first winter. The men came north and built dugouts or shanties, but had to tramp to Stratford about 20 miles south for anything they needed. When they first settled they had no track, so they blazed a trail through the bush. They possessed handmade tools only.

The women came on the next spring. William and Ann settled 1/2 mile from Donegal. Both died there. Great grandmother is buried in a little bush cemetery 3-4 miles from Donegal.

There was no survey for some time after settling. Finally farms were surveyed into 100 acre plots, but as they cleared and their families grew they bought more.

Margaret was born in July and at 21 married John Young, a Scotsman from Glasgow. Very few few how to read and write, so Margaret used to read the newspaper for the neighbors. The family were strong orangemen.

Mrs. Hardie is 10-15 years older than most of her generation, Ann Thompson Buchanan died 60 years ago. William died 78 years ago. (dated about 1971)

The Buchanan family reunion is held the last Saturday of June at Donegal School park. Donegal consists of a church, school, store, cheese factory, Orange Lodge and a half dozen houses.

The Abduction of James Buchanan
Reveries of a Pioneer: Elma Vera Ernst McNichol, Dixon Press Limited, Kitchener, Ontario, 1966. pg. 185

The first log shanty that William Buchanan erected on north bank of the creek burned down.  While he was rebuilding, it was necessary for the family to live in a tent, which was crowded with just a stove and a bed. It was in this tent that James Buchanan, the third child of Mrs William Buchanan, was born on Jan 19th, 1852.  The child's mother lifted the flap of the tent to fill a basin with snow.  This she melted on a stove to bath[e] her baby.  Little wonder he grew up to be rugged.  He must have thought he had landed in a cold old world!

This lad grew up to be Bert Buchanan's father, but the story might have been different.  Indians roamed along the creek in the hunting and fishing seasons.  They spied little Jimmy playing outside and nabbed him.  A search party set out to find the child, as soon as Margaret, his sister, reported it.  Jimmy was found farther down the creek in the Indian encampment.  The Chief begged to be allowed to keep the white boy, promising to make him their chief when he grew up.  The Buchanans refused, and from then on had to keep a close watch on Jimmy, that the Indians could not recapture him.

As a boy, James did not close doors behind him, but his parents said he had a good excuse since he was born in a tent. His sister Margaret was four years old and his brother Andrew was two years of age when he was born.  Six more children were born in Wm Buchanan's family: Robert, John, William Sam, Jane, Elizabeth, and Alex.  [and Angelina, who died just before her tenth birthday.]

From the International Genealogical Index:
(a genealogical database maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
http://www.familysearch.org
William Buchannan and Anne Thompson
Marriage: 24 Mar 1846 Place: 0445,Lower Langfield,Tyrone,Ireland

[This is the only official record I have found of the family's presence in Ireland, but Patty Hopkinson has found others. Please visit her web site.]

A Talk Prepared by Mrs. Elizabeth Hardie for
the 1949 Buchanan Reunion
[Transcribed from a photocopy of her handwritten account.]

Dear Uncle (Alexander), cousins; first, second and third. I stand before you today feeling very inadequate to speak on such a great occasion. I am sure it was for neither my intellect or looks, but because I am the third eldest representative of the Buchanan Clan, whose memory we are here to reverence, as well as get acquainted and have a happy reunion together.

I am sorry time was so short I couldn't look more authentic dates, so if I make mistakes I hope you feel free to set me right. I am also sorry our first reunion could not have been held at our grandparents' [William Buchanan and Ann Thompson's] old home, that they took up nearly 100 years ago out of the wilderness. It was before there was any surveys, and they were known as squatters. We are proud to say it has always had a Buchanan owner. If our younger generation could remember as long back as a very few of the older ones can, 65 - 70 years, they could appreciate better the courage, hard work, and industry it took to make Elma township what it is, and the great heritage that is ours and theirs.

My sister Angelina and I are, I might say, the connecting link between the old and the new. Very few of the grandchildren here today can remember our grandfather William Buchanan. He was a fine type of a real Irish gentleman, honest, kindly, and intelligent. He was a Christian gentleman, whose word was as good as his oath any day. I am often sorry we didn't get more authentic information from grandmother, who by the way, had a most wonderful memory. What I have is mostly from memory.

Our grandparents, William Buchanan and Ann Thompson grew up and were married in County Tyrone, in the North of Ireland, and had one child, a girl, when they decided to come to Canada, about the year 1846 or 48. His father and mother, 7 brothers, and 1 sister, and also 2 Thompson brothers came at the same time. A number were married, so there would have been quite a company.

I believe they had some money, much or little, when they left Ireland, but after a 9 week very strenuous voyage they expected to land in Halifax, but they were not allowed to land. Emigrant fever, a most deadly disease had broken out on the ship and a number died and were buried at sea, our great grandfather [Andrew sr.] and our grandparents' first child among them.

The great grandmother survived and came to the Bush country, where she lived a number of years and was buried in a little plot near the old English church on the 12 of Elma. But much or little money, they sure had their Irish pride, and although they could have come out on government emigrant money, preferred to pay their own passage. Oh, the pride of the Irish! Although they perhaps hadn't enough to buy their next meal, they were above accepting what they thought charity, and as long as grandmother lived, she spoke with considerable pride that they didn't come out on government money. Being detained in quarantine 2 or 3 months soon took what ready money they had. I have heard it said that grandfather spent his last money to buy an ax, so it was start at scratch -- or I guess chop when once they got to their proposed destination.

They came to North East Hope, where some of their earlier Irish friends had settled, but decided to come on into the Queen's bush, where land was to be had for the taking and clearing. The men came north that same fall, cleared some land and built a few shanties during the winter. What they ate, I often wonder!

The women came the following spring. In July 1849, their next child (my mother [Margaret]) was born, just 100 years ago this July. How they lived -- or existed, has always been a puzzle to me, till they were able to grow something. Children came along with regularity, as was common in the Bush in those days. First Margaret, who was the first white child known to be born in Elma Township, then Andrew, Jimmie, Robert, William Sam -- oh yes, Jane and Lizzie came in about then too -- John Charles, and Alexander who is with us here today, and last Angelina, who died when about 9. Grandfather's first shanty was on or near the 12th concession, not far from the Mornington boundary, where Mother was born, but wanting to be near water, they soon built another shanty on the creek bank and started to clear the land near the back of what is now Jimmie Buchanan's farm.

Later, when the survey was made and lines blazed and deeds from the government made out, a shanty or log house and stable for some stock was built near the centre of the farm, and about 20 rods [about 35 metres] back of the present buildings. They must have been in use up till about 1875, when the present house and barn were built. It was one of the first bank barns in the township -- and the house -- Well! It was simply a marvel for those days -- a separate pantry, washroom, 2 parlors, and most wonderful -- even colored glass in the front door. Grandfather enjoyed the new buildings about 10 years. He took a lingering stomach trouble, and died in or about the year 1885. Shortly after his death the farm was divided. The two sons, Jimmie and Alexander took over the farm, and buildings were built nearer the road for Jimmie. [This is the farm where Andy and Delores Buchanan lived until 2000. Gary Buchanan still lives in the other house, farther from the road.]

Such is a brief outline of our family tree, but I cannot close without a few words about our grandmother [Ann Thompson Buchanan], a most remarkable and useful woman for her day and generation. For many years she was known the country-over as Grannie Buchanan. As I said before, she had a wonderful memory. She was a great reader and talker, clever, and strong-minded, and a wonderful nurse, which meant so much in those early days with no doctor nearer than Stratford -- and babies! Each household mostly had from 8 or 9 to 14 or 15. One time when I was a young girl I remember her speaking of the births she had attended as Chief -- no doctor on hand in those days, and I counted as she named 134 or 6 and she never lost a case! With all our modern science and medical knowledge, where is a doctor today with such a record? She lived to the age of 84. She went visiting, perhaps for weeks at a time, but always had her room in her old home and counted it as home. I cannot but speak a word of appreciation for Aunt Emmie and Uncle Alex -- or Alexander as she always called him. She lived to be 84 in good health, always able to look after herself until some 6 or 8 months before her death, when she took a stroke and needed a lot of care. All the rest of the family was tied up with their own homes and cares but Aunt Emmie cared for her as a loving daughter. There were no old age pensions in those days, and Grandma had lost her money that was left to keep her by lending it years before, but she never felt unwelcome in her old home, and her last words were "Emmie's good!"

I would have liked to tell something about life in the so-called Good Old Days, but I find that my time is more than taken and someone might think they have spotted that.

The first school started when my mother was 9, in my grandfather's log barn. The first teachers, the first church services, music, the first newspapers, the ghost on Roll. Henry Hill, Stanley Buchanan, etc. etc. It would take longer to tell what they hadn't than what they had. Their needs were supplied by doing without. What to us are absolute necessities, to them were unheard of and unavailable luxuries. Are we happier? We should be, but that rest very much with ourselves. We are met here today in a great reunion. May nothing mar our happiness as one great family, and may it be a shadow of that great reunion in the New World, even of Christ our King, which many believe will be established even in this generation. Now, I am not a singer, but something always thrills me when I hear the Women's Institute Ode, which I'm sure many of us know. Would it be appropriate to sing it --
"A goodly thing it is to meet, In friendship's circle bright"  and the last lines  "That all may seek the common good, The good of all mankind.",  even as our Grandfather and Grandmother, William and Ann Buchanan did, so many years ago.

Thank you.

"This was in the [Listowel] Banner about a May 1900 issue, when Jim was about 4 years old. J. O. Hardie wrote it as Grandma [Ann Thompson] Buchanan told him to."

PIONEERS OF PERTH (COUNTY)

An interesting photograph was taken in Listowell on May 19th, being the photographing of four generations, in the persons of Mrs. William Buchannan, her daughter, Mrs. John Young, Mrs. Young's daughter, Mrs. J. O. Hardie, and her little boy. Mrs. Buchannan, with her husband were the first settlers in Elma, and Mrs. Young was the first child born in Elma. Mr. and Mrs. Buchannan, accompanied by three or four of his brothers and one of hers, left Ireland in the spring of 1847, coming west as far as Esqueising, where they worked a while, and then came west to North Easthope, where they worked till after harvest. Then leaving his young wife, Mr. Buchannan, and four or five others struck north to hunt for land in the bush. They covered quite a tract of country, finally taking up land near the Elma and Mornington boundary. Mrs. Buchannan still lives with her youngest son on the old homestead, taken up nearly 53 years ago. Mrs. Buchannan was the first white woman to pass the night in Elma township. Mrs. Young was born in July 1848, being the first white child born in the township. Of her eleven children, nine are still alive, six of whom are within four miles of the homestead, one in Michigan, one in Manitoba, and one in Exeter. She has forty-two grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

[This was written by David James Watson, son of James Watson jr. and Jane Buchanan. He was the father of Mabel Henry, from whom I got a lot of information in 1962. This is transcribed from a photocopy of the original hand-written document.]

Just a few of the highlights of our trip to Manitoba in the spring of 1879.

Departure from Elma, Ontario
We left Millbank station in the township of Elma in Perth County along with a number of families coming to Manitoba, where my father [James Watson jr.]  and my oldest brother [Robert] had taken homesteads & pre-emptions in the summer of 1878 on Sec 32 TP15R15 six miles north of where the thriving town of Neepawa now stands. At that time it was wild land, but now our old homestead is known as the Dables brothers' farm.

In the summer of 1878 my father and brother got some land broken up and some log buildings up, and in the winter of 1878 my father came back to Ontario to make the arrangements for moving the rest of our family to our new home in the west.

On the Train
The train being of considerable length, the car with the stock wasn't near the coaches we were in. So when the train would stop to take on water, my brother Solomon, a lad of fourteen, would get off the coach and run to the stock car to milk the cows. Then the next time the train stopped he would get off the stock car and come back with the milk.

The train was made up of several cars of settlers' effects besides the coaches, which made a train of considerable length. One dark night, the coupling on the car we were in broke and left us sitting on the track between stations. My mother, being awake, wondered at the stop. On looking out she could see no lights, so she sent a man back to find the conductor. He got men with lanterns out each way along the track, as another train was nearly due.

When the train arrived at the next station with no train men aboard, it caused considerable excitement. As they came back in search for us they were afraid to speed in case they ran into us. Finally they spotted the signal lights of the train crew. They hitched onto the coach we were in. I can remember the big red embers from the engine coming over our coach as the fireman stoked the old engine, but there was no damage done.

So we finally arrived at St. Boniface on one of the first trains on the newly laid steel between Emerson and St. Boniface. There being no railroad into Winnipeg and no bridges across the river, we had to cross the river by ferryboat.

Fort Garry
The government had a building on the Wpg. side of the river about where the CNR station now stands. The building was about 100 feet long. It was one story with a partition down the centre and then divided into 12-foot rooms where the new settlers could get temporary lodgings while getting organized for their final destinations. There was a cookhouse on either side of this big building to accommodate the people. Quite frequently a woman would put her kettle on the stove and go back to her room for something else, to find on her return that someone had set that kettle off and set hers on. Well, there were some Irish women who didn't approve of that way of doing business, so quite often there was a fight. When they had demonstrated who was the best boxer, they would call a Mr. Frost, who lived close by and was supposed to supervise the use of the buildings. But if Mr. Frost got wise in time, he usually was absent. Well, needless to say, it furnished amusement for a lot of us youngsters.

Fort Garry on the north side of the river was in good repair at that time and had a stone fence enclosing quite a sized piece of land. The fort had what we youngsters called "peek holes" to shoot through if attacked by Indians. There was another old landmark on the north side of the river, a red building, which I was told was a grist mill. The fort was a favorite place for us youngsters to play while the men folk were getting ready for the journey west. There being too much freight to load in the wagons and carts, part of the stuff was sent to Portage on the old stern wheeler boat that used to follow the river to Brandon.

Mud on the Trail
Well, we finally got started west, so in the absence of better roads we followed the south Red River Cart trail, which crossed the sand hills north of Carberry. The season being very rainy, we had to cross many bad waterholes. Some places at a really deep creek, a homesteader would build a bridge of poles and stay there all day and charge for each wagon, cart, or loose animal that crossed. Other places the men would wade through to see how deep the water and mud was, then they would hitch two teams to each wagon and try their luck. If they got stuck in the mud, the men would carry the children and some of the women to dry ground, and then carry part of the load, then take logging chains and if the chains were too short to reach solid ground, they would take poles and notch the ends of the poles so the chains wouldn't slip off, and in that way draw the wagons out. The oxen being better in mud than horses, usually got through by having some of the men help by lifting on the spokes in the wheels. The mosquitoes were so thick one could scarcely see through them. When the women fried meat in the evenings, the mosquitoes would come to the fire, their wings would scorch, and they would drop in the frying pan. The grease would scarcely run out of the pan.

Arrival in the Wilderness
Well, we finally reached our new home on the 7th of June, 1879, with three youngsters sick with measles, after being on the road 23 days. It was no pleasure trip for my mother, to say the least.

Neighbors were scarce at that time. Sam Buchanan and his son John one mile away, Bill Warnock 1 1/2 miles, Jim and John Coulter 2 miles south, Jonas Potter 3 miles west. Gradually the settlers kept coming in. There being no churches or schools, the missionaries had to hold services in settlers houses and travel on horseback in the summer and by toboggan in winter time.

Pioneering
There being no local stores to get supplies at, my father had to draw supplies from Portage and Winnipeg. The first winter we were in Manitoba he spent 42 days drawing supplies. My eldest sister came out in the fall of 1879 with her family of three, so with our late arrival the previous spring, we had no potatoes or vegetables.. It took a powerful lot of bread to feed such a houseful, 15 in all. I remember once in particular, my sister Jenny, just a girl in her teens, baked 100 pounds of flour between Friday morning and Saturday night, which I think was rather a record with just a common cook stove to cook in.

As time went on and more settlers came in, the settlers called a meeting and set a day, and they went to the bush to get logs and built a church, where all the settlers could attend like one big family.

Indians
Sometimes we would meet huge bands of Indians on the trail, and usually the fellows with the most feathers in their headdress would be riding ponies at the front of the caravan of fifty or more carts, with a pony hitched to each cart with each pony tied to the preceding cart. usually three or four Indians were riding along either side of the road, each with a long whip to keep the caravan moving along. Once I remember seeing one of their ponies get stuck in a mud hole and he refused to pull, so one of the Indians tied the pony's tail to the whiffletree, then he applied the whip. To the surprise of all of us white folks, the pony pulled the cart out in that way.

Local Government
As time went on, the settlers decided to elect a council to look after the business of the County of Beautiful Plains. The members of the first council have all gone to their last resting place. The names of the first council as I remember them were:
 

A petition was later presented to the council asking that a trail be opened from the Neepawa district to Dauphin, so a delegation was appointed to see if a road could be made. The names of the councilors appointed follows: James Watson, Wm. Gardiner, Peter Graham, Tom Newton. So they set out with ox carts, tents, provisions, and several young men from the district went with along in hopes of finding homesteads. They blazed a trail through bush in many places, and followed gravel ridges where possible. Eventually they returned with a satisfactory report that a trail could be made, which was later done. Settlers used that route for several years. It was also used as a mail route to Dauphin for several years.

Burned Out
In the early eighties the government passed a law making it legal for a man who had taken out the deed for his first homestead to take out a second homestead. So, in 1885, the year of the North West Rebellion, my father took a second homestead on the SE of section 16TP18R15, near where the village of Riding Mountain now stands. He built a house on it in 1886 and moved to it in the same year. The nearest neighbor then was John Bare, three miles south, but again neighbors soon began to come in. We had to do our shopping and draw our grain or any other produce to Neepawa. Then in the summer of 1887, I homesteaded on section 14T18R15. I worked out at $18.00 per month in the summer and $13.00 per month in the lumber camp drawing saw logs in the winter. I finally built a house and had it nicely furnished. I lived in it three months when it got burned with all its contents, so I again was just worth the clothes I was wearing. Mr. John Crawford, the implement dealer offered to supply me with what implements I needed to get a new start, so with friends like that I made a new start and got my debts paid.

I had some tough sledding at times, but I try to forget that and just think of the many friends I have at Riding Mountain.

Newspaper Clippings from Nellie Sinclair

COPIES from newspaper [These were received from Mrs. D. Sinclair, 6871 Linden Avenue, South Burnaby, B.C.]

Death of Mrs. Buchanan
[Obituary of Isabel Watson Buchanan, wife of John Buchanan, copy from Nellie Sinclair]

Still another of the pioneer women of this district passed away last Friday morning, in the person of Mrs. Isabel Buchanan, widow of the late Jno. Buchanan, who died about 8 years ago. The funeral on Sunday from the residence of her daughter, Mrs. Dan McGillivray, to Buchanan cemetery, was largely attended by a wide circle of relatives and acquaintances, all of whom remember her as a cheerful and loyal friend under all circumstances. Deceased was born at Prescott, Ontario, on Jan. 17, 1837, and was aged 80 years, 2 months and 13 days. She came to Manitoba with her husband 37 years ago and had continuously resided here. She leaves three sons - William, at Stettler, Alberta; Jas. G. and Robert of this vicinity - also four daughters - Mrs. Jno. Hamilton, of Tisdale, Sask, Mrs. W. J. Ash, of Edrans, Mrs. Jno. Keating, of Edmonton, and Mrs. Dan McGillivray, of Stony Creek. She was a sister of the late Jas. Watson, and of Mrs. Sam Buchanan, of Rosedale. A brother, William, resides at Plumas, and another, George, near Edmonton.

Death of Mrs. Jas. Watson [Obituary of Jane Buchanan Watson, copy from Nellie Sinclair]

When death came to Mrs. Jane Watson last Thursday at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. D. A. Snider, of Riding Mountain, there was removed from the scene of her long and happy residence, one of those estimable and truly motherly women whose character and memory remains as a benediction for generations amongst those who knew her best. Her home and her family were always her first thought and in their service was her greatest happiness.

Jane Buchanan was born in the county of Tyrone, Ireland on Fe, 27, 1836, and came to Canada with her parents in 1847. After a short residence in eastern Ontario, the family home was eventually established in Elma township, Perth County, with mother and six [actually seven] brothers - the father having died shortly after their arrival in the country. She was married in 1856 to James Watson, also of Perth county, to whom she bore a family of 13 - seven boys and six girls - all of whom (except for one daughter) came to Manitoba with their parents in 1879. Those surviving are Robert, of Kelwood; David J., Mrs. J. J. Willerton and Mrs. D. A. Snider, of Riding Mountain; Adam, of Vancouver; Solomon, of Neepawa; Wm. A. of Bowsman; Chas. A., of Agassiz, B.C.; Mrs. David McLarty, of Prince George, B.C. and Mrs. Robt. Buchanan, of Attwood, Ont. Two daughters (Mrs. John and Mrs. D. A. Snider) and one son, Samuel G., pre-deceased her.

The funeral to Rosedale cemetery on Sunday was attended by a large concourse of friends and this faithful servant was laid to rest beside her late husband, who died May 24, 1904.

(This was grandpa's only sister. Their mother's maiden name was Jane Long [or McNeilands?]. James Watson her husband was grandma's brother - I don't know what their father's first name was or grandma's either. Her mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Linnen.)

Elizabeth Hardie's Letter

665 Miller St.
Woodstock, Central Ontario
Oxford County
Feb. 7th, 1963

Dear far away cousin,

Yes, you are far away in both distance and family relations, but not so far away in interest of family history. I am the only one living now who remembers my grandfather William Buchanan. But I am sorry to tell you that I have very little authentic family history, only what I remember my grandmother Ann Thompson telling. I often thought I should write down what she told, but time passed and she took a strike unexpectedly and her memory went. Now I am the eldest (87) and I regret our neglect. How they ever lived for the first few years after coming to such a bush wilderness, I'm sure we, in this day, cannot understand. I remember her saying one time, "They talk about the courage of the old-timers. It wasn't courage at all. It was do or die, and one can't die just when they would want to." And I guess it is most unbelievable how much some have to suffer one way or another before they can pass out and many of them did -- no doctors and so little.

I believe you have some facts that I always understood differently, but you have more history than I have. I never heard of my grandfather having a former wife before Ann Thompson [he didn't] and their child, a baby's death at sea. Then my mother was born after they came to Elma Township, Perth County, Ontario.

Yes, I always understood [there was] my great grandfather and wife and seven sons and one daughter (who afterwards married James Watson and had quite a family.) They all went to Manitoba about 80 or 85 years ago with the exception of one girl Lizzie, who was going to marry her cousin, my uncle Robert Buchanan, and refused to go with her family.
William E., who you said in your letter that you wrote to, is one of their family and a first cousin of mine.

I always understood my great grandfather died before they landed and was buried at sea. They took a scourge of immigrant fever on shipboard and weren't allowed to land for 5 weeks, and landed almost penniless. I understood it was at Halifax.

My grandmother always told with pride (so foolish) that they weren't brought out to Canada by the government, they paid their way. I don't believe the mother lived long, but she was buried where they first settled in Elma Township, about 8 miles south of where William E. lives yet at Donegal.

I will give you the family names so you will know how they were passed down. My grandfather's family:
Margaret, my mother, born 1849, died in 1927 in Elma, aged 79
Andrew had quite a family and died about 70 years old.
James had quite a family and died about 70 years old.
Jane married Richard Terry, no family.
Lizzie married and went to live in Michigan. All family live in Michigan.
Robert married Lizzie Watson. 8 family, Wm. E. one of them
William Sam 3, Andrew and Mary in the west, if living.
Johnny went to Manitoba and had quite a family, lived at McCreary.
Alexander lived and died on the old homestead.
Anzilma [Angelina] died about 13 age, about 80 or 82 years ago.

So see how your name was handed from. Each one had to give a family name. I remember of Old Andy's Young Andy's Wee Andy all living on the same farm. So many had to have a nickname. Very often, if they had any peculiarity it was tacked unto their name.

I have Grandmother's funeral card. It is:
"Died in Elma Township on November 6th nineteen hundred and eleven, Ann Thompson, relict of the late William Buchanan, age 87 years, 4 mos. and 27 days, and buried in Donegal cemetery." I think very likely in the old Donegal cemetery there would be a large number of the old flat tombstones that would have the date on. Both my father and mother are buried there.

Families do get scattered so far. We have a Buchanan reunion ever summer held mostly at Donegal, a little hamlet of a school, church, and oh yes, Orange Lodge and store and half a dozen houses, but right in the neighborhood where the Buchanans settled, but very few of the older families are left. My sister and I of Margaret's family are the only ones left, and the other families of William Buchanan and Ann Thompson are much the same.

My mother was the first white child known to be born in Elma Township, although it was just in the bush. There was no survey for some years after they landed. They were known as squatters. Mother never got to school. She was 10 years old before there was any school -- no one to teach school. The first school was held in my grandfather's old log barn. The teacher could read a little and write and add up some figures, but no other subjects. The teacher got $50.00 a year and worked around on the farms for his board. That was over 110 or 120 years ago.

Isn't it unbelievable the changes in the past, even since I can remember, and the state of the world today besides what our foreparents ever dreamed of, or even ourselves at the turn of the century. This was to be the Christian Century. How our whole outlook and belief has had to change. Now we cannot believe it is in Man's power to do anything to save the world. It may not be very long with all the bombs. We are surely living in the times of the end of this system of things. All we can do is trust in God, and keep on until He sees fit to say "This far and no farther."

Your far away cousin,
Lizzie Hardie

PS.
I hope you do not think I am too "long winded" for all I can tell you, but I just got a letter from a cousin, Annie McMane about 75 (or near that). She was a daughter of Jimmy Buchanan and Anne Scott. Uncle Alex married a Scott too. Andrew and William Sam married sisters too (Burke by name). Annie McMane too is interested in family history and regrets that we don't have a family tree. But so many of the younger generation doesn't care very much. I know my two boys don't. My eldest son, James (66) lives in London, a returned man from both wars and has a life job in a military hospital. The other, John, is on a farm but doesn't run at high pressure any more. His only son John and a son-in-law have gone strongly into a fur-bearing animal business, Nutria a company Dominion-wide. Very few young folks want to stay on the farm now.

I live with a granddaughter. Her husband is a mechanic and works for the Overland Express Company. I am very comfortable and no cow, no care, no cow.

A couple of months ago the family relations gave me a surprise party. Both sides of the family were there, and my late husband's family. There must have been about 75. A number of Buchanans were there, as my sister Margret Myrtle was interested too. She had 8 of a family, all married but one boy, for whom she keeps house. I spend some of my summer with her.

Now, if you care to write again, I will be glad to answer. I am very sorry I can't give you more knowledge. Do you know if Solomon or Dave Watson is living yet. I intend going to see William E. Buchanan, their nephew, for a visit this summer, if all is well, and visit other members of the family. I know very little of the Watson family, only James, who married my grandfather's sister was a Scotchman and went to Neepawa with his family.

I hope to hear from you again and will be telling them of you. I am afraid this letter is mixed up and may not be much use to you.
 

In interest, your cousin,
Lizzie Jane Hardie

PPS
I was named for my grandmother Young, 2 aunts - Jane and Lizzie B. and two aunts on my father's side.

Annie Brae (Buchanan) McMane's Letter 1

RR#1 Aylmer, Ontario
January 16, 1964

Dear Mr. Buchanan,

I have here a letter written by you to William E. Buchanan, RR 2, Atwood. This letter was handed to me in hopes that I might be able to add to it. I wish I knew more, as I have always been interested in the Buchanan family, and have a deep love for my ain folk. But the generation who knew the facts have all passed on. And even they have been more interested in making a new life in the new country. But I remember conversations with Grandmother and Uncle Robert, so may be able to add something.

Many families were leaving North Ireland for more freedom of worship. Grandmother told us that when the children walked to (p.2) Sunday School or church, that members of the Roman Catholic families would wait in hiding to catch them and take their Bibles from them because they (the R.C.s) had been taught to believe that those books were a curse, and well, they wanted to put them in the pig trough, because the more they cursed the pigs, the better they would grow.

Some thought they were leaving hardships behind, but I understood that Great Grandfather, Andrew Buchanan senior, was a thinker and realized that there would be hardship ahead, and so appreciated the fact that his family were all grown to young manhood.

He was also a man of quick wit. Some man on the boat had said to him "You have a large family." and he answered, "Yes, I have seven sons, and every son has a sister." "Oh that is a grand (p. 3) family, fourteen, largest family on the boat!", was the reply.

Their daughter Jane was a short woman, very lovable. How well I remember her (Aunt Jane Watson), she returned to Elma and lived a year with her daughter, Lizzie (Mrs. Robert Buchanan) after the death of her husband, James Watson.

I understood from Grandma that a fever broke out, but she told me that none of the Buchanans died on the boat, and so none of the family was buried at sea. But they came to Kingston, in eastern Ontario, and some were very ill when they [dis]embarked. Andrew senior died there, and also Grandma's first child, a young daughter. They were buried in a pioneer cemetery at Kingston. I understood that they lived that winter at Kingston but have no account or idea how they lived. What type of home was available (p. 4) or work or jobs. Or was any such provision made for new settlers.

Anyhow, none remained in Kingston, and in 1848 they trekked into western Ontario (I understood, walking part of the way.) I don't know about the mode of travel, but Grandmother said they had to walk north from Stratford to locate on crown land. (about 30 miles) and had to walk that again later when needing supplies. Carrying a bag of flour each on their shoulders, Some must have carried tents, for they all settled along the creek within 2 square miles and began hewing trees and building log shanties. How they ever grew enough to eat that first year has always puzzled me, for that part of the country was dense forest of huge trees.

Now if you will please turn back to reverse side of page 1, I will tell you a little about each.
(p.5) [written on the reverse side of page 1]
1847 - Buchanans arrived in Canada
1848 - Arrived in Queen's bush, where it was surveyed 3 years later and named Elma Township in Perth County.

The mother, Mrs. Andrew Buchanan
William wife Ann Thompson
Robert married Margaret ?
Charles married Nancy Porter
James married Bessie (Booth, I think) later married Bessie Glen
John married Isabel Watson
Andrew married Mary Jane Booth
Samuel married Mary Watson
Jane married James Watson
The sons' names are not in order of birth, although I think William was the oldest.

(p.6)
The mother died and was buried in an Anglican cemetery in Elma Township. One and a half miles south of William Buchanan's homestead. The grave was one of the early ones and was dug between the stumps of trees, where the trees had to be recently cut down and cleared away. It is supposed that only wooden markers were used. Anyhow when the cemetery was later (much later) surveyed and arranged in an orderly plan for future care, it was said that no account was given of the grave of Great-Grandmother. I don't know how long she had lived after coming to the crown lands nor which of her family she lived with.

(p.7)
Robert died young in years, leaving two small sons, and I think his widow later married Alex Long and went to Manitoba about the time of the great move, taking her sons also. William and Charles remained in Elma. I think William died at age 64 and his wife died at 84. There is a large monument in Donegal cemetery, I will look some time next spring to check their ages. Charles and wife are in Elma Centre cemetery.

John and family, Samuel and family, James and Jane Watson left by train about 1879, all except Lizzie Watson, a daughter who had then married William Buchanan's son Robert.

James Buchanan also went to Neepawa but didn't take his wife, as he planned on going on to the (p.8) mountains prospecting for gold. I think he was away 7 years and returned as far as Neepawa. I understood that he there married Bessie Glen but never returned to Ontario. [Actually, Bessie Glen was the wife he left behind.]

Andrew's wife died and buried in Donegal cemetery, he then made some trips to Manitoba and back, and was finally buried in Donegal,

You mentioned in your letter that you had been informed that Andrew senior and William's wife had died at sea, but William's wife was my grandmother, who gave me most of this history. Her little daughter died but I think that was at Kingston. But also I think that she was born in Ireland, could have been when they returned because of the storm at sea. (p.9) Soon after getting settled in the bush, William's wife had a new daughter. They named her Margaret. She was the first white child born in Elma Township. William's family were:
Margaret married John Young
Andrew married Eliza Burke
James my father, married Ann Scott
Jane married Richard Terry
Robert married Lizzie Watson
William Sam married Maggie Burke
Lizzie married Jake Patrick, and lived in Michigan
John Charles married Jennie Freeborn, and went to Plumas, and later to Riding Mountain.
Alexander married Emily Scott

I can give you the numbers and names of the children and grandchildren of these couples, if you wish to continue the family history.

(p. 10) William Buchanan's descendants have held a family reunion at Donegal each June for several years, including any other Buchanans who could come.

Now this has become a rather long epistle, but let's say you asked for it, as you started your letter saying "I am very interested in family history". Why don't you make a trip to Ontario and learn how we can make you welcome. In the meantime, while winter storms blow, here is one cousin who would so enjoy another letter telling of your family and of yourself.

Oh yes, I want to know if our ancestors sailed from Londonderry. They lived somewhere near Londonderry, but not in the town. I think they were rural folks.

p(11) I will close by sending you the account of the coat of arms for Buchanans. I received this from a grand daughter of Andrew (he was known as "Little Black Andy") She reminded us that we were originally of the Clan of Buchanan in Scotland. and are perhaps just a rebel branch. Anyhow please return this family origin of coat of arms sometime.

Oh yes, another granddaughter of Andrew is living in High River and is very interested. She may have some information, so here is her address:
Mrs. Harry Asselstine (Nellie)
High River, Alberta,

Now I sign for myself, your distant cousin
Mrs. Annie B. McMane, RR 1, Aylmer, Ontario.

Annie Brae (Buchanan) McMane's Letter 2

RR 1, Aylmer
Feb 18, 64

Dear Mr. Buchanan,

Since writing to you I have written to a few cousins, asking them to wear their thinking caps and write down anything they remember Grandmother telling. I may not get much in return, but it's worth trying.

One family in Michigan might be of some help. Anyhow it will be easy to forward any letters that I receive. More facts should be remembered by folks in Manitoba, as most of the family moved there. Only William's family stayed in Ontario. Most of Charles' family and (some) of Andrews' (he was called Wee Black Andy). His granddaughter is Mrs. Asselstine. I believe all of his grandchildren went west.

I will send a list of William Buchanan's family and can later send a list of the grandchildren and to the fifth generation. I will write Nellie (Mrs. Asselstine) in High River to ask about the families of Charles and Andy. The other families and the Watsons should be traced among families at Neepawa.

Also ask about another Jane Buchanan. Grandma [Ann Thompson Buchanan] used to tell us Andrew Buchanan and Jane McNeilens took a baby Jane (when the baby's mother died) and raised her. I never heard if she was brought to Canada or left in Ireland.

Now I will have to write brother Stanley and other relatives before writing again to you, so I will now send a clipping about "ancestors".

William Buchanan's family have held a family reunion each June for some years but the young generation are not very interested, so that we may have to cease. We had about 200 people the first year or two. The last year we had much less than 100.

We have wished and talked about having the families in each province plan a reunion and maybe some could visit each year from each reunion. I understand you are a young man of 22, so you are probably very busy either in college or getting started in business or a life job. So you may find it necessary to count your money very carefully. But if you could plan with some others to motor to Ontario and share expenses, it would help, and I think you would enjoy the welcome.

Now I will tell you what we are like. A niece of mine married a lad from Scotland, who tells that the Buchanan clan was at one time so strange that they divided and fought each other. Anyhow the Irish branch still like to fight.

When we first started talking about the reunion, my brother Bert went to talk to the last and only uncle we had living (Alexander).

Uncle said, "Oh, Bert, it's no use. If you got two Buchanans there and went for two more, the first two would be fighting when you got back."

Bert answered, "Well, let's try it. If they all come we should have 1000."

"Oh!", said Uncle, "This I want to see, 1000 Buchanans, 500 good fights!"

But they also like music, and some can dance. A few years ago a good prize was offered for square dancing at Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto. Eight young Buchanans went from Donegal, near Atwood, and won the prize. Andrew Buchanan (was 17, now 27) was one of the 8. He is the fourth generation of Andrew Sr. and farming on land that was first claimed as crown land by William Buchanan and Ann Thompson. By the way, I am invited to visit with some of the Thompsons in Michigan and hope to go so, so may hear some news of the past.

But how I can ramble on when I get a pen. I hope to take a trip west (have been there 3 times) during the early summer if I can get someone to help drive. I hope to go to the west coast but will stop at High River, Red Deer, Edmonton, etc. I have a brother in Red Deer, but right now they may have had to hide the welcome mat, as he has a heart condition and his wife has been in the hospital for months and had her right leg amputated and will be in a wheel chair.

Well I am a bit older than you since I have passed the three-score and ten, the Canadian government is now paying me to live.
 

Well, I'll close now, but you will probably hear again from your ancient relative.

Anne Brae (Buchanan) McMane
RR 1, Aylmer West, Ontario

[This page had been enclosed in a letter, probably from Mrs. McMane.]

Andrew Buchanan died in Kingston, Ontario and Jane McNeilens died in Elma Township, Perth County, Western Ontario

Eldest son William - Ann Thompson
Family:
Margaret - John Young (John, Elizabeth [Hardie], William, Angelina, Myrtle, James)
Andrew - Eliza Burke (Mary Elizabeth, Willie, Annie, Addie, John, Joseph)
James - Julia Ann Scott (William, Stanley, Edwin, Annie (me) [McMane], Elizabeth, Bert, George)
Robert - Lizzie Watson (Charles, Herbert, Annie Bertha, Willie, Reuben, Alex)
William Samuel - Maggie Burke (Andrew, Effie, Mary)
Jane - Richard Terry (no family)
Lizzie - Jacob Patrick (Helena, Ethel, Annie, Hazel, Gladys, Milton)
John Charles - Jennie Freeborn (Bernel, Johnny, Arnold, Delmer, Colon, Norman, Jennie, Seldyn)
Alexander - Emily Scott (Annie May, Carrie, James)

Mary Jane Copeland's Letter 1

Ste. 6, 51 - 1st Street SW
Portage la Prairie, Man
March 9th/64

Dear Bill,
Thank you for your most interesting letter, which I received this morning, so have decided to answer by return.

I guess we are all hanging from the same family tree, but I am sorry at present I can't throw much light onto it. It is all so confusing and mixed up with the Watsons, I think I am my own grandpa or grandma, either one. I guess Nellie will have told you my Dad's name was Charles and his father's name was Andrew. I know that Granddad Buchanan had brothers. Uncle Sam lived at Neepawa and all his family, and I understand his wife was a Graham [actually she was a Watson]. But there were Robert and James, also brothers of my Granddad. I understand that Aunt Jane Watson was their sister and there were several families which I never seemed to straighten out.

When you mentioned my Mother's Grandfather, it brought the memory back to me of her calling her grandfather Robert. My mother's mother was Elizabeth Buchanan and she married Robert Campbell, and then mother married Dad, who was her cousin, "so gosh, I don't know who I am".

Well there are some Buchanans living in Portage here whom I have just recently got in contact with. I am going to pay them a visit. (Uncle Andy Buchanans) My grandmother Campbell's brother's daughter lives right here in Portage with her daughter. At the end of March they are to go to Calgary to the wedding of her granddaughter (Blanch Christmas), so I will try to get to see her before they go and I'll give her your address or send you the address of where they will be staying.

I think it is a shame that these old people pass on without leaving any family record.

I have a brother Bill too, also Earl and Jack. Bill lives on the outskirts of Portage. Earl is a railroad man in Winnipeg and Jack is also in Winnipeg at the present time, but has a piece of land down by the border of Ontario and Manitoba. Jack is a bachelor and travels around quite a lot.

I intend to go west to visit Nellie in May or June. so will get all the information I can before I go up. There are Watsons living in Portage too, who claim to be my father's relatives, so since moving downtown I can get around to see them and I'll write down all the information I can get.

I suppose Nellie will have told you that my husband died in August and as we were only renting the home we were in, I gave it up as it was costing me too much to live alone. We had sold our home previous because of his illness.

[I can't find the last page of this letter, but from the address it has to be from Mary Jane Copeland.]

Mary Jane Copeland's Letter 2

51 - 1st Street SW
Portage la Prairie, Manitoba
April 20/64

Dear Bill Buchanan,

Up until now I have not been able to get any of the history of the family tree. Mrs. Christmas and her husband had gone to Calgary to her daughter's wedding before I could get up to see her mother (Maggie (Buchanan) Walker) who lives with her. So last week I spent an afternoon with them and she gave me quite a lot of information as far as she knows but could tell me nothing of when the Buchanans and Watsons left Ireland and Scotland.

She informed me that John Buchanan your [great] grandfather, and Robert Buchanan my mother's grandfather, and Dad's father Andrew and Uncle Sam that lived at Neepawa and James Buchanan were all brothers and married Watson women and they were all sisters [actually only John and Sam married Watson sisters]. She did not know who James Buchanan married or if he was married at all, but these old boys were all her uncles too. Aunt Jane Watson was their sister, she was Jane Buchanan. All her family lived around Neepawa: Solomon, Davie and Bill I can't remember if there were any more. I always knew they were Dad's cousins.

I was correct in telling you that my great grandmother's name was Margret Booth. I always heard Dad talk about it.

There were three brothers who lived at Neepawa, or rather two. Dummy Jimmie who was deaf and dumb, and little Red Bob, and Willie Buchanan the blacksmith who lived at Birnie and did blacksmithing there. Do you know anything of this family and who their father was? Willie moved away west somewhere when I was just a girl. I was wondering whether he would be your father. [my grandfather, actually] Where was your family home?

These Watson families who live in Portage are no blood relations of ours [incorrect]. Dummy Jimmie Buchanan married their sister Sarah and Robbie Buchanan, Uncle Sam's son married Katie Watson. That's how they came to be relatives, so Maggie (Buchanan) Walker informed me. But boy are they ever mixed up. Maggie's brother's son Howard Buchanan married a Buchanan [Dafoe?] girl, a granddaughter of Uncle Sam Buchanan, so they would be cousins. My Dad had a brother Sam, also Bill, Jim, Bob, and Andy. Andy was Nellie Asselstine's Dad. Dad and Mother were cousins too.

By the way, I am taking a trip up there to High River, leaving on the 16th of May with my son and daughter in law. They are leaving me off there and going to Edmonton to see Sheila's people, so Nellie and I will pay you a visit.

Anyway Bill, we are all descendants of Adam and Eve and all that generation were destroyed in the flood in Noah's day and the people on the earth today are descendants of Noah and his three sons, so we are all relatives anyway. That's why I joked about not knowing who I am. There is such a mix-up it makes my head dizzy to try to figure it out.
Relatives are married to relatives.

Well, I hope to see you next month, in the meantime cheerio.

Mary Jane Copeland
I hope you can get this straightened out and it's not too complicated.

THE BUCHANANS
[This summary of the family history was written by me [Bill Buchanan] and included in the photocopies I made of the Buchanan Family Tree book for relatives about 1975.]

Clan Buchanan
The clan Buchanan is said to be descended from Anselan O'Kyan, a prince from Ulster province, Ireland. He was granted land in Lennox by King Malcolm II of Scotland in return for his services in battles against Danish raiders. The land granted was the district of Buchanan on the east shore of Loch Lomond, and included Ben Lomond. Anselan's son eventually adopted the district's name as his own. Over the centuries the clan grew in numbers and in prominence, both at home and abroad.

Resettlement of Ulster
The resettlement of Ulster saw some Buchanans return to the homeland of their ancestor, Anselan O'Kyan. Among these enterprising people were our own ancestors. Whether or not they gave any thought to their ancestral connection to their new home, we may never know in this life.

"They lived in Omagh, County of Tyrone, Ireland and knew they were of Scotch origin. The Buchanans had left Scotland during a rebellion.", as Belle Hunter explained it. By the time they come into our knowledge, they had spent a few generations in Ireland, and considered themselves to be Irish Buchanans, with Irish traditions. And it was the Irish problems of famine and religious strife that turned their thoughts towards a new land with seemingly boundless opportunities.

I remember my father, George (William George) Buchanan, saying that he had heard that the family had lived near Londonderry right on the coast and often caught fish in the sea, and that John's grandfather died in Ireland at over 90 years of age - he slept more and more, and finally he never woke up. George mentioned someone telling about someone going by with a large fish he had caught. William Henry Buchanan in Neepawa referred to an ancestor mentioning that he had often walked the walls of Derry.  George said that he understood that the family lived at Strabane, County Tyrone. [Of course these stories become somewhat garbled in retelling, and so they could come from other family lines.]

Jane Buchanan Watson's tombstone at Neepawa, Manitoba, says that she was born at Omagh, County Tyrone, 27 February, 1836. The death certificate of John Buchanan states that he was born in County Tyrone. These are the localities in Ireland that seem to have family connections.

Emigration From Ireland
In the 1800s many families were leaving Northern Ireland to escape the famine and for more freedom of worship. The Buchanan family had lived on the line separating the Protestants from the Catholics. As in Ireland today, friction existed between the two groups. Annie B. McMane said, "Some thought they were leaving hardships behind, but I understand that great grandfather Andrew Buchanan sr. was a thinker and realized that there would be hardships ahead, and so appreciated the fact that his family were all grown to young manhood."

William George Buchanan also said that the family spent 9 weeks on the water. They were out to sea for 10 days when a storm forced them back to Ireland. The ship was refitted and the trip was then completed in 7 weeks.

"Andrew sr. was a man of quick wit. Some man on the boat said to him, 'You have a large family.' and he answered "Yes, I have seven sons, and every son has a sister.' 'Oh, that is a grand family, fourteen - largest family on the boat!', was the reply."

Andrew and his wife Jane (nee McNeilands) had seven sons: William, Charles, Andrew, Robert, James, John, and Samuel , and a daughter Jane. Charles and William seem to be the only sons married at the time of the immigration. Apparently, one or two of Ann Thompson's brothers came with them, but went to Michigan. They were referred to by Annie B. McMane and Elizabeth Hardie.

In the year 1847 the family sold their belongings and bought passage to Canada. Many other families came at government expense, but our ancestors paid their own way. The ship had been at sea for about 10 days when it was so badly damaged in a storm, that it had to return for repairs. On the second attempt, the Atlantic was crossed successfully, but at a great cost.

Fever and Death
An outbreak of "immigrant fever" (typhus) took the lives of about 20 people on board, and the ship was quarantined in Kingston, Ontario. Some of the family were very ill when they disembarked. Andrew sr. died there, and also William's first child, a young daughter. They were buried in a pioneer cemetery in Kingston.

In 1847, out of the 89,738 passengers bound for Upper Canada, 15,333 died of disease, usually typhus or cholera. Perhaps our everyday cares will seem a little lighter if we think back to those faced by our ancestors.

Settlement in the Queen's Bush
They traveled to North Easthope, where the women and children spent the winter, and the men traveled to Stratford, partly on foot, then walked 30 miles north into the "Queen's Bush" (crown land). Then, whenever they needed supplies they had to walk to Stratford and back, sometimes carrying a sack of flour on each shoulder. Some may have carried tents, for they all settled along a creek within 2 square miles.

There, they started clearing land and building log shanties and dugouts. There was no land survey for some years after they settled. The next spring, the men went back to Kingston to bring the women and children to their new homes. Annie B. McMane writes "How they ever grew enough to eat for the first few years has always puzzled me, for that part of the country was a dense forest of huge trees."

"Three years later, in 1851, the area was surveyed and names Elma Township in Perth County.

"Soon after settling in the bush, William's wife had a new daughter named Margaret. She was the first white child born in Elma Township. She was about 10 when the first school in the area opened - in William's old log barn. The teacher could read a little, and write and add up figures, but no other subjects. The teacher got $50.00 a year and worked around the farms for his board. How times have changed!

"The mother, Mrs. Andrew sr, died and was buried in an old Anglican cemetery one and a half miles south of William's homestead. The grave was one of the early ones and was dug between the stumps of trees, where the trees had recently been cut down and cleared away. It is supposed that only wooden markers were used. Anyhow, when the cemetery was later (much later) surveyed and arranged in an orderly plan for future care, it was said that no account was given of the grave.

"Robert died young in years, leaving two small sons. His widow later married Alex Long, and went to Manitoba about the time of the great move (1879), taking her sons also. William, Charles and Andrew remained in Elma. Andrew's wife dead and buried in Donegal cemetery, he then made several trips to Manitoba and back, and was finally buried in Donegal.

The Big Move to Manitoba
"John Buchanan, Samuel Buchanan, and James Watson (Jane's husband) and their families left for Manitoba by train about 1879, except James Watson's daughter Lizzy, who was engaged to be married to William Buchanan's son Robert." James Buchanan also went to Neepawa, Manitoba, but he didn't take his wife, as he planned on going to the mountains prospecting for gold. His son Andrew went with him. His son started back from B.C., but drowned just a few miles from where they said 'Good-bye'. James didn't find out about the tragedy for a long time. In fact, I believe it was about seven years later that he arrived back at Neepawa and learned the news. He never went back to Ontario. He remarried and stayed in Manitoba.

The trip west to Manitoba was an eventful journey, although it wasn't as terrible as the ocean-crossing a generation earlier and the trek to Elma Township. The railroad was something new and wonderful in those days, and it must have been really exciting to take a trip to the very end of civilization, as represented by the railway line. At that time Fort Garry or Winnipeg was the end of the railway, and from there they would have to travel by covered wagon to the Neepawa area. Once there, they would need to travel all the way to Portage la Prairie whenever they needed supplies. Again they would be pioneers. Nevertheless, there were a few problems they hadn't anticipated.

Stranded on the Railway Tracks
One night a coupling failed, and the train sped off into the darkness, unaware that some of its cars and some of its passengers had been left behind. As the cars coasted to a halt, the passengers waited for the train to stop and recouple. Instead, the train disappeared out of sight, and eventually, out of hearing range. Then came the realization of their danger. If the train came speeding back looking for them, a terrible collision could result, and a second train was expected shortly. To avert a collision, men with lanterns were sent ahead and back along the tracks. When the train reached its next stop the problem was discovered and it came back for its missing cars.

When the train would stop to take on water, Solomon Watson would climb into the stock car, then while the train chugged along he would do the milking, and return to the coach with the milk at the next water stop.

Public Kitchens
Some sort of public kitchens were available for the new arrivals at Winnipeg. Apparently the facilities were too limited to handle the number of new arrivals in this frontier boom town. A woman would set her stew on the stove, then leave to take care of some of her other chores while the stew was cooking. When she returned later to fetch the dinner, she would find her stew pot sitting stone cold on the floor, while some other woman's kettle was boiling merrily in its place. Then the sparks would sure fly! Some of the women were Irish, and I guess some terrible fights took place.

Gold Miners, Outlaws, and Vigilantes
The Nevada Vigilantes
[I recently found two pages of old notes from about 1962. Among them is an account I made from memory of the story told to me by Mabel Watson Henry of Riding Mountain, Manitoba. She said that Sam Buchanan used to like to tell the kids about the "Club 101" vigilantes, and she gave this account:]

Since money was scarce, some of the men left their farms in the care of their wives and children and worked as miners in California and at Gold Hill, Nevada. Samuel and John Buchanan and James and David Watson were among those who did mining in Nevada and California. The trip by train and on horseback took 11 days. Gold mining was a very different life from farming. Robbery, assault and murder were frequent occurrences.

At Gold Hill, the bad element was centered in a group of "bush rangers", outlaws who had been chased out of Australia. They were a pretty bad bunch. They used to rob and kill miners and prospectors. Very often miners with money disappeared after having been seen in the company of some of these men. These men always had money but they seldom (if ever) worked. Any witnesses usually turned up dead or missing or else changed their minds. Each time a witness dared to accuse them of a crime, the rest of the gang would provide the accused member with an alibi. One day the whole situation came to a head. A reliable witness had definitely seen one of the gang commit a murder, but the murderer escaped, and when he was confronted he denied the whole thing. He had been in an all-night poker game, he said, and that was where he had won the loot. Furthermore, he had lots of witnesses to prove his story.

That was the last straw. That night, a bunch of miners formed a vigilante group called "Club 101". When people woke up the next morning, the bodies of members of the gang were found hanging from trees and store fronts around the town. A note was left advising any surviving members of the gang to get out of town if they ever wanted to see another sunrise. By noon they had all left town

Winter Widows, Mining, and Vigilantes

Money was hard to come by in those early days. Farming was mostly on a subsistence level. Most laborers earned only $1.00 per day. In the 1860s and 1870s some of the Buchanan and Watson men found a more lucrative source of income. The mines out west were looking for miners and would pay as much as $3.50 per day. After the crops were harvested, the men would leave their farms in the charge of their wives and children, and make the 11-day train journey to Nevada, or even to California. The wives left behind to work the farms were jokingly called "winter widows". It was a hardship on the whole family, but it was judged as the best way of getting ahead financially. I don't have a definitive list of who went to Nevada, but the list is known to include Samuel and John Buchanan, and David and James Watson. Because they were a close-knit group, some of the others were almost certainly involved. James Buchanan mined in the Cariboo country of British Columbia; if he also went to Nevada his wife would probably have had news of him from his returning brothers.
 

Gold Hill
The only place they mined that I have heard mentioned specifically is Gold Hill, Nevada. Gold Hill was a mining town on the "Bonanza" Comstock Lode, just south of the more famous Virginia City. (See http://www.mapquest.com) Today little remains of Gold Hill other than the hotel (http://www.goldhillhotel.net), which is still in operation. The following brief articles describe these towns.

GOLD HILL - Actually discovered before Virginia City and its size rivaled that town for a few years. By 1873, it had become a small city with a population of 8000. It had its own mines on this southern end of the Comstock Lode but after 1878, the mines declined and so did Gold Hill. By the turn of the century, less than 50 still lived here. The town has never been abandoned and the Gold Hill Hotel, the oldest in Nevada, is still in operation. Many other buildings remain including the old V & T RR depot which is being restored and is used by the revived railroad which caters to tourists.
VIRGINIA CITY - Virginia City is Virginia City. Not much more can be said about this most famous of Nevada mining towns. Two words say it all: Comstock Lode. First discovered in 1859, the rest is history. The town's population ranged as high as 75,000 in 1875. Today, it continues to be a vibrant town although mining ceased many years ago. It is the premier tourist town in Nevada. It retains much of its early flavor. http://nvghosttowns.topcities.com/storey/storylst.htm

The Mines
Most of the Comstock miners worked deep underground, under deplorable conditions. An estimated 600 mine shafts were tunneled to gain access to the rich silver and gold ore of the Comstock Lode before it was depleted in the1880s. The Nevada mines are said to have pumped a billion dollars into the American economy during their heyday. (This played an important role in financing the Union army during the American Civil War. In return, Nevada was alowed to become a state without having to meet the usual requirements.) If you translate that in terms of today's dollars, the amount of money is even more staggering. This was no small operation! Some of these mines were huge industrial complexes, employing large numbers of workers. Miners usually earned about $3.00 per day, very good money for the time.

Desperados and Vigilantes
The payrolls attracted predators of the worst sort. The lawlessness of the Nevada mining towns is described in the following two excerpts. In several towns the only way the criminals were driven out of town was by vigilantes. At least some of the "vigilance committees" seem to have been organized by community service organizations such as the fraternal lodges and the miners' unions. The name of the vigilante organization that cleaned up Reno is interesting "The 601". The one that drove the criminals out of Gold Hill is referred to as "Club 101" in family tradition. Perhaps the story that was passed down refers to Reno rather than Gold Hill, but all the vigilante stories are very similar. Mark Twain's articles while he worked for a Virginia City newspaper, the Territorial Enterprise (1862-1868), gave an interesting look at the times, but not particularly helpful in my quest. http://www.twainquotes.com/teindex.html Some good pictures of mining in the 1860s can be found at http://www.nevada-history.org/mines.html

The Free Masons' role in the vigilantes is mentioned in http://www.nvmasons.org/history/torrence/torr08.html
The miners' unions' role can be found at http://www.nevadalabor.com/rocha.html
Brief History of the Comstock http://www.vcnevada.com/history.htm

- Bill Buchanan, 28 January 2002, rev. 3 November 2003

The James Buchanan Story

James Buchanan was the third child of Andrew and Jane Buchanan. He was about 24 years old when the family came to Canada in 1847. He and Elizabeth Glen were the witnesses at his sister Jane's wedding to James Watson junior in 1856. In 1857 he married Bessie Glen and they had three children:

1. Jane -who married James Keating
2. Andrew Charles - who drowned as a young man in the Fraser River in B.C. during the Cariboo gold rush
3. Margaret Matilda - who married Harvey Tibbetts who died soon afterwards, then married a cousin Red Bob (Robert John) Buchanan

James left to go mining for gold in the Cariboo district of British Columbia in 1861. Apparently James was not much of a letter writer. Not hearing from him for a number of years, his wife presumed that he was dead. She met and married Henry Gilberds in 1870. In July of 1884, to the surprise of everyone (especially his now ex-wife Bessie) the presumed dead James Buchanan arrived in Neepawa, Manitoba to see his relatives. After his 16 year absence, he found that Bessie (back in Ontario) had a new husband and 4 more kids! He also discovered that his son Andrew had drowned in the Fraser River several years previously. It is a wonder he didn't die of shock.

James never returned to Ontario. He settled at Eden, Manitoba. He died there on Sunday April 8th, 1900 aged 77 years, as a respected member of the community.

About 1911 Bessie and Henry Gilberds moved to Neepawa to be near her daughters Margaret Matilda Buchanan and Jenny Keating. Henry died there in 1916 and Bessie in 1936.

Why didn't James write? Maybe he sent letters, but they never arrived.
Maybe he didn't bother because he didn't think his letters would arrive. There was no postal system between BC and Ontario in the 1860s and 1870s. (The railroad didn't cross the country until 1885.)
Maybe he was illiterate, as many people of his generation were.
Maybe there were other reasons, that we aren't aware of.

It is unlikely that James went to Nevada with his brothers, as they would have had more recent news of him. The Cariboo gold rush took place from about 1860 to 1868, and the Comstock mines in Nevada were going strong at that time, and through the 1870s.

From Sharon Donnelly Chimney, July 2003

Margaret Matilda Buchanan Buchanan
Aunt Maggie Buchanan - I loved her! She was 93 years old when I was about 10. I could have sat with her all day. She stayed with us (Donnellys) when she was 91 - in our old house with a stairway that was more like a ladder than a stairway. My parents worried that she might fall., but she climbed it just fine. She made hand-stitched quilts. The T. Eaton Company would send her all their scrap materials free of charge to "Granny Buchanan, Neepawa, Man." She made quilts for everyone. She even made me a doll quilt that I kept for years. It was in Mom's trunk in her old house when they sold the house. Aunt Maggie was fun, she had the best stories. I don't know if they just happened that way or whether she jazzed them up to make them interesting for us kids.

She was raised by neighbors. She told how her mom (Bessie Glenn Buchanan) dressed her in her nicest dress and put her up on the table and had her turn around so that the neighbors could look at her. Then they took her to their home and she never went back. Her daughter Bella (Hunter) tried to tell her "Grandmother probably did it because she was too poor to support you." Maggie retorted "Nobody is too poor! We were really poor but we raised 18 kids!" She and Uncle Bob were always willing to provide a home to the homeless. Only 8 of those children were actually their own.

Three of their sons married Birch sisters, and all three ran off with other men, although Lizzie came back. Aunt Maggie never forgave them. One day she was working upstairs and Bella came up the stairs. She said "Eddy is downstairs and Lizzie is with him. You need to be NICE to them!"

She was a fascinating woman, Aunt Maggie.
 

The Trip from Ontario to Manitoba
My grandmother, John and Isabel's daughter Mary Buchanan (Ash) was in grade 3 and quit school when they left Ontario and never went back to school.

There was no bridge across the Red River at Winnipeg so they had to cross the river on rafts.

INTERESTING OBITUARIES
The Neepawa Press Wed April 11, 1900 (Front Page)
The Grim Reaper
AT WORK AMONG THE OLD RESIDENTS
Messrs. Richard Ralph, James Buchanan and John A Lamb Gathered to Their Fathers
- Sturdy Pioneers of the District
Jas. Buchanan of Eden, aged 77, died on Saturday afternoon and his remains were laid in Neepawa cemetery on Monday. He was born in Tyrone, Ireland in 1823; came to Canada in 1844 (1848 -DP), went to British Columbia in the sixties, and came to this district in 1887. He was a sturdy old man, highly respected and always took a keen interest in public affairs. He leaves two daughters but no sons to mourn his loss. They are Mrs. Robert Buchanan, Rosedale, and Mrs. James Cadden (Keating -DP) of Saltcoats.

The Neepawa Press Tues August 11, 1936
Mrs. Bessie Gilberts Dies
Mrs. Bessie Gilberts, who celebrated her 95th birthday last April 17, passed away peacefully at her home in Neepawa Monday moring after a period of indifferent health for the past few weeks. Until her recent illness, Mrs. Gilberts had retained her faculties in a remarkable manner, although for several months she has not been active.
Mrs. Gilberts' maiden name was Bessie Glen, and she was born April 17, 1841 in Ohma (DP S/B Omagh), county of Tyrone, Ireland. At the age of 3 she came to Canada in a sailboat that took seven weeks to cross the ocean. The family first settled in Stratford, Ontario and later moved west, and at different times she lived in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and the United States, coming to Neepawa 25 years ago. Her first marriage took place in 1857 to James Buchanan at Elma, Ont. He died [actually he left to go prospecting for gold - BB] four years later, and nine years later she became the wife of Mr. Gilberts, who died in Neepawa in 1916. Of the seven children, there survive three, Mrs. Jas. Keating of Biscarth, Mrs. Frank Grasby, and Mrs. R. Buchanan of Neepawa. There are also 14 grandchildren, 41 great grandchildren, and 3 great great grandchildren.
The funeral will be held this afternoon Tuesday at 2:30 o'clock from the home and Rev, E.C. Emerson of the Baptist church will conduct the service. Interment will be made in Riverside Cemetery, and the pall bearers will be Gordon, George, and Vernon Hunter, and Elmer Buchanan (DP - This was my dad), great grandchildren, and Russell and Edward Buchanan, grandchildren. The Duxbury Service is in charge of the funeral arrangements.

(Read Jas. Buchanan's obit TOTALLY DIFFERENT! They had 36 years to think up another! -DP)
[The comments labeled DP are by Darlene Bonnie Buchanan Perrett, those in square brackets are mine - Bill Buchanan]

BIOGRAPHY OF SAMUEL BUCHANAN FROM THE NEEPAWA PRESS (Written in 1912, but I don't have the exact date)

Samuel Buchanan was the second man to settle in the Neepawa District, just locating a year after Mr. [John A.] Graham.

Mr. Buchanan was born in the North of Ireland 83 years ago [1829] and in l847 emigrated to Ontario, locating at Perth. During the next 23 years he lived chiefly in Ontario, although he made 2 trips to California and Nevada where he worked as a miner and lumberjack.

In 1878 he came west and securing a wagon and a team of oxen at Winnipeg, made a [land] prospecting trip of 3 weeks, during which time he saw plenty of land, but thought none so good as that which he still owns 4 miles North of town [Neepawa]

Then, the nearest railroad was about 300 miles away, at Fisher's Landing. In 1882 he was joined by Mrs. Buchanan and family, and by that time the C. P. R. was constructed as far as Carberry.

In the early days elk were abundant here and the prairie chickens could be counted by the thousands, so that there was no lack of food. However, for the first few years there was no store closer than Portage La Prairie and prices were very high. The first store to locate in Neepawa was owned by Hamilton and Davidson, one of the partners now being mayor of the town.

When Mrs. Buchanan and family came west, Mr. Buchanan had a half section and his oldest son, being of age, homesteaded a quarter and purchased another at a dollar an acre. For the half section, which was then worth a dollar an acre, an offer of $17,000 cash was refused last fall, 1911.

In the days before the coming of the M. and N. W. railway, grain had to be hauled to Carberry, and only about 40 cents a bushel was received for it. Today 1912, with a market almost at the door about 90 cents a bushel is received for similar grain.

In 1885, the year of the rebellion, good prices were received for grain and produce; Mr. Buchanan getting $l.00 a bushel for his potatoes that year.

Mr. Buchanan always had great faith in the Province and believes that there is still no better land for the man who has good health and is willing to work.

About 1856 Mr. Buchanan married Mary Watson, and together they are in wonderfully good health. 7 children born of the marriage are alive today 1912, there being 1 daughter Mrs. Jas. Graham, and 6 sons, John, James, Samuel, William, Robert, and David. There are 35 grandchildren.

The old people do not live on the farm now, but own 5 acres across the tracks from the C.P.R. station where they keep a cow and some chickens and take life easily.

Mr. Buchanan is a firm believer in individual rights; also the duty of the individual to defend his rights. When C.P.R. employees attempted to construct the Y on his property before he was paid for it, Mr. Buchanan came forth with a gun and ordered them to desist and they did. He contended that before be could get on a C.P.R. train he had to pay his way, or if he got on and did not pay his way he was promptly put off. Hence he claimed and exercised the same powers. The C.P.R. paid for his land before building the track.

This incident gives a fair index of the sturdy, fearless and straight forward character of the man. He toadies to nobody; respects all who are entitled to respect; gives and demands a square deal; and is an ever-ready helper to those in need.
 

Holding off the CPR at Gunpoint
A more detailed account of this interesting incident involving Samuel Buchanan and the Canadian Pacific Railway follows. As you know, Sam settled in the Neepawa area about 1879, when it was many miles from the railroad, but with the passing years the network of rail lines spread across the country-side. Now the C.P.R. had a line running into Neepawa, but they wanted to put in a "Y" to turn their trains around. Sam's farm had the ideal location, and the railway let him know that they were interested in purchasing some of the property. I guess Sam indicated that he would be willing to sell if the price was right, but no actual deal was made.

The next thing Sam knew about it was when a C.P.R. work crew showed up and started tearing down his fences. He asked them what they were doing, and they told him they were sent by the railway to remove the fences in preparation for building the "Y". Sam had been a gold miner long enough to recognize a case of claim-jumping when he saw one, and this situation certainly looked like claim-jumping. The work crew refused to leave, strengthening his suspicions.

Sam got his shotgun and said "I'll let daylight through the next man to lay a hand on my fence." At that point the demolition squad beat a hasty retreat.

A little later, a well-dressed man showed up at the farm. "Are you Mr. Samuel Buchanan?" he asked. "I am", Sam replied. "I'm from the C.P.R.", the man continued and apologized for the mistake. "Let's go down to Howden's office and sign the papers." And so ended Sam Buchanan's showdown with C.P.R.
 

The Watsons

James Watson senior was born in "Tweed", Scotland. This would be the River Tweed district in southeastern Scotland. His wife, Elizabeth Linnen, was from Stitchel, Roxburgh, in the same area. They both came to Edwardsburg township, Grenville county, Ontario in the early 1800s, and were married across the river in New York state on 1 Nov 1821. All their children were born in Edwardsburg, and Elizabeth died there. Some of their children were pioneer settlers in Elma Township, Perth County, like the Buchanans. Their son James junior married Jane Buchanan, their daughter Isabel married John Buchanan and their daughter Mary married Samuel Buchanan. And another Jane Buchanan married their son David Watson. She may be the "other Jane Buchanan" or "Little Jane Buchanan" that Andrew and Jane Buchanan were said by Ann Thompson Buchanan to have adopted after her mother died.

The children of James Watson and Elizabeth Linnen are:
James - m. Jane Buchanan
Elizabeth - m. Solomon Simons
Robert - m. Ann
David - m. Jane Buchanan (a different one)
John - m. Phebe Barrett
Isabella - m. John Buchanan
Mary - m. Samuel Buchanan
George - m. Jane Welsh
William James - Elizabeth Ash

Elizabeth Watson Simons never left Ontario. George Watson moved to the Sault Ste. Marie area of Michigan. Robert and John Watson died long before the move to Manitoba. The rest of the Watsons came to Manitoba about 1880 and were pioneer settlers in the areas of Neepawa and Riding Mountain.

Fighting Boots

The 1800s were a rough time. Two of the Watson boys looked amost identical in appearance except that one was bigger and older than his "twin". The smaller boy was accosted by a bully looking for a fight. His victim told him that he would be happy to meet him in the same spot in half an hour, after he had gone home to put on his "fighting boots." The enterprising young fellow told his big brother about the arrangements and sent his big brother to keep the appointment. I guess he really cleaned up on the bully, who never did figure out how a pair of boots turned a wimp into a powerhouse! [As told to me about 1950 by my father William George Buchanan, son of Elizabeth Watson and Wm A. "Willie the Blacksmith" Buchanan.]
 

The story of Elizabeth and Buchanan and Robert Watson, as told by Weldon Buchanan son of Charles Buchanan and Clara Danbrook) to his grand-daughter Suzanne Schaller
A Forbidden Romance - Robert Buchanan & Elizabeth Watson

Robert & Elizabeth were first cousins and their parents tried to discourage their romance. The Watsons were preparing to move to Neepawa, Manitoba, and hoped that distance would help the two abandon their love and find someone else.

The information written by Dave Watson (preserved by Bill Buchanan) indicates that the Watson family made the move in either late 1878 or very early 1879. It also says that they boarded the train in Millbank (just a few miles east of Donegal). Weldon Buchanan says that Elizabeth got on the train with her family and got off in Palmerston, north of Listowel.

This means that she rode the train for several minutes acting as if everything was normal. In such a large family, as one of the eldest she was likely expected to help keep the younger ones in order, and there was probably some confusion while the family got settled in their seats on the train.

As the train pulled into the Palmerston station, Elizabeth slipped away and got off the train. Weldon says that Robert was waiting at the station to meet her. She wasn't missed by her family until it was too late. The couple married Jan 10, 1879.

Children of Robert Buchanan & Elizabeth Watson:
1. Charles Henry, born Oct 26, 1879
2. Herbert, born Dec 8, 1883
3. Anne, born Nov 26, 1887
4. William Frnest, born Sept 20, 1889
5. Reuben, born Nov 27,1893
6. Ruby, born Nov27, 1893, died Jan31, 1894 - twin to Reuben
7. Alexander, born Jan 11, 1898

Charles Buchanan married Clara Danbrook and took over his father's farm. Sometime in the early 1920s he sold it to his brother William, and it is now farmed by Willie's grandson Barry Buchanan. Charles moved away to Wheatley. Ontario, for about a year, but regretted this decision and moved back home. He had to buy a new farm since he had sold his own to his brother. He would have been better off to keep the farm he had - it was well run, had good equipment and the land was productive. Willie profited from that while Charles had to purchase a farm that needed a lot of work!

Weldon Buchanan is co-founder of Buchanan and Hall, Ltd, in Stratford, Ontario - an electrical servicing company specializing in refrigeration units. (Mr. Hall is no longer involved in the business.) Weldon is retired but still visits the office and shop frequently, since he can't get the work out of his blood. He also enjoys a productive garden at his house in Stratford, since farmer's blood also runs in his veins.

Bill, if you do use it, please indicate that I wrote it in about 1998 and Weldon died August 1, 2001 at the age of 84.
... Sue

Stories from the John Buchanan Branch of the Family

A Tragedy
John's son James G. ("Dummy Jim") Buchanan was a deaf mute, who communicated using sign language. He had a son, Ernie, who interpreted for him. Ernie shot himself accidentally while cleaning a rifle when he was 17. Jim arrived home to find a crowd of people gathered around Ernie, who was lying on the ground. Thinking the boy had fainted, Jim frantically tried to get the people to move back to give him some air. When he reached the boy's side he saw the wound, and was smitten by grief and unbelief. It was a terrible blow to the family, especially to Jim.

(As told to Bill Buchanan by his father George Buchanan, a nephew of James Buchanan) Ernie died on Hamilton Street, Neepawa, Manitoba.

Darlene Perrett, whose father Melvin Elmer Buchanan was also a first cousin of Ernie's, mentioned "Ernie usually wore a pocket watch in a breast pocket. If he had been wearing it that day, it might have saved his life."

I think it is interesting to note that John Buchanan's family learned sign language so that they could communicate with Jim. At first I thought it was just my grandfather William, who knew sign language, but Hamilton descendants have mentioned that his sister Jane knew sign language too, so I guess the whole family knew it.

Hunting For Food
John Buchanan's son William A. Buchanan was called "Bill" by the neighbors, "Willie the Blacksmith" by relatives in Manitoba, and "Pa" by his children, grandchildren and their friends. When he and his sons George and Jack lived west of Breton, Alberta in the 1940s there were few residents in the area, and most of the farmers depended on wild game to help feed themselves and their families. George liked to hunt with his 30-30 Winchester from back of his horse, Pet. On one occasion, George was out hunting near Alder Flats and spotted a moose. He fired at the moose, and it went down, then stood up again, so George fired again. Again the moose went down. When he got closer, he was amazed to discover that he had killed two moose that were in his line of fire. A very successful hunting trip! To bring the meat home, a friend loaned him a wagon with the wagon box disguised as a load of lumber. The local RCMP were very tolerant of the farmers' hunting big game out of season, but there was no need to borrow trouble.
 

A Hard-Fought Victory
One day John's son Bill arrived back at Jack's farm in tatters. Jack's wife, Tina, could scarcely believe her eyes. His face and hands were covered with blood and his clothing was torn to shreds. "My goodness, Pa! What happen to you?", she exclaimed.

He replied, "Well I was hunting and spotted a huge buck in an old burnt-off area. I fired a shot and he fell like a stone. I ran over to him and grabbed him by the horns and got out my hunting knife. Then he shook his head and stood up! I had only stunned him. Well, I wasn't about to let go, so he took off, with me hanging onto him! He dragged me over every deadfall in the region, but finally I brought him down." ["Pa" was about 70 years old at the time.]

He continued to lead an active life right up to the end. On Jack's farm he had a blacksmith shop, and he continued working until he had the strokes that took his life. On our farm, he would chop a hole in the ice in the creek to water the cattle. The ice was usually at least a foot thick.

He probably never learned to read music, but he played the fiddle by ear. His memory for music was so good that if he heard a piece of music once, it was his forever.

In Alberta, their closest associations in the family were with his in-laws the George Watson family at Millet, and the family of his sister Margaret Buchanan Keating in Edmonton.
 

A Runaway Wagon
Money for presents was scarce on the farm. George and Dorothy had decided that they could buy their little boys a toy wagon by gathering the beer bottles thrown out along the dirt road by the truckers. Geoge intended to take his horses Pet and Dobbin, but George's brother Jack and his wife were visiting, and Jack suggested that George take his team and wagon, as they were already hitched up. George took Bill [me] and Reg, aged about 6 and 5 at the time, along with him. He was enjoying pretty good success when Jack's horses, Sandy and Babe, smelled a bear and bolted for home. George ran as fast as he could, but couldn't catch the wagon pulled by the panicked horses. As he ran and walked towards home, he would pass shattered bottles that had fallen from the wagon onto the cement-hard road. Around every corner and over every hill he feared he might find the dead or mangled body of one of his two little boys, crushed by the steel tires of the wooden wagon wheels.

As the wagon drew near George's house, Jack remarked "George sure is driving fast! He must be trying to get home before the storm." But the team and wagon went thundering past, on their way to Jack's farm, nearly a mile farther east.

Seeing that the horses weren't stopping at our house, Bill decided to jump off the wagon. Fortunately he jumped from the back of the wagon and landed safely on the road. The old car seat that Reg was sitting on fell off the back of the wagon as the team was climbing the hill on the far side of the Little Moose creek, taking Reg with it. He also was unharmed. George was very relieved when he realized that both children were safe.

By the time the horses pulled into Jack's driveway, the wagon-bed, made of loose planks had fallen apart. If the boys had remained in the wagon they might have been hurt or killed. (Some days guardian angels have to work extra hard.)
 

Saved By A Short Plank

One day while George Buchanan was working at the sawmill at Antross, Alberta he was bent over doing some work along the edge of the burner. For some reason, the team of horses suddenly backed up the wagon, pinning his head against the side of the burner. One of his co-workers thought that George was dead for sure. But the other one didn't think that a dead man could yell that loud! George's life was saved by the fact that one of the planks making up the wagon bed was shorter than the others. His neck was boxed in by wood on all sides, and the horses were so skittish it was impossible to tell what they might do next. One of the other workers grabbed the halters of the horses to hold them in place, while another worker blocked the wagon wheels, then ran for help. They were able to unhook the spooked horses and hook-up another team to pull the wagon away from the burner, freeing George from the trap he was in.
 

A Bullet Hole In The Old Sewing Machine

As I was growing up, Mom (Dorothy) had an old Singer treadle (foot-powered) sewing machine. She made much of our clothing on that old machine that was given to them by Dad's aunt, Maggie. Anyhow there was a bullet hole in one of the left hand drawers of the sewing machine. Dad explained that as a boy, he was at Aunt Maggie's house visiting his cousins, and one of them was cleaning a 22 rifle.  He clicked the trigger without checking to make sure there was no shell in the chamber. The bullet went through the cabinet of the sewing machine and ricocheted off the steel frame, embedding itself in the heel of Dad's boot!

Early History of Donegal, Ontario
Reveries of a Pioneer: Elma Vera Ernst McNichol, Dixon Press Limited, Kitchener, Ontario, 1966. pg. 179-180
[... is indicated in the original text, and does not indicate that I have omitted something. - Suzanne]

The first man to break into the unbroken forest in search of a home was William Thompson, who settled on the bank of the creek which crosses the tenth concession.  In the fall of 1847 came the Buchanans, a family of seven brothers, all hardy, active men, who commenced at once to hew their way into the wilderness.  The Buchanan name spread far and wide.  Andrew Buchanan became a mail carrier.

After the survey of the township of Elma in the fifties, settlers came in rapidly... the Littles, the Masons, the Wilsons, the Harveys, the Hemphills and the Irwins.  In 1856 a post office was granted... the first in Elma, and was situated on lot 29, con 10.

John R Foster was the first post master and the mail came in by way of Milverton.  The route was extended to Trowbridge.  The office was later moved about half a mile east of its original location.

The first school-house was erected on the present site in the early fifties and Miss Doxtater was the teacher.  She was succeeded by William Rothwell, then William Hammond took over for seven years, followed by George McGill who taught for two years.  During the seven years that Thomas Fullarton taught the log school became too small, so a new building was erected in 1875.  George Poole, D D Ellis, W Knox, John Waugh and A Graham are among the names of the early teachers.

The first blacksmith shop was erected in 1874, and the cheese factory in 1875.

The early meetings of the religious denominations were held in the old school-house.  The Methodist Church was built in 1864, and shortly afterwards the Anglican Church on the Twelfth of Elma.  This building was moved across the road in 19 and now serves as a Community Hall.

Population about forty, named by John Foster, who came from Donegal, Ireland.  He was the first postmaster in 1856 and this was the first post office opened in Elma.  J T Anderson was postmaster and had [a] store here in 1894.  W S [this must mean William Sam] Buchanan was blacksmith and S McAlister was cheesemaker. [William Sam Buchanan was the son of William Buchanan and Ann Thompson, and married Margaret Burke.]

- from Suzanne Schaller

Buchanans of Donegal
Reveries of a Pioneer: Elma Vera Ernst McNichol, Dixon Press Limited, Kitchener, Ontario, 1966. pg. 180-1

Bert Buchanan, now of Newton, told me that his grandfather, William Buchanan, married Anne Thompson in Ireland.  They set out for America, but were forced to return.  In 1847 they got as far as Kingston, but were quarantined there due to a fever that broke out in the boat.  Mrs Andy Buchanan Sr and a grandchild died and were buried in Kingston.  Andrew Buchanan with his seven sons, William, Charles, Andrew, Robert, Sam, John and James, and one daughter, Jane, came to Donegal.  [This is a mistake. It was Andrew that died and was buried in Kingston, not his wife.]

To make transportation easier and to solve the need for water they built close to the creek, running north of Donegal.  William chose lot 33, which ran from one line to the other.  When the land was surveyed he found he had lot 33 on 8th, since he was north of the dividing line.  He wanted lot 33 fronting the ninth line, so bought it later on.  Sam, Robert and John also lived on the eighth between Donegal sideroad and the creek. Charles Buchanan lived on lot 35, con 8 on boundary, where Cecil Hymers lived recently. Andrew had the Darcy Atkin farm and James had a sawmill on the back end of lot 25, con II, the Allan McMane farm.  When Charlie Henry and Ab Petrie worked on the Gilkinson drain they tore up the oak timber that was the foundation of James Buchanan's sawmill.

Jane Buchanan married James Watson and went to the States to live. [if this is correct, they did not stay long - they went to Neepawa in about 1879.]

At one time there were so many Buchanans named Andrew, they used this method to tell them apart, "Black Andy," "Devil Andy,"  "Fat Andy."  In the beginning Donegal was called "Buchananville."

[Other nicknames I have seen: "Long Johnny," "Big Bob," "Red Bob," "Wee Robbie," "Little Black Andy."  William Samuel, the blacksmith, was almost always called "William Sam."]

The George Watson Family

George Watson was the 8th of the 9 children of James Watson senior and Elizabeth Linnen. He was born in Edwardsburg township, Grenville county, Ontario. The 1900 census says he was born in May 1842. He married Jane Welsh, believed to be the daughter of Richard Welsh and Margaret Samson of Ayrshire, Scotland. In 1861 George was still single, living with his widowed father and younger brother William near Wingham, Ontario. In 1881 he and William were living there with their families on adjacent farms. Then in 1882 George moved to Michigan, near Sault Ste. Marie and William moved to Manitoba. In Michigan, the George Watson family farmed and sold their produce to the residents of Drummond's Island. Minnie liked to sit on the pier dangling her feet in the water. (It is bizarre what people remember.) In 1900 William and Jane and the younger children were sharing a farm with their second daughter, Margaret Sheffield and her family. In 1903 the Neepawa Press reported on Tuesday July 28, "Mrs. Geo. Watson & family arrived in town last week from Michigan, USA to join Mr. Watson here, who is taking up residence in this district." But in less than a month the newspaper reported "Mrs. Geo. Watson, accompanied by her daughter Mrs. Sheffield and daughter-in-law Mrs. Al Watson, who came from the East a month ago and have been visiting with friends here, left on Wednesday for Leduc, N.W.T. [now in Alberta] to join their husbands, where they will reside in the future." Actually their new home was west of Millet. Jane died there in 1917 and George in 1923.

The George Watson Family
- taken from the Millet district history, page 556

"Mr. and Mrs. George Watson, his two sons, Dick and Allan, and two daughters [Margaret and Elizabeth], came to the Porto Bello and Telford districts to homestead in the early 1900's. The mother enjoyed smoking a corn cob pipe. [I always wondered why Dad objected to the term "hillbilly". He said that as a boy, people like that were referred to as "pioneer types".]

"The daughter Margret moved to Michigan as a young girl and married Arthur Sheffield, and in 1911 moved back to Millett. They had two children: one son Carl, who married Leona Hagen, and one daughter Emilia [Emily], who married Shorty Burns. [Plus a son George Dewey Sheffield who died young.] Arthur passed away in 1923 and Margret in 1941.

"The second daughter [Elizabeth] married Bill Buchanan, the blacksmith. They had four children: George, Jack, Maggie and Inez. Inez is the only surviving member of that family.

"Allan married [Carrie Shuster] and had seven children. Brother Dick was a bachelor and he and his nephew Ralph, retired and lived in Millet."

Actually George and Jane had a third daughter, Mary or "Minnie, who married Frank Steel. After Frank died in a fire, and then Minnie died, Allan and his wife adopted the three Steel children, giving them a total of seven children. Later Carrie and the children moved to the Toledo, Ohio area, and we lost touch with their family until recently.

About 10 miles west of Millet is the "10 Mile Corner". At this intersection was located Pydde's General Store, Cameron's Dairy, the Adventist Church, and Buchanan's Blacksmith Shop and Shoe Repair. Of the four buildings, only the store remains, although it is now a private residence. It was in this area that the Buchanan, Watson, and Sheffield farms were located.

- Bill Buchanan

Margaret Watson Sheffield was deathly afraid of lightning storms and would insist that the children have their feet off the floor while the lightning was active. This fear came from an experience she had had previously. She had taken the children out for a walk during a storm, leaving the little family dog behind in the house. When they returned they found that the dog, lying on the floor, had been killed by a lightning strike that had done no real damage to the house. She thought the lightning had run along the floor and killed the dog. She was afraid of it happening to the children. - Marion Sheffield Bone

Acknowledgements: I gratefully thank those who have shared family stories and genealogy with me over the years, including Annie Brae McMane, William E. Buchanan, and Elizabeth Hardie of Ontario, and Roxy Chatwin of Victoria B.C., Mabel Henry of Riding Mountain, Manitoba, and a special thanks to Lorne and Doris Buchanan of Neepawa, Manitoba, who undertook the colossal work represented by the Buchanan Family Tree book. About 1978, dear old Annie B. McMane heard that I was looking for a copy of the book, and mailed me her very own copy, as did Leona Murphy of Sherwood Park, Alberta. I photocopied the book and sent them copies with my summary of the Buchanan story enclosed.

I also wish to thank the present generation of family historians and genealogists who have also contributed greatly: Patty Hopkinson, Suzanne Schaller, Darlene Perrett, Barry Snider, Bernice Willerton, Marguerite McDonald, Mervyn Buchanan, Valerie Buchanan, Don Buchanan, Donna Phillips, Roy Woolsey, Teresa Fouillard, the Sheffields, George Johnson, Al Hamilton, Theresa Adams. If they contact you, please give them all the help you can.

Plea For Information
If you have any other family stories or additional branches of the family tree, please send them to me, and I will add them to these computer files for the enjoyment of others.

Bill Buchanan, RR 3 Site 304 Box 11, Onoway, Alberta, T0E 1V0
Telephone (780) 967-2004
E-mail Bill.Buchanan@excite.com and CC: to billbuchanan@mail.com

I am a computer enthusiast and retired school teacher. I am the son of William George Buchanan, who was son of William Andrew Buchanan (the blacksmith) and of Elizabeth Watson (daughter of George Watson and Jane Welsh). William A. Buchanan was a son of John Buchanan who came from Omagh, County Tyrone, Ireland to Canada in 1847 with his parents Andrew and Jane Buchanan.

Stories of the Buchanans and Watsons, last revised 3 November 2003