Angus MacDonald

When it became widely known that there was a gravesite at Bailey's Point near the cove at Schooner Pond, Donkin residents Robert MacDougall and Jimmy MacIsaac, with the assistance of Fortress Louisbourg and the Beaton Institute staff, undertook research to solve the mystery of the unmarked graves. For example, Robert was able to determine that his uncle James, now 83, and the nephew of Margaret MacLean, formerly of Dominion No. 6, who married the Alexander McDonald mentioned in the Davis archeological report, knew nothing of a graveyard at Bailey's Point. As we shall see, this information does not preclude a connection between the gravesite and the McDonalds. In their research, Robert MacDougall and Jimmy MacIsaac examined A.F. Church's maps containing names of settlers, businesses and churches between 1864 and 1877, some of the literature on early Baptists, as well as Reverend Richard Uniacke's Sketches of Cape Breton (1862-64). A.F. Church's map shows no one living at the Northern Head, where the gravesite is located, in the 1870s. However, Martha Bailey reports that an abandoned McDonald homestead southeast of her farm existed when she was a youth. Existing Baptist records reported a small congregation of 10 and a church building at Schooner Pond in 1856. However, Robert MacDougall discovered that for years the Schooner Pond church did not report to the Baptist Association and it was removed from the records in 1866. In his Sketches of Cape Breton, Richard Uniacke, who accompanied Anglican bishop Hibbert Binney on a confirmation tour along the coast from Louisbourg to Sydney in 1864, stated that on the bend of the Schooner Pond road toward Donkin there was "a small place of worship." Map-maker A.F. Church, who located churches on all his maps, listed it as Baptist. Therefore, Robert MacDougall asks in a letter to the Xstrata liaison committee: Did the Baptists have a graveyard down at Bailey's Point, less than a kilometer from the church? Jimmy MacIsaac wonders whether there was a graveyard attached to the church itself. Recently, in the Public Archives of Nova Scotia, Robert MacDougall discovered these Schooner Pond deaths between 1871 and 1874: Charles Jones (1 year), Rachel Jones (12 days). Could this explain, he asks, the discovery by archeologists of two infants in one grave? Other deaths recorded are Donald Gillis (five years), Archibald McLean (4 years), Hugh McDonald (aged 50), Margaret McDonald (40), Michael Borden (74). The research of MacDougall and MacIsaac has spurred interest elsewhere. Carol MacLean of Vancouver, whose ancestors are the McDonalds and MacLeans, provided this information: There were four land grants issued to the McDonalds between 1858 and 1879. They owned practically the entire northern head from Bailey's farm to Cape Perce, overlooking Flint Island, and back again. The area is shaped like a thumb. As well, a Donald McDonald had two lots at Schooner Cove. Catherine MacPherson's lot in the southern portion of the northern head bordered on a lot owned by the McDonalds. If A.F. Church drew a map in the 1870s which did not indicate residents at the northern head, how many McDonalds actually lived there? And if the McDonalds did live there, did they bury members of their families in a private graveyard? This column has traveled largely on the periphery of a mystery. It is a mere outline of all the good work on history and genealogy done by others.

MacDonald Frank MacDonald 3/8/1940 Sydney Mines, March 7 - The death occurred at 8 am Thursday morning of Frank MacDonald at the home of his son and daughter in law, Mr and Mrs Allen MacDonald, Millville, Boularderie, following a long illness. The deceased was born at Mira 91 years ago and for many years was a resident of Sydney Mines where he was employed as caretaker of the Scotia Company store. Surviving are two daughters, Mrs F Clarke, North Sydney and Mrs Mary Miller, Brooklyn, N.Y., three sons, John, in United States, John Archie of Sydney and Allen at Millville where he has made his home for the past number of years. The funeral will be held Saturday afternoon at 2 pm FRANK MACDONALD Friends in Sydney will regret to learn of the death of Frank MacDonald, 92, which occurred at his home at Millville, Boularderie, yesterday. The late Mr MacDonald was the father of A F MacDonald, 230 Whitney Avenue, Miss Alma MacDonald, R.N., is a granddaughter. [Sydney Post Record Friday 8 March 1940 p 3]