Alpin Grant
On 3 September 1775, Fort
William customhouse officers, Colin Campbell and Duncan McPhaile, signed the
following letter.
“Honorable
Sirs
“We
wrote your honors on the 19th of June last that a Clyde vessel was
expected here to ship off emmigrants for North America. We now beg leave to
acquaint you that the above vessel arrived at this port some time ago called
the Glasgow Solomon Townshend Master for New York North America, John and
George Buchanans at Greenock owners that they shipt here on board the above
vessel for New York Sixty five men above Twenty years of age, Seventeen youths
from Ten to Twenty years, Forty Boys under Ten years being one hundred and Twenty
two males. Seventy Women above Twenty years Twenty four girls from Ten to
Twenty years and Thirty five female children under Ten years of age being one
hundred and Twenty nine Females – in all Two hundred and Fifty one souls.
These
poor People were mostly all from the Northern parts of the shire of Inverness
called Strathglass or the Laird of Chisolm’s country – none of them had the
appearance of Gentlemen, but a Mr. Fraser and a Mr. Chisholm, the rest seemed
to be very poor People at least they had that appearance. They however all made
shift to pay (as we were told) for their passage, but about Twenty of them that
Indented with the owners of the vessel, and. Misters Fraser and Chisholm who
freighted the Vessel for them. They would give us no proper cause for leaving
their Country, but the racked rents exacted by the proprietors of the lands,
that they found themselves poor and were determined to go abroad while they had
any remains of their subject to carry them, and though they were repeated times
told of the rebellion in some of the colonies in North America, They did not
seem to be moved by that, saying they were assured New York and the parts they
were bound to were not in Rebellion and that they did not think themselves in
any Danger of being forced to serve either in his Majesty’s troops, or the Provincials
– and this morning they sailed with a fair wind in very good spirits __ These
are all the circumstances we know of these people, which we think it our Duty
to give your Honors the earliest Intelligence thereof, and we are with much
respect
Honorable
Sirs
Your
Very Obedient
Humble
Servants
Less than two months later the belief that they were
not travelling into rebellion was quashed. On Wednesday, Nov 2, 1775, Riverton’s New York Gazetteer
(#132) reported …“ The ship Glasgow, Capt. Townshead, which arrived on Tuesday
last with two hundred passengers, to settle in this province, is by the
commander of his Majesty’s Ship Asia , to Boston, agreeably to some orders
received from Admiral Graves.”
This suggests that the
vessel arrived in New York on Oct 24th and that it had taken a week
to decide what was to be done with the vessel and its passengers. What took place during the next two months in
Boston is not currently known. On
Saturday 30 Dec 1775, the Constitutional Gazette reported that able bodied men
who were on board had been forced to enlist in the British forces. A Dec 1775 muster roll for the Asia gives a
list of emigrants who mustered in on 27 Nov 75.
On that list we find the following names[1]:
 |
Major John
Small
2nd Battalion
84th Regiment
|
· 10. Alexr. Grant (1) - 10th
Co.- 27 Nov.1775 (Maj.Small) 2nd
Co.
· 36. Alexr. Grant (2) - 27 Nov. 1775
(Maj.Small) sick in hosp
· 4. Alpine Grant - 10th Co. - 27 Nov. 1775
(Maj.Small) 1st Co
· 72. Petr. Grant
- 5th Co.- 27 Nov. 1775 (Maj.Small) 2nd Co.
Of those Alpin(e)
is our ancestor. It is quite possible
that Peter and one of the Alexanders are brothers. The other Alexander is
perhaps a cousin.
The
January 1904 issue of Acadiensis contains
an article by Jonas Howe “The Royal Emigrants” that discusses the earliest
years and Wikipedia has an informative article on the service of 84th
Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants)[2]. Alstair Grant has compiled fifteen
muster rolls for the eight years that the 2nd Battalion
was in existence. You will also find a
history of the 84th Regiment of Foot – “The Young Emigrants”
on the same site.
 |
O.P.R. Births 107/ 0010 0005 URQUHART AND GLENMORISTON |
Researchers suggest that Alpin
was born on 15 Mar 1740 in Meikle, Inverness, Scotland and christened the next
day, 16 Mar 1740. [3] This is one of four Alpins born in Inverness
1740 but seems the most likely. This
will be discussed more fully later.
Alpin and at least part
of his family were on the Glasgow when it sailed from Fort William on 3 Sep
1775. Alpin was one of the 31 emigrants
and ten seamen and two petty officers that sailed for Boston on 5 Nov. Sources state that the emigrants were interrogated
by Major Small and told that if they wished to volunteer in a body into the
Highland Emigrant Regiment their families would be kept together and provided
with the regular subsistence for dependents, one half ration for wives and one
quarter ration for children. Also upon
demobilization they would be given grants to land in NS which was where they
were going to train and serve. The
grants would include 200 acres for each man and 50 acres for each member of his
family. Under these conditions, they
volunteered to a man for the duration of the war. After some time in Boston, the ship sailed
for Halifax where Capt. Alexander MacDonald, commander of the training depot
met them on 2 Jan 1876.
 |
Uniform of 84th as drawn
by prisoner
in Saratoga, NY
|
Alpin served as a private
with the 2nd brigade of the 84th Highland Regiment from
Oct 1775 until 1883.[4] He was on
leave on 2 Sep 1778 and was discharged in October 1783. His base for the war years appears to have
been in the Windsor area and that his wife and son James accompanied him
there. At least two additional
sons were born before his discharge in 1783.
"According to the
petition of 1808, Alpin arrived in NS in 1775 and was enrolled in the 84th
Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants).
He served for 8 years, stationed at Windsor, NS and was discharged in
1783. He moved to Pictou, NS in 1784 and
in September 1787 purchased 100 acres of land from Governor Walter Patterson,
of the Island of St. John [Prince Edward's Island] where he established himself
and his family. He also made claim to
500 acres of land on the west side of the Eastern Branch of the East River of
Pictou, on account of his services in the British forces. This land was confirmed to him in 1811 and he
immediately sold it to one James Fraser of East River.” [5]
It seems likely that Alpin was not literate. He signed
all documents with 'his mark'. However, he did see that his son Peter was
educated. He would have spoken Gaelic as his native tongue and his English
might have been limited. In documents
Alpin is referred to as a yeoman, generally the term for a land owning small
farmer. In 1793 he paid combined taxes
of 3 shillings 2 pence, including a poll tax on himself, and taxes on ten sheep
and seven cattle.
It seems probable that Alpin came from a farming background in Scotland, but it is likely he would not have been prepared for the heavily forested lands of Nova Scotia. Unlike the barren highland, covered with gorse and heather these lands had to be cleared before they could be farmed.
It seems probable that Alpin came from a farming background in Scotland, but it is likely he would not have been prepared for the heavily forested lands of Nova Scotia. Unlike the barren highland, covered with gorse and heather these lands had to be cleared before they could be farmed.
Alastair has located land
records for Alpin covering the years 1787 to 1817. The last known reference to Alpin Grant in Pictou is
in the census of 1817. [6] Family
tradition says that he died in 1828 at the age of 88 in East River, Pictou, NS.
No record of the death of Alpin or his wife Janet has been found to date.
Grant Home Page
[1] The number shown is the
individuals placement in the list of emigrants on the roster.
[2] Wikipedia
[3]. Parish
Registers - Baptisms 1739-1754:, Church of Scotland, Uruquhart and
Glenmorriston, Inverness, Scotland, LDS Film 6025664 / C111072,, 6025664. Smith, Shirley, Letters, Historical Note -
The Personal Name Alpin.
[4]. Dobson, David.
Directory of Scottish Settlers in North America, 1625-1825. Baltimore:
Genealogical Publishing Co. Volume 2. 1984. 216p. , p 63.
National Archives, Kew, England: Muster Rolls
[5]. Patterson, Rev,
George DD, History of the County of Pictou.
Research of Alastair and Vickie Grant [Pictou Archives, Pictou Land
Office
[6]. Canadian
Census.
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