| During the first week of
September in 1827, three vessels landed in Sydney, Nova Scotia. These ships
had left Tobermory, Scotland 90 days earlier and had fair weather sailing
for the trip. The Brigantine Columbus having on board the North Uist
emigrants, The George Stevens having the South Uist emigrants and
some from Barra, and the Stephan Wright having a mixture of North
Uist and Benbecula people on board. Among the people on the Columbus
was a large family of MacDonalds, who settled at Upper Leitches Creek, Cape
Breton. The father of this family was one Alasdair MacDonald(1773-1858).
He was married to another MacDonald, Mor nighean Alasdair 'ic Raonuill
("Sarah daughter of Alexander son of Ronald"). She had a sister, Raonaid
nighean Alasdair 'ic Raonuill, some of whose descendants emigrated in the
year 1884, and settled in the area now known as Moosomin, Saskatchewan. She
also had a brother, Domhnull mac Alasdair 'ic Raonuill, whose sons, Angus,
Roderick, and Alexander emigrated in the year 1848, and settled in Ailsa
Craig, Ontario. There may have been other siblings.
In any event, Alasdair and Mor had a family of fifteen children: Aonghas, Domhnull, Gilleasbuig, Raonull, Peadair, Iain, Alasdair, Mairi, Mairead, Caitriona, Morag, Effie, Mrs. MacAulay, and Mrs. Lamont. They lived in the Carinish area of North Uist, in a place called Ard nan Sruban. It seems they removed from there either to Baile nan Cailleach ("Nunton") or Balivanich, in Benbecula, before finally emigrating in the year 1827. One of the sons Aonghas "Tuairnear", was a wheelwright and this accounts for the nickname which followed the family. In 1827, when the rest of the family was emigrating, Aonghas still had a year to go in his apprenticeship as wheelwright, so he and his brother, Peadair, remained in Scotland. The following year they came out to this country on the ship Commerce, which sailed in 1828 with a group of emigrants from the Carinish area of North Uist. The first place that Aonghas and Peadair came to was Loch Lomand, Nova Scotia. Only later did they make their way to Leitches Creek to find the rest of their family.
In 1831 Aonghas Tuairnear married Mairi Ross, daughter of Edward Ross and Anna MacDonald, of Upper Leitches Creek. This Anna MacDonald lived to the ripe old age of 113 years. Aonghas Tuairnear and Mairi Ross had seven children: Sandy, Peggie, Ann, Angus, Edward, Rory, and Sally.
Edward married Teresa MacDonald [Iain], of North Side East Bay, a sister of his brother Angus A.'s wife. They settled in Sydney Mines, where Edward opened a Door and Sash Factory, they had three children: Catherine Janet, Angus John, and Edward.
Edward ("Eddie Pop") had a bottling-plant in Sydney Mines: whence his nickname. He married Elizabeth Walke, (daughter of John Triggs Walke and Elizabeth Janet Francis), of Halifax, and settled in Sydney Mines. They had fifteen children: Charles, Aubrey, Veronica, Teresa, Francis, Edna, Elizabeth, Alberta, Eileen, Dave, Ralph, Leonard, Terrence, Agatha, and Beatrice.
Charles married Letha Sutherland, (daughter of Michael Sutherland and Mary Elizabeth MacKinnon), of Sydney Mines, and settled there. They had eight children: Charles, Allister, Michael, Letha, Charlotte, Stella, Dorothy, and Gerrald.
Charles married Myrtle Buffy, (daughter of Andrew Collins Buffy and Maud Sarah Atley), of Toronto, and settled in Toronto. They had four children: Sharon, Charles, Michael, and John.
Charles married Irene Griffin, (daughter of Michael Griffin and Elizabeth Haugh), of Dublin, Ireland, and they settled in Mississauga , Ontario. They have three children: Christopher, Kevin, and Sheila.