1995

Colonists came out in ships such as the Norman Morison. One such journey included the settlers for Craigflower Farm, one of the Puget's Sound Agricultural Companies colonial projects on Vancouver Island. The ship left England in August of 1852 and arrived in January of 1853. Of the approximately 150 passenger's forty were women. These settlers were farm labourers and tradesmen from the the farming area of East Lothian, Scotland.

The Company director's specified married men with no more than two children or single men with an unmarried sister. The director's suggested:

"Their wives should agree to work on the farm at reasonable wages at harvest and otherwise when required." (12)

In Scotland in the mid 19th century, a farmgirl could expect to marry later in life and have her own cottage, with children, husband and her extended family nearby.

McKenzie's journal notes that Harriot Whyte:

Broke her engagement of 5 years and got married - left my house this morning April 15, 1853, and on June 25 McKenzie writes that he has received word from Douglas that repayment of all expenses and passage from Scotland to Vancouver Island had been arranged and he allowed Harriot to remove her clothes from the McKenzie house.(15)

In Pioneer Women of Vancouver island, an elder Miss McKenzie recalls: (16)

"Mother...had brought two servants with her, but there was such a lack of white women that they married almost at once...."

House servants thereafter were the Esquimalt chief 'Sisiwaka's two daughters, Lucy and Polly. Miss McKenzie say's of them:

Both girls used to work for us, but they had a lot of dignity and we must treat them with every respect...I once attended a potlach given by Chief Sisiwaka...I know that Lucy stood on the flat roof of her father's lodge and called out the names of those who were to receive gifts...

Another marriage is much commemorated, mentioned by Melrose, Dr. James Sebastian Helmcken and James Deans: Helmcken writes:

Macaulay's daughter - a handsome girl married Mr. Mcneil on June 3, 1853, son of Captain Mcneil - so determined to have a proper and grand wedding. This consisted in having a fiddle or two a fife or two and some other primitive musical instrument. The minstrels went first - the married couple followed and behind these the 'best men and women with some few invited friends...(17)

Helmcken mentions dancing with a Mrs. Parker, one of the Craigflower women.

And James Deans writes:

There was singing and dancing and hoockin and prancing,
while some with guid whisky grew squally,
There was galic galore and of good things a store
at the wedding of Mary Macauly...(18)

These young marriages differ from what had been the tradition in Scotland. Brian Coyle notes in his thesis that:

George Deans left Craigflower for his newly purchased town lot Feb of 1854. Annie writes home: (20)

..Georgie has bought a town lot he is going to build a house it will take about 80 lbs we will 5 or 6 rooms in it and as this is such a promising place and our luck is well our house will soon pay itself. Georgie and myself is working and saving as much as possible for it. I have been busy making a marriage order sowing pays beautiful..

My little Mary Jane is an heiress that day Georgie settle his land he came home and gave his deeds to his much loved daughter in a present...

Annie's work as a paid seamstress is different than her work would have been in Scotland. There is some pride in her declaration:

I may tell you that Mrs Anderson and me has made 5 dollars since last night at 5 o clock the Governor people goes away to California...so we have been sowing for the young ladies and made 5 dollars of it....Many a fight Georgie gives me for working so hard, but I mean to work till once we get comfortable in our new house....It takes Georgie and me to work hard to pay for the wood for our house.

Later the Deans moved to their own farm - Sunnnybrae then renamed Oakville. To be landowners had been their ambition and reason for leaving Scotland. By 1857 this was a reality for the Deans. The other emigrants might work their five years for the Company at which time they received 25 acres of their own land. A labourers wife was now a landed farmers wife.

Annie writes about the births and deaths of her children, how they are growing wild and are as 'din as an Indian with the sun'; something of her work in keeping house - washing and food preparation:

I had a piece of good fat bear to dinner last Sunday; I payed 12 shillings for a fresh salmon toaday.... There is plenty of ...deer and elk - I paid 3 dollars for one and made hams of it....

"I sold some chickens" and some of their sheep, cows and horses at Sunnybrae farm.

The garden is a topic in the letter:

Goodie got the seed all right and he has sown the most of them. There is just 12 onions, come through of the whole lot, the leeks is very good, the cauliflower, broccoli, green turnips is middling. There is about 12 of the Champion of England come through the other two kinds i very good; about 1/2 the beans has commed through....

Her letters tell in detail the deaths of two of her children, little 18 month old Alick in 1858 and her 15 year old first born - Mary in 1868. Although infant mortality was common in the 19th century, the pain of a child's death was 'indescribable.'

At the time of her children's death Annie writes:

..what would I not give to have a female friend beside me. I am far from any neighbour here.

Chilbirth and illness are two other major themes chronicled in the 19th century women's document's that exist.

May Ann Reed, one of the Craigflower settlers, was midwife and nurse to the passengers on the Norman Morison. In Footprints: Pioneer Families of the Metchosin District, the following is written: (21)

Among the passengers on the ship with Mrs. Reed were Mr. and Mrs. John Parker and shortly after their arrival a daughter was born to them (April 1, 1853), and Mrs. Vine (then Mrs. Reed) assisted at this birth...

Annie Deans mentions in one of her letters that Mrs. James Tait assisted at the birth of her daughter Mary, noted as being on May 8, 1853 in Melrose's diary.

According to Helmcken Amelia Douglas assisted Mrs. Yates at the birth of one of her children...

...she remained for a long time with Mrs. Yates, making her kneel down at the bedside, which Mrs. Yates considered did her a lot of good..(22)

Then there are the McKenzie women; the "Ladies of the Manor"; wife and mother, Agnes McKenzie (nee Russell) and daughters, Agnes, born in 1843, Jesse, 1844; Dorothea, 1848 and Wilhelmina, born in 1852. Wilhelmina was nicknamed Goody by Capt. Wishart aboard the Norman Morison for being such a good infant. On Vancouver Island she was considered a great beauty and this is borne out in the many photographs of her in various costumes. Later in her life she provided reminiscences of her childhood at Craigflower:

We were happy as children for it was a great change for us to run wild after a more or less restricted nursery life in Scotland...But our mother found it very difficult...At first our cooking was all done out of doors. We had to make our own bricks for the fireplace and chimneys...(23)

Besides an education at Craigflower Schoolhouse, the girls were trained in the 'womanly arts' of a 19th century lady - sketching, painting, music and apparently in Goodie McKenzie's case - in archery. Some samples of Agnes and Dorothea's sketches are at the Provincial Archives.

Helmcken writes of the fine dinner given at Craigflower by Mrs. Mckenzie:

"After the election, Mrs. McKenzie gave us a jolly good dinner ...The men regaled themselves in the kitchen and after a while came into congratulate us - in fact their was a feast of reason and flow of soul until midnight...The McKenzie were whole souled people..."(24)

11. Moody, Mary, Transcripts of Letters contained in the BCARS Blakey Smith Collection. See also B.C. Reconsidered for article by .

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