Emigration from Scotland

"Pioneer Sketches in the District of Bathurst"
written by Andrew Haydon

page 88:
A report coming down across the years from the Glasgow Chronicle of the 13th July, 1820, gives to our day a living and familiar reference to the embarkation:

"We are informed by a correspondent that the ship Broke sailed from the east Quay, Greenock, on Saturday morning, at 8 o'clock, with about 176 passengers. The greater part of them belonged to The Abercrombie, Transatlantic and Bridgeton Societies (members of their families who had been allotted out of the said societies), and being all poor they were unable to pay for their own transportation, not having raised more money among them than about 1 lb. 10s of the expense. The fund which enabled them to proceed was raised in London, with a little assistance here. Sabbath morning being fine, and the wind fair, the ship lay to for a short time until the passengers were all got on board and mustered on the deck. Our correspondent left them in high spirits a short way below the clough, after having expressed their gratification to all who had befriended them. Amongst the last remarks he heard while they were watching the boiling pots was that they had sailed quicker than they had expected, and had not time to get breakfast; but the beef was good and nearly ready, and that they had seen little of that kind of food for some time past."

"The Lanark Society Settlers"
written by Carol Bennett and published by Juniper Books in 1991,

Pages 38 & 39:
"James Horn, his wife Marion and three children, emigrated to Canada in 1820. They were part of the Abercrombie Street - Trans Atlantic Bridgeton Society from Glasgow, Scotland. The ship they sailed on was the Brock/Broke which left the port of Greenoch, a sea port on the River Clyde to the west of Glasgow, on July 13, 1820 with 176 passengers. The crossing across the Atlantic Ocean to Quebec would have taken about two months. The emigrants were then taken by steam ship to Montreal and from there to Lachine. From there the families proceeded to Prescott in a flotilla of Bateaux, or flat-bottomed boats, each of which could carry about three families with their luggage. Almost a week later they arrived at Prescott. Here they camped for two weeks or so, waiting until the passengers from all the ships were assembled. Then came a five day trip by wagon, over poor trails. The travellers were amazed to see the primitive huts along the way which housed earlier settlers, and they were hard hit by mosquitoes and other insects. Sometimes these people located on their land immediately, or, if it was too late in the season, they stayed with others until spring.

The signatures of heads of families from the Abercrombie Street - Trans Atlantic Bridgeton Society collecting the first instalment of their grants at Lanark were:

John McLachlan, George Waddell, Widow Hannah (signed with her mark X), John Gunn, James Horn, Robert Urquhart, Charles McLean and Jas. Baird.

In this group, 8 men, 6 women and 31 children were involved. Some of these families apparently had one child "not embarked." James Horn was the leader in the beginning but George Waddell and John Gunn seem to have succeeded him in this role.

James Horn:
Ship: Brock, 1820
Location: East lot 10, con 1, Lanark. This land did not suit him and he soon moved to lot 15, con 2, back of Hopetown. The 1834 report noted that he had 30 acres cultivated and the rest was lake. This is Horn Lake.

James Horn was accompanied to Canada by his wife Marion and three children. ***These were very possibly James, Jr. who married Janet Machan; Alexander, born c1813, who married Spencer Robertson and Robert Horn who married Martha Mahon.
Additional children born to James and Marion Horn in Canada were:
1822 Donald, 1824 Margaret, 1826 Thomas."

***Note: Children should be Elizabeth (married Thomas Muir), Alexander (married Spencer Robertson) & James (married Janet Machan) born in Scotland with Robert (married Martha Machan), Margaret (married Thomas McInnes) and Thomas (married Jane Gavin) born in Canada.

The above account is probably the source of the child 'Donald' which appears in various family trees, and is incorrect.