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John Crockett and Margaret Young
John Crockett was born in Thornyhill, Colvend, Kircudbrightshire, Scotland. Margaret Young was born in Falkirk, Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland. Margaret's father was John Young. Seven of their children were born in Thornyhill; the other three children were born in Canada.
In 1774 John Crockett emigrated to Canada. He boarded the "Lovely Nelly" at Annan, east of Dumphries, with his wife and children. The Galloway emigrants who traveled aboard the "Lovely Nelly" are sometimes referred to as the "Dumphries settlers". The passenger list indicates John Crockett's reason for leaving Scotland was: "could not earn bread sufficient to support him and his family". He had been a carpenter in Scotland, but would become a farmer in Canada.
The "Lovely Nelly" arrived at Georgetown, St. John's Island (now Prince Edward Island) in August 1774. Soon after they settled in Georgetown, Yankee sailors who were trading in Georgetown before returning south to join the American Revolution pillaged the harbour. The sailors carried off the Dumphries settlers' supplies and furniture. That first winter they barely managed to survive.
The following spring, the group obtained some emergency seed from Nova Scotia, but that summer there was a plague of mice and by August the rodents had eaten all their crops. They would have died if not for a French settlement several miles away who gave them supplies (mostly potatoes) in exchange for clothing, although they ended up with barely enough to clothe themselves. That winter, the men were so weak from hunger they could barely carry the supplies home through the deep snow. When they arrived home, they were so afraid their families had died in their absence, they would stand at the door and listen for sounds that indicated they were alive before going in. They were reduced to living on nettles, berries and shellfish found along the shore.
After hearing there was food at Pictou Harbour, 15 families moved there in the spring of 1776. Most settled on West River, 4 families on Middle River and 2 on East River. John Crocket was granted 500 acres "on the east side of the river".
His name appears on the Pictou and Tinmouth Militia Roll of February 12, 1783 along with that of his son, John Jr.
(Information supplied by Diana Breti)
Return to Porter Biographies and Anecdotes
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