GRANTS - THEIR GENEALOGY
Sister Catherine Grant
January, 1982
St. Joseph Convent
Mabou, Cape Breton
GRANTS - THEIR GENEALOGY
The Grants are Celtic. "Stad Chreag Ealachiidh" ("Stand Fast Craigellachie") is their slogan. Their location has always been Strathspey. Sir Laurence Graunt, Sheriff of Inverness (1249-58) acquired the greater part of Strathspey. Sir Ian Ruadh Grant, Chief of the clan, in 1381 married Matilda de Glencairnie; and for his descendant, John, Am Bard Ruadh, the lands of Freuchie were created a feudal barony. His successor, Sheumas nan Creach, was a friend of Mary Queen of Scots. From John Grant of Freuchie and Grant, a strong supporter of James IV, are descended the Chiefs of Grant and Strathspey, and the Baronets of Corrimony and of Glenmoriston. James Grant of Grant and his son Ludovick were in the clan fight at the Haughs of Cromdale. Glenmoriston fought for Prince Charlie at Culloden. Many of the Glenmoriston Grants were banished to Barbadoes after "the '45." They have a distinct tartan. The clan raised the Grant or Strathspey Fencibles in 1793, and the "old 97th" in 1794. The first was disbanded in 1799, and the other was drafted into other Highland regiments in 1795. Lord Strathspey is the Chief of the clan.
Patronymic: An Granntach
Clan Seat: Castle-Grant, Grantown-on Spey.
Slogan: Stand Fast Craigellachie
Plant: Scots Fir
Pipe Music: (1) The Grants' Gathering
(2) Stand Fast Craigellachie March
The Clan MacAlpine is Celtic. It is claimed that this clan is a Royal one, and that it is the most ancient in the Highlands. Some records indicate that for twenty-five generations Kings of Scotland were of the MacAlpine lineage. The traditional home of the MacAlpines was Dunstaffnage, near Oban, Argyll. Some historians assign an Alpinian origin to the Grants and others. Doubt has been cast on the accuracy
John Grant, Fraser's Grant, Antigonish County, Nova Scotia married Mary MacIntyre, sister of John MacIntyre, Black Avon, Antigonish County, N.S. and also a sister of Mrs ? MacDonnell, Dunmore, Saint Andrew's parish, Antigonish County, N.S. They had three children, William, John and Mary.
Of John Grant's descendants -
John died unmarried
William married Mary Chisholm (Schoolhouse), Glassburn, Antigonish County, N.S. They had a family of nine children.
* John married Rose Plummer from England. Their family was brought up in Roxbury, Mass.
Georgina married Bernard Gillan and they have three children: John, Rosemary and William. Georgina lives in Weymouth, Mass.
Dorothy married George Wathins - no family.
Rose married Gordon Heatley - two children
Dorothy and Rose live in Amesbury. The mother resides with Dorothy. John,-the father, died in Roxbury, Mass in 1941.
John, a son, lives in Amesbury.
* Dan, second son of William Grant and Mary Chisholm, did not marry. He died in 1969.
* Colin Angus married Annie MacDonald, Truro, Nova Scotia. They had one son who is now a priest, Father Edward Grant. He is stationed in Halifax, N.S. Colin died in 1973 and his wife, Annie died in 1975.
* William John married Helen Cahill and they settled in New Haven, Connecticut. Their family consisted of:
William who married Helen Mulligan and are living in Madison, Conn., U.S.A. They have four children:
Bill, Kathy (Mrs Richard Thompson) Susan and Helen-all living on Connecticut.
John son of William and Helen Cahill married Anne Penkowsky living in Cheshire, Conn. They have a son, John and a daughter, Barbara (Mrs. Philip Harkawick). Edmund son of William and Helen Cahill married Shirley Raffile. They live in Alexandria, Virginia. They have two boys and two girls: Edmund, David, Eileen (Mrs. R. Hirsch) and Lorraine.
Helen, daughter of William and Helen Cahill married Charles Wood, Wallingford, Conn. Their family consists of Paula, Sally, Caroline, Elizabeth, Brendan and Peter.
William John and Helen Cahill died in 1969 and 1959 respectively.
* Angus C. son of William Grant and Mary Chisholm married Katherine Egan. They reside in St. Petersburg, Florida, and have no family.
* Mary C. married Charles MacGillivray in Lexington, Mass. Their family of six consist of:
Margaret who married Thomas Vesey is now living in Milton, Mass. They have two girls Kathleen (Mrs. Edward Roth) and Patricia (Mrs. David Larson). Lawrence married Helen Casey. They have two sons and two daughters: Donald, William, Susan and Linda.
Rose MacGillivray married John Kelly now residing in Meridith, New Hampshire. Their only child, Maureen, married a John Shea. They live in Rhode Island. Catherine married William Hooper. The family lives in Lexington.
Bill is married to Adele Jeannette.
Janice, Donna and Karen live at home.
Lillian is married to William MacArthur. They have one son and four daughters William, Jr. Carolanne, Christene (Mrs. Summer) Janet and Judith.
Jean, Mrs. Richard Gaudet, also has one boy and four girls: Richard, Jr. Denise, Diane, Elizabeth and Nancy. Lillian and Jean also live in Lexington.
* Catherine, William's daughter, entered with the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame. She is stationed in Mabou, Nova Scotia.
* James Francis died in 1910 at the age of five years.
* Roderick Francis married Catherine MacDonald, Black Avon, Antigonish County, Nova Scotia. They have a son John and a daughter, Doreen (Mrs. John Bailey). They live in Heatherton, N.S. Francis died in August, 1980.
Charles MacGillivray died in 1951.
Mary Grant MacGillivray lives in Lexington, Massachusetts. (1981)
Mary, daughter of John Grant, married a Rory Grant, Fraser's Grant. They have a son Alexander and a daughter, Annie Elizabeth.
Alex or "Al"'was born in 1880. He went to the United States in his early manhood where he endeared himself among his contemporaries by his honesty, square dealing and upright living. Alex married a Miss Bertha Schell. They had no family. He died in Kalispell, Montana in 1939.
Annie Elizabeth taught for some years in Amherst, Nova Scotia. She married a Mr. Embree and they had one daughter, Marion, who in turn married a Mr. MacLeod from Truro, Nova Scotia. Marion died in 1973. Her mother, Annie Eliza died suddenly in 1943.
John Grant, Fraser's Grant was a cousin of John Grant, Heatherton and of Reverend Roderick Grant who was pastor at Heatherton 1892-1898. Father Grant retired but remained in Heatherton where he died in 1910.
John MacIntyre, a brother of our grandmother, Mrs. John Grant, lived in Black Avon, Antigonish County, Nova Scotia. His farm was adjoining William Grant's farm. John married a Miss Catherine MacDougall from Heatherton, Antigonish County. After his death the family moved to the United States. To my knowledge there were five children in the family: William, Alexander, Roderick, Margaret and Maisie. Four died young.
- William married a Miss Cameron from Antigonish, Nova Scotia. They settled in Belrica, Mass, and had a family of at least three - a son who became a priest with O.M.I. Order. He died in 1963 at the age of sixty. His sisters were Mrs. Edward Glynn and Mrs. William Neilson. Their descendants may still be found in Belerica, Mass.
- Alexander married in the United States but he died suddenly while in Nova Scotia. His remains were buried in Heatherton Cemetery, Antigonish County, N.S.
- Roderick, better knows as R. K. returned to St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S. where he completed his studies. He then entered the Grand Seminary, Montreal and in 1907 he was raised to the priesthood. After his ordination he was posted to the staff at St. F. X. University. He became professor of Chemistry, an office he held for seventeen years.
In 1936, Father R. K. was named pastor of Bras d'Or parish in Cape Breton. In 1940 ill health obliged him to retire. Father MacIntyre died in 1945. He was the Last of a family of nine.
Another member of our grandmother's family married a Mr. MacDonnell in Dunmore, Antigonish Co., N.S. Some of these MacDonnells moved to Port Hood, Inverness County and some migrated to the West and to the United States. Sister Christena MacDonnell, known in Religion as Sister Cyril Martyre was one of the Port Hood MacDonnells. Sister died in 1977. Those who went to the U.S. settled in Massachusetts.
Some maintain that one of the Dunmore MacDonnells went to Alberta to seek his fortune and history tells us he became the great grandfather of our present Joseph Clark, the Progressive Conservative leader in Ottawa, 1981.
John Grant, Heatherton, already mentioned married a Chisholm from South River, Antigonish County. A brother of hers settled in Meadow Green, Antigonish County. Their father was in the Services during the Boar War, thus they were known as the "Soldier." John Grant had four of a family: Duncan, Christena and Marion. The fourth member, another son, died young. Duncan Grant married Margaret Ann MacDonald of Glassburn, Ant. Co. Margaret was a sister of Reverend Dr. Dan. J. MacDonald of St. F. X. University, Antigonish. Duncan and Margaret had four boys and seven girls.
Benedict, the eldest, lives on the old homestead in Heatherton. Sister Faustina, Congregation of Notre Dame, is stationed at Mount St. Bernard, Antigonish. Isobel, R.N. and Mary are in Antigonish. Winnifred, R.N. lives in Halifax. Anne, Mrs. Robertson lives in Scarborough, Ontario. Flora who was married in Sydney died some years ago (1981). Claire is in Montreal. The boys: Barry, Donald and Duncan are stationed in Western Canada.
John Grant, Heatherton, had a sister married to a Mr. Dunn in South Side, Antigonish Harbour. Some of these descendants still live in Antigonish Harbour or thereabouts and some moved to the United States.
Christena and Marion, both married, died childless. Margaret MacIntyre married but had no family. She and Maisie died many years ago.
Other relatives on the Grant side were Forbes from Beech Hill, Antigonish County. I am unable to trace out their family history. One of the Forbes girls married Allan Cameron and they resided in Rogersville, New Brunswick. One of their daughters entered with the "Little Franciscans of Mary of Bay St. Paul, Quebec." Sister was stationed in Worcester, Mass, U.S.A. Sister was the grand daughter of Andrew MacDonald (Ban) of Beech Hill. Sister died in 1926.
Another grand daughter of Andrew MacDonald was Catherine L. MacDonald who was married to a Kennedy and lived in Glen Roy, Antigonish County. Bother Catherine and her husband died some years ago but a son lives in Glen Roy, Catherine's only sister, Margaret, after her husband's death, moved to Ontario with her family. I believe Catherine's father's name was Dan. He had a brother Allan who was a very clever and brilliant scholar and lawyer.
Sister Mary Lawrence had four sisters: three of them settled in Boston, Mrs. J. J. Foley, Mrs. T. F. Keefe and Margaret, and Mrs. .A. Peterson in Calgary, Alberta. I presume they have all died.
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