CHAPTER I OUR CELTIC AND ACADIAN ROOTS

At the outset, I must admit that the title was to be "Our Irish and Acadian Roots", but since the one stone that remains from the pioneer cemetery at Hope River bears the name "Fraser" the revision of the head- ing seems called for. The stone has on it "Angus, son of Donald and (Sar)ah. Died 1858 at age 36.

In the early 1800's, in the tens, twenties and thirties, primarily Irish settlers came to settle in Hope River. There were already some Scottish and English settlers with such names as Simpson, Vincent and Graham. The Acadians were here long before that of course. After being expelled in 1758 they came back about 1763. Some, perhaps, had never left or had sought temporary refuge in New Brunswick.

The inspiration for our celebration and the writing of this history is the 150th Anniversary of the building of the first church in 1843. This building was the beginning of a long series of church buildings and recto- ries that is rather astonishing.

The names of the first Irish settlers have been recorded by Father A.E. Burke who was assistant at Rustico in 1888. He has left us precious historical notes which take us up to that year. Until 1873, Hope River did not have a resident Pastor and, at certain times after that, it was again served from South Rustico. This was the situation in the summer of 1888 as Father Burke would come from Rustico to serve the people of Hope River. Since his chronicle was written only 45 years after the building of the first church, one can readily see how precious it is.

Father Burke gives us a listing of the first Irish settlers. They are: Patrick Fleming, John Barry, Michael Coughlan, James Bowlan, John Culliton, William Sullivan, Timothy Harrington, Jeremiah Harrington, Patrick Canning, William Pendergast, Clement Cullen and Lawrence Hogan; twelve in all. Father Burke does not mention their wives, but from other records it is possible to determine most of them; Patrick Fleming was married to Elizabeth Vincent, Michael Coughlan was mar- ried to Ellen Neal, James Bowlan to Mary Kelly, John Culliton to (Charlotte Barnett?), William Sullivan to Mary McCarthy, Timothy Harrington to Helena Sullivan, Jeremiah Harrington to Mary Sullivan, Patrick Canning to Elizabeth Middleton, William Pendergast to Margaret Kelly, Clement Cullen to Anastasia Cahill, Lawrence Hogan to Levisa Graham. There is no record of whom John Barry married.