Johnnie Torquil MacLeod

before my time, but he must have been one of the

earlier settlers. Johnnie Torquil MacLeod was a big man, very strong, with a rough manner but a very hard and willing worker. He married my grandmother’s niece from Culloden. The day of his wedding Johnnie Torquil was working with Johnnie Hector. In the evening Johnnie Torquil said, “Can I have a loan of your sleigh? I would like it to drive to Culloden to get married tonight."

They had six children, four boys and two girls. They were a boisterous family and many of the neighbours wondered what the future held for them.

There was a priest, a cousin of Johnnie Torquil, who came from Montreal and stayed with them. This was rather odd as there were no Roman Catholics in the area. In the spring he used to go down to Little Sands wharf. When there was a hole in the ice he would go in swim- ming. The priest brought Johnnie Torquil to Montreal and got him a good job, and later took some of the boys and trained them for good jobs. One of the younger boys married in the West and became a very big cattle farmer. The youngest girl became a teacher. All the family be— Came highly successful as well as honourable. One of his sons, Ernest, returned to Little Sands several years ago and built the only brick house in the community.

One of my favourite students when I taught in Little

His father, Torquil (pronounced Torkle), was dead

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