Celebration at Scotch Colony

[Published in the Fort Fairfield Review, July 22, 1923; page 12.]

The Fiftieth Anniversary of the settlement of the Scotch Colony was celebrated at Kincardine on Tuesday, July 10. There was a reunion of the members of the Colony in connection with the celebration. A list of all the members of the colony born there and in Scotland has just been compiled for historical purposes. The first party came over on the “Castalia” in 1873 and was followed a year later by a second party on the “Sidonian,” in 1874. As far as is known the oldest people now in the colony are Mrs. Farquhar, of Upper Kintore, and Donald Innis, also of Upper Kintore. The youngest is the baby daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Young. It is interesting to note that the first birth was that of a girl on board the “Castalia,” April 30, 1872. She was named for the ship, the captain and her father, “Castalia Butler Ferguson Brown Morrison,” and she is still living in Scotland. The first marriage was that of Archibald Winter and Euphemia Bisset in 1875. The first recorded death is that of a child, William Cocker, of Upper Stonehaven. Joseph Davidson of Kilburn was a babe in arms on the ship. Rev. Gordon Pringle, Kincardine, NB would be very grateful for any [?] or particulars relative to the settlers and numbers of the [?]. As Chairman of the Committee in charge of this he is [??]as complete a list as possible.

Some notes about the article:

William Cocker, the third child of Alexander D. Cocker and Euphemia Wilson, was born in Banchory -Ternan, Kincardineshire, Scotland on May 12, 1867. He was a passenger on the Castalia in 1873 and lived with his family on lot 32 in Stonehaven, New Brunswick. His older sister Catherine Cocker married William Linton Duncan in 1885.

Mrs. Margaret (Ross) Farquhar (1837-1924) and her husband James (1830-1922) lived on lot 42 in Upper Kintore, New Brunswick. They were Sidonian passengers in 1874, bringing their children: Joseph 11, Mary Ann 8, James 6, and infant John.

Donald Innes (1841-1926) lived in Upper Kintore on lot 146. He and his wife Eliza arrived via the Sidonian in 1874 with their children: Margaret 11, Charles 9, Jane 7, John 5,  Elizabeth 3, and infant Elsie.

Joseph Davidson (April 9, 1873-Jan. 5, 1953) was one of seven surviving colonists who rode together on a float in the parade celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Scotch Colony. His parents, Andrew and Margaret Davidson, were on the Castalia in 1873 with their children. They lived on lot 8 in Stonehaven.

Brothers and In-laws

Left to right: David Duncan, William Duncan, William Cumming, Thomas Cumming, Alec Cumming; Duncan-Cumming Clan Reunion at Aroostook Valley Park;

This has to be a classic! David and William Duncan, two of the Duncan “boys,” and three of the Cumming brothers are caught resting at the reunion of extended family. All five men immigrated from Scotland in 1873-74 with their parents and grew up in Stonehaven and Upper Kintore in the Scotch Colony in Victoria County in New Brunswick, Canada. In the Duncan family, David married Catherine Chapman in 1886 in Kincardine, NB, William married Catherine Coker in 1885 in Kincardine, and Annie Rae married William Cumming in 1884 in Stonehaven, all girls from the Colony. Alec Cumming found his wife Mary Maud Jordan in 1891 Quebec. Thomas was married to Nettie Sisson, Jennie Lloyd, and lastly Jane Elizabeth Hollis in 1924.

The picture was taken prior to 1938. The reunion, or the “picnic” as it is called (perhaps as a reference to the annual summer Sunday School picnic gatherings in the old days that were favorite memories that the Colonists held dear?) is still on-going. Years later, it is often a question as to why “Duncan” and “Cumming” names are used for the reunion. Perhaps this photograph can help explain.

Four Cumming Brothers

Left to right: Alec Cumming, Thos. Cumming, James Cumming, William Cumming; Duncan-Cumming Clan Reunion, Aroostook Valley Park;

Sons of Thomas Cumming and Mary Jack, all four were born in Upper Buckie, Scotland and immigrated to the Scotch Colony onboard the “Sidonian” in May 1874. The date the photo was taken is unknown, but James was the first to pass away in 1938.

Alec Cumming (1868-1948 Houlton, ME) was an electrician. In 1891 in Sherbrook, Quebec he married Maud Mary Jordan (1871 Eaton, Quebec-1959.) They were active in the First Baptist Church of Houlton. They had five children, the first born in Quebec and the other four in Houlton. Alec and his wife are buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Houlton, ME.

Thomas Cumming (1862-1939 Plaster Rock, New Brunswick) farmed a half lot #38 of 100 acres next to his father. He was married three times.

James Morrison Cumming (1860-1938 Nashua, New Hampshire) married Barbara Duncan (1863 Dunnottar, Scotland-1945 Milton, MA) in 1882 at her parent’s home “Carron Brae” in Kincardine, New Brunswick.  James worked the farm for a year in partnership with his brother William and then moved to Washburn, ME to work in the mill. Later the family moved to central Maine, New Hampshire, and finally Massachusetts. They had four children, two born in the Colony and two probably in Maine.

William Spence Cumming (1857-1940 Easton, ME) was a farmer in Easton.  As a young man, he worked on his father’s farm on lot # 40 and later bought out his half-brother John Jack Cumming’s farm on lot #38 (John left the Colony to go to West Sullivan, ME.)  In 1884 William married Annie Rae Duncan (1861 Dunnottar, Scotland-1845 Easton, ME) and they had six children born in Upper Kintore. In 1894 the family moved to the Pine Tree State. Three more children were born in Easton, ME. William and Annie were buried at Estes Park Cemetery, Easton, ME.

July 9, 2011 Cumming/Duncan Family Reunion

July 9, 2011 Cumming/Duncan Family Reunion

Presque Isle, Maine

Family and friends of the Cumming and Duncan families gathered at the Presque Isle Snowmobile Club’s spacious new facility near Aroostook State Park at noon on Saturday July 9, 2011 for their annual clan reunion and pot-luck lunch. Chieftain Richard Duncan, great-grandson of William Duncan and Elizabeth Linton Duncan, greeted the attendees as they signed the guest book.

Several tables were filled with a variety of dishes for the meal including haggis, mashed turnips, and potatoes.  Jeff Griffiths, nephew of the chieftain, gave a special reading, “address to the haggis.”  Cousins renewed old acquaintances and lots of new friends were made. Guests traveled especially for the reunion from many far-off places such as Texas, Florida, New Brunswick, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Hampshire, as well as from many parts of Maine.

After lunch, the chieftain conducted a brief business meeting. Greetings were read from some unable to come to the reunion. A moment of silence was observed for those who are no longer with us. A collection was taken to defray costs of the reunion. Cheryl Clark Cumming, great granddaughter of William Spence Cumming and Annie Rae Duncan Cumming, will be the 2012 chieftain. Hollie Umphrey, great granddaughter of David Linton Duncan and Catherine Chapman Duncan, will be the 2013 chieftain.

Miss Kimiye Gamblin, age 14, entertained the clan with her wonderful fiddle music. She will be traveling to France later in the summer with the group called Celtic Discovery.

The clan was privileged to hear Darlene Morton play the bagpipes for us. She recalled that she had played for the clan picnic more than twenty years ago. She remembered that her baby daughter played near her in the grass as she played at Melvin Barclay’s farm in Kintore, New Brunswick.

The meeting closed with the clan singing  “Auld Lang Syne” accompanied by the fiddle.