And now having concluded my historical sketch of the places taken up, it remains only to acknowledge with heartfelt thanks my indebtedness to all those who so kindly assisted me in my search for information. It would give me pleasure to publish the names here of those to whom I am indebted for the facts which made it possible to write the sketch, but I know their modesty would not make it pleasant to them so I refrain. But to one and all who helped me I desire to render my hearty thanks. In conclusion I hope that those who read my articles enjoyed the perusal of them as much as I enjoyed the writing of them. I hope later on to publish in the PATRIOT a sketch of Cole Harbor similar to those already published.
 
 

H. W. HEWITT
 
 

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Copy of a portion of a regular column in the Dartmouth Patriot called "From Meagher's Grant", 10 August 1901 edition
 
 

We have all been very much interested in your early history of the different localities contiguous to Dartmouth. I expected to see the name of my great grandfather Angus McDonald among the old inhabitants of McNab's Island. He and his family and about a dozen slaves came there from Florida, where he had had a plantation of some kind and kept a large number of slaves. The family originally came from Isle of Skie and my great grandmother was married after the celebrated Flora McDonald. They had three daughters, Christy, Mary and Lexey. Christy married Capt. McInnes, grandfather to John McInnes, of Halifax, and Sandy McInnes of Musquodoboit Harbor. I remember hearing that the first time Capt. McInnes saw his wife was when he and some other officers were on a trip to McNab's Island, and unexpectedly came on the three McDonald girls while in bathing. Jacob Bayer the first baker and petti officer in the same regiment that McInnes was in, married Lexey and Ronald Crawford married Mary and settled in Lawrencetown. Mr. McDonald afterward moved to Meaghers Grant and the old cellar of his house can be seen yet. Each one of those girls received two slaves and Tom Wade, of Windsor Junction is a son of one of the girl slaves that was given to M[ary?] McInnes, Black Charlotte. The other one married a former southern slave named Dennis McGruda. Charlotte lived in a small log cabin on the McInnes' farm, and one night when Dennis came a courting the McInnes boys crept up to the shanty to listen. Dennis first knelt down and said a long prayer after which he managed to pop the momentus question, and in a very short time Mr. McInnes, who was a J.P. had to perform the marriage ceremony for the happy couple.

One of old Charlotte's daughters (Little Charlotte we called her) lived in Dartmouth some years and the last I ever heard of her was from a coloured woman that waited on table at Geo. Keye's, and she said that Charlotte was then living in Windsor.

Dennis McGruda got to this country through having guided the British to a Yankee strong hold in the war of 1812. The British found him at work for his master and compelled him to show them where the enemy was, and promising him his freedom if he led them all right. They were as good as their word and that's the way Dennis McGruda got to N.S.

Those old slaves were so much attached to their masters that they never seemed to want to leave them. The second generation were well grown before they started life on their own account. I can remember three of the old mammies, Charlotte, Rachael and Sarah, and we children thought as much of those dear old ladies (for ladies they were) as any of the children of the south ever did of their old mammie nurses.
 

J.D.B.