Norman Mc Leod (minister) - Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

July 1817 saw the family boarding the barque 'Frances Ann' and setting sail for the town of Pictou on the north coast of Nova Scotia. There was already a thriving Highland community there, mostly emigrants from Loch Broom. As the Highland Clearances were under way another 150 followed Norman to Pictou the following year.

As no church had ever been set up in Pictou, although a building had been started in 1804, he found a community waiting on him to establish a church. Here he preached the Word, 'pure and incorrupted', as God intended. As his fame spread, his followers were dubbed Normanites. By 1820, Pictou was becoming overcrowded, and Norman was invited to Ohio to preach to a group there. The decision was tough, but finally he convinced his followers to go, they set out building a ship for the voyage, also known as the Ark.

Though they initially set out for Ohio, a storm forced them to come ashore at St. Ann's on Cape Breton Island. They were the first Scots to arrive, but were soon followed by boatloads of others, from the Hebrides as well as the mainland. Soon he was surrounded by Gaelic speaking Presbyterian crofters and fishers, and their modest womenfolk who with their God-fearing ways kept the Sabbath holy and packed his church.

Back in Pictou, the Presbyterian ways were under threat from Anglican and Roman Catholic chapels, but the Normanites remained true to their beliefs. As he had still not been ordained, he travelled to New York State in 1827 to be ordained at a Presbyterian Church there. Thus, at last, he was a sanctioned minister to his flock and in 1829, he built a school. Whilst by the early 1840s his meeting house with seating for 1200 was overflowing every Sabbath, his home church had been riven apart and the Free Church of Scotland had broken away.

Facing as it does northeast, St Ann's Bay suffered the worst of severe winters, and access to the community was frequently blocked by sea ice, stopping all trade in or out. When potato blight struck in 1847-48, the hardships were too much for many who felt the need to find greener pastures elsewhere. One of Norman's sons, sailed back to Scotland, and then on to Australia, where he found work as a journalist. His letters describing the wonderful life he had found there unsettled the folk in St. Ann's. At the age of 68, Norman moved to Australia.

The first priority was to build ships and throughout 1850 and into 1851, the skills of the highland boatbuilders were put to full use. By October 1851, the 'Margaret', a barque of 236 tons was afloat, and the smaller 'Highland Lass' was nearing completion. In early November, Norman and Mary with seven of their children, and 150 other Normanites set sail. Having called at Cape Town en route, they arrived in Adelaide in April 1852. 'Highland Lass', carrying another 155 parishioners, arrived in October.