Hugh MacDougall (Eigg Mountain Settlement History)

 

 

The house at this site was originally built in Highfield (near Arisaig). The Landowner Hugh MacDougall married Mary MacDonald (daughter of George MacDonald - some relation to Angus MacIsaac?), who would be aunt to Kenton’s grandmother. George MacDonald [Where does he fit on the genealogy? Where did he live?] lived on Eigg Mountain and wanted to have his daughter near to him so he suggested that Hugh move the house from Highfield to Eigg Mountain (4 miles straight).

 

At the time there was not that much lumber around to build a new house so they would often use parts, or the whole, of an old house to build a new one. They would move it depending on how far it was to the new site, take it in sections by wall. If moving over great distances they would sometimes dismantle it board by board.

 

When Hugh’s first wife died, he married her cousin Catherine, had a daughter named after the two wives, Mary-Catherine MacDougall. When Hugh died Catherine and her daughter moved to Antigonish for a few years and then back to Cape Breton (?) to be with her other relatives. Mary-Catherine MacDougall, married a MacLellan from Cape Breton (?) who died young, their son is Judge MacLellan now in Antigonish.

 

Charlie and Kenton’s grandfather Sandy MacLellan bought this property which was then vacant so that he and his wife Lighly MacEachern could be near to her family. He lived there until the early 40s (1943). When he moved into Antigonish, he took the house with him. This house is plainly visible on the 1945 aerial photo. This farm had livestock, farmed subsistence crops, apples and plums, gooseberry and hop bushes.

 

Source: Interview, Kenton and Charlie Teasdale, Eigg Mountain, October 16, 2004.

 

Below are some views of the foundation:

 

 

 

Eigg Mountain, October 16, 2004.