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Upon the arrival of Patrick and Bridget's second child, Nancy, the young couple set in motion their plans to move
to Maine in America. Nancy was only three weeks old when they departed Ireland, traveling with Patrick's brother, Edward,
and his young family. We don't exactly know why they left Ireland, there could be many reasons. It may have been due to the
struggles and rebellions in Northern Ireland, or because their chances of someday owning their own land in the U.S. were much
higher than if they stayed. Perhaps, like millions of others, they yearned for a fresh start, and the American Dream. With
the baby so small, and the time of year being cold and damp, we can only wonder if they were fleeing violence or other dangers.
So,
with baby Nancy and toddler Barney, they first traveled to Derry, Ireland, where they purchased passage on a ship headed to
Quebec City, Canada. According to Author Clair Nelson, they did not themselves pay for their tickets, rather, a benefactor
paid for them, but we do not know who or why. The crossing took in excess of six weeks,
in late March and throughout the entire month of April, it could not have been very pleasant. With tiny children along,
it must have been absolutely miserable. Finally, on May 6, 1815, the ship docked in Quebec City, and we can imagine how grateful
they were to disembark, and how frightening and exciting the struggle to start a life in North America must have seemed at
that time.
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The young families left Quebec
City right away upon arrival there, and headed about 70 miles southeast
of the city to St. George, perhaps by canoe on the Claudiere River, or by stage coach
on what is now Highway 173. St. George, at the time, was a fairly small town, and the last
outpost and mission post on the route to Northern Maine. There were some
stores there, and a Catholic church with a school. We are not sure exactly
how long the Family stayed there in St. George, but we believe it to be until early Fall. This was most likely
due to the fact they came with very few assets, and had to work not only to purchase
shelter and food, but also to raise money for the supplies that would
be necessary for the journey. It also made sense to wait, as the baby Nancy was still so
tiny to travel with. Many of us know the weather in Maine in the Fall and Winter
can be quite harsh, especially in the North Western portion of the state, and so it seems a strange time of
year to embark on such a difficult journey.
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The young families
left Quebec City right away upon arrival there, and headed about 70 miles
southeast of the city to St. George, perhaps by canoe on the Claudiere River, or
by stage coach on what is now Highway 173. St. George, at the time, was a
fairly small town, and the last outpost and mission post on the route to
Northern Maine. There were some stores there, and a Catholic church with
a school. We are not sure exactly how long the Family stayed there in St. George, but we believe it
to be until early Fall. This was most likely due to the fact they came with very few assets,
and had to work not only to purchase shelter and food, but also to raise
money for the supplies that would be necessary for the journey. It also made sense
to wait, as the baby Nancy was still so tiny to travel with. Many of
us know the weather in Maine in the Fall and Winter can be quite harsh, especially in the North Western
portion of the state, and so it seems a strange time of year to embark
on such a difficult journey. From the McCollor Family Genealogy book credited
below, there are wonderful stories about that first crossing from Canada to Maine. Please CLICK HERE to be taken to Barney's Page.
*
Much information for these pages comes from the excellent book McCollor/McCollough Family History and Genealogy by Clair
Nelson and Kathy McCollor Stigman. I thank them profusely for writing such a thorough
and helpful book.
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