William Cook - Ulster Scot Ancestor

Relationship:

 William Cook (1758-1821) - 5th Great Grandfather

   John Cook Jr. (?-1817)

     James Cook  (1769-1833)

       Esther Cook (1820-1883)

         John William Gamble (1844-1919)

           Julia West Gamble (1833-1950)

             Russell Mackie Bragg (1914-1969)

               Me

The Hopewell

In the mid 17^th century, the British Government encouraged many Scottish lowlanders to resettle the Province of Ulster in Northern Ireland.  Primarily farming folk, they were to boost the population of that area of Ireland that had become depleted through war and famine.  

One hundred years later, pressure was brought to bear on these Ulster Scots to become part of the true Church of Ireland (Anglican) and those failing to do this (recusants) were subjected to severe loss of civil rights and freedom.

 

Alexander McNutt

When Alexander McNutt, an Ulster Scot himself, offered free land in British North America, many of these staunch Presbyterians gladly accepted.  McNutt had been given the task of populating the province of Nova Scotia with English speaking settlers  to replace the Acadiens who had been expelled from the area some five years earlier.

William and his brother James came to Nova Scotia from Northern Ireland in October 1761, aboard the famous immigrant ship “Hopewell” as part of the Ulster Scot migration. Tradition had always speculated that William and James were brothers and recent DNA testing on the descendants of both men have confirmed this. 

We know little of William’s activities immediately after his arrival, however there is evidence that his brother James spent time in Halifax before settling on his own land grant.  James was indentured for a time to Alexander McNutt to pay for his voyage to the new world. It is possible William had to fulfil an indenture as well.  He may have married with his two older sons, William and John being children of that marriage.  We do know that by 1763, he was married to a young widow, Sidney Holmes who had two daughters by her first husband.  The couple went on to have two more children, Rebecca and James.

Cobequid Bay

By January 30, 1765 William received a land grant in Amherst Township from Captain George Faech, who was married to his step-daughter, Rachel.  Later that year he also took up a grant in Londonderry Township of 500 acres.

His land overlooked the majestic Bay of Fundy with its rippled red sand beaches and the world’s highest tides (41').  The fields were productive and lush, rising slowly to the imposing Cobequid Mountains to the north.  At the time, a mere 300 souls called the part of Nova Scotia home.

In the late 1760s,  Nova Scotia roads were generally rough trails through the woods and so much of the travel between settlements was done by ship.  On one such trip,  William was drowned in Cobequid Bay, just off Portaupique. 

A subsequent inventory of his estate included 40 lbs of butter, 1 pair of britches, an old skillet, a family bible, an old table and chair, livestock, barley and potatoes, 1 old gun and his land and home.  The total appraisal for the lot was £30.

Grave of Sidney Holmes

Following his death, William’s widow, Sidney married a military blacksmith, Matthew Staples.  The two older boys were apprenticed out to Thomas Fletcher.  We don’t know how long they stayed in the Fletcher home, but by the 1771 census, neither boy appears to be living there.

Although William did not live to enjoy his new home and family, he became the progenitor of a long line of descendants who owe their distinguished ancestor a great debt of gratitude.