Scotland to Canada
JAMES CAIRNS and ELIZABETH PATTERSON
The Scottish Thistle
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
This Scottish motto meaning "No one provokes me with impunity" has been
associated with the thistle since the defeat of a Danish raiding party in
ancient
times. The Scots were alerted to the presence of the raiders by a cry of pain
when one of the maruaders stepped on a thistle. The "Guardian Thistle" thus
had a great influence on the history of the nation.
Research is still being done to assertain for sure who the parent's were of James Cairns. At the present time the trail seems to lead to the possibility that he was the son of Thomas Cairns and Mary Willison, but that is not a known fact.
JAMES CAIRNS Sr: Born 19 Mar 1788, Wiltonbourne, Wilton Parish, Berwickshire, Scotland, died 21 Aug 1867, Plympton Twp., Lambton Co., Ont. On the 13 Oct 1810 in Swinton-Simprin Berwickshire, Scotland, he married ELIZABETH PATTERSON, born Sep 1785, Antonhill, Eccles Parish, Berwickshire, Scotland, baptized 19 Nov 1785, Eccles Parish, died 14 Apr 1873, Invercairn, Plympton Twp., Lambton Co., Ont.(d/o George Patterson and Ann Dodds).
Both buried Knox Church Cemetery, Camlachie, Ont. (#21).
They had 10 children. Thomas, George, James, Ann, Alexander, Peter, Catherine, Katharine, John and Eliza.
Emigrated to Plympton Township, Lambton Co., Ont., in 1842. It is believed that the 4 youngest children were with them when they emigrated. They also brought with them their granddaughter Mary TRANENT, who went by the name Lunam, who lived with them until she married William Helps. It is know that son George was single and emigrated before the rest of the family. Daughter Ann married David Lunam and they came in 1843. Settled on 50 acres on Lot 14 Con 9, Plympton Township.
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
James Cairns was a farm laborer in
Roxburghshire, Scotland and there married Miss Elizabeth Paterson of the same region.
There were seven children in their family. (1) George was the first of the family to come
to Canada. He went at first to California during the gold excitement, but later made his
home in Lambton County, in Plumpton Twp. His last years were spent in Michigan. (2) Thomas
was a landowner in Forest and there died. (3) Ann married David Lunam of Plympton, and
there died. (4) Catherine married William Symington, of Plympton and there died 28 Jun
1905. (5) Peter became the father of James K. (6) John is deceased. (7) Eliza married
Richard Richardson, one of the California "forty-niners" and settled in
Minnesota.
James Cairns and his wife came to Canada in the latter part of the forties, settled on
Lot 14, Concession 9, Plympton Township, on a fifty acre tract of land, and began their
pioneer life in a log cabin. The rest of their lives was spent there engaged in farming,
and they died within a short time of each other, their remains being laid in the Knox
Church Cemetery at Camlachie.
They were devout members of the Presbyterian Church, which they helped to organize
in Camlachie. Mr. Cairns reached the age of eighty years, and was all his life a strong
Liberal.
(Not listed in this Article
are children James Jr and Alexander)
(G.G.G.Granddaughter)
In the lowlands of Scotland along the
border country, still running today, are the rivers Teviot and Tweed. The area is hilly
and sparsely settled, except by sheep and a few cattle, and has a serene quiet beauty, the
cotters being cleared fron the land over 100 years ago and dispersed to many other
countries, Australia, New Zealand, United
States and Canada.
On the 13th October 1810, James Cairns and Elizabeth Paterson were married in
Swinton-Simprin Parish, Berwick County, Scotland. Their family consisted of Thomas,
George, James, Ann, Alexander, Peter, John and Eliza and Catherine all born in
Swinton-Simprin or Eccles, Berwick County, Scotland. In the early 1800's James was a Hind
(a domestic servant) and living in Loanknow, Eccles Parish, Berwick County, and the births
of George 1812; James 1814; Ann 1816; and Peter 1818 are listed in the census.
Thomas and George Cairns were the first to arrive in Canada. George went at first to
California during the gold excitement, later he settled in what was then called Upper
Canada, Plympton Township, Lambton County, Ontario. George came in the 1830's as he
witnessed land transactions during that time.
Thomas came in about 1844 and also settled in Plympton Township. The rest of the family
was soon to follow about 1847 except John who came in 1849.
The following is a history of early Pioneer days in Lambton County as related by William Cairns, son of James and Betsy (Anderson) Cairns:
At the time Western Ontario was almost a
wilderness of forest. The Township of Plympton in the County of Lambton as the crow flies
was about twenty miles from the City of Sarnia (or rather a village, at that time). Their
family settled within a few miles
of each other and hewed out homes for themselves out of solid bush of heavy timber.
Their only roads in those days were blazed trails through the bush and distances are
not shortened by trails even in the prairie county.
Sarnia, being their only market, it was necessary many times to make the journey on foot.
I have heard my grandmother and her daughter Ann say they have carried their butter and
eggs to market over the same trail, and more than once, and they were not the only ones.
Oxen and sleigh were their chief mode of conveyance for some years until they could grow
feed for horses. And as oxen were much better for clearing the land, few indeed were the
happy owners of horse teams and what was known then as a lumber wagon. Although the wagon
has changed little in appearance, it is seldom known as a lumber wagon.
It was slow tedious work clearing land in those times and as the timber (before the
event of the Grand Trunk running from Toronto to Point Edwardsand the Great Western
running from London to Sarnia) was of no value, the choicest oak, elm, basswood, and other
more valuable varieties were logged together in great piles and burned. Great and
strenuous times were often witnessed at logging bees, when sides would be chosen for every
team and who could be across the field first. Even the oxen were onto their jobs and
apparently as keen as the men. There was also a great knack in being able to handle a team
of horses to good advantage.
After the railroad was in working order, oak became in great demand, made into staves and
into square timber. And some valuable as well as large square timber was shipped to the
older countries. Staves were about seven feet long and were made out of good oak timber,
hewed from logs tow and a half to four or five inches in width. I am not just certain what
these staves were manufactured into. Cordwood of Maple and Beech was very plentiful and
afforded employment for those near the railway lines. Although prices were not high, it
helped to clear the land.
Softer timbers were not in demand and millions of feet of Elm and other soft varities were
logged together and burned and ashes carefully gathered to make potash. After, when it
began to get scarce, it was manufactured into lumber and some years ago it was in great
demand. Buyers were offering ten to fifteen dollars per thousand and on the stump.
Thomas, James and John Cairns settled in North Plympton Township about two to four miles
from a village known then as Hillsborough. This place was named after the first settlers
named Hills. Hills had a flour mill, and it was small but served a great and useful
purpose to the settlers of North Plympton and the east half of Bosanquet Township.
James Cairns Sr., Alexander, Peter and Ann, who was married to David Lunam Katey who was
married to William Symington and Eliza who married Richard Richardson, all settled a few
miles east of what was then Erroll. A government road having been opened out from London
to Sarnia, branched off at Warwick Village and angled in a northwest direction to Lake
Huron. Erroll Village was on the lakeshore. Those villages served as Post Office until the
railroad came through, then Erroll moved to Camlachie and Hillsborough later to Forest.
Later Peter Cairns moved to Lakeshore and James
Jr., and my father to Arberarder.
The Township of Plympton was settled chiefly by Scotch, English and Irish. They were all a
sturdy, hard working, honest lot of men who made good although slow progross
for many years. It took some time to clear enough land for gardens and small wheat
fields to grow fodder to winter the stock. Every farmer kept from three to ten cows.
And a good number of hens and without these it would have been a scant living for many.
Some seasons when fodder was scarce cattle were driven to the bush to live on boughs, that
is Elm and Basswood limbs and from brush. And as it was, the early settlers experienced a
great deal of harhships and privations. Schools were scarce and hard to reach on account
of road conditions. Still it is wonderful to look back and think how children received an
education in those primitive times.
The same can be said about the Churches. But the sturdy Scot never forgot the Church and
Churches were erected whenever a settlement started. Knox Church at Camlachie was well
attended in those days.
The Cairns families were all Presbyterians and all supporters of the same cause in
religion and politics being reformers. The following generations, have mostly broken away
from their first love and joined the United Church. A few no doubt still retain a
membership in the continuing body. In politics, I think they are nearly a unit and still
adhere to the Liberal Party with a very few exceptions.
Hillsborough, Erroll, Shepherds and Hamilton Corners of which the writer is the more
familiar with, underwent a transformation with the advent of the railway.
As I said before, Camlachie killed Erroll and Forest robbed Hillsborough of her business
interests. A Post Office opened at Hamiltons Corners and was afterwards known as
Arberarder while Uttoxeter Post Office was opened at Shepherds corner and was afterwards
known as Uttoxeter.
Bewteen 1850 and 1875 a wonderful transformation was made. Many of the farmers had good
clearances and a fair acreage under crop and frame houses and better
barns were looming up here and there. Many of the older generations were retiring and
leaving their farms to their sons. Some of them were in the real evening of their life,
and with others the sun had gone down.
James Cairns Sr., and his wife Elizabeth Paterson farmed on Concession 9, Lot 14 in
Plympton Township. James had a nephew who was Baptist Minister in the States and
used to visit his relatives in Canada. Nothing is known of him at this time.
I remember well of the old couple, and used to love to go to their place which was only
three miles from my fathers home. My grandmother, a strong stout old lady, always
had a cake for us and my grandfather was a very quiet, good old man who was always highly
spoken of as a good neighbor and devoted follower of his master. Grandmother was a strong
robust woman who must have turned the scale at about two hundred.
She, with her oldest daughter, Anne, frequently walked into Sarnia carrying their eggs and
butter. Sarnia in those days, was a long way to walk to market their goods.
