The Assembly of Indirect Evidence for RUAIRIDH BREAC MACNEIL
"THERE WAS A SOLDIER . . . ."
Occasionally it happens, at the beginning of an identity research project, that too much has already been said. That is the problem here with the study of Ruairidh Breac MacNeil, pioneer, immigrant, Scotsman and soldier in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in the late 18th to early 19th century. A tale has developed, and the result is a pioneer figure carved in legendary proportions from whom many, through five generations, have claimed direct descent. Years ago the account of just who this apparently prolific character might be began in local stories; these evolved into community histories, family trees; and at the present, they proliferate on the Internet. To sort the overabundance of information into two classifications for deduction, a test of their credibility, is the first challenge. A combination of these hypothesis and theories is generally offered as popular history or, the story of Ruairidh Breac
A. There are hypotheses:
- He was originally from Barra, Scotland, a British soldier disbanded after the American War;
- He was married twice, first in Scotland and later, in Nova Scotia;
- He had children in Scotland and children in Nova Scotia, daughters and sons;
- He was the pioneer, the first settler in the district which is today known as Big Pond.
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These are the consistent details in every rendition of Ruairidh Breac's biography, although these are undocumented by direct evidence. They are plausible and can be confirmed as factual through indirect evidence.
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B. There also are theories:
- Ruairidh's father was John MacNeil; his grandfather was Angus MacNeil;
- His first wife was Mary MacNeil who died in Scotland; her father was Donald MacNeil; her grandfather was Hector MacNeil, a brother of the Chief of Barra.
- He had nine children by his first wife, Mary;
- His second wife was Catherine MacLeod;
- He had twelve children by his second wife, Catherine;
- He died in 1855.
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These have arisen without apparent support from any verifiable source outside the oral tradition. Generally, upon investigation, the particulars of these details collapse into implausibility.
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| C. |
Most of the points are summarized in a programme published for "Centennial Week" celebrations August 1967 in Big Pond, Cape Breton. [The centennial referred to is the 100th anniversary of Canadian confederation, not the founding of Big Pond.] In large part the information in the programme is based on a school history project undertaken at MacDonald Consolidated School, Big Pond, in 1962. The information gathered in that project depended heavily on oral history collected by the students from older relatives and members of the community.
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There is one certainty: This man, Ruairidh Breac, did exist, did live and thrive in Big Pond, Cape Breton early and through the first decade of the 19th century. To test the validity of the consistent details in his life story, the measure is time—time in reference to known historical dates and events; in relation to local historical events; and in deference to statistical likelihood. Proof, thus, lies in the interdependence of these events.
Continue . . .
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