In a big family

Thousands from across North America will flock to Nova Scotia’s North Shore to look for their Scottish roots. Pictou is ready to help

By Alec Bruce

Forthose fascinated by their origins in Pictou, wondering if their ancestors really did survive the “First Great Scottish Passage” across the fierce Atlantic on the sailing ship Hector to replant their family trees in Nova Scotia, there’s no better year than this to find out. And, as the 250th commemorations get underway, there’s no better person to ask than local genealogist Brenda Hutchinson.

She’s a pleasant, studious woman who has made tracing the “Hector connection” for hundreds, if not thousands, of folks across North America her passion since 2015. “I started the Hector Descendants Project as a retirement project for myself,” she says. “I was volun- teering at McCulloch House Museum & Genealogy Centre, and I thought it would be a good idea to try and make sense of the passenger list.”

Now, she says, “I’ve been in touch with people from California to Florida, from Oregon, Vancouver, Prince George, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Toronto — everywhere really — and they’re booking their hotels and making it a priority to be here this summer.”

She and McCulloch House will be ready.

The museum’s special exhibit showcases three anniversaries in 2023: the 250th of the landing of the Hector, the 150th of Pictou’s incorporation, and the centre’s own 50th. Established in 1973 partly to commemorate 200th anniversary of the ship’s arrival, it already hosts a range of temporary exhibitions focusing on local history and culture during the summer months. More durably, perhaps, it’s an archival facility and research centre.

Today, says its website: “This abundance of archival material includes hundreds of personal and corporate documents as well as family histories, newspapers on microfilm, vital statistics, and much more. These resources combined with an extensive local history library provide visitors, students and academics alike with the opportunity to deeply explore the heritage of Eastern Canada.”

Or you could just ask Hutchinson.

Brenda Hutchinson has traced the “Hector connection” for hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

“I’ve made some pretty good progress in terms of tracing people forward in time,” she says. “Usually, genealogists go backwards in time. So, I’m able to help people who’ve already gone backwards in time, kind of match them up with what I’ve done forward in time — to confirm a lineage or not. In the process of doing this, I’ve had to reach out to people. So, I developed a website and a Facebook page, and I have a quarterly newsletter … I keep in touch with people.”

Hutchinson will also be front and centre this year in Pictou. She’s organizing a genealogy and history conference, set to include a full day of lectures and presentations, plus a day of tours and small-group activities, on Sept. 9 and 10. She’s also behind some Hector-related readings by local authors Ann Stevens, Pam Edwards, Jackie Halsey, and Margie MacKay on Sept. 14. Then there’s the Hector descendants’ big event: the Descendants and Friends Banquet on Sept. 15, with musicians John MacDonald and descendant Amelia Parker, who will perform “Bless the Ship Hector.”

“A lot of people visit Pictou because they think they may have a connection to the Hector,” says Hutchinson. “Whether or not they do, they may have roots in the community anyway. They are thrilled to know that they descend from a Hector passenger. I’m sure there’s some who are disappointed if we can’t confirm it. But there’s some that are still working away at it.” She laughs, “I have a friend who descends from 18 passengers. Most people are happy to know they have just one.”