Paradise Found— The Settling of Inverness County

Place Names Inverness County Atlantic Ocean Prince Edward Island Scotland Mabou New England Margaree

We can only imagine how the early Scottish settlers, who came to Inverness County, must have felt when they arrived there in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

Many of them had just completed a long, hard trip across the Atlantic Ocean. They were glad to be on dry land, at last. Others had only come from Prince Edward Island, but they were just as happy to be in Inverness County. Why? All the settlers were glad to be in Inverness County because there was land for them there.

The dream of owning land pushed people to survive many hardships. For example, two Beaton brothers arrived in Inverness in 1809 with their wives and children. It is said they were so tired on the first night, they slept under a boat! They had been disappointed in Prince Edward Island. All the land had already been taken. They were told they would have to rent land if they stayed there. They had promised themselves they would never rent land again! The cruel treatment of landlords who had thrown them off the land in Scotland is why they had left there in the first place.