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History Pre-confederation (to 1867)

A Very Fine Class of Immigrants

Prince Edward Island's Scottish Pioneers, 1770-1850

by (author) Lucille H. Campey

Publisher
Dundurn Press
Initial publish date
May 2007
Category
Pre-Confederation (to 1867), Genealogy & Heraldry, Discrimination & Race Relations
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781770703032
    Publish Date
    Apr 2001
    List Price
    $23.99
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781459720893
    Publish Date
    May 2007
    List Price
    $12.99
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781550027716
    Publish Date
    May 2007
    List Price
    $26.99

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Description

Previous studies of early Scottish emigration to the New World have tended to concentrate on the miseries of evictions and the destruction of old communities. In this groundbreaking study of the influx of Scots to Prince Edward Island, the widely held assumption that emigration was solely a flight from poverty is challenged. By uncovering previously unreported ship crossings, as well as a wide range of manuscripts and underused sources such as customs records and newspaper shipping reports, the book provides the most comprehensive account to date of the influx of Scots to the Island. “A Very Fine Class of Immigrants” is essential reading for individuals wishing to trace family links or deepen their understanding of how and why the Island came to acquire its distinctive Scottish communities. And by accessing, for the first time, shipping sources like Lloyd’s List and the Lloyd’s Shipping Register, the author brings a new dimension to our understanding of emigrant travel. Campey demonstrates that far from sailing on disease-ridden leaky tubs, as popularly imagined, the Island’s Pioneer Scots usually crossed the Atlantic on the best available ships of the time.

About the author

Ottawa-born Dr. Lucille Campey is a well-known writer and historian who began her career as a scientist and computer specialist, having obtained a degree in chemistry from Ottawa University. In 1967 she moved to England, where she gained a masters degree at Leeds University based on a study of English medieval settlement patterns. Inspired by interest in her Nova Scotia–born father’s Scottish roots and love of history, she studied Scottish emigration to Canada and was subsequently awarded a doctorate at Aberdeen University. Campey is the author of eight books on early Scottish emigration to Canada. More recently, Lucille has turned her attention to English emigration to Canada with her ninth book, Planters, Paupers and Pioneers. She lives near Salisbury in Wiltshire, England.

Lucille H. Campey's profile page