!SOURCE: Rev. Dr. Donald MacKinnon, THE MACLEODS: THE GENEALOGY OF
CLAN, Section III, "MacLeod Cadet Families", Edinburgh, The Clan MacLeod
Society, 1970, pp. 159-160.
Alexander, born about 1769, ...entered the Army and rose to the rank of
Captain, but in 1793 he became so dissatisfied with conditions in
Scotland that he decided to emigrate to Canada. Accordingly, he made
two trips to Greenock and succeeded in getting a ship to come to ''Culreagh''
in Glenelg to embark 150 persons (40 families) which included MacLeods,
MacCuaigs, MacPhees, MacIntoshes, MacGilvarys and MacLennans. When
halfway across the Atlantic in June 1793 the ship encountered a violent
storm and had to return to Greenock. Here the passengers landed and
waited for more than a fortnight until Captain MacLeod secured another
ship. This second ship had not departed more than four days when she ran
into a heavy squall of wind, which carried away her upper masts and sails.
She was obliged to return to Lamlash in the Isle of Arran for repairs, which
took three days. Again she set sail across the Atlantic and arrived in a
severe snowstorm on the 1st November, off Prince Edward Island. It was
so excessively cold that there was a foot of ice on the ship''s decks. It
being too late to proceed to Quebec, the settlers had to winter at
Charlottetown (P.E.I.). Early in April 1794, Captain Alexander and his
cousin Tarmad Mor MacLeod of the Drynoch family engaged two schooners
at St. Mary''s Bay and in these the emigrants made their way through the
ice that filled the St. Lawrence to Montreal. From thence they came up the
river to Lancaster in batteaux, portaging and carrying their effects on
their backs across the rapids on the way. A few stayed at Lancaster,
where Captain Alexander settled, but most of the party proceeded further
to Kirk Hill in Lochiel township. For many years, this Highland settlement
was known as Glenelg "in memory of their old home". Each family received
a grant of 200 acres of land from the Crown. Until 1819, the settlers of
Glenelg had no other Protestant Minister than the Rev. John Bethune, and
his successor at St. Andrews Church in Williamstown, which was quite a
distance away.
Captain Alexander MacLeod was instrumental in bringing Rev. John
McLaurin from Scotland to minister to the people of Lochiel. Shortly
after a church was built, dedicated to St. Columba. This was the earliest
Presbyterian Church in Upper Canada. During the American War of 1812,
Captain Alexander served in the 2nd Regiment of the Glengarry Militia.
He died aged 81 years in 1850 and was buried at Kirkhill. He appears to
have married (1) a Miss MacDonnell, who died on the voyage to Canada,
with issue.