STORY OF HECTOR

The Hector brought the first Scottish settlers from mainland Scotland, to Pictou, Nova Scotia and dropped anchor on September 15, 1773. The arduous Atlantic crossing lasted eleven weeks. Some Scots died on board, and more in the months after their arrival. This book gives an account of the background to this story — who the settlers were, why they went, and what they found when they arrived. The rich fertile land the immigrants were promised turned out to be forested land miles from the shore.

There are some extracts taken from historical documentary sources which describe the harsh conditions, hunger and lack of shelter, in the forested lands that the settlers faced. This is an amazing story of pioneering spirit, determination and courage. With her passengers it can be said that the effective settlement of Pictou began. There are more than 140,000 descendants of the Hector people in Canada and the USA. The stream of Scottish immigration which, in later years, flowed, not only over the county of Pictou, but to much of the eastern part of the Province, Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, portions of New Brunswick, and even the Upper Provinces, began with the voyage of the Hector.