David and I and Mr. Pumpkin
In 2012, David and I went to Nova Scotia to visit Ship Harbour where my ancestor Michael Eisan lived his final years. Already, over 50 years old, he had 6 more children by his second wife, Nancy Blakeley to add to the two he had in South Carolina. We don’t know for sure if he met Nancy in South Carolina or Nova Scotia, but here was a Blakeley family in South Carolina and four Blakeley men served in the same militia as Michael. Two of those men also immigrated to Nova Scotia.
In Ship Harbour, Michael “married for the third time at the age of 101 and died of his excesses at the age of 103,” as it says in a family Bible. We do not know where he is buried since there was no church until after his death in 1836 built on land that Michael’s youngest son Frederick gave to the Anglican church.
Perhaps Michael is buried in an unmarked grave in this churchyard full of his descendants.
The steeple of this church was built by my great-great-grandfather Charles Morrison Dean whose son Edward Charles (or Ned) married Michael’s great-granddaughter Isabelle Eisan. Ned and Isabelle moved to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in 1912. Their son Everett is my grandfather.
Please come and hear more about my fascinating ancestor at the launch of my novel The Loyalist in Victoria on September 12. I’ll be reading from my book then.
If you’re unable to make it, you can still order the book on Amazon.com or through any bookstore.
