Did you ever imagine that the bold Highlanders, donning their kilts, were some of the earliest European pioneers in Prince Edward County? Even after over two centuries, their family names remain familiar, etching their mark on the County's history.
In a time when history's tapestry was woven with threads of tradition and rebellion, a Highland custom faced suppression. The wearing of the kilt was deemed unlawful within the British Commonwealth. The consequences were severe, with imprisonment for the first offense and banishment to distant colonies for the second. This stringent ruling, established by the British Act of Proscription in 1746, aimed to subdue the unruly Scottish clans and incorporate them under governmental control..
Curiously, British soldiers were granted an exemption from this decree, a tradition inherited from the esteemed Black Watch regiment.
Amidst this backdrop, the 84th Highland Regiment marched gallantly into history, adorned in their iconic Highland uniforms, complete with plaids and swords. While the name implies a solely Scottish composition, this regiment was composed of about 25 percent Scottish soldiers, the remainder hailing from various corners of the English Colonies.
Their valorous experience was a cornerstone in safeguarding the lands that would eventually become Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada during the tumultuous times of the American Revolutionary War.
The echoes of battle and bravery eventually subsided, and as the curtain fell on the Revolutionary War, the "old 84th" unit was disbanded. Yet, the flame they ignited continued to burn, finding its manifestation in the Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders, a unit perpetuating their legacy in the Canadian Army.
From Battleground to Homestead
With the Highland warriors’ spirits still soaring, many of these kilt-clad soldiers transitioned into a new role – that of settlers, farmers, lumbermen, and fishermen in the picturesque surroundings of Prince Edward County. Their resilience and resourcefulness were the cornerstones of their new lives, carving out their destinies amidst the verdant landscapes.
At the close of the American Revolution in 1784, the proud 84th Highland Regiment faced a crossroads in their lives. Disbanded and with their battlefield days behind them, many of these resolute soldiers found themselves drawn to the promise of a new beginning. Nova Scotia and Eastern Ontario welcomed these resilient veterans, granting them land as a token of gratitude from the king. Their mettle, honed on the battlegrounds, would serve them well as they embarked on the challenging journey of pioneering a fledgling nation.
One such band of retired Highlanders embarked on their journey in the autumn of 1784. A flotilla of flat-bottomed boats, known as bateaux, carried these intrepid souls to the shores of Prince Edward County. Led by the indomitable Lieutenant Archibald MacDonnell, they anchored their hopes and dreams at the heart of MacDonnell’s Cove—a haven nestled along the eastern expanse of Pleasant Point, a name etched in history as Prinyer's Cove.
The untamed wilderness of the "5th township," now recognized as North Marysburgh, awaited their touch. An untouched tapestry of nature stretched before them, cloaked in a dense forest that whispered tales of both challenge and opportunity. With no roadways to navigate, waterways and footpaths became their lifelines, connecting them to their past and leading them into the unknown tapestry of their future. The echoes of their footsteps marked the arrival of pioneers, destined to leave an indelible mark on the land they now called home.
As the first winter enveloped the land, the men who had ventured to these untamed shores found themselves grappling with hardships that tested their mettle to its limits. Inadequate clothing, shelters that offered meager protection, tools that had yet to be forged, and scant sustenance painted a grim portrait of their initial struggles. The letter crafted by MacDonnell, penned on the 20th of September in 1784, captured the desperate situation in poignant detail.
“The British disbanded Troops … will in cold be reduced to the greatest distress, for want of clothing; some of them have not even a blanket to cover them from heavy rains & pinching frost, or to hold out the damp of the ground they lie upon. Another object of great consequence to them, is the want of a blacksmith to make & repair their axes, hoes & agricultural implements. They are a great distance from any immediate relief, some of them at thirty miles distance by land, exclusive of three miles of water.”
As if echoing their struggle, the words of Louis Armand de Lom d’Arce Lahontan took on new resonance: “To survive the Canadian winter, one needs a body of brass, eyes of glass, and blood made of brandy."
With unwavering determination, MacDonnell and his men wielded axes as they carved their dreams onto the untamed canvas of the wilderness. Land once shrouded in a thick blanket of trees was now cleared for the toil of farming, while logs that once reached for the sky were repurposed to fashion fences and cabins.
In their wake, roads emerged like lifelines, slicing through the dense woods and revealing pathways to a future yet uncharted. MacDonnell himself became a driving force, his vision stretching beyond the horizon as he toiled not only as a pioneer but as a magistrate, militia officer, and lieutenant of the burgeoning County.
More than 2,000 acres of land unfurled beneath MacDonnell's stewardship. In Marysburgh, ship's carpenters employed their skill to give rise to his log house that would stand as a silent sentinel for over a century. The log house passed into the hands of Elizabeth MacDonnell, his niece, who in her union with John Prinyer lent her name to the cove where their story intertwined.
Prinyer's Cove, a name echoing across centuries, stood as a haven for more than just aspirations. In the tapestry of the 1800s, it was frequented by commercial schooners seeking refuge from the tempestuous lake squalls. Docks welcomed vessels laden with supplies, lumber, fish, and eventually barley — an ever-changing tableau of commerce and community in tandem with the ebb and flow of the waters and time.
After the Revolutionary War, the frontier remained unsettled. Near MacDonnell’s Cove in Prince Edward County—now known as Prinyer’s Cove—a quiet stretch of shoreline became the stage for a remarkable encounter. It was here that Captain John Prinyer, faced with a daunting mission, would turn the tide against overwhelming odds.
Thirteen armed American soldiers had crossed into British territory. Prinyer had only four men at his side. The odds were not in his favour. But he had something more powerful than numbers—his keen understanding of his adversaries.
The American soldiers, accustomed to the comforts of a more "civilized" existence, found the dense woods and rugged terrain unsettling. Prinyer used this to his advantage.
Prinyer dispersed his small band throughout the dense woods, instructing them to mimic First Nations war cries. This ingenious ruse plunged the American soldiers into a state of apprehension, unsure of what surrounded them. Seizing the moment, Prinyer walked into their camp to warn them that they were in danger, that an attack could come at any moment. Then he offered a way out: surrender, and he would lead them to safety.
Shaken and uncertain, the soldiers believed him and laid down their weapons. What might have been a violent clash ended without a shot. Thirteen men who came expecting to conquer instead found themselves captured—led away to Kingston, outmatched not by force, but by strategy and nerve.
The legacy of the 84th Regiment reverberates through time, woven into the very fabric of Prince Edward County's history. Over two centuries may have passed since their arrival, yet the echoes of their bravery and resilience continue to resound in the land they helped shape.
As you peruse the list of officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of the 84th Regiment and their affiliated corps who found their home in Prince Edward County, take a moment to trace the threads that connect past and present. Their legacy is not confined to history books; it lives on in the lives they helped forge and the County they helped cultivate.
- R. N. Y.- King’s Royal Regiment of New York (Sir John Johnson’s Corps.)
L. R.- Loyal Rangers (Jessup’s Corps.)
K. R.- King’s Rangers.
O. R.- Orange Rangers. E.R. Butler’s Rangers.
| Campbell, Richard | Marysburgh | 84th |
| Chavassey, James | Marysburgh | 84th |
| Corbman, Jacob | Sophias & Ameliasb’g | R. R. N. Y., Sergeant |
| Cryderman or Cruderman, Michael | Marysburgh | R. R. N. Y. |
| Cummings, John | Marysburgh | 84th |
| Downley or Downey,Conretius | Marysburgh | 84th |
| Dulmadge, David | Marysburgh | L. R. |
| Edwards, James | Marysburgh | 84th |
| Farrington, Robert | Marysburgh | R. R. N. Y., Corporal |
| Fox, Frederick | Sophiasburgh | R. R. N. Y., Corporal |
| Frederick, Lodwick | Marysburgh | R. R. N. Y., Corporal |
| Grant, John | Marysburgh | 84th |
| Grant, James | Marysburgh | 84th, Sergeant |
| Hicks, Benjamin | Marysburgh | B. R. |
| Howell, John | Sophiasburgh | R. R. N. Y., Sergt. Major |
| Kelly, Patrick | Marysburgh | 84th |
| Lodwick, Frederick | Marysburgh | R. R. N. Y. |
| MacDonnell, Archibald | Marysburgh | 84th Lieutenant |
| Mugel, Gadless | Sopias & Ameliasb’rg | R. R. N. Y. |
| McCrimmon, Donald | Marysburgh | 84th |
| McKenzie, William | Marysburgh | 84th |
| Ogden, John | Marys & Sophiasb’g | R. R. N. Y |
| Peters, John | Marys & Sophiasb’g | L. R. Ensign |
| Porter, Timothy | Marys & Sophiasb’g | L. R. |
| Powiss, Edward | Marysburgh | 84th |
| Price, Thomas | Marysburgh | K. R. |
| Richards, Owen | Marys & Sophiasb’g | R. R. N. Y. Sergeant |
| Roberts, Thomas | Marysburgh | R. R. N. Y. |
| Ross, Walter | Marysburgh | 84th, Sergeant |
| Saunders, Henry | Marysburgh | K. R. |
| Stewart, John | Marysburgh | 84th |
| Sutherland, John | Marysburgh | R. R. N. Y. |
| Wright, Joseph | Marysburgh | 84th |
| Young, Daniel | Marys & Sophiasburg | R. R. N. Y. |
| Young, Henry | Marys & Sophiasburg | R. R. N. Y. Lieutenant |
| Zufelt, Henry | Hallowell | L. R. |
As it happens, Col. Henry Young is my maternal ancestor (going back 7 generations). His sons, Daniel and Henry Young Jr. , are included in the above list. Henry was awarded 3,000 acres at East Lake in recognition of his service to the British Crown during the American War of Independence. It is said that Fort Henry at Kingston was named after Henry Young.
Today, their stories endure, handed down through generations, each family name like a thread interwoven into the tapestry of Prince Edward County’s past. These Highlanders, who once marched on distant battlegrounds, found a second home in this tranquil land, nurturing families whose roots run deep.