I descend from Malcolm Morrison, born 1811, son of Murdo. Malcolm married Kirsty Graham and in 1863, they and their children were evicted, when North Galson was "cleared" to make room for sheep. They settled in Goderich, Huron County, Ontario.
Their daughter Mary, who married John MacDonald, also from Lewis, was my great grandmother.
Notable among her siblings was her brother Angus G. Morrison. (I believe the G. is for Graham). Angus had a very interesting life after arriving in Canada. Rather than be a farmer, Angus took to the sea. Being from Lewis, this came naturally. He was a fisherman for a short time and in 1882 joined the U.S. Life Saving Service. He eventually achieved the rank of captain and was stationed in Chicago. The U.S. Life Saving Service later became the U.S. Coast Guard, of which Angus was one of the first members.
Angus had a brother, Roderick, who made quite a name for himself in Detroit. Roderick joined the Detroit Fire Department in 1886 and rose quickly through the ranks. He became captain of the fireboat, The Detroiter, another Lewisman at home on the sea. Roderick was later promoted to battalion chief, but fighting fires had a health cost. About 1918, Roderick found himself battling pneumonia. The years of firefighting had damaged his lungs to the point where he survived the pneumonia but could no longer perform his duties. He retired to Goderich shortly after.
The Graham side of this family is not without its share of famous people. Kirsty had a brother named Angus, who was known as the 'strongman of Barvas'. The story goes that he was walking towards Barvas one day and came upon two men who were working on the road. The two men had stopped working because a rather large boulder was in the way. Angus promptly rolled the massive stone out of the way. It is estimated that the boulder weighed in excess of one ton! There is now a commemorative plaque attached to the stone which still lies where Angus placed it. Angus performed many feats of strength, which earned him his nickname.
For more on any of the above, see the links provided.
