Captain Donald MacDonald: from the Highlands to the Battlefields of Quebec

 

Captain Donald MacDonald from the Highlands of Scotland to the battlefields of the Seven Years' War, and finally to the red soil of Prince Edward Island.

Our ancestors were part of the Fraser’s Highlanders (78th Regiment of Foot), a unit that was famous for its grit and the fact that many of its men were former Jacobites who transferred their loyalty to the British Crown to prove their honor in the New World.

GEN 1: Captain Donald MacDonald (c. 1720–1757)

• Parents: Son of Alexander 'Mor' MacDonald, 1st of Boisdale (c. 1692/1698–1768) and Margaret MacLean (daughter of Hector MacLean). Alexander was a branch of the Clanranald MacDonalds (from Donald of Benbecula / Clanranald line); he held lands in South Uist (Boisdale/Lochboisdale area). 

• Donald’s connection to Alexander MacDonald, 1st of Boisdale, is significant. The Boisdale line was a branch of the Clanranald MacDonalds. During the 1745 Jacobite Rising, the Boisdale family famously advised Bonnie Prince Charlie to "go home" before the fighting started, showing a pragmatic streak that our family has maintained for centuries.

• The 78th Highlanders: Donald and his brother Hector served in the 78th Regiment of Foot (Fraser’s Highlanders). This regiment was raised specifically for service in North America.
• The Fall of 1757: He was killed in 1757 in America/New France. This coincides with the regiment's arrival in North America. While the major Battle of Quebec wasn't until 1759, the regiment was involved in intense skirmishing and the Siege of Louisbourg.
• Brother Hector: Lieutenant Hector MacDonald survived his brother Donald but fell at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec in 1759. The "brother to Boisdale" label in military records was used to denote their high social standing within the Highland clan hierarchy.
• Donald’s death left young children (including Findlay) who may have been raised with family support in Scotland before later emigration.

GEN 2: Findlay MacDonald (1750–1844)

Findlay represents the "Pioneer" chapter of the MacDonalds. He left Scotland during the Highland Clearances, a time when the old clan way of life was being dismantled.

• The Migration: Findlay and his wife Mary "Jessie" MacKinnon were part of the Selkirk Settlers. They arrived at Point Prim, Prince Edward Island on  the "Dykes", the second of the Lord Selkirk's trio of vessels to arrive on Prince Edward Island in 1803.
• Point Prim, PEI: Point Prim is a rugged, windswept location (home to the oldest lighthouse on the island). For a man from Inverness-shire, the coastal life of PEI would have felt like a familiar but more hopeful version of Scotland.
• Longevity: Dying at age 94 in 1844, Findlay lived through the transition of PEI from a wild outpost to a structured colonial province. He carried the “Family Code" across the Atlantic, trading the broadsword for the plow.

Genealogical Note

Our DNA matches for Findlay and Mary MacKinnon are the "Gold Standard" of proof. In PEI research, because records can be sparse before 1800, DNA is often the only way to confirm these specific Highland origins.

Broader Context: Our family fits the pattern of post-Jacobite / post-Culloden Highland emigration. Many Clanranald and Uist MacDonalds faced pressures from estate changes and sought opportunities in British military service or North American settlements. PEI received significant Scottish Highland immigration, often via ships in the late 1700s/early 1800s. 

Findlay’s long life (nearly a century) would have spanned the American Revolution, War of 1812, and early Canadian confederation eras. 

Thank you to both Gemini and Grok X AI for their research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy