Every branch of our family tree seems to find its way to water and wilderness. Long before our ancestors rode the trails of Southern California or paddled the birchbark routes of New France, our Scottish forebears were navigating the tide-ripped channels of the Inner Hebrides and building new lives along the windswept shores of Prince Edward Island.
Through my paternal grandmother, Annie Margaret McNeil (1892–1964), a newly traced DNA line leads directly back to the Isle of Colonsay in Argyll, Scotland—and to four generations of the Munn family who bridged the Old World and the New.
The Redcoats and the Hebridean Isle
The story begins with my 6th great-grandfather, John Munn (c. 1720–c. 1790s). Born on the small, lonely island of Colonsay off the western coast of Scotland, John grew up in a traditional Gaelic-speaking clan culture.
Like many young Highlanders of his day, John answered the call to arms, serving in historic British units like the 21st Regiment of Foot (Royal North British Fusiliers) and the 3rd Foot Guards. Royal Hospital Chelsea records show him discharged on a veteran's pension in the 1760s after decades of military duty that spanned European battles and service in North America during the French and Indian War.
Returning home to Colonsay with his wife Mary Livingston, John raised his son Duncan Munn (1746–1821) in an era of dramatic change. The ancient Highland way of life was collapsing under heavy rents and landlord consolidation. Looking across the Atlantic, the Munns saw a chance for true independence: land ownership in British North America.
The Voyage of the Spencer (1806)
In September 1806, Duncan’s son, my 4th great-grandfather Angus Munn (1774–1837), took a leap of faith that altered our family's history forever.
Angus, along with his young wife Margaret "Peggy" McNeill, cradled their six-month-old infant daughter, Catherine Munn (1806–1884), as they boarded the emigrant ship Spencer in Argyll. Bounded for St. John’s Island (now Prince Edward Island), the ship was packed with Gaelic-speaking Hebridean families seeking escape from the Highlands.
THE COLONSAY-TO-PEI MUNN LINE
John Munn (c. 1720)
[Colonsay, Scotland to PEI]
│
Duncan Munn (1746–1821)
[Pioneer at Wood Islands, PEI]
│
Angus Munn (1774–1837)
[Arrived on the 'Spencer' 1806]
│
Catherine Munn (1806–1884)
[M. Angus McDonald; Moved to Bruce, ON]
│
Margaret McDonald (1832–1881)
│
Allan McNeil (1865–1927)
│
Annie Margaret McNeil (1892–1964)
[Paternal Grandmother]
After weeks at sea, the Spencer dropped anchor along the southern coast of PEI at Wood Islands. There, amidst the red cliffs and dense evergreen stands, the Munns swung axes, cleared farms, and built a close-knit Gaelic community. Angus Munn lived out his days as a leader in Wood Islands, where his headstone still stands in the historic Wood Island Pioneer Cemetery.
Westward to the Great Lakes
That baby carried aboard the Spencer—my 3rd great-grandmother Catherine Munn—grew up on the red soil of Prince Edward Island, marrying Angus McDonald in 1831.
By the mid-19th century, as arable land on PEI grew scarce, the pioneer spirit struck the family once more. Catherine and Angus packed up their belongings and joined the great Maritime migration inland to Ontario, carving out a new farm in Kincardine, Bruce County, along the eastern shore of Lake Huron.
Their lineage flowed down through their daughter Margaret McDonald, to her son Allan McNeil, and ultimately to my grandmother Annie Margaret McNeil.
The Thread of History
Looking at this line, it is easy to see where our family's restless frontier spirit originated. From the granite shores of Colonsay to the red beaches of Prince Edward Island, and onward to the timberlands of Ontario and the dusty trails of the American West, each generation took to the water or the road in search of a better life.
Standing on the shoulders of soldier-pensioners like John Munn and courageous mothers like Margaret McNeill on the Spencer, we inherit a legacy of resilience forged in the fires of the Scottish Highlands and built on the wilderness frontiers of North America.
Biographical Notes on Our Munn Ancestors
1. John Munn (c. 1720–c. 1790s) — 6th Great-Grandfather
- Origins in the Hebrides: Born on the island of Colonsay in Argyll, Scotland, John lived during a turbulent century for the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Colonsay was heavily Gaelic-speaking, dominated by the Clan Macfie and later Clan Campbell.
- Military Service (Highland Regiments): The Chelsea Pensioner records strongly indicate veteran status in the British military:
- 21st Regiment of Foot (Royal North British Fusiliers): Pensioned in 1763, right at the conclusion of the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War), during which the 21st served extensively in European and North American theaters.
- 3rd Foot Guards (Scots Guards): Admitted to pension in April 1766 at age 46 after decades of grueling campaign service across Europe.
- The Emigration Pioneer: After receiving his military pension, John returned to Argyll before joining the initial waves of Scottish Highland clearance and economic emigrations to St. John’s Island (renamed Prince Edward Island in 1799), settling near Wood Islands along the island's southern shore.
2. Duncan Munn (1746–1821) — 5th Great-Grandfather
- Life in Argyll: Born on Colonsay to John Munn and Mary Livingston, Duncan married Flora Brown in Scotland. Like many Hebridean islanders of the late 18th century, Duncan faced skyrocketing rents, overpopulation, and the decline of traditional kelp harvesting and cattle trade under landlord consolidation.
- Pioneer Settler at Wood Islands: Duncan brought his young family across the Atlantic during the late 1790s/1806 period, obtaining land along the rugged coastline of Wood Islands, PEI. He helped establish one of the earliest Gaelic-speaking farming and fishing communities on the island, clearing dense maritime forest to establish homesteads.
3. Angus Munn (c. 1774–1837) — 4th Great-Grandfather
- The Passage on the Spencer (1806): Born on Colonsay, Angus married Margaret "Peggy" McNeill. In September 1806, Angus, Peggy, and their infant daughter Catherine boarded the emigrant ship Spencer, sailing from Argyll to Prince Edward Island. The voyage carried dozens of Hebridean families fleeing economic hardship for the promise of land ownership in PEI.
- Leader in the Pioneer Cemetery: Angus settled at Wood Islands, serving as a pillar of the Scottish pioneer community. His burial on July 27, 1837, at the Wood Island Pioneer Cemetery marks one of the earliest preserved Gaelic grave sites in southern PEI.
4. Catherine Munn (1806–1884) — 3rd Great-Grandmother
- An Infant of the Spencer: Born on Colonsay in February 1806, Catherine was only six months old when her parents carried her aboard the Spencer across the North Atlantic.
- Growth of the Maritime Frontier: She grew up in the Gaelic enclave of Wood Islands, marrying Angus McDonald (1810–1887).
- The Westward Trek to Ontario: In the 1850s, after decades on Prince Edward Island, Catherine and Angus joined the internal migration of Scottish Maritime families moving west to clear the timberlands of Bruce County, Ontario. Settling in Kincardine along Lake Huron, Catherine lived to age 78, embodying three generations of Scottish pioneer displacement—from the Inner Hebrides to the Maritimes, and finally to the Great Lakes frontier.
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