Rockley | genealogyhistory

ROCKLEY or ROCKLY

Rockley or Rockly is a community situated between Pugwash and Oxford on the eastern side of the River Philip, along approximately six miles of Highway 321 between Roslin and Port Philip.

In 1811, the first land was granted at Rockley to Mr. Thomas LeFurgey. He was a UEL who came from PEI and built a log cabin by the river. He was the first pioneer settler in Rockley. The cabin was later replaced by a frame house. John Peel also came from PEI and settled on the adjoining farm.

Also in 1811, land was granted to Mr Bennie Seaman. David McCormick bought that land and built a frame house in 1843, but moved on to Oxford. Foly Cameron lived on an adjoining property.

Another first settler was Archibald Campbell from Scotland. When he was a boy, he ran away from a boat which was loading in Pugwash. He followed the shore down the gulf. He was hungry but afraid to let folks see him in case they sent in back. He looked in a farmhouse window and saw a woman making porridge. He decided she must be Scottish too, so he went in. It was the farm owned by Angus McLean. He stayed there until he grew up and settled in Rockley.

Donald Gordon and his wife Janet had come from Aberdeen, Scotland in 1803. Their son Alex Gordon was born aboard the ship the night they arrived in Pictou Harbour. His wife was Margaret Campbell from Glasgow, Scotland. They lived for a time in Elgin, Pictou. In 1869, son John Gordon came from Pictou and bought the farm which had belonged to David McCormick. His brother, Simon Gordon, settled on the adjoining farm which had belonged to Foly Cameron. The parents resettled there in Rockley as well.

Other early settlers were Melroys, McLeods, Frasers, McKays and Burnsides.

The first school house was located between the farms of Cameron Gordon and George Mills. The first teacher was Mr. Nixon. He lived in a room that was built on the back of the schoolhouse. The present school was built by James W. Chisholm of Oxford in 1866 on a different lot. The IOGT lodge used to meet in the school in 1886.

The Baptist Church had been the Harney home which was across the street from where the first school had been built. It was moved across the road thanks to efforts by David Mills and other citizens. Mr. Haverstock was the first minister. In 1947, the building was turned over to L.O.L was was used as the Orange Lodge Hall at Port Howe.

Rockley was named from the stone quarries which were situated on the farms of George Mills and Austin Smith. Called the Grey Rock Quarries, they were operated by Mr. Seaman of Minudie. The men worked 11 hours a day for 80 cents a day. An American company later took over and the stone was shipped to New York.

The first saw mill was a whipsawing mill operated by hand. It was later replaced by a saw mill on the farm owned by McCormick and was situated on Gordon Creek. John Fraser had a dam built in the brook beside his house with a paddle wheel attached to a saw. John MacLeod later lived there and was a shoemaker.

Benson Goodwin operated a blacksmith shop. Ben Chase sold carriages, harness and machinery of all kinds. He also loaded tan bark onto schooners which would come into the wharf at the quarry. This bark was taken to Logan’s Tanner in Pictou.

Dr. Creed at Pugwash was the first doctor.

The mail first came from Oxford. A post office was later established at Woodbury Burnside’s where the Chase house is now. Mail delivery started in 1910 with Alex MacLeod as the first carrier.

A phone line was put through in 1908 and taken down again in 1912. The present service was started in 1920.

The first highway was built in 1862. It was paved in 1938.

As of 1948, the industries were identified as farming, fishing and lumbering. The farms were small scale and raised fruit, vegetables, grain and hay. It was noted that there used to be numerous flocks of sheep, turkeys and geese raised, but the number was dwindling. There was however still a wood cutting unit, a thresher and a shingle mill in the community. People were fishing smelts with bag nets in the fall. There were some oyster beds and some salmon. Lumbering and cutting stove wood was still being done.

A Rockley Mystery

Mary Harney was 16 when she started out for her father’s cows on a Saturday night in early September and never returned. Hundreds of men searched the woods the next day - the ground was soft from an all night rain, but not a footprint was found. Weeks later a girl’s body washed ashore on PEI. A piece of her dress was sent to Rockley and was said to resemble the material in the dress Mary wore. Many an oldtimer would talk of the lights flashing through the darkness on the Harney farm.

Excerpted from an article by Mrs. Douglas MacLeod in the Oxford Journal of June 24, 1948

Civil Marriages

26-08-1875   Rockly Cum Co   Pb   Rev John McRae Sutherland
PALMER   Calvin   21   B   farmer   Wentworth Cum Co   Alexander & Phoebe Purdy
MACLEOD   Sarah   23   S       Rockly Cum Co   John & Grace Kerr

28-02-1876   Oxford Cum Co   Pb   Rev John McRae Sutherland
FRASER   John   36   W   joiner   Elmsville Cum Co   Duncan & Nancy
FRASER   Janet   30   S       Rockly Cum Co   Alexander & Margaret

07-09-1876   Rockly Cum Co   Pb   Rev William S Darragh
PALMER   George Edward   22   B   farmer   Wentworth Cum Co Jonathan & Emily
MCLEOD   Catherine   23   S       Rockly Cum Co

11-03-1879   Linden Cum Co   Pb   Rev William S Darragh
MCINTOSH   Angus   22   B   farmer   Carrington Cum Co   John & Jessie
FRASER   Matilda   23   S   Rockly Cum Co       Alexander & Catherine

03-11-1881 Rockly Cum Co Bp Rev Henry Bool
STEVENS Philander 42 W storekeeper Wallace River Cum Co Oliver & Anna

CAMERON Christie 18 S Rockly Cum Co Alexander & Sarah

03-03-1883   Pugwash Cum Co   Bp   Rev Henry Bool
BURNSIDE   Woodberry E   34   W   farmer   Rockly Cum Co   William & Lucy
MCKAY   Elizabeth   26   S       Rockly Cum Co   Donald & Janet

05-07-1884   Rockly Cum Co   Pb   Rev William S Darragh
KING   Willard   28   B   farmer   Kolbec Cum Co       Cyrus & Henrietta
FRASER   Christy A   26   S   Rockly Cum Co       William & Mary

23-07-1885   Linden Cum Co   Pb   Rev Samuel R Stormont
FRASER   Hugh W   26   B   farmer   Carrington Cum Co   Simon & Isabella
MCLEOD   Christy A   20   S       Rockly Cum Co   John & Grace

02-06-1886   West Pugwash Cum Co   Pb   Rev James A McKenzie
MCKAY   Hugh   33   B   farmer   Rockly Cum Co       Donald & Harriet
CUMMINGS   Bessie Bent   24   S   West Pugwash Cum Co       James & Helena

05-01-1887   Rockly Cum Co   Pb   Rev James A McKenzie
MCINTOSH   William   48   W   mechanic Oxford Cum Co   John & Margaret
FRASER   Isabella   33   S       Rockly Cum Co   Alexander & Margaret

29-03-1887   Rockly Cum Co   Pb   Rev James A McKenzie
MCKAY   George R   24   B   farmer   Port Philip Cum Co   Alexander & Mary
STARRATT   Lucy   26   S       Rockly Cum Co       John W & Catherine

04-07-1888   Oxford Cum Co   Pb   Rev James A McKenzie
WEBB   George W   29   B   mechanic   Oxford Cum Co   David H & Esther
WILSON   Hattie E   20   S       Rockly Cum Co   Abram & Maggie J

27-06-1889   Claremont Cum Co   Pb   Rev William S Darragh
DICKSON   Thomas   53   W   farmer   Rockly Cum Co   John & Jenny
KENT   Sarah A   34   S       Claremont Cum Co       Alexander & Jane

06-09-1897   Rockly Cum Co   Bp   Rev C H Haverstock
DAVIDSON   John S   37   W   painter   Dorchester Mass USA       James & Jane
MILLER   Minnie H   27   S       Rockly Cum Co   David & Christie

28-12-1898   Rockly Cum Co   RP   Rev Joseph H Brownell
PATTON   Frederick D   31   B   farmer   Roslin Cum Co       Rand & Permillia
GRAY   Elizabeth   28   S       Rockly Cum Co       Daniel & Sarah J Sydney

28-12-1898   Pugwash River Cum Co   Pb   Rev A D McIntosh
FRASER   Russell   23   B   farmer   Rockly Cum Co       John & Lavinia
PATTERSON   Margaret Alice   20   S   Pugwash River Cum Co   Samuel & Sarah

07-06-1899   Westchester Stn Cum Co   Bp   Rev John Clark
WILSON   John   24   B   upholsterer   Oxford Cum Co   Abraham & Margaret
WEBB   Clara Maude   25   S       Westchester Cum Co       Edward & Amelia

29-04-1900   Mount Pleasant Cum Co   Pb   Rev Christopher Munro
MILLS   George   27   B   farming   Rockly Cum Co       David & Christy
SIMPSON   Emma   24   S       Mount Pleasant Cum Co   Robert & Catherine

08-11-1900   Rockly Cum Co   RP   Rev Joseph H Brownell
CHASE   Frederick   33   B   farmer   Oxford Cum Co   John & Jane
GRAY   Cassie Leona   24   S       Rockly Cum Co       Daniel & Sarah

28-05-1902   Pugwash Cum Co   Pb   Rev A D McIntosh
SMITH   Edward Botsford Chandler 23   B farmer Port Howe Cum Co   Morley B & Rebecca
FRASER   Margaret Mabel   20   S   Rockly Cum Co   John Allan & Lavinia

13-04-1904   Roslin Cum Co   Pb   Rev Christopher Munro
LEFURGEY   Albert   30   B   farmer   Roslin Cum Co           Elijah & Mary Ann
SIMPSON   Mary J   25   S       Roslin Cum Co           Moore & Ann

18-10-1905   Rockly Cum Co   Mt   Rev Donald Farquhar
MCKINNON   Charles A   25   B   farmer   Rockly Cum Co   John & Jane
TAYLOR   Mabel S   24   S       Rockly Cum Co   Anthony & Ellen

03-12-1907   Wallace Bridge Cum Co   Bp   Rev L J Tingley
ANTHONY   William E   33   B   bookkeeper Pugwash Cum Co   Robert & Louise
MCKERRON   Agnes R   22   S   Huntley Aberdeen Scotland   Alexander & Agnes

01-02-1909   Amherst Cum Co   CE   Rev A J Cresswell
WALSH   George William   22   B   cook Amherst Cum Co   John & Rebecca
LEFURGEY   Minnie Etta   21   S       Rockly Cum Co   Elijah & Ann

25-10-1909   Oxford Cum Co   Pb   Rev John W Britton
JOHNSON   Harvey E   24   B   blacksmith Port Philip Cum Co   George & Lena
CHASE   Sadie Jane   20   S       Rockly Cum Co   Benjamin & Mary

28-10-1909   Amherst Cum Co   Bp   Rev T Richard Peede
CHASE   John B   21   B   farmer   Rockly Cum Co       Benjamin & Mary
ALLEN   Ethel May   17   S       Port Howe Cum Co   Thompson & Mary

16-02-1910   Oxford Cum Co   CE   Rev C O’Dell Belyea   [of Pugwash]
WILSON   Mitchell   28   B ICR station man Rockly Cum Co   Abraham & Margaret
STONE   Ada E   23   S       Oxford Cum Co       Edward & Jemima

14-07-1910   Amherst Cum Co   Bp   Rev David A Steele
GORDON   John Cameron   30   B   farmer   Rockly Cum Co   John & Mary
MCINNIS   Annie Belle   25   S       Oxford Cum Co   Alexander & Lavinia

28-06-1911   Rockly Cum Co   Bp   Rev Edward E Locke
TROOP   Wesley   21   B   mechanic   Amherst Cum Co   Edward & Clara
CHASE   Irene   21   S       Rockly Cum Co       Benjamin & Mary

27-12-1911   West Hansford Cum Co   Mt   Rev W Henry Watts
SCHURMAN   Curry Creelman 23   B carpenter Collingwood Cum Co   James & Jane
GOODWIN   Amelia May   18   S    West Hansford Cum Co   Benson & Clara

08-10-1913   Amherst Cum Co   Bp   Rev J T Dimock
SARANTO   Paul P   30   B   merchant   Amherst Cum Co   Peter & Lula
LEFURGY   Juanita/Waneeta   23   S   Rockly Cum Co   Elijah & Fanny