Church. The deep depression in the earth is all that remains of that first house — likely a log cabin.

The oldest child, Henry, was evidently quite an intelligent lad, because at the age of 15 he had finished school; he wished to teach, but the regulations were that one had to be 16 years old. Also, it was because of an incident at school that he was not allowed to teach at 15. It seems that his younger brother got a fly in his nose and the teacher slapped him on the side of his nose and asked, “There, is it out now?” Henry didn’t like seeing his brother hurt in any way, so he hit the teacher, a man, in the face, and knocked him to the floor, saying, “You’re out now!” Needless to say, Henry did not go back to Stanhope School, but walked over to West Covehead School to finish his schooling. When he was allowed to teach, at age 16, he taught in schools around the Island; at North River, for seven years, for example.

When Henry began earning money, he wished to build a new house for his parents, and did so. It is this same house where Bruce and Beth Ellis live now; it had been built where the old one stood, but was later moved, without Henry’s consent, across the line fence onto property owned by Malcolm MacLeod, Henry’s brother-in-law. The family was not at all pleased about this transfer.

Henry, being an adventurous sort, left his native Island to try his luck in the gold fields in the Yukon and Alaska. He came home to Stanhope in the early 19005 but again returned to the North. In 1919 letters from Henry, now in the possession of his nephew, explained that, with his fortune made, he was on his way home to live with his brother Isaac. Unfortunately, he was killed in Seattle, Washington, and was buried there; no trace of any gold was ever found.

Of the other children, Duncan, Ewen, and Ella attended Stanhope School; all three died at an early age and are buried in West Covehead cemetery. Isabella (Belle) married Malcolm MacLeod and spent all her life in Stanhope.

David was known by his family and friends as Dave. After leaving school and working around the area, he decided to leave Stanhope and try his luck in Halifax. Hebecame a policeman there, was married and had two children, a son George Russell, and a daughter who died in Halifax at age 3. Dave became ill and came home to live with his sister, Belle MacLeod, where he remained until his death in 1919. His wife Eva and son Russell went to Boston for a few years until Eva married again and Russell came to Stanhope to live with his cousin Harry MacLeod. In 1942 he joined the Army and served in Italy and France, returning once again in November, 1945 to live with his Uncle Isaac Lawson. In 1946 he bought a quarter-acre

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