The Pioneer Cemetery connects St. Margaret’s with the early commercial history of Souris through Angus MacDonald.

The Island Register lists Angus as living from 1780 to 1816 and describes him as believed to have been the first British merchant based in Souris. The qualification matters: it is a historical identification to investigate, rather than a proven claim that no earlier merchant worked there.

His brief entry offers a starting point for learning about trade before the better-documented businesses of the later nineteenth century. A fuller account would require records of his business, property and family.

Sources

The Island Register: Burial Sites of Interesting People, St. Margaret’s Pioneer Cemetery