A shipbuilder of China Point, a family connection to Souris, and a legacy carried through generations.

John “Foreman” MacIsaac’s story connects the early Scottish settlement of Prince Edward Island with the working life of its coastal communities. Born at China Point around 1796–1798, he became associated with shipbuilding before moving east. His children and their descendants carried the family’s story into the Souris area, St. Margaret’s parish and communities beyond the Island.

Why “Foreman”?

The family history preserved in Helen “Arty Johnny V” MacDonald’s research describes John returning to Scotland as a young man to learn the shipbuilding trade. He married Margaret MacNeil, from the Isle of Barra, during this period.

At China Point, John operated a shipbuilding shop near the landing at the end of China Point Road. The account connects his nickname, “Foreman,” with his management of the shipbuilding business. It recalls that traces of the shop and the structure used to launch vessels could still be seen in the early 1930s.

The same account describes difficulty finding suitable timber locally. John later moved on; Margaret’s death is recorded at Georgetown in 1850. His later life brought him to the Souris area, where he was described as a merchant and businessman.

His father, Roderick, and the China Point family

Helen’s research identifies John’s father as Roderick MacIsaac of China Point, a son of the older Roderick MacIsaac and Flora MacNeil. The family account follows the younger Roderick from the Glenaladale settlement at Tracadie to the Waterside area on Pownal Bay, linking this branch with the Island’s early Scottish settler families.

Family history also identifies John’s mother as a Mi’kmaq woman. Her name has not yet been established in the material assembled for this archive; Helen’s genealogical report records her as unknown. We retain this important part of the family’s history with that distinction, while continuing to seek records that might tell us more about her own life and family.

A family extending eastward

John had children from two marriages. His first family, with Margaret MacNeil, included Dugald, Cyril, Mary Ann, Jane and Margaret. The research follows these children into religious life, study and marriages connecting them with other eastern Island families.

In 1856, John married Mary Anne Cheverie at St. Mary’s Church in Souris. Their children included Agnes, Peter, Margaret, Francis Hilary and Stephen Benjamin. This branch provides a direct connection between John’s China Point origins and the families represented in the St. Margaret’s archive.

A connection still being explored

For descendants today, John is more than a name in a family tree. Mike MacDonald reports many DNA matches associated with this family branch, providing further leads for comparing family histories and tracing shared ancestors. These connections are an ongoing research resource rather than, on their own, proof of a particular ancestral identity.

John died at Souris on 19 August 1879. His place in this archive reflects the reach of his family: from early settlement and coastal trades to the many descendants whose stories intersect with St. Margaret’s.

Do you have a connection to this family?

We welcome photographs, letters, family records and corrections concerning John “Foreman” MacIsaac, his parents and his descendants. Please include the source of any information you share.

Please visit our Help Preserve Our Stories page to contribute.

Sources and acknowledgements

Based principally on Helen “Arty Johnny V” MacDonald’s family research, Ancestors of Margaret “Helen” MacDonald, report dated 3 November 2003, especially printed pages 2–7. Her compilation preserves earlier family accounts and contributions, including material attributed to John A. MacIsaac. Photograph and present-day family research supplied by Mike MacDonald.

Helen served on the cemetery’s founding committee and organized its restoration. Her work preserving both family history and the cemetery is an important foundation of this archive