A brief report in The Islander recalls a fatal accident in the woods at Big Pond, Lot 45. It names Neil McPhee and the family who survived him.

The newspaper notice

Distressing Accident – Mr. Neil McPhee, of Big Pond, Lot 45, while chopping firewood in the woods on the 3d instant, was killed by the falling of a tree. He was dreadfully mangled, and lived but two hours after the accident. The deceased has left a wife and six children to lament their loss.

Published on 28 February 1846, the notice places the accident on 3 February. It does not name his wife or children, give his age or identify his burial place.

The report preserves a personal loss within the everyday work of obtaining fuel. It also offers a starting point for tracing Neil’s household.

Sources

The Islander, 28 February 1846; transcribed by Ronald J. Reid, The Island Register

Phyllis Dand’s Islander vital-statistics index, 28 February 1846