Nicknames

Nicknames were a means of limiting the oral and written message and quickly identifying the clans, families, and individuals, particularly the Scottish and Irish. Like any small community on Cape Breton Island, there are characters who transcend the area and become larger than life. The same translated to a community where many names are alike and people have to distinguish between them. This holds true for small Scottish communities where there might be six or so John MacDonald’s so they morph into John the Crow or John the Hollow or John Toot or Whisky John or John Archie Train. The same regal names were associated with women as well and carried the status of their fathers so you hear the refrain “whose yer father” when trying to explain relationships and this sometimes would go back several generations.

For instance, if one were speaking of the MacIsaac families’ nicknames, it always facilitated the conversation. There were literally dozens of MacIsaac families and many with the first surname. A likely example was the name Angus the Growler MacIsaac. He adopted his pseudonym by the reticence that became part of his presence. And then followed Tena the Growler, Billie the Growler, and Bella the Growler. However, the eldest son, Archie, assumed the name of Archie the Heaver because of his lifelong kinship with the equine community. Alas, he had an appetite for old failing nags who always ended up with a bout of the heaves and the name seemed appropriate for community cataloging.

Donald The Bear

Donald Finlay MacDonald was known as the Bear. The name suited. Although he was a kindly and friendly man, his approach was akin to the friendly bear protecting the cubs. And the name Donald Finlay MacDonald was so prevalent throughout Inverness Town and County that a pseudonym was critical to ease the burden of family clarity. Hence, the family was known as the Bears and each member bore the inscription - Donald the Bear, Jim Alex the Bear, Hughie the Bear, etc. Few people were aware of their last name because the term Bear was adopted by the entire community.

Naturally the grandchildren were known as the Cubs and their children took on the moniker of Cubby. Probably no family in the entire County of Inverness despised the nickname Bear more than the Donald Finlays and, if it was ever mentioned in their company, a strong rebuke and the possibility of a slap in the face would result.

Fifty-Cent Dan

Dan Gillis lived on the outskirts of Inverness and was known by all as Fifty-Cent Dan. He achieved the moniker when, in desperation, he sent the customary 50 cents to the annals of Ste Anne to find a wife. There was a quick response — a French lady, Esmeralda, was available. Dan, a man of action and decision, got his friend, the town clerk of Inverness, Duncan MacIsaac, to write to his intended. He enclosed the sum of $12 for train fare in the envelope and asked her to meet him at Port Hastings Junction. Since cameras were a luxury in those days, neither had photos to exchange. Dan came up with a brilliant idea that she should wear a red rose in her coat lapel and he would, likewise, wear a red carnation.

Dan took the Judique Flyer to meet his soon-to-be-betrothed, Esmeralda (Essie for short). He soon found out that Essie was French speaking and had not one word of English. This small annoyance did not distract Dan in his quest for a wife and he whisked Essie into the waiting Judique Flyer for its return to Inverness. The four-and-one-half-hour journey was made in complete silence. It took Dan almost seven years to teach Essie English. As a matter of fact, she was a fluent Gaelic scholar long before she attempted an English conversation.

At the the end of the seven years, Dan discovered that Essie was not the bride that the good Ste. Anne promised. In fact, Essie (her real name Gabrielle) was a native of the Magdalen Islands who was on her way to attend a cousin’s wedding in Arichat when she was abruptly swept off her feet by Dan. Essie picked up a rose from a lady vendor on a stopover in Truro and, since she had no place to put it, she conveniently pinned it to her new winter coat.

As for the lady who Ste Anne dispatched from Quebec, she went to North Sydney, met a Newfoundlander who worked on the boats; they married, had a family of eight. As for Dan, there were no heirs and he spent his entire life praying to the Angel Gabriel for an heir.