After Culloden, a vicious 'ethnic cleansing' of the troublesome highlands of Scotland slowly began to gain momentum. Spurred on by a thirst for revenge by an embarrassed English establishment, this monstrous pogrom slowly gathered strength and was fed by its own cancerous appetite for land and greed. By the early 19th century, Scotland was laid bare, its heart and soul torn from its bosom, and yet, beyond the western horizon, a New Scotland was rising from a sleep of a thousand centuries- to become the new homeland of the Scot, a place where a Highlander could own his land and bow to no one, where the Scot would hold sway, a land where the ancient Scottish flag could be flown freely, a land named by King James VI in Latin as:

NOVA SCOTIA

The Synod of the Church of Scotland needed an exceptional man to administer to the thousands of Gaelic speaking Highlanders who had willingly or not, emigrated en-masse to "New Scotland". The man they chose was a MacGregor from Loch Earn, called James Drummond MacGregor.

"MacGregor of the Verses"
Reverend Doctor James 'Drummond' MacGregor

A tall singular bearded man of 27,a Presbyterian minister from the Loch Earn hills in northern Perthshire, educated at the University of Edinburgh, named at birth - James Drummond, (at a time when the MacGregor name was still proscribed) changed his name to "MacGregor" while still attending University. He first set foot in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1786. His first impression was of a Scottish loch, but the scarcity of houses and the immensity of the Spruce and Pine forest at first terrified him and caused him anxiety. Fortunately he stayed and contributed more than anyone else in his lifetime to the well being and cohesiveness of the Highland Scots of Nova Scotia.

At Edinburgh University and the theology school at Alloa, he had fully expected a call to preach in the Highlands, and had schooled himself in Gaelic. When the General Associate Synod of Scotland chose him to go to the wilderness of the new world, it surprised him, but he dutifully boarded the vessel 'Lilly' in Greenock and traveled with several other highlanders bound for Pictou.

He was referred to as "MacGregor of the verses" for his keen mind and his poetic abilities. He wrote a history of "The MacGregors of Roro" and he wrote a book of Gaelic poems, which he published in Scotland in 1818. Many of his creations were sung in Gaelic by his congregations, (as most could not read or write in English). He traveled constantly, often stopping only for a quick meal and a sermon. He once preached 37 sermons in three weeks. He was the only Protestant preacher in the Pictou area for twenty years.

His first marriage was to Ann MacKay. She died in 1810, following the birth of her fourth son. Premature death was not unusual among the wives of Pictou men. MacGregor remarried in 1812 to Janet Auld. For over forty years Rev. MacGregor plied his trade and kept exact records in his journals. He baptized more than 160 souls in the first few years of his ministry. He was often the only person within hundreds of miles who could read or write.

He is remembered as a great humanitarian, the regional chronicler, the one-man Presbyterian ministry in northern Nova Scotia, and a great many other honours with which only very exceptional men are so endowed. He was undoubtedly the most powerful and influential person in his realm. He pioneered the establishment of higher centres of learning in an effort to improve the lot of the largely illiterate Highlanders in his parish. It is not an overstatement to say that he was the 'godfather' of the protestant Highlanders of northern Nova Scotia during his lifetime with them.

Within the town of Pictou, there lies a beautifully cemetery called "The MacGregor Community Cemetery " in his honour. Rev. Dr. James MacGregor is now universally considered the most outstanding MacGregor ever to have emigrated from Scotland.