Margaret Dickie kept diaries, posthumously published, that offer insight into community life in Nova Scotia during the middle of the nineteenth century.
Entry written by Daryn Wright
Margaret Dickie was born in Hantsport, NS, in 1827 to shoemaker and farmer Samuel Dickie (1793-1886) and Sarah Brothers (1792-1857). As a young girl, she helped her parents stitch soles on shoes and assisted in farm chores. Despite her duties as the daughter of a farmer, she also recieved a good education from tutors. She participated in the Baptist Church at an early age, where she taught Sunday school and helped collect money for missions, temperance causes, and other activities. She both read and wrote secular and sacred verse.
In 1849, she married local mariner Simeon Michener (c1820-1850) and immediately set up a school for local children in their home. Her husband's work often took him away from Hantsport, and barely a year after their marriage he died in Chicago while on an exploratory mission. Despite her grief, Margaret continued to teach and, during the winter of 1851, attended Miss Kidson's Academy in Horton, MI, to further her education. After returning to Hantsport, she met and married Robert McCulloch (1814-1901), a ship's caulker. They had two daughters together: Edith Annette (1859-1938) and Sarah May (1864-1903).
Margaret worked as a telegraph operator for a while in Hantsport, before the family decided to join her brother and sister-in-law (Letitia McCulloch, her husband's sister, was married to Margaret's brother Robert) on their peach farm in Lincoln, DE. Shortly thereafter, the two families relocated to Georgetown, DE, where they established another farm together. Margaret attempted to continue teaching here, but a lack of students forced her to close her school. Other difficulties prompted the McCullochs to leave in the autumn of 1868, and they returned to Hantsport. Robert, who was having a difficult time finding work during a period of economic instability, relocated to the Lake Huron area of Michigan, where he finally found stable work. Margaret and their two daughters joined him shortly afterwards, and the family bought a farm near Tuscola, MI. Margaret established herself in the community by joining the Baptist Church and participating in school activities. When her husband's health began to fail, their daughter Edith Annette—called Nettie—and her husband joined them on the farm; Robert died in 1901. Their second daughter, Sarah May, a teacher like her mother, died shortly after, in 1903.
Margaret's experience in the Maritimes and her moves through the United States were recorded in diaries, providing an important glimpse into community life in Nova Scotia during the period. Although the original diaries are no longer extant, excerpts were published in
For more a more detailed biography, see her entry in the
Simeon Michener was born in Hantsport, NS, around 1820 and married Margaret Dickie in 1849. Hantsport, which had grown as a major shipbuilding centre, was an adventageous homebase for Simeon, who worked as a mariner. His work frequently took him away from home for long periods of time, and barely a year after their marriage, Simeon died of fever near Chicago, where he was on a working trip.
Robert McCulloch was born in Ireland in 1814. While working as a ship caulker in Hantsport, NS, he married widow Margaret Dickie in 1856. They had two daughters together: Edith Annette (1859-1938) and Sarah May (1864-1903). In 1867, the McCullochs joined Robert Dickie (Margaret's brother) and his wife Letitia McCulloch (Robert's sister) in Lincoln, DE, where the Dickies managed a peach farm. The following year, the two families moved to Georgetown, DE, where they established another farm. After a difficult year, the McCullochs returned to Hantsport in the autumn of 1868. By 1880, amid economic instability, Robert emigrated again and found work in the Lake Huron area of Michigan. Margaret and their daughters followed soon after, and the family bought a farm near Tuscola, MI. Robert's health began to decline, and he died in 1901.
Tutor
Miss Kidons's Academy (Horton, MI)
Farmer
Telegraph Operator
Sunday school teacher