“The actual struggles and experiences of a Canadian pioneer, and the recollections of a lifetime”
by Aeneas (Angus) McCharles (Oct 17, 1844 – 1906)
Bemocked of Destiny was first published in 1908, a condition of the last will and testament of an extraordinary Canadian pioneer. Teacher, speculator, geologist, prospector, community organizer and outspoken advisor to provincial and federal politicians, McCharles’s first-person account of life in the heady days of the late-19th-century frontier offer us more than a glimpse into the age in which he lived.
The story begins with McCharles’s boyhood on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, and goes on to describe the periods of his life spent in Bruce County and the cities of London, Ottawa and Toronto, Ontario, in the 1870s. He was part of the exciting booms in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the 1880s. Finally McCharles settled as a prospector in Sudbury, Ontario, where he staked the North Star Mine, eventually part of Vale (Inco) mining property inventory.
Here’s a PDF of the scanned book – Bemocked of Destiny
My relative, Angus, was a terrific writer. I’ll post a review tomorrow. 🙂
Rick McCharles 