M’Alpine, John

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: Terrence M. Punch, “M’ALPINE (McAlpine), JOHN,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 6, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/m_alpine_john_6E.html
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Office holder, surveyor, and businessman; b. 1748 in the Highlands of Scotland, son of Peter M’Alpine and his first wife, Christian —; m. first Jane —; m. secondly 29 Jan. 1784 Rebecca Barss, née Gammon, in Liverpool, N.S.; m. thirdly c. 4 Dec. 1790 Sarah Hills, née Caverly in Halifax; m. fourthly 25 Feb. 1796 Sarah Walker in Wilmot, N.S.; there were two children from each marriage; d. 26 May 1827 in Halifax.
    • John M’Alpine’s career had three phases. As a settler in upstate New York, he found himself the victim of two sets of circumstances: the rivalry between New Hampshire and New York over the area where he was living, and the crisis of loyalty posed by the outbreak of the American revolution. As a man of 35 in Nova Scotia, he was caught up in the conflict between pre-revolutionary settlers and loyalist newcomers. Finally, there was the older M’Alpine, who made ends meet in Halifax by engaging in a fascinating range of activities.
    • M’Alpine’s first North American homestead was situated on 600 acres bought from a Colonel Reid. Hardly had he arrived in 1773 when he was driven out by the Green Mountain Boys, a militia group asserting New Hampshire’s right to the area east of Lake Champlain (now Vermont). M’Alpine retreated to a smaller farm near Crown Point (N.Y.). When the American revolution began, he suffered the loss of his land, house, and stock, and became a refugee in Fort St Johns (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu) and Chambly, Que. 
    • The disgruntled M’Alpine appeared in 1783 at Shelburne, N.S., among the loyalist settlers, but quickly moved on to Liverpool, a more established community. On 11 Feb. 1785 the loyalist claims commissioners heard M’Alpine’s story, which included a claim for £5,000 in losses. They felt that he had no just demand for compensation, maintaining that his claim was “very improper” and “fraudulent,” and “ought to be so reported to the Lords of the Treasury.” Neither the rationale for M’Alpine’s commission as captain nor the specific reason why the authorities changed their minds is known.
    • M’Alpine made his living in Liverpool by keeping a house of entertainment, operating a ferry, carrying supplies, repairing roads, and acting as deputy surveyor of the king’s woods. At first his position and his marriage into the locally respected Barss family assured him of good relations in the town. Then in July 1789 he was appointed deputy naval officer for Queens County, with instructions to ensure that those fishing at Liverpool had the proper documents. By attempting to execute his commission, M’Alpine stirred up the settlers of Liverpool against him. Within two months two naval vessels were sent from Halifax to search every ship in the harbour. Repeated requests for M’Alpine’s dismissal were made by local inhabitants but without success.
  • United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=10080
  • Find A Grave : Cannot locate.