Robert Sinclair Sr. and family left Eday Island, Orkney Scotland on September 15, 1884 and boarded the ship "Siberian" at Glasgow to set sail for Canada. They arrived in Yorkton on October 12, 1884. The family consisted of Robert, 54 years of age, his wife Mary, 49; Betsy 19 years old, Robert 18 years, James 15, William 11, and Barbara 8 years old. Another family was travelling with them, Matthew and Ann Peace. Ann was a niece of Mary. They spent the winter with the Reids. The season was spent hunting, hauling logs and visiting with neighbours.
One wishes they had written a daily journal to really see how they felt being in this new land, how they were adapting, how they spent Christmas, etc. Unfortunately, such journals are rare.
Robert Sinclair Jr. spent time in the first year working in Regina for $27.00 a month. In 1885 during the Riel Uprising, Robert served with the Home Guard. He was granted a military bounty land warrant, obtaining a quarter section; SW 30-25-4 W2nd.
In 1905, Robert and Annie Foster of Saltcoats were married. He left the Orkney District and settled on his quarter section which was 4 miles west of Yorkton. The couple built a new home they named Glen Orkney, and his parents came to live with them until their death. Robert and Annie were active in farming and took up a specialty-raising bronze turkeys. They took many prizes for those and for their gardening at various district fairs.
We know that in March they moved in their newly built shanty on South West of Section 24, Township 26 Range 5 West of the 2nd Meridian. In 1894, we know that Robert was farming 640 acres with 105 acres in crop, 28 of which yielded 447 bushels of wheat, 1290 bushels of oats from 62 ½ acres, 202 bushels of barley from 14 acres, and 175 bushels of potatoes from a half acre. They had 23 cows, 11 steers, and 13 calves, 6 working horses, a team of driving horses, 3 ponies, 9 pigs and poultry. Machinery acquired by then: a binder, mower, horse rake, weeder, plow, harrows, wagon and sleigh.
Robert died Nov. 14, 1911, and Mary July 9, 1916. Both are interred in the Orkney cemetery.
Robert served as Reeve and Councillor of the R.M. of Orkney. He also served as a director of the Beaver Rural Telephone Company. He was an active member of the Orkney Church and later on with St. Andrews United Church. Robert and Annie worked diligently at establishing St. Magnus School in Yorkton. The school's name is in honour of a cathedral in Robert's native Scotland. He died in 1930 from a farming accident. Annie and the children moved to Saltcoats. where she died in 1953. Both Robert and Annie are interred in the Yorkton City Cemetery.
The Sinclair mansion was built 21 years after their arrival to the Orkney District of York Colony.
We are told that this house still stands, although it underwent some alterations.
Sources: Photo of residence: FACTS ABOUT THE TOWN OF YORKTON and the FERTILE FARMING DISTRICT-Yorkton Board of Trade Article based on family history in the book ORKNEY STONES. Sinclair family pictures -ORKNEY STONES
Contact;
Terri Lefebvre Prince,
Heritage Researcher
City of Yorkton Archives,
City of Yorkton,
Box 400,
37 Third Avenue North,
Yorkton, Sask.
S3N 2W3
306-786-1722
[email protected]
"Of all national assets, archives are the most precious; they are the gift of one generation to another and the extent of our care of them marks the extent of our civilization"
Sir Arthur Doughty, Dominion Archivist, 1904-1935
