The immigrant experience on Prince Edward Island has been the subject of a number of publications. Each volume has added to our understanding of that experience.
And such is the case with Frank Gillan’s book The Gillan Journey: County Antrim to Peakes Road. This book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the experience of early 19th-century Irish immigrants who came to this province.
While the focus of this book is the experience of the Gillan family and the “Glasgow Irish," the story resonates strongly with readers of other ancestries who, like the Gillans, had little knowledge of their family’s journey. The lively, readable style holds the reader’s interest, and integration of the historical, political, social, and religious context broadens the general appeal. This context is particularly valued by generations who subsequently moved to the “Boston States.” The “Side Trip” inserts recognize people’s longing for personal ancestral stories and historical anecdotes.
As was the case for many immigrants, the choice to leave home was forced upon the Gillans due to desperate economic circumstances and oppression. They were capable, strong-hearted, hard-working people, but few were literate, having been denied access to education. As a result, they were neither professionals nor holders of public office and are, therefore, mainly absent in newspapers of the time.
In preparation for writing this book, Gillan did extensive research to breathe life into this family history, pouring through lease agreements, land conveyances, maps, wills, and birth and death records.
His book weaves a rich story of how one group of Island settlers survived, managed, and prospered over the course of four generations. Thus, the great value of this story is its relevance to many descendants of settler families. The book has earned widespread praise from readers for the scholarly nature of the writing, the passion with which the story is told, and the insight it provides. It has been described as a wonderful piece of Island history.
For his contribution to our understanding of the Irish immigrant experience, Frank Gillan has been chosen to receive a Heritage Recognition Award.