Archibald “Archie” MacDonald

Island story

Archibald “Archie” MacDonald and his wife Charlotte MacLean raised their family on Pictou Island. The 1931 census records their household with children Lexie, Henry, Frank and Logan. Archie became closely associated with the East Lighthouse, serving as its longtime keeper from the late 1920s into the era when the station was being modernized. His life therefore spans a period when lighthouse keeping still depended on a resident family and hands-on daily work, before automation changed that way of life. PIHS church and lighthouse records also connect Archie with First World War service, although the full service-file details remain under research. Archie and Charlotte are commemorated together in the Church Cemetery at C-002, with their son Henry nearby at C-001. Their son Logan George MacDonald’s obituary independently names his parents as Archie and Charlotte (MacLean) MacDonald. It describes Logan as an Island-born fisherman, aged sixty-four, who had lived in Pictou for twenty years, and names his wife as Hazel Hooper. It identifies a surviving sister, Mrs. Lexie MacDonald, and predeceased brothers Henry and Frank. Burial was announced for Seaview Cemetery in Pictou. Handwritten annotations on the clipping read “10th Aug.” and “EN 12 Aug 1991”; the inferred death date depends partly on those annotations.