Ethel Irene Drummond was the daughter of Christopher and Christine Fraser (McRae) Lawrence. Christine was the granddaughter of Roderick and Catherine Anne (McQuarrie) McRae and great-granddaughter of Alexander and Isabella (Fraser) McRae. Ethel passed on November 1, 2015 at the age of 107. Ethel was deeply interested in her McRae and McQuarrie family roots (as well as the Toney River area) and was an incredible researcher and genealogist. She shared her work and knowledge with many other McRae decendants - usually through writing lengthy letters and by sharing photocopies of her research archives. 

The poem (or actually, a song) written by Alexander McRae circa 1819 that she references that was submitted by J.R. MacQuarrie and published in the Pictou Advocate in the July 18, 1973 edition was "To the Pioneer Settlers of West River." This song was first published in the Eastern Chronicle on May 29, 1879 from the memory of a resident of Green Hill. John McRae, the son of its author, read the article and poem, and then submitted a letter to the editior and a corrected and original copy of the song from his father's notes that was then published in the Eastern Chronicle on July 10, 1879. I have uploaded the July 10, 1879 letter to the editor of the Eastern Chronicle with the corrected poem, which was provided to me by Teresa MacKenzie, to this database. 

It should be noted that Ethel I. Drummond refers to J.R. MacQuarrie as a "relative." However, in this regard, she is mistaken. There is no family connection between J.R. MacQuarrie of Pugwash and the McRae family (at least that I could find). She must have assumed John R. MacQuarrie was related to Mary McQuarrie, the wife of James McRae, or Allan McQuarrie, the husband of Catherine McRae, or Catherine Anne (McQuarrie) McRae, the wife of Roderick McRae. Mary McQuarrie, Catherine McQuarrie and Allan McQuarrie were all of the same McQuarrie family - their parents were Donald and Catherine McQuarrie of Toney River and formerly of West River.