Though I have a large family and many ancestors who immigrated from different countries, the country I am related too is Scotland. My 8 times great grandfather came directly to Canada and him and his wife were both from Scotland. I never knew this information about why my family had originally come to Canada so after having an interview with my Grandma and reading the book that was published about my family, I was quite shocked at how much I was not aware of in my family history. Overall, I found out where my family originally came and my life would be quite close to how it is now and there would be a few more benefits if I lived there now.

After talking with my Grandma, I found out that my 8 times great grandfather named David McKay along with his Wife, Agnes Wardrop came over from Scotland approximately around time of The War of 1812, or shortly after. There reasoning for coming to Canada was because at the time the British government felt that Canada needed a secondary defensive line to help combat any vulnerable attacks that Americans may have.

Emigration from Scotland and England seemed like the only solution to help solve the issue

with the depressed and overpopulated areas. A proclamation was made up between England

and Canada to help provide for the families and help them get settled. My 8th Grandparents came over under the agreements that were made and settled in Perth, near Ottawa. Provided below is a picture of people who immigrated to Canada. David & Agnes located in the center.

Although I cannot personally talk to my 8th grandparents, I did talk to my Grandma and I asked her how life would be different if they chose not to immigrate to Canada. Even though it was hard to think of their answer, we thought that their life had been better in Canada rather than Scotland because at the time, Canada had more to offer, better for their upcoming family and provide them with land and utilities to make a better life for themselves.

After talking to my Grandma and learning more about the life they lived in Scotland, I was looking to see what my life would have been like if my family would have stayed there and I would have grown up there. If I lived there now I would still be able to play sports as they offer many different activities to keep people active, they offer many jobs and careers as well as extra hours of sunlight in the summer so even though you work you can still enjoy some of the favourite activities that Scotland has to offer such as the beaches, walking through the hills or the number one favourite the sea, right by your doorstep. Scotland has very good benefits and taxes by providing people with maternity leave, paid sick days, and child benefits. They also offer many great vacation destinations so all your hard work is rewarded by a certain amount of paid vacation time from your job to enjoy all Scotland has to offer!

After looking through my research on Scotland I also found that living in this country is fairly cheap and the farther away from the country you are the cheaper it gets, which is good considering my family lives in the country now. Scotland has a great schooling including being the first country to have both boys and girls graduate university! They provide schooling to everyone and accommodate your specific learning needs. A good free health care such as doctor appointments and hospital visits and excellent way of transportation throughout the country. They offer great safety and is a supportive of place for families to live and especially to raise your family on a great income job and reasonable pricing.

Overall, I have researched and learned more about my family history, If i was a teenager living in Scotland in the current day I would constantly be appreciating the free healthcare, the fantastic employment opportunities and the great schooling programs they offer to help me further my education. Even though it feels like a great life to accommodate everything, I am still thankful that my 8th grandparents moved to Canada back in 1812 because if they did not I would not be where I am today and been able to be living and enjoying the life I have in Canada.