Norman McLeod | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Norman McLeod

Norman McLeod, Presbyterian minister (b at Point of Stoer, Scot 29 Sept 1780; d at Waipu, NZ 14 Mar 1866). McLeod, a teacher and lay preacher, moved to Pictou, Nova Scotia, in 1817.

McLeod, Norman

Norman McLeod, Presbyterian minister (b at Point of Stoer, Scot 29 Sept 1780; d at Waipu, NZ 14 Mar 1866). McLeod, a teacher and lay preacher, moved to Pictou, Nova Scotia, in 1817. His forceful preaching attracted a large congregation that joined him on "The Ark" in 1820 to sail to Ohio but landed instead at St Anns Harbour, Cape Breton. McLeod made himself a moral dictator over his followers, imposing severe punishments for trivial "sins." Despite his fanaticism, they obeyed his command to migrate to Australia in 1851, but McLeod was unhappy and moved them to Waipu, New Zealand. In the 1850s, almost 900 persons left Nova Scotia to join him in his search for "righteous" surroundings.

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