Born in County Donegal in 1840. Emigrated to Ontario, Canada in 1857. Worked on railway construction until 1866 when he moved to NS to superintend the laying of track on the Pictou branch. In 1872 he was similarly engaged on the road from Windsor to Annapolis, NS. In 1874 he took up residence in Truro, NS to be in charge of the track between Truro and DeBert. He retired on pension in 1909 and moved to be with his daughter, Mrs. W. McT. Orr of 108 Windsor St., Halifax, NS.( Notes from newspaper article of 1924. The Morning Chronicle). Samuel lived in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, later Truro and Halifax. He too was twice married (death of first wife). His children also moved on to other Canadian centres and the USA. He was a Presbyterian. His oldest son, William Samuel, lived an interesting life as a world traveller and telegrapher and business developer. More will be written about his travels at a later date. 1881 and 1891 Census: Residence: 3 McMullen St., Truro, NS. Presbyterian. Also resident was a Hattie MacMillan, dressmaker, one can assume a member of his wife's family. A William Buchanan age 12 was a resident with Samuel in 1881. I will assume this was his son from his first marriage whose mother died during childbirth. We were often visited by Buchanans from the nearby town of Truro, a railway hub in those days. I really didn't know how they were related to me at the time. As my interest grew in family history I learned and appreciated this ‘great' family connection. A recently discovered cousin Jani Carless from Ontario has brought a good deal more information to the family tree. I am indebted to her. Researchers will appreciate how inaccurate some records can be. I always laboured under the notion that my Buchanans were born in Scotland. Not so. Eventually I discovered they were born in Northern Ireland in the Tyrone area. I found by process of elimination that my Irish/Scottish( Ulster-Scots) ancestor was James Buchanan. He died young leaving a wife with four children: Jane, Thomas, Samuel and James. I learned she re-married to a Charles Gordon and emigrated to the Simcoe area of Ontario, Canada in 1857. This was confirmed by Jani who is a descendant of the second marriage. A few years later Thomas and Samuel married Jane Brown and Mary Gollan, respectively, and as railroaders moved to Nova Scotia, ‘New Scotland', where they spent the rest of their lives raising families and working for the railroad in supervisory capacities. Jane, the only daughter, as far as we know, by the Buchanan marriage married Dixon Reid and remained in Ontario. Some years ago I discovered that James, the youngest son, married Elizabeth Colbert and remained in Lefroy, Simcoe, Ontario. He too was a railroader as a section foreman. It is through this branch that Jani and I discovered our family relationship and for me a lot more about the family in Ireland. James I had married Mary Purviance. Jani has developed a good deal of information on this family especially Mary's marriage to Charles Gordon. In Nova Scotia Thomas lived in the Truro area including the villages of Debert and Belmont. Some of his children remained in the area, others migrated to Ontario and the Boston area of the USA. He was twice married (death of first wife), short in stature and a Presbyterian until 1925 when he joined the newly founded united Church of Canada. All of James(of Ireland) Buchanan's children were involved in railroading as were his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Many of Thomas' and Samuel's descendants can be found today in Truro, Halifax, Toronto, Los Angeles, Lansing and Boston. Still others are in England and Australia. Library and Archives Canada--Railway Employees: Date of Birth (mm-dd-yyyy): 07-00-1836(NOTE discrepenancy in birthdate. Occupation: Back Foreman, Location: Truro, NS. File: 12301, Volume: 9, Member of pension fund. Reference: RG 30 IV A1G...