The light that guided

In yesterday's column, we met Mr. Gilkie. After reaching out to thank him for sharing his family history as it pertained to the Sambro lighthouse, this follow-up came:

“Attached is a photo of my Sambro Light barometer, hanging on the back of our kitchen door. The red hand, still in place since hurricane Dorian, reads 28.38. I assume that is millibars, if that is what such a barometer would read as units. (The post-tropical cyclone made landfall near Sambro Creek at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7).

“By all means, you have permission to tell your readers about my family history with Sambro Light. There is an excellent chapter in Rear Admiral Pullen's book, The Sea Road to Halifax, Occasional Paper No. 1, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, 1980, in which the history of Sambro Light is given, starting on Page 20.

“In the listing of keepers, Pullen indicates that 1856 is the earliest known reference to William Gilkie. But family stories always had him arriving from Scotland in 1837. And in the list, they show no keeper from 1839, when James Goodwin was last listed as the keeper, until 1856 when William Gilkie is listed as the keeper. Since there must have been a keeper, I have always assumed that William would have been the keeper in that period.”

Following is the listing of keepers from Pullen's book:

1759-1769 — Captain Joseph Rous

1772-1801 — Matthew Pennell Sr.

1801-1817 — Matthew Pennell Jr.

1817-1839 — James Goodwin 1856-1875 — William Gilkie (1856 is the first known reference to William Gilkie ) 1875-1876 — Joseph Gilkie 1876-1915 — Alfred Gilkie 1914-1929 — A. J. Gilkie (Arthur, my grandfather) 1929-1942 — W. Smith 1942-1961 — W. A. Smith 1961-1965 — G. A. Soltesz 1965-1968 — J. E. Gwynn 1968 — J.G. Fairservice

“An article in The Chronicle Herald by Bill Rompkey (date unknown) indicated that the lighthouse was automated in 1988 and the two keepers' houses were boarded up. Mr. Fairservice passed away in 2007.

“Stay safe, and keep up the good work. You are our weather keeper.”

What a story.

Many of us know so little about lighthouses, yet for centuries, mariners have depended on them — each lighthouse had its own distinctive signal, and the ships knew the signals.

The work of a lighthouse keeper was invaluable — keeping bright the light that guided countless ships, their crews, passengers and cargo, safely to the next beacon.

Thank you, Mr. Gilkie, for sharing your story with us.

Barometers measure our weather's highs and lows. This is the barometer that Ron Gilkie's grandfather used on Sambro Island. Today, Ron proudly displays it in his kitchen, where we can look at it every morning to determine what the weather might be like for the day.