Helen "Nelly" MacDonald of Glenaladale (c. 1750 – c. 1803) was a Scottish-born estate manager in

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

, Canada. The daughter of Alexander M’Donald of Glenaladale, the head of the Glenaladale branch of the Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, and Margaret MacDonell of Scotus, she wrote fluently in both English and Gaelic. Her brother was John MacDonald of Glenaladale. She travelled to St. John's Island (later Prince Edward Island) with her brother Donald and her sister Margaret in 1772. Their family wanted to establish a Scottish Catholic colony based on Lot 36 on the island. In 1775, her brothers John and Donald were recruited to fight on the British side in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...

. MacDonald took on the management of the settlement until the return of her brother John. As a woman and as a Catholic, she was severely hampered in trying to protect her family's interests; at the time, Catholics were not allowed to vote or hold office and women were greatly restricted politically and socially. She was required to operate the family farm, collect rent from tenants and report on the status of the estate. In 1792, she married Ronald MacDonald of Grand Tracadie. MacDonald suffered from poor health later in life and died on Prince Edward Island around 1803.

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Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Prince Edward Island Colony of Prince Edward Island people Canadian Roman Catholics 1750s births 1800s deaths {{Canada-bio-stub