Marie-Henriette LeJeune (Granny) Ross
Only known image of Marie-Henriette
The healing hands and fearless heart of an early Cape Breton Herbalist and Midwife
Marie-Henriette LeJeune (1762–1860), affectionately known as Granny Ross, was an early midwife, herbalist, and nurse in 18th-century Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Much of what we know about her comes from family lore and local storytelling – a mix of memory, myth, and remarkable legacy.
She was born in Rochefort, France, but her Acadian parents had originally lived in Nova Scotia. They were deported to France after the fall of Louisbourg in 1758. They returned – this time with Marie-Henriette – only to be expelled again. Finally, in 1784, with Marie-Henriette now married, the family made the journey back to Nova Scotia once more.
She had already experienced considerable hardship by her mid-twenties. In 1780, she married her first husband in France, who drowned not long after. In 1786, she married a cousin – her second husband – who also drowned. Her third and final husband was James Ross, whom she married in Cape Breton in 1792.
In 1802 she and her family moved from Sydney, Cape Breton to the Northeast Margaree River valley. Her reputation preceded her and she was much in demand.
It is possible that she learned many of healing skills from the Mi’kmaq and that she combined these skills with European practices. She would gather natural ingredients to make teas, poultices and other cures. When a small pox epidemic swept through her community she took up the responsibility to treat and look after them. Legends and stories tell us she brought a vial containing a serum she would later use to save her community from an epidemic of smallpox. Whether this story is true or not, her reputation as a nurse and midwife was first established during a smallpox epidemic when she reputedly inoculated many local inhabitants. She isolated and treated a number of people in a cabin she built in the nearby woods.
She travelled on foot, by horseback, or on snow-shoes, using a torch to light her way in the dark. No medical aid was available, Marie-Henriette worked tirelessly to help people when she could. Known for her courage and love of adventure, she was a true pioneer woman. Small, with blue eyes and a dark complexion, she thought nothing of walking 60 miles and even in her later years, she still could walk the six miles to her granddaughter’s house. Fearless, it is told that she once killed two bears, one with a musket and one with a shovel.
There are so many tales and stories about Marie-Henriette that the distinction between fact and fiction is very blurry but what is true is that she was an amazing woman who strove throughout her life to help others.
Medicinal Plants Likely Used by Granny Ross
• Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea). Used by the Mi’kmaq to treat fever, chills, and coughs. Believed by some to help with smallpox symptoms.
• Arnica (Arnica montana). Applied topically for bruises, sprains, and swelling. Common in both Indigenous and European medicine.
• Sumac (Rhus spp.). Rich in vitamin C, sumac was used to treat scurvy and other deficiencies. Also brewed into teas for inflammation.
• Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea). Used to reduce fever, stimulate the immune system, and combat infections. Often brewed as a tea or decoction.
The healing tools of a frontier herbalist
Before the smallpox vaccine, one of the only preventative treatments was inoculation, also known as variolation. This process involved taking a small amount of material (usually pus) from an infected person and introducing it into a healthy person’s skin through a scratch or incision. It often produced a milder illness and could provide immunity – though it came with real risks.
Granny Ross’s reputation as a nurse and healer reportedly began during a smallpox epidemic. She is said to have used a mysterious vial of serum to protect people in her community. Whether this account is legend or fact, she was known to quarantine and care for the sick in a cabin she built deep in the woods – an early form of community isolation and care.
Reference:
Kernaghan, Lois Kathleen, “LeJEUNE, MARIE-HENRIETTE (baptized Marie-Tharsile) (Comeau; Lejeune, dit Briard; Ross),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 8, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003 https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/lejeune_marie_henriette_8E.html
Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women. The Nova Scotia Nine: Remarkable women, then and now (Portraits by Jo Napier; Stories by Joanne Wise). Halifax: Province of Nova Scotia, 2014.
Image of Granny Ross
https://maryswritingnook.blogspot.com/2008/10/granny-ross-leader-in-history.html