Catherine MacLennan Baillie, of Pictou was born in Inverness, Scotland, the daughter of Pipe Major Alexander (Sandy) MacLennan, 1807-1902, (Bridget MacKenzie gives his dates as 1811-1896) of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders. Catherine’s father, Sandy was the son and student of Donald MacLennan, who taught many pupils including Donald Cameron and John Ban MacKenzie. Sandy also studied with Donald Cameron, one of his father’s finest pupils. He won a number of piping awards, including the Prize Pipe in Inverness in 1857 and the Gold Medal for Piobaireachd in Inverness in 1860.

Following her marriage to Kenneth MacKenzie Baillie of Pictou, and her immigration to Nova Scotia, where she became the first known female piper in the County, she taught many pipers in Pictou and Colchester counties, including Alexander Sutherland of Dartmouth and the Henderson Brothers of Truro. Catherine was an excellent player, and taught by ‘singing’ the tunes to her students. Her son, Alexander (Sandy) was also a piper. Catherine died in 1927.

P/M Kenneth (MacKenzie) Baillie, (1859-1925) of Pictou was born in Pictou on March 12th, 1859, a month before the death of his father from accidental causes. He was raised at the home of an uncle at Balmoral, Colchester County. It was a Gaelic household, and Kenneth learned to play the violin there. He was educated at Pictou Academy. His first military service was as a boy bugler with the militia training for the Fenian Raids. In his late teens, he went to Boston to work with his older brother, William, who was a tailor.

Kenneth went to England aboard a cattle boat in 1878, at the age of 19, and there enlisted in the Royal Marine Artillery with whom he served for twenty-three years, retiring in 1901. His gunner service in the Royal Marines took him to many posts in the Empire. He served both on shore and afloat. From 1880-84, he was with the Marine complement aboard the H.M.S. Temeraire in Egypt and the Sudan. He took part in the bombardment of Alexandria. He served on the African West Coast, and was in the Niger River expedition that captured King Jaja, an African leader of the day who had made himself obnoxious to Queen Victoria’s ministers. In a Samoan hurricane in 1889, all ships of the Royal Navy flotilla were lost except Baillie’s H.M.S. Calliope. Family tradition states that he piped Queen Victoria aboard the Calliope, and was immediately given the rank of Pipe Major, though this story does not appear to be confirmed by other records.

Kenneth learned to play the pipes after he married Catherine MacLennan, of Inverness, Scotland, daughter of Pipe Major Alexander (Sandy) MacLennan, of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders. It was Catherine who taught him to play the pipes. He was probably the first great native-born piper in Pictou County.

After his retirement from the Royal Marine Artillery, piping became his life’s work. He returned to Pictou County where he farmed at Loggieville. In addition to the Highland pipes, he was a concert violinist, and could also play the Uillean pipes. He performed in concerts across Canada and in the United States.

When WW1 broke out, he re-enlisted and accompanied the 78th detachment to Valcartier, Quebec. He was appointed Pipe Major of the 17th Reserve Battalion and then served overseas with the 46th Battalion, returning to Canada in 1916 where he worked at recruiting in both Canada and the United States. His music was recorded and on the labels of the recordings he was named Pipe Major, 78th Highlanders. Physically, he was a giant of a man, an imposing figure in his kilt with campaign medals gleaming on his chest. He stood six feet two and three-quarter inches, and weighed two hundred and forty-five pounds. His chest measurement was forty-five inches.

Kenneth taught many pipers, including Angus ‘The Ridge’ MacDonald of Upper South River, Antigonish County, Roddy Nicholson of Sydney, and Alex. W. Sutherland, of Earltown. He died in 1925.