Bruce grew up hearing stories of the Wilcox line descending from pirates who settled on Grand Manan Island. While the part about pirates is unsubstantiated, it's true that Bruce's ancestors are from Grand Manan, and his relatives still live there.
1903 Photo of the Caswell Wilcox family on exibit at the Grand Manan Museum at Grand Harbour. They lived on Wood Island, reported to have been the home of many Wilcoxes before it was cleared by the Canadian Government in the early 1900s. Wood Island is now uninhabited.
The grave marker of Charles Dyer Wilcox at Deep Cove on Grand Manan. Charles was Bruce's Great-Great-Great-Grandfather.
Charles' grandson William was the first Wilcox to live in Rangeley, Maine, where Bruce and his sister were born. William's place of birth is uncertain - in Bruce's grandfather's house we found identical birth certificates, one listing William as having been born in Lubec, Maine, and another listing Campobello Island.
Abigail Wilcox, Bruce's Great-Great-Great-Grandmother.
Susan Wilcox-Ingersoll, one of several Wilcoxes on Grand Manan and maker of dulse (seaweed) soap. While discussing the family with us, Susan made several references to a "Wilcox book" at the museum, which turned out to be a tracing of the Wilcoxes from 1980 all the way back to Roger Williams (the founder of Rhode Island in the 1600s).
The Wilcox name is common on Grand Manan.