TOPONYMY OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

In 1954 George R. Stewart developed a classification system for the study of toponyms, which this writer found quite useful in his study of the names of Renfrew County in Ontario.1 This system has nine categories: commemorative, possessive, descriptive, shift, incident, manufactured, mistake, folk etymological and euphemis- tic. The isolation of commemorative names in Prince Edward Island, for example, illustrates the significant preference for names derived from the British Isles as opposed to continental Europe as a source of names. No names can be considered direct transfers from the latter, and thus doubt is cast on Douglas’s conclusion that Baltic is derived from the significance of maritime trade with Baltic ports.

CATEGORIES OF NAMES Commemorative Names In terms of variety and numbers the category of commemorative names is more interesting than the others; and is, therefore, examined first. Since names of Micmac and French origin are preserved in a largely English-speaking milieu, they are discussed in this group as well.

Micmac

In relation to the other two Maritime Provinces, Prince Edward Island has very few names of Amerindian origin. Toponyms definitely derived from Micmac designations are: Bedeque Bay, Caseumpec Bay, Malpeque Bay, Miminegash, Mis- couche, Pisquid River, Tignish River and Tracadie Bay. Names that are possibly of Micmac origin include Barbara Weit River, Greek River, Mink River and Nebraska Creek. Names taken from association with Micmacs are Big and Little Pierre Jacques Rivers, Indian Creek, Indian Marsh, Indian River, Indian Rocks, Midgell River, Mitchell River (?) and Squaw Point. Abegweit Passage, the narrows of Northumberland Strait between Cape Tormentine, N.B. and Borden, was given by the Permanent Committee in 1962.

The French influence on the spelling of names of Micmac origin is apparent. It is a curiosity why Casumpec failed to retain the “—eque” suffix when Bedeque and Malpeque did, and in the face of official records that persisted in using Cascumpeque until 1966. Possibly it was the Cascumpec post office, which served the Alberton area from 1839 to 1868, that fixed the form Cascumpec in the local minds.

Robert Douglas noted in 1925 that Shemody River and Shemody Point were local usage, but these features are currently known by other names.

French Andrew Clark (1959, 230) has remarked that “It is regrettable that so many of the more euphonious French names have been lost.” Actually 46 names appear to

1 George R. Stewart, A Classification of Place Names, Names, vol. II, no. 1, March, 1954, pages 1-13. A9.6'I]{aybum, Geographical Names of Renfrew County, Geog. Paper no. 40, Geographical Branch, 1 , 74 pages.