PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. 89

At the time of the census of 1798 there were only eight families on township twelve, but in the year 1818 Messrs. Chanter and Ellis came out to Bideford. Mr. Chanter was a gentleman’s son in Devonshire while William Ellis—“Grandfather Ellis,” as his descendants call him—was a draftsman and ship builder in Bedeford of Devon. He learned his business in the shipyards of that town where large vessels were built for the West Indian tea trade. These two formed a partnership,—the one furnishing the cap- ital largely and the other the skill,— for the purpose of prosecuting the building of ships. In England timber of all kinds-—the era of iron ships had not yet arrived—was scarce and dear; in America these materials were in plenty and the opening was bright. So they settled on the southern side of Lot 12 and called the place Bideford after the town of the same name in far-away England. The firm brought out a shipload of skilled laborers to work in the shipyard and they at once constructed a house of large size. This was made of plank—a characteristic mate- rial, every one to his trade—and the seams were stuffed with moss. Its site was just across the road from the present residence of Hon. William Richards. Part of this house was used as a warehouse and store, part as an ofiice and part as a house. Quar- ters were made for the men near the yard. Mr. Chanter took charge of the store and Mr. Ellis’s duties were in the shipyard, drafting and superintending the making of the moulds and the constructing of the ships. These, when built, were sent “home” to England and sold. James Yeo, first of the name, came out from near Bideford some years later, when he was about thirty years of age. Mr. Chanter after some years built what became known later as the Old Port

Hill house. This stood not so very far from the Bideford shipyard by water—and water was about the only highway at that time— but on the Lot 13 side of the Bideford river. The land upon which it was situated be- came known as the “Old Port Hill Farm.” The name “Port Hill" was that of a gentle- man’s residence some miles distant from Bideford in England which it retains to this day. It was at the Port Hill Farm that James Yeo was first employed. His dispo- sition was to save and he gradually began to accumulate money which was left in Charter & Ellis’s hands. One of his duties was to provide the beef for the shipyard men and this took him out among the few people who were trying to make a living by farming and stock raising, and he thus be- came acquainted with them and their cir- cumstances. About this time Mr. Chanter wanted to return to England and as the firm owed Mr. James Yeo something like £900 they offered him what was on their books. Knowing the ability of the people to pay, he accepted the offer and so well did he finance that he collected almost every penny. So good a start did this give him that he began supplying. Mr. Ellis with the neces- saries to continue ship building, and grad- ually he got charge of the whole business. Mr. James Yeo built the second Port Hill house which stood, until a few years ago, at Port Hill Corner, where for many years Senator John Yeo, son of James Yeo, con- tinued the business and where he still resides. For many years James Yeo and his sons John and James carried on a large ship building and mercantile business. Besides sending their new vessels to England to be sold, they had a business connection there and many of the vessels were kept for trad- ing in various parts of the globe. Regularly