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successful architect and builder and built a stone house at Pictou before coming to Bel- fast, Prince Edward Island. Upon coming here he took up the land on which the subject now resides and here engaged in farming. He was a highly educated man, having stud- ied in the schools and colleges of Edinburgh, but found little use for much of his higher knowledge in this then primitive commu— nity. He married a Miss Hague, of Edin- burgh. The subject’s paternal grandmother bore the maiden name of Belle Macdonald, her family having come to Prince Edward Island on the ship “Rambler” in 1806. The subject’s mother, whose maiden name was Annie Rowan, was a native of Ayr, Ayr- shire, Scotland, where she married Mr. Hal- liday. She is now living with her son on the homestead. To Capt. John and Annie Halliday were born the following children: Frank; Minnie, the wife of Charles Horn, of Boston, Massachusetts: Annie, of Boston; Albert and William, of Boston; John, deceased; Artemus, who, at the age of twenty-two years, was killed by an accident in a gold mine in Colorado; Maude; James, of Boston; Angus, of Boston. and Fred, who is in the Northwest Territory. The subject’s farm was, in 1903, the scene of a most interesting event, it being the one hun— dredth anniversary celebration of the arrival of the ship “Polly” at Belfast.
The subject of this sketch received a good district school education and was reared to the life of a farmer, to which voca- tion he has devoted his untiring efforts during all the active years of his life. His place is finely located and is well improved in every respect, being considered one of the best farms in this locality. Mr. Halliday is enterprising in his attitude toward pub- lic affairs and lends his influence to every
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movement having for its object the advance- ment of the community’s best interests. He is well known throughout the locality and is highly esteemed.
JOHN MURCHISON, deceased, who, dur- ing his lifetime was recognized as one of the leading and influential citizens of Lot 58, Queens county, was a native of this locality and secured his education in the public schools, which were in his day some- what primitive in their equipment and plan of study. He was reared to the life of a farmer and always took an intelligent inter— est in agricultural matters. He stood high in public esteem and for the long period of nearly fifty years he held the office of justice of the peace. At the age of twenty-five years he became an elder in the St. John’s Presbyterian church, holding this office con- tinuously up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1904, at the age of eighty-four years, a period of nearly six decades. He was a Conservative in politics and in about 1877 was a candidate for the Legislative Council. From the time of the first election in his district, in about 1857, he acted as presiding oflicer at the polls. He was the owner of a good farm. which he operated successfully, and engaged with his brother. Capt. Donald Murchison, in the shipbuild- ing business, sailing ships to Boston and New York and engaging in the coast trade. Altogether, he is remembered as a success- ful man in whatever he undertook and as a remarkable man in many respects. The subject’s father, Neil Murchison, with sev- eral brothers of the subject, came to Prince Edward Island on the ship “Polly” in 1803, their names being Samuel, Peter, Donald,