54Q PAST AND PRESENT OF Silas F. Hodgson attended the district school and Cavendish grammar school, from which he entered the Normal School at Charlottetown , where he took the full course and secured a teacher's license. He then taught school in various sections of the Is¬ land for ten years, and next accepted a posi¬ tion as bookkeeper at Charlottetown . On the opening of the Prince Edward Island Railway , in 1875, Mr. Hodgson entered its employ as chief clerk of the accounting department, where he remained three years, when he was promoted to the position of accountant of the mechanical department. In 1879 the stores department was added to the mechanical department and Mr. Hodg ¬ son was placed at the head of both depart¬ ments as accountant. In 1897 he was ap¬ pointed storekeeper and mechanical account¬ ant of the Prince Edward Island Railway , with headquarters at Charlottetown , which position he has since most acceptably filled. Mr. Hodgson is an expert accountant and possesses marked business ability, his long retention in the important positions referred to being unmistakable evi¬ dence of his faithful and efficient performance of duty. That Mr. Hodg ¬ son possesses the confidence of his fel¬ low officers and employees of the Prince Edward Island Railway is evidenced by the fact that on two different occasions he has been sent by them to negotiate with the de¬ partment at Ottawa upon questions involv¬ ing important interests to the staff. On May 28, 1873, Mr. Hodgson married Miss Eliza Helen Muirhead , a daughter of the late Hon . James Muirhead , of side. To them have been born the follow¬ ing children: Fred is a graduate of the Bry¬ ant & Stratton Business College, of Chicago, Illinois , and now resides in that city, being in the employ of the C. F. Birtman Com¬ pany, manufacturers of electro-therapeuti¬ cal apparatus; Nellie M., who graduated with honors at Prince of Wales College, is now head teacher of stenography in Mc- Lauchlan University, in Grand Rapids, Michigan ; Ethel lives at home; Laura is now with her sister in Grand Rapids, Michigan ; Harold is a relieving telegraph operator and agent in the employ of the Prince Edward Island Railway ; Hattie M., Jennie M. and Gordon Arthur . In religion Mr. Hodgson is an active member of the First Metho¬ dist church and also takes an active inter¬ est in temperance work. Fraternally he be¬ longs to the Masonic order, in which he has attained to the Royal Arch degree; he is a past master of the blue lodge, while in the grand lodge he has served as deputy grand master and is now the representative of the Grand Lodge of Vermont . He is also a member of the Independent Order of Foresters and the Sons of England . A man of fine personal qualities and pleasing ad¬ dress, his friends are in number as are his acquaintances. Alex McDonald , the capable chief clerk of the Prince Edward Island Rail¬ way, at Charlottetown , is a native of this Island, having been born at Vernon River , in November, 1846, and is the son of Donald and Teresa (McDonald) McDonald, the former also a native of Vernon River , while the latter was born at Eastpoint, Prince Ed ¬ ward Island. The paternal grandfather was Alex McDonald and the branch of the Mc¬ Donald family from which sprang the subject is known as the "Doctor's," owing to the fact that the ancestor of this branch was a