548 PAST AND PRESENT OF until the general elections in 1904. In 1905 he was appointed Provincial Secretary, Treasurer and Commissioner of Agricul¬ ture, which necessitated his return to his constituents, who promptly again chose him and he is now serving in these combined offices. A man of staunch integrity and recognized ability, he has won a high posi¬ tion in the estimation of all who know him. In December, 1881, Mr. Reid was united in marriage to Vina, daughter of the late William Lea , of Tryon , Prince Edward Is ¬ land. To this union have been born the fol¬ lowing children: E. Ryerson , who took a business course at Sackville College, is em¬ ployed as a bookkeeper at Tryon ; Arthur B., who took the matriculation course at Sack¬ ville College, is now studying dentistry at Tufts College, Boston; Helen Lea , at home Mr. Reid 's fraternal relations are with the Ancient Order of Free and Accepted Masons and the Independent Order of Foresters. Robert Fennell , among the highly respected citizens and prominent business men of Charlottetown stands the subject of this sketch, who was born in this city on March 30, 1841, and is a son of Wliliam and Ann (Taylor ) Fennell, both of whom were natives of Ireland, the former born at Wexford and the latter at Kilkenny . These parents were married in their native land and came to Prince Edward Island in 1840, locating at Charlottetown , where the father became a builder and contractor, which business he followed throughout his active life. He died in 1884, at the age of ninety-one years, his wife dying in June. 1905.at the same advanced age of ninety-one _ V years. They were the parents of seven chil¬ dren, of whom the subject of this sketch is the eldest. Robert Fennell secured his education in the Charlottetown public schools and then engaged as clerk with J. R. Watt , an old Charlottetown merchant and a brother-in- law of John T. Thomas , the leading mer¬ chant here in that day. Some three years later (1858) Mr. Fennell took passage on the ship " Prince Edward " for New Zealand . The owners of this ship were the Smith family. About forty other passengers made made the trip, among them Henry Merpeth, George F. Owen and his wife, who was a sister of Hon . Daniel Davis , and some mem¬ bers of the Haszard family, while Doc¬ tor Boswell was ship phyisican. Mr. Fennell remained with the vessel dur¬ ing the full trip, which required five and a half months, and he spent two years in Auck¬ land. He next spent one and a half years in the sperm whale fisheries in order to recoup his shattered health, and then returned to Charlottetown , where he apprenticed himself with Thomas Ally to learn the carpenter's trade. After com¬ pleting his time he went to the United States, where he spent two years, and then returned to Charlottetown , and engaged in contracting and building, in which he was highly suc¬ cessful, having constructed some of the most prominent buildings in the city, including Sir Louis Davis 's residence, Brown block, Archdeacon Reid's- residence, upper Prince street, Methodist church, and other large contracts, which stand today as monuments v to his faithful and conscientious workman¬ ship. After continuing in this line for twenty-five years, Mr. Fennell discontinued it and engaged in the hardware business with ft B. Norton , under the firm name of Nor-