HISTORICAL SKETCH OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Prince Edward Island, a crescent shaped gem, set in the Gulf of St. Lawrence was first inhabited by the Micmac Indians and was called by them “Abegweit” meaning, “The Home Cradled on the Waves”.

This was surely a spot designated by the hand of the great Master builder with its beaches and cliffs of red sand and sandstone, giving a warmth of colour and a vivid contrast to the blue encircling waters seph arating it nine miles from New Brunswick at its nearest point.

The 400th anniversary of his visit to our shores, July lst., 1934 was celebrated in Charlottetown, when a Cairn in his honour was erected

on Queen’s Square.

Jacques Cartier was the first white man to visit our Island shores and leave a record of what he saw. The 400th anniversary of his visit to our shores, July 1st, 1934 was celebrated in Charlottetown when a Cairn in his honour was erected on Queens Square. For many years after Cartier’s visit, fishermen from Europe made the Island their summer headquarters for fishing; they dried the fish along its shores, but left no written records.

Samuel D. Champlain was the man who named it “Isle St. Jean” in honour of St. John the Baptist.

For many years this Island was in the hands of the French.

In 1763, the Island was given over to the British under the Treaty of Paris.

Captain Samuel Holland during the years 1764-1766 made a sur- vey of the Island for the British Government, and in 1767 it was divided

into sixty—seven lots.

The lots which contained 20,000 acres each were balloted away to favourites of the Crown in August of 17 67. The grants were issued through Lord Campbell, the Governor of Nova Scotia of which province the Island at that time formed a part. Lot 19 of which New Annan forms a part fell into the hands of Walter and John Patterson. Walter later became Gov. Patterson. He came to the Island to live in 1770; In 1798

there were seventeen families living in Lot 19.

In 1769 the Island of St. John was made a separate colony and received from King George III the official seal which is still in use. The leader of the Government at this time was Hon. John H. Gray.

Settlers came from England, Scotland and Ireland also from the United States after the Revolutionary War. Up until about the mlddle of the nineteenth century colonization was slow.

In 1798 “St. John’s Island” became known as “Prince Edward Is- land” after Edward, Duke of Kent, who later became father of Queen Victoria.

Fishing was the industry which attracted the attention of the early settlers, later lumbering and as the land became cleared farming came into the scene.

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