vii PREFACE This is George Leard 's history. As a schoolboy, he was interested in his heritage. Later, when forced into semi-retirement, he became committed to preserving records, not only of his hometown of Souris but also of the whole Island. This was at a time when not many were interested in the past. There are eighteen reels of microfilm in the Public Archives at Charlotte- town containing copies of his interviews with people, his notes, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, maps, genealogies, material on Island furni¬ ture, copies of material from the House of Assembly Journals, and Land Registers, and copies of documents from the Archives of Quebec and Ottawa where he spent time researching our Island past. For George it was a labour of love, a fascinating hobby that he shared with other early historians who belonged to the Prince Edward Island Historical Society. George began to write this history which he planned would cover all the or Lots of 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 and 56. He died in 1967 before it could be completed. The "Leard Papers", as they are called at the Archives, contain enough material for several histories. This one is mainly about Souris in Township 45 and Souris West in Township 44 since their beginnings intertwine.