Footsteps Across The Bridge 183

present-day Blueshank Road, across from the home of Lyman Huestis (1979). Barrett must have been single when he arrived, since three hundred acres was the allotment for an unmarried man. He apparently did not settle on this land. In May, 1787, Lawrence Barrett, weaver, of Charlottetown, appears in the land petitions, and in the Census of 1798, the same name appears in Lot 37; this time he is a married man with four children. Portions of Barrett’s land now belong to the Huestis family, and Gerald Caseley, and homes on this land include those of Floyd and Gerald Caseley, the Hard- wicks and Brian McLean. The first, settler on the western side was Laughlin McInnis and on the eastern side was Daniel Dickieson.

McINNIS

Laughlin McInnis (1797-Dec. 22, 1888) farmed in Wilmot Valley and his house was on the north side of the brook, opposite the home of John Burrows (1979). The McInnis family appear in the census taken in 1861 , and at this time there were ten members in their family, two of whom were mar- ried. All were natives of P.E.I. Two of the daughters were crippled and tradition has it that this handicap resulted from a fever that they had in childhood. Mr. McInnis was blind in his old age. The girls braided rugs and did sewing in the community. The family moved later to Mill Valley. Mrs. McInnis must have died before the taking of the 1881 census, which pro- vides a few additional details on the McInnis family:

Catherine (1841) was a dressmaker. Sarah (1851) was a tailor. Elizabeth (1857) was a dressmaker.

Thomas (1864) is listed as being a “farmer’s son.” The farm was later sold to Jabez Pridham.

PRIDHAM

Jabez Pridham (1853-1910) married Ada Jane Curtis (1855-1935), daughter of William and Mary (Lefurgey) Curtis of Wilmot Valley, in 1875. J abez was a blacksmith, and following their marriage, Jabez and Ada Jane lived where Cyril Reynolds lives (1979). Later they moved to the Laughlin McInnis property. Eventually the Pridhams moved to Summerside, where they later retired. J abez and Ada Jane had four children:

William Harry (1878-1944) married Pearl Bowness in 1922. They lived in Summerside where Harry was a popular cab-driver. Pearl died in 1935.

Amy Ryerson (1880) married Arthur H. Locke of Sherbrooke. They farmed until 1919 when they moved to Alberta. Their children were Ruby, Doris, Marjorie and Cecil Ray.