220 A Bridge To The Past

Stephen and Frances (Lord) Wright of North Bedeque. William and Fannie were married in 1835 and settled on a portion of his father‘s land in Wilmot Valley. They built a home, farmed the land and raised five children, two ot~ whom did not survive childhood.

In 1861 William was one of the few inhabitants of Lot 25 to own a threshing machine. William was a staunch member of the Church of Scotland, being made an elder shortly after his marriage. William and Fannie are buried in Wilmot Valley. Their children were:

Alice (1835—1838).

Isaac William (1837-1914) was called “Little Isaac.“ Mary (1839— ) married Ronald Campbell in 1862. Stephen (1841-1851).

Ann (1848—1922) remained single until 1891 when, after the death of her parents she moved to Carthage, Missouri with the rest of her family. It was there she was met by her Island suitor, Kenneth MacRae of East Royalty, and was married. They lived in Texas for a time but returned to Royalty, P.E.I. in their old age. They had no family. (Ross Graves, 1973).

“Little Isaac” married on March 4, 1861, Isabella Miller, (1837-1913), daughter of Alexander and Janet (Crombie) Miller. Janet was born in Burntisland, Fifeshire, Scotland and had immigrated to P.E.I. with her parents.

In 1885 there were ten members of the Schurman household: the grnadparents, Isaac and Isabella, Isaac‘s maiden sister, Ann, and five children. This prompted the construction of a new home. just south of the original. This is the house Ralph and Alice Hogg live in today. The old home is still standing, just a few yards from its former location. It has been converted to a hen house but does not see much use today.

Upon his father‘s death, Isaac inherited the farm and when his mother passed away some four years later, he sold the farm to Joseph Rogers and the family moved to Carthage, Missouri. Isaac died in Winona, Texas and Isabella died in Terrell, Texas, seventeen months later. Isaac and Isabella had the following family:

Stephen (1861-1922) married Mary Jane MacPhail, a school teacher, in 1886. Stephen went to the US. with his family and Mary Jane remain- ed on the Island. She taught in Summerside for twelve years as well as in other Island schools. Mary Jane spent the last ten years of her life as an invalid and lived in Summerside with her sister, Mrs. John Dickieson. She died there in 1917. Stephen then married a second time