APPENDIX ONE: THE EARLY YEARS

GENERAL REMARKS FOR THE 1861 CENSUS?

LOT 40:

That land that is settled is of good quality but the wilderness land that is not settled on the Township is mostly swamp and of bad quality.

The roads are generally in a very good state but two or three back roads mainly the road at morell bridge called Mill Town road and the road leading to McDonalds sawmill the bridges are in a fair condition But morell Bridge which requires to be built new, as well as all or two small Bridges.

The water communication would be good but for the bar at the mouth of St. Peters Harbour This bar makes it unsafe for vessels to come in or go out. Consequently vessals will not come hear in the fall, so there is but a very small market on the Bay, which compels the farmers to take their surplus produce some to Grand River and some to mount Stewart Bridge a distance of from ten to sixteen miles. The people are in hopes of a nearer market when the Breakwater at the St. Peters Harbour is

complete. William Hooper

LOT 41:

The principle or chief part of Township Number forty one (Lot 41) consists of good land pretty productive when under good village notwithstanding I would not class it among the first quality of land on the Island and although it produces a tolerable fair return of cereal and green crops it is too sandy and light in its nature and being principally sloping land from ranging heights by reason of which much of its productive substance is carried off particulary in the spring of the year to the Bay and Rivers rendering it consequently but very indifferent for production of Hay or pastarage land as many be seen by the accompanying returns. A considerable part of it probably one sixth portion is irreclaimable . Being what is commonly called Red Spruce Swamps.

The roads through the township will compare favorably with the roads generally throughout the Island.

* These ‘General Remarks,’ including the spelling and grammatical mistakes, are recorded exactly as they appear in the 1861 census. The original hand written documents can be viewed at the Prince Edward Island

Provincial Archives.

20