One of the early schoolmasters who taught in the old log Trout River School was Robert James Downing. He had come from well-to—do par- ents in Ireland. At some time in his youth he had come to Miramichi, New Brunswick where he taught school. He became acquainted with and mar- ried Miss Roache, a daughter of Captain Thomas Roache who later was drowned at sea. ‘

After a few years the young couple crossed over to Prince Edward Island and found their way to Port Hill. They obtained a small house on land in Lot 13 across a small creek from Neil McArthur.

Mr. McArthur was a widower whose occupation of trading in lumber took him regularly to Miramichi where he met Mrs. Downing’s widowed mother, Mrs. Roache. They eventually married and then mother and daughter were living just across the creek from each other. The Downings

had by this time a family of three girls.

One day in April about the year 1827 when Mr. Downing returned home for the weekend from teaching school, he managed to cross the creek safe- ly by carefully picking his steps. When he reached his home his wife with the baby in her arms was ready to go across the creek to visit her mother. Mr. Downing persuaded her that the ice was very bad and that she had better wait until the next day when he would accompany her around by the road. He then left to go to see Dr. Grigg about a spot on his leg that

was giving him trouble. Shortly after he left, Neil McArthur happened to >

call in. He declared that the ice was perfectly safe so she decided to go to see her mother after all. She told the two older girls that she and the baby were going to their grandmother’s house and to tell their father when he came home to come over and help her return. When she was about halfway across the creek, she broke through the ice. Although men who were not far off hurried to her assistance, some of them also broke through the ice and sticks had to be brought from the shore to support the rescuers. They managed to get the mother to the surface, but the baby had slipped out of her arms. With difficulty she was brought to the shore but she could not be revived. The body of the baby Henrietta was not recovered until summer when it drifted ashore at a point in Lot 12. Mr. Downing contin- ued to teach school, taking his daughters Julia and Elizabeth to board with him. He continued to do so until they grew up and were married.

Thomas Gorman was born about 1796 in County Kilkenny, Ireland. He emigrated to Prince Edward Island and obtained 100 acres on the north

r6 Roors & BRANCHES