The executors of William Schurman (1819, 1824) Extracts from the inventory, and the notice of sale of land from the estate of William Schurman. [From: Graves, R. (1973) William Schurman Loyalist of Bedeque, Prince Edward Island and his descendants. Published by Harold B. Schurman, Summerside, P. E. I.)

William Schurman (b. c. 1743, d. 1879), the progenitor of the Schurman family of Prince Edward Island, had come as a refugee Loyalist with his family to the island in 1783 from the colony of New York after the end of the American rebel/ion. At first he established himself on a farmstead with a store on the banks of the Dunk River, in what is now Central Bedeque, but in 1808 he bought 6500 acres of land a few miles away in Lot 25. The land took the form of a long narrow section that ran from the shore inland and comprised virtually all of the Wi/mot River valley extending to what is now Norboro. Shortly afterwards he built a sa w—mi/l in order to begin to convert the virgin timber that we may presume covered the land, into an income. The site of the mill is still well-kno wn local/y being about 3. 5 km upriver from the river mouth. (In fact, in 2003 William ’s reputed house was still standing — though barely, having been used as a farm-shed since about the 79303.) William died on 75 September 18 7.9 and four days later three of his sons, acting as his executors, made an inventory of his property that lists the mill and the pine timber that was in it at the time of his death. Then in 7824, the mill and some 3000 acres of the surrounding forested land, were advertised for sale in the Prince Edward Island Register, again with emphasis being placed on the pine timber. It should be noted that these two different types of historical source lie. newspaper advertisements of land sales, and legal documents (in this case an estate inventory, but equally wills and land deeds) — which have only been included here because they were published in a genealogical work — are indicative of a much larger amount of surviving material that could yield information on the island ’3 forests.

REFERENCE: Graves, R. (1973) William Schurman Loyalist of Bedeque Prince Edward Island and his descendants. Published by Harold B. Schurman, Summerside, P.E.|. pp. 19—38.

Inventory of the effects of the late Wm Schurman, deceased [Though dated 4 July 7 826, the inventory was drawn up on 79 September 7879.]

3240 Acres of Land with the Saw Mill [the first of 65 items listed]

Pine timber. 67 Tons Pine Timber [the last of 65 items listed]

July 4th, 1826 Peter Schurman, Isaac Schurman,

Wm Schurman, Executors [from Graves (1973) (p. 35)]

Newspaper advertisement in the Prince Edward Island Register, 20 March 7824:

To be sold by Auction, On the Premises at Bedeque, on Saturday the 10th day of Asaw—m/‘ll in April next, at 12 o’clock, all that valuable SAW—MILL, erected by the late Mr. WIVmO? Valley. Schurman, deceased, with the appurtenances, which with some small repairs can be immediately put in operation.

Also, about Three Thousand acres of Land, situated on the same River with the Mill, abounding with fine groves of Pine and other Timber, and convenient for rafting. Terms of sale of this valuable property will be made known at the Auction.

Groves of pine and other timber.

Peter Schurman,

Isaac Schurman,

William Schurman, Executors Bedeque, March 18, 1824.

[Copy in Graves (1973) (p. 38). The original is in the Prince Edward Island Register, 20 March 1824 (p. 3, col. 3). The same ad was printed on 27 March and 3 April 1824.]