Dr. D.A. Dunbar

     I came across the following information about Dr. David A. Dunbar of Alma.  He was the son of Wm. Archibald Dunbar and Sara Rix (of North Bedeque, b. 1842) of Centerline Road, Alma.  Dr. Dunbar studied medicine at McGill University in Montreal - he later lived and practiced in Vancouver, B.C. where he died in 1954.   
     Dr. D.A. Dunbar was a brother of James *Jimmy* Dunbar who lived across the road from Spurgeon Jeffery.  Dr. Dunbar's ashes were sent back to Alma for burial - Wilbert Jeffery recalls visiting Jimmy and Hattie that day in 1954 - Hattie said to Wilbert, "Jimmy's not feeling so well today - his brothers ashes arrived in the mail this day".

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     The following information comes from the City of Vancouver Archives http://vancouver.ca/your-government/city-of-vancouver-archives.aspx

Reference Code: AM54-S4-2-:CVA 371-1578.  Date: Dec. 11, 1952.  Part of the Major James Skitt Matthews collection.  

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Students Attending McGill, 1909

From the Daily Examiner, Jan, 22, 1909.

List of Prince Edward Island students at McGill – Medicine.

First year:

     Wm. E Williams, Mount Pleasant.
Second year:

     Lester G. Houle, Charlottetown; Fred H. McKay, Mt. Stewart; James S. McLeod, Charlottetown; Louis W. McNutt, Charlottetown; Alex. V. Webster, Marie.
Third year:

     R.S.P. Carruthers, North Bedeque; B. H. Champion, Summerside; D. A. Dunbar, Alma; Arthur W. Furness, Vernon; S. E. Gillis, Indian River; Percy L. Lavers, Georgetown; John A McPhee, Charlottetown.
Fourth year:

     F.M. Auld, Covehead; John R. Cameron, Charlottetown; James W. Dorsey, Charlottetown; John J. Gillis, Miscouche; George C. Lawson, Charlottetown; Walter P McBride, Central Bedeque.

Submitted by Christine Gorman / © Dave Hunter and The Island Register:

http://www.islandregister.com/1909mcgill.html

Last Updated: 10/2/2004 9:13:24 AM

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     Below: a Dunbar tombstone in the Alma Baptist Cemetery noting the following deaths. William A. Dunbar 1840-1908 / His daughter Elizabeth A. Keith 1864-1940 / His daughter Annie M. 1880-1886. /// on the side Dr. D.A. Dunbar 1883-1954. 

     Dr. D.A. Dunbar had the following siblings as listed in the 1891 PEI Census: Hugh B. (21); Emma (21); Joseph A. (19); Emma A. (16); Sarah H. (13); James W. (4); infant girl (4 mos).

     See 1891 Census -

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/census-1891/001081-119.02-e.php?person_id_nbr=3160403&page_sequence_nbr=1&interval=&PHPSESSID=oudpa6rgqrh7up7k8d765ord27

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Above: back reads - Dr. Archie Dunbar

Photo courtesy of Donna (Barbour) MacPhee Collection

The Will of William Murphy (-1918, Alma)

     I came across this on the Island Register website -http://www.islandregister.com/wills/1918williammurphy.html

The Last Will and Testament of William Murphy (-1918, Alma)

Public Archives of Prince Edward Island index to Probate Court register of Wills item No. 1807-1920 Index # 2 MURPHY, William Alma Lot 2 LIB 20 No.of Accounts 702 Filed and reg’d Nov 11, 1918
The late Will and Testament of me William Murphy, Alma, Lot 2, P.E. Island
This will annuls all previous wills made by me. To my son Liford Calvin Murphy I leave one good horse and one good cow. To my son William Albert Murphy I bequeath Five Dollars ($5.00) To my daughter Caroline Elizabeth (Mrs. Robt Stewart) I bequeath Five Dollars ($5.00) To my daughter Mysie Jane (Mrs. John Leard ) I bequeath Five Dollars ( $5.00) and one map of the world, now in my possession. To my daughter Jessie Ada (Mrs. David Vincent) I bequeath Five Dollars ($5.00) To Irene Maud (Mrs. Malcolm Gregory) I bequeath Five Dollars ($5.00) To my wife Caroline Elizabeth Murphy I devise and bequeath all the land and real estate in my possession- the land being that parcel of land, in Alma Lot 2, and lying directly south of and adjoining land owned by Hammond Crockett, and bounded on the south by land owned by my son Bennett Ervin Murphy, and running west from the "Western Road" and containing eighty acres more or less. To my wife Caroline Eliz. I also bequeath all the stock, farming implements, and household furniture in my possession at the time of my death, except as above mentioned,. My wife Caroline Eliz. Murphy shall own and control the land and property above mentioned, during her natural life or while she remains single. At her death or marriage all the above property real and personal then in her possession passes from her to my son Bennett Ervin if he is still alive. Should my son Bennett die before his mother then at her death or marriage all said property in her possession shall fall to my son Liford Calvin Murphy.
My wife Caroline shall be responsible for all my debts and obligations. I appoint as executor of this my last will David Barbour, Alma, and Allan Clark, Alma .
Signed by me this twenty-seventh day of August, one thousand nine hundred and Seventeen at Alma -P.E.I Signed William Murphy (His X mark)

Witnesses Signed John Clark E. Lockhart

This will was proved on 22nd day of August A.D.
1918 on the oath of Emanuel Lockhart one of the
subscribing witnesses thereto and was filed and
registered on the Eleventh Day of November A.D. 1918
As certified by (illeg.) Macdonald Judge of (illeg.)

Homesteads of Lauretta - 1928

     Below is a plan I drew of the homesteads of Lauretta using the Cummins 1928 Atlas of Prince Edward Island.  
     The Atlas also lists the property owner's name, address, wife and children's names.  It's a wonderful resource.

Below: an older version of the Cummins 1928 Atlas.

 http://www.islandimagined.ca/fedora/repository/imagined:collection/-/Island%20Imagined/3

Above: a more recent, reprint copy of the Cummins 1928 Atlas.

Myrtle B. (Burke) Foley Obituary 1912-2008

     The death occurred recently in California of Myrtle B. Foley, 96. Born in Alma, P.E.I., she was the daughter of Peter A. and Gertrude (Aylward) Burke. 

     Survived by sons, Leonard B. (Carol) of California, and L. Edward (Marie) of Rhode Island. Also survived by four grandchildren, several great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews; her sisters, Sr. Florence Burke, CSM of Mount St. Mary's in Charlottetown, and Bernice (Lal) Davis (Donald S. RCMP, retired) of Bedford, N.S. Predeceased by her parents, her husband, Lloyd E. Foley; her sister, Irene (late John E.) Cameron; and her brother, Fl/Sgf. Leonard J. Burke. 
     Burial took place in Leominster, Mass.

     cf.  Published Thursday, April 17, 2008 in the Journal-Pioneer Newspaper.

     PS.  Stanford McNeill bought the Burke property on the big turn, on the Centerline Road in Alma, around the end of WWII - and raised their family there.  

Mildred ( Dunbar ) Barbour Obituary

1914-1985

      The death occurred suddenly today, at Community Hospital, O'Leary, of Mrs. Mildred Sarah Barbour of Alma at the age 71 years.

      She was the daughter of the late Joseph and Mary (Harris) Dunbar of Alma.  She leaves to mourn, besides her husband Archie Barbour, one son and two daughters: Robert of Brantford, Ont., Carol, Mrs. Dennis Ranka of Victoria, B.C., and Helen Barbour of Toronto, as well as six grandchildren and a number of nieces and nephews.

     She is also survived by one brother, Keir of Vancouver, B.C.

     She was predeceased by two brothers and three sisters: Isaac, William, Celesta, Eliza and Ellie, and a grandson, Ricky.

     Remains are resting at Ferguson Funeral Home, O'Leary.  Funeral notice will be later.  Visiting hours Thursday are 2-4 and 7-9.  Memorials to the Alma-Alberton United Baptist Church or the Canadian Heart Foundation would be appreciated.

     Post-script.  The notice of Mildred's funeral was in the Journal-Pioneer Newspaper on Saturday, December 14, 1985.

Duggan Homestead destroyed by fire

     On Sunday evening, October 14th, 2012 the Ralph and Doris (Adams) Duggan homestead was destroyed by a control-burn by the Alberton Fire Department. 

     Doris died in August 2000 and following Ralph"s death 2-1/2 years later the house was rented on and off and had recently been vacant requiring too many repairs to salvage.
     This place held many fond memories for the Duggan family and all you called them friend.

     The house was located at the corner of the Western Road and the Cheese Factory Road in Alma.

     This house was built around 1950 by local carpenter Dave Gordon for Hutt Duggan of the Centerline Road in Lauretta.  Hutt ran a sawmill from here for a few years until he retired in the late 1950's and moved to Malagash, Nova Scotia to live with his sister.  At that time Ralph and Doris bought the house from his Uncle Hutt and lived here till their passing.  
     Ralph was the son of Margaret "Sybil" (Duggan) Dayette.

Above: Doris & Ralph Duggan

     The Duggans in Lauretta/Alma came to be when Mysie Simmons Duggan married John Smith of Centerline Road in Lauretta.  Mysie had six children when she married John - they were: Hutt, Roy, Sybil, Ada (m. Pat MacIntyre), daughter-1 (lived with Hutt), daughter-2 (lived in Malagash).   

     Mysie use to light the fire at Lauretta School.  Wilbert Jeffery recalls as children they would go across the road to John and Mysie Smith's to get water for the school.  

     The following information comes from a Cemetery Tour given by Carter Jeffery of the Holy Trinity Alma Cemetery during the 150th anniversary of the Alberton-O'Leary Anglican Parish in August 2009.

Hugh “John/Jack” Smith  Birth and death dates unknown.  He raised foxes and farmed.  John has three wives buried here beside him – to his left his first wife Jannie McMeeken 1870-1899. To his right, his second wife Holly H. Vincent and to the far right, his third and last wife Mysie Simmons Duggan 1877-1945.  John lived on the Centerline Road in Lauretta across the road just before Lauretta School - later owned by Lawrence Arsenault.  John use to take-up the collection at the church.  
Excerpt from Eva & Mary Jeffery’s Journal –

Feb. 24, 1930: Rain forenoon.  Father to church and Jack Smith fixing roof.

June 17, 1930:  Warm day. Jack Smith here for ladder for to put up staging in church.

July 4, 1930:  John Smith here got money to pay Bowness for painting church.

Heritage Prayer

We were at Cumberland Historic Village this week near Ottawa - in this Knox United Church (formerly located in Vars, Ontario) we saw this prayer in the vestibule - it was adapted from a prayer in the old Covenanters' Church - 1804, Grand Pre, Nova Scotia.

"Heritage Prayer"

Father God;

We keep forgetting all of those who lived before us.
We keep forgetting those who lived and worked in our communities.
We keep forgetting those who prayed and sang hymns in our churches before we were born.
We keep forgetting what our fathers have done for us.
We commit the sin, Lord, of assuming that everything begins with us.

We drink from wells we did not find.
We eat food from farmland we did not develop.
We enjoy freedoms which we have not earned.
We worship in churches which we did not build.
We live in communities we did not establish.
This day, make us grateful for our heritage.

Amen