Microfilm

Master Name Index

This unique index is a collection of over 400,000 index cards bearing genealogical data on thousands of Prince Edward Island families. Most of the information is for the pre-1881 period. The cards are arranged alphabetically by family name and within each given name the information is arranged in chronological sequence. The general order in which they are presented is as follows:

Cemetery cards from all P.E I. cemeteries arranged by family name / lot or township / cemetery number / gravestone number
Cards showing names of landowners and patrons listed in the Illustrated Historical Atlas of Prince Edward Island by J. H. Meacham and Co. (1880)
Cards with references to secondary sources of information such as community histories and published genealogies
Cards with references to census records, business directories, birth, death and marriage records, funeral home records, school records, newspaper references, and other information from miscellaneous sources.

The Genealogical Society of Prince Edward Island created the index cards, which exist in their original format at the P.E.I. Provincial Archives and Records Office in Charlottetown. They were microfilmed in two stages. Phase I took 60 rolls of film and Phase II was done on 24 reels. The number of cards of each family varies from one to thousands. For example, there is one card for the surname Pickle and about 15,000 for the name Mc/MacDonald.

Newspapers for Summerside

P. E. Island Agriculturist

May 31, 1883 – January 29, 1949 21 reels

The Agriculturist was a sister paper of the Summerside Journal and was devoted to information about farming. It gradually increased its attention to general news, but remained predominately agricultural in nature. It ceased publication January 29, 1949.

Gaps appear: June 6, 1939 – December 30, 1939

The Island Farmer
July 31, 1878 – November 20, 1878 1 reel
January 4, 1889 – December 19, 1947 18 reels

The Island Farmer was published for about four months in 1878 by Schurman Brothers of Summerside. In 1889, the Pioneer Publishing Co. began publication, alternating the issues with its other paper the Pioneer. The primary focus was on agriculture until about 1910, when the number of general news articles began to increase. It ceased publication in 1947.

Gaps appear: September 7, 1891 – December 29, 1893
January 7, 1937 – January 4, 1939
January 6, 1942 – December 29, 1942

The Island Farmer
March 19, 1974 – August 31, 1987 5 reels

This was a newspaper published in Montague, P.E.I. and was an independent source of news about Island agriculture.

The Pioneer
July 5, 1876 – February 26, 1879 1 reel
September 13, 1879 – May 29, 1880 1 reel
September 22, 1880 – October 4, 1951 21 reels

The Pioneer was first published in Alberton, then from September 13, 1879 to May 29, 1880 in Montague. In September 1880, it began publication in Summerside and continued until October 3, 1951, when it merged with the Summerside Journal to form The Journal-Pioneer.

Gaps appear: January 1, 1889 – January 19, 1891
December 28, 1891 – December 25, 1893
January 6, 1923 – December 29, 1923
January 1, 1927 – January 22, 1927
December 24, 1938 – March 18, 1939

The Summerside Journal
October 12, 1865 – October 3, 1951 37 reels

The Summerside Journal began as a weekly paper in the fall of 1865 and continued to be published until 1951 when it joined with the Pioneer to form The Journal-Pioneer, which is still published in Summerside.

Gaps appear: October 12, 1865 – November 23, 1865
May 31, 1866 – October 4, 1866
September 22, 1870 – September 26, 1873
September 24, 1874 – December 28, 1876
December 27, 1894 – April 2, 1895
December 31, 1943 – July 1, 1944

The Journal-Pioneer
October 5, 1951 – January 31, 2007 245 reels
February 1, 2007 to the present 60 Compact Disks (and growing monthly)

The Journal-Pioneer is still being published as Summerside’s newspaper. Newspapers published since the first of February 2007 are saved in a digital form and are available for viewing on CDs. Most of the issues published in the first ten years of this paper are available online at www.peiancestry.com.

The Summerside Progress
July 16, 1866 – May 24, 1869 / Jan 15, 1872 1 reel

Newspapers for Charlottetown

Prince Edward Island Register
July 26, 1823 – August 17, 1830 2 reels

Colonial Herald
January 4, 1840 – July 27, 1844 2 reels

Islander
December 2, 1842 – December 30, 1859 7 reels
January 2, 1863 – December 29 1871 4 reels

Ross’s Weekly
January 1, 1861 – December 29, 1864 2 reels

Monitor
January 1, 1862 – December 29, 1864 1 reel

Protestant and Evangelical Witness
January 4, 1862 – July 1, 1865 1 reel

Charlottetown Herald
October 12, 1864 – October 25, 1871 2 reels

Vindicator
October 17, 1862 – October 5, 1864 1 reel

Patron of Industry
January 30, 1896 – November 12, 1896 1 reel

Guardian
July 2, 1887 – December 31, 1896 5 reels
January 2, 1904 – January 15, 1920 38 reels

Examiner
August 7, 1847 – September 11, 1888 29 reels

Patriot
July 2, 1875 – December 24, 1876
August 12, 1878 – December 16, 1878
December 27, 1883 – February 14, 1884 all on 1 reel
January 2, 1891 – March 19, 1912 34 reels
September 25, 1919 – December 17, 1944 56 reels

Census Records for Prince Edward Island

1841 Census 2 reels
1861 Census 5 reels
1881 Census 4 reels
1891 Census 4 reels
1901 Census 3 reels
1911 Census 3 reels

Church Records

Protestant Church Records for Prince County Churches
Alberton Church of England Parish Acc. 3063/1
Alberton Presbyterian Church Acc. 3185
Alberton-Elmsdale United Church Pastoral Charge Acc. 3062/1
Alberton-Elmsdale United Church Pastoral Charge Acc. 3062/2
Bedeque United Church Acc. 3168/4
Bedeque United Church Acc. 3168/5
Bedeque United Church Acc. 3168/6
Bedeque United Church Acc. 3168/7
Belmont Baptist Church Acc. 3158/1
Bideford United Church Pastoral Charge – Reels 1-4 Acc. 3494
Bideford United Church Pastoral Charge Acc. 3494/1
Birch Hill / Cape Traverse/ DeSable Church of Scotland Acc. 3095/1
Kensington / New London St. Mark’s Anglican Church Acc. 3094/1
Kensington / New London St. Mark’s Anglican Church Acc. 3094/2
Kensington / Summerfield United Church – Reels 1-3 Acc. 3797
Margate United Church Acc. 3253/1
New London / Granville St. John’s Presbyterian Church [CD] MHCA001.52.87
North Bedeque United Church – Reels 1-3 Acc. 3198
North Bedeque / Freetown United Church Acc. 3198/17
North Bedeque / Freetown United Church Acc. 3198/18
O’ Leary United Church – Reels 1-3 Acc. 3891
O’ Leary/ West Cape United Church Pastoral Charge Acc. 3891/4
O’ Leary/ West Cape United Church Pastoral Charge Acc. 3891/5
Port Hill Church of England Parish – Reels 1-2 Acc. 3067
Princetown / Lot 16 United Church Acc. 3253/2
Richmond Church of England Parish Acc. 3096/1
Richmond Church of England Parish Acc. 2630/1
Richmond Bay East / Lot 16 Presbyterian Church Acc. 3198/2
Richmond Bay East / Lot 16 United Church Acc. 3778/5
Richmond Bay West Presbyterian Church Acc. 3374
Summerside Church of Christ Acc. 3214/1
Summerside Presbyterian Church – Reels 1-2 Acc. 4227
Summerside / St. Eleanor’s Anglican Church Acc, 2630/1A
Summerside Trinity United Church – Reels 1-2 Acc. 3213
Tryon / Hampton United Church – Reels 1-8 Acc. 3708
Wellington United Church Pastoral Charge 1926-1993 Acc. 4318

Catholic Church Records for Prince County Churches (up to 1900)
Alberton Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church LDS
Bloomfield St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church LDS
Brae St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church LDS
Egmont Bay St. James’ Roman Catholic Church – 2 reels LDS
Foxley River St. Bridget’s Roman Catholic Church LDS
Grand River St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church Acc. 3672/1
Grand River St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church LDS
Indian River St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church LDS
Kinkora St. Malachi’s Roman Catholic Church LDS
Lennox Island Roman Catholic Church Acc. 3672/3
Lot 7 St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church LDS
Malpeque St. Jean Baptiste’s Roman Catholic Church M16
Miscouche St. John’s the Baptist Roman Catholic Church Acc. 3271/44A
Miscouche St. John’s the Baptist Roman Catholic Church LDS
Mont Carmel Notre Dame Roman Catholic Church – 2 reels Acc. 3890
Palmer Road Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church LDS
Seven Mile Bay St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church LDS
Summerside St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church LDS
Tignish St. Simon & St. Jude’s Roman Catholic – 2 reels LDS

Other Catholic churches included on three of the above microfilm include those in Rollo Bay, Little Pond, Morell, Corran Ban, Covehead and Tracadie.

Business / Telephone Directories of Prince Edward Island

The directories give alphabetical listings of people and businesses arranged by communities in Prince Edward Island. They range in date from 1864 – 1952. There are also a few yearbooks with general information about the Island.

Directories of P.E.I. – Reel # 1
1864 Hutchinson’s Prince Edward Island Directory.
1870-1 McAlpine’s Maritime Provinces Directory.
1871 Lovell’s Directory for Prince Edward Island
1880-1 McAlpine’s Directory of Prince Edward Island
1880-1 Teare’s Directory and Handbook of Prince Edward Island
1887-8 McAlpine’s Charlottetown City Directory
1889 Frederick’s Prince Edward Island Directory

Directories of P.E.I. – Reel # 2
1900 McAlpine’s Prince Edward Island Directory
1904 McAlpine’s Prince Edward Island Directory
1909 McAlpine’s Prince Edward Island Directory
1913 Prince Edward Island Year Book
1914 Prince Edward Island Year Book
1914 Ballingall’s Directory of Prince Edward Island

Directories of P.E.I. – Reel # 3
1914-1915 McAlpine’s Prince Edward Island Directory
1915 Prince Edward Island Year Book
1916 Prince Edward Island Year Book
1924-25 McAlpine’s Prince Edward Island Directory
1929-30 McAlpine’s Prince Edward Island Provincial Directory
1935 Trade Directory of Prince Edward Island
1937 City Directory of Charlottetown
1945 The Prince Edward Island Year Book of Registered Motor Vehicles
1951 Prince Edward Island Provincial Directory

Directories of P.E.I. – Reel # 4
1973 Might’s Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island City Directory
1975 Might’s Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island City Directory
1978 Might’s Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island City Directory
1980 Might’s Charlottetown, PEI City Directory Including Parkdale and Sherwood

Telephone Directories of Prince Edward Island
1894-1901 Reel #1
1919, 1922-23, 1925-29 Reel #2
1930-1940 Reel #3
1941-1952 Reel #4

Telephone directories 1952+ (with a few gaps) are available in hard copy in the reading room.
The Summerside sections to 1964 are available online at www.peiancestry.com

Birth, Deaths, and Wills

The “Act respecting Births, Deaths and Marriages” for Prince Edward Island came into effect in 1910. Prior to that, records were voluntarily submitted to the government. We have on microfilm baptismal records prior to 1886 and death records prior to 1906 from the provincial Department of Vital Statistics. We also have a microfilmed registry of wills probated in Prince Edward Island from 1807 to 1920.

Baptismal Records Prior to 1886 19 reels
In alphabetical order by surname

Death Records Prior to 1906 5 reels
In alphabetical order by surname

Other Microfilm Holdings

The other reels of microfilm that we currently have are described in the following listing:

The Maple Leaf was a magazine established by former residents of Summerside, Messrs. McInnis and Harrington, who had settled in Oakland, California. They published monthly issues beginning in February 1907 “devoted to the interests of the Sons and Daughters of the Maritime Provinces on the Pacific Coast.”
February 1907 – June 1920 Reel 1 (M955)
July 1920 – March 1927 Reel 2 (M956)
April 1927 – September 1931 Reel 3 (M957)
October 1931- August 1939 Reel 4 (M958)
September 1939 – December 1941 Reel 5 (M959)

Harry T. Holman fonds
Harry T. Holman (1875-1950) was a leader in Summerside and Prince Edward Island business and commerce. The Public Archives and Records Office microfilmed his diaries for posterity.
Written between 1925 and1942, they provide a valuable record of commercial, social and political life of the time.
February 24, 1925 – December 31, 1935 Reel 1 (vol. 1-6) Acc.4420
January 1, 1936 – January 12, 1940 Reel 2 (vol. 7-10) Acc.4420
January 1, 1941 – December 31, 1942 Reel 3 (vol. 11-12) Acc 4420

Town of Summerside fonds
Series One: Minutes 1971-1978 Reel 1
1979-1986 Reel 2
1987-1993 Reel 3

Series Two: Annual Reports 1878-1930 Reel 1
1931-1967 Reel 2
1968-1979 Reel 3
1980-1987 Reel 4
1988-1993 Reel 5

Insurance Plan of Summerside 1884
This reel also has a Scrapbook of Alberton from the 1940s to 1970s

Goad’s Insurance Plans for Prince Edward Island
Plans from 1903 updated to 1917

Canadian National Silver Fox Breeders Association fonds
Five reels of microfilm

Contact Club of Summerside fonds 1942-1943
This was a service club at the Royal Canadian Air Force Base in Summerside

George Leard Files
This collection has 18 reels containing genealogical and historical material concerning PEI that was gathered by Mr. Leard to be used in the writing of several books on Island history. Reels 1-11 contain genealogical information by surname. Reel 12-15 as well as Reels 1a, 2a & 3a contain information, arranged alphabetically by subject, concerning Island communities.

Colin Rankin Papers
Journals and papers created 1848-1920 by a Hudson’s Bay fur trader and administrator

Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire
Abegweit Chapter fonds 1915-1993

#10 Bombing and Gunnery School, Mt Pleasant, PEI
Daily diary of commanding officer June 26, 1943- June 6, 1945