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Submitted by Juanita Rossiter - [email protected]

Lewis Marble and Granite Works

by

Juanita Rossiter

May 2005

Great-grand daughter of Robert Lewis and Sarah MacIssac of Cable Head, PEI.

(This history was initially prepared for the Lewis Family Reunion that took place in St. Peters Bay in July 2005.)

William Paterson Lewis:

William Paterson Lewis, born circa 1827-1829, was the son of Thomas Lewis and Jane Paterson. William�s father, Thomas, son of John Lewis and Elizabeth Douglas was supposed to have remained in Scotland when the rest of the family immigrated to Prince Edward Island in 1832. This family folklore appears to be accurate as William�s marriage record appears in the New Abbey church records in Scotland in 1853.

When William was married, the southwest region of Scotland was made up of three regions: Dumfries (Dumfershire), Kirkcudbright (Kirkcudbrightshire), and Wigtown (Wigtonshire), with approximately forty parishes located in each area. Documents indicate that Thomas� family was situated in the parish of Southwick within Kirkcudbrightshire. William and Agnes were married on the 28 February 1853. William was documented as from the parish of Southwick and his wife Agnes from Colvend Parish. By 1856, William and Agnes had left Scotland and were settled in Cardigan, Prince Edward Island. William P. took his skills as a stone mason with him when he left Scotland and founded the Lewis Marble and Granite Works Company in Cardigan.

The Cardigan Homestead:

In August 1856, William P. purchased land on PEI. William did not follow his Lewis cousins to the St. Peters Bay area, and instead settled in the community of Cardigan. On the 27 August 1856, one-hundred acres of land on Lot 53 was conveyed to William P. Lewis from James MacAulay at a price of �45, paid in full at the time of the purchase. In this conveyance, William was listed as living in Cardigan River and his occupation listed as Mason. The land was described as "having a front of ten chains on the north side of the Cardigan River, bordered on the west by land of William McKay and on the east by William Sigsworth." This was to become the Lewis homestead in Cardigan.

William P. appears in the 1861 census return. His occupation was again listed as Mason and he was listed as a land owner. There were eleven people living in his household at that time, two of whom were from Scotland and nine from PEI. By 1861, only five of their ten children had been born, so it is uncertain who the other three individuals living in the Lewis household were at that time.

Saw and Carding Mills:

In 1867, William purchased an acre of land in Lot 54 in a Sheriff�s sale. Being the "best and highest bidder," William purchased the "one acre of land with the saw mill and buildings" for �55 and 10 shillings. This mill was located near the Mitchell River. The Mercantile Agency Reference Book lists William P. as a mill owner and operator in September of 1876, whose operation was worth $2-5,000, with his credit standing as "fair."

Meacham�s 1880 Atlas documents William P.�s oldest son Thomas as the owner of the three lots of land in Cardigan: one -hundred acres, sixty-four acres, and 20 acres of land. On the largest tract of land was a carding mill.

Family of William and Agnes Lewis:

William and Agnes had ten children in total: Thomas (Born circa 1855); Douglas John (circa 1856); James Augustine (17 February 1857); Margaret (28 March 1859); Jane Elizabeth (circa 1861); David (2 March 1863); Grace Paterson (31 March 1865); Mary Theresa (1 February 1868); William Alexander (22 July 1871); and Catherine Clementine (26 January 1875).

It is uncertain if their two oldest sons, Thomas and Douglas were born on PEI. In 1857, their third child James Augustine was registered as having been baptized at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Georgetown on the 25 March 1857. Out of their ten children, six were registered as having been baptized in Georgetown. Their youngest daughter Catherine was their only child to be baptized in Cardigan as the All Saint�s Church Roman Catholic church was not built until 1874.

In 1881, William P. was listed as a Commissioner of Deeds for King�s County. The 1881 census lists William and Agnes as living in Lot 53 with seven of their ten children. Five years later, Agnes (Smith) Lewis died on the 2 February 1886 aet 57 years of age. The 1891 census, therefore documented William P. as a widower, living with children Grace (then 25 years old), Mary (22), William A. (20) and Haty C. (16). This census return listed William as a "monument worker." Also living in his household at this time was William�s son David, his wife Annie and their first child, Ernest. Tragedy was to strike the Lewis household, however, when David died five years later on the 16 October 1896 at thirty-three years of age. Annie ended up outlived her husband by fifty-three years and they are buried together in the All Saint�s Catholic cemetery in Cardigan.

Three years later, William Paterson Lewis died. On his tombstone in the All Saint�s Parish Cemetery in Cardigan is written, "William P. Lewis, a native of Dumfries, Scotland, departed this life, 10 June 1899, aet 70 years."

William Alexander Lewis:

It appears that after his father�s death, William Alexander assumed the leadership of the Lewis Marble and Granite Works company. In the 1901 census, two Lewis families were documented as living in Cardigan. James was listed as a farmer living with his wife Catherine (Campbell) and son Willie D. William A. was listed as a "stonecutter" living with his wife Melvina (MacAulay) and their children Ann and Ronald.

Lewis Marble and Granite Works:

The exact date of when the Lewis Marble and Granite Works Company was established is not known. The earliest reference for William P. Lewis in PEI Directories appeared in Lovell�s 1871 PEI Directory where he was listed as a farmer and mill owner. Teare�s 1880-1881 Directory and Hanbook of PEI, lists William as a Justice of the Peace, in addition to being a farmer and mill owner. The first documentation for William as a "marble worker" appeared in Frederick�s 1889-1890 PEI Directory. This could lead us to assume that the Marble and Granite Works company was established sometime between 1881 and 1889.

The John Alexander MacDonald and John Augustine McDonald fonds at the Prince Edward Island Public Archives contains records documenting businesses in the Cardigan area including: the Cardigan Dairying Company (1900-1915); Cardigan Silver Black Fox Co. (1913-1933); Cardigan Electric Company (1918-1934); and the Cardigan Lumber Milling Company (1917-1924) This collection also documents the remaining period of business for the Lewis Marble and Granite Works company in Cardigan.

The collection contains information about the Lewis family business from 1913 to 1917, including account sales, correspondence, a minute book and a ledger book. These records document the business during its remaining days under the ownership of the Lewis family. The first entry within the account sales file for 1913 reads, "All Saint�s Church, work at altar, etc...$15.00. The account sales document such information as headstones and monuments ordered, and employers wages.

The first entry in the minute book for the Lewis Marble and Granite Works company is dated the 7 August 1912. A meeting had been held at the residence of the Mrs. W.A. Lewis "for the purpose of organizing a company to take over the granite and marble works of the late W.A. Lewis." William had died a few months previously, in June of 1812 of tuberculosis, at the age of forty-one. The individuals present at that meeting included Reverend A. MacAulay, James A. Lewis, Mrs. Melvina Lewis, widow of William Alexander, Revered J.C. MacMillan of Cardigan, Alfred Koughan and John A. MacDonald. At this meeting, it was decided "to form a joint stock company with a capital of five thousand dollars divided into shares of one-hundred dollars each." As of the 7 August 1912, the stock subscribers included:

Mrs. Melvina Lewis: $2000.00

John A. MacDonald $500.00

Alfred Koughan $400.00

Revered A.W. MacAulay $400.00

Revered J.C. MacMillan $200.00

Alfred Konoghan was appointed President and Manager of the company and John A. MacDonald, treasurer. The Directors included Rev. MacMillan, Alfred Konoghan and John A. MacDonald, all of Cardigan. Alfred Koughan was engaged as Manager with a salary of $650.00 per year and Stephen Livingston was made an assistant with a salary of $300.00 per year.

The correspondence file accounts for a large component of the records in this collection. The majority of the correspondence was from customers in the King�s County area from such communities as Mount Stewart, Midgell, Farmington, Rollo Bay, and East Point. Tombstones were also ordered and sent to Charlottetown and as far away as Alberton, West River and Tignish. As the Lewis family had a sizeable number of relatives living in the St. Peters area, it is interesting that not one Lewis family member is documented as having ordered a tombstone from the Marble and Granite Works company from 1913 to 1917.

In addition to the tombstones, there are examples of the work produced by the company throughout the countryside. According to Beth Brehaut, "One of the finest examples of Mr. Lewis� work is the main altar at [the] All Saint�s Church [in Cardigan], which he designed and carved." The Lewis Marble and Granite Works ledger also records an order from Revered MacAulay in St. Peters Bay in March of 1914:

Sold to Revered MacAulay, one white marble tablet to be cut the same as Bishop McIntyre�s and erected in memory of Reverend R.J. Gillis."

Sold for $117.00, cash, the bill was paid by Father MacAulay on the 3 March 1914 and the tablet erected on the 1 July 1914. These two marble tablets, in honor of Bishop Peter McIntyre and Revered R.J. Gillis, who are buried under the church, still stand on the altar of the St. Peter�s Bay Roman Catholic Church.

Reading through the correspondence relays a lot of information about the running of the business. In a copy of an unsigned letter dated the 17 December 1914 to a "Mr. J.J. Beaton of Sidney, Nova Scotia, it was written "In reply [we] would say that the business is a small one; turning out about $5000 yearly, which could be much enlarged under capable management..."

Another letter to Donald B. McInnis, Esq., of Souris dated the 17 February 1915, stated "Most of the monuments are set up in marble if they are under a hundred dollars in price. Stones over that figure are generally set up in granite. Further business correspondence documents that The Bay of Fundy Red Granite Works in St. George, New Brunswick provided the company with red granite and The Vermont Marble Company of Boston, Mass., provided the company with their marble.

The majority of the correspondence in these documents came from their customers on PEI, the majority of which were from King�s County. An interesting series of letters from a Reverend Hughes in Minnesota, which began in May of 1915, documented the ordering of a tombstone for the parent�s of Revered Hughes to be placed in the St. Bonaventure Roman Catholic cemetery in Tracadie, PEI. The Revered Hughes made two payments for this tombstone in 1915, totaling $225.00. On the 10 November 1915, a letter was written to Rev. Hughes asking if there would be "any person at Tracadie who would haul the stone from [the] railway station and held at the [the] foundation." The stone was set up in the Tracadie cemetery approximately one month later on the 3 December 1915.

An entry from the minute book documents a special meeting held on the 11 May 1914. A meeting was held at the "marble shop" to discuss "considering the proposition of Ronald Gillis with regard to a position as salesman." After some discussion, it was agreed to engage Mr. Gillis on a commission basis. "R.J. Gillis" as he was addresses in his correspondence, was from St. Peters Bay. In a letter to R.J. Gillis dated the year after he was hired, on the 18 December 1915, the company wrote:

We are sending a small granite monument to St. Andrews to be set up for Bishop Morrison. The foundation and base are already set there. Would you kindly take charge of it and complete setting it up. Bishop Morrison�s brother, Allan Morrison of Savage Harbor, will meet you there and do the hauling and give any assistance you require. You kind attention to this matter will very much oblige us as Alfred has moved to Charlottetown.

The Alfred referred to in this letter was of course, Alfred Koughan, the Manager of the company. On the 27 October 1915, another "special meeting" was held by the stakeholders of the company. The minutes for this meeting reported that "A. Koughan could not continue to manage the business as he was unable to get help for the shop." The secretary was thereafter ordered to advertize in the Guardian and Patriot newspapers for help. The correspondence files contain receipts from the Guardian newspaper for advertizing in February and March of 1916, which cost a total of $6.00.

An annual meeting was held the following year on the 8 June 1916. An entry for this meeting reads, "A proposal from Alfred Koughan and Adelbert Cairns for purchase of the stock on hand was considered and agreed to by the company." This was the last entry in the minute book. A letter from the Vermont Marble Company dated approximately one month later, on the 3 July 1916 stated they had been advised that "You have sold out your stock in trade to Messrs. A. Keoughan and A.S. Cairns who will start a new monumental works in Charlottetown.

Ledger Book, 1912-1915:

The ledger book for the Lewis Marble and Granite Works company document a variety of information for their customers between 1912 to 1915. The information in this ledger includes lists of inscriptions, payments made by customers, sometimes the exact date the tombstone was erected, the cemetery the tombstone was erected in, as well as what the tombstone was made of.

The following is a list of the customers whose names and information are included in the ledger book. The names in this chart are not in their original order, and have been arranged alphabetically. When the customer�s place of residence is not listed, that is because it was not documented in the original ledger. The number beside the customer�s name and place of residence is the page number that the individual is documented in the original ledger, which can be viewed at the PEI Provincial Archives. If the customer was ordering a tombstone for a family member other than their own surname, the surname appears in brackets beside the page number.

NAME:	RESIDENCE:	PAGE NUMBER IN ORIGINAL LEDGER:
Aitken, Charles	Bay Fortune	89
Aitken, George A.	Georgetown	19
Allen, Nathan S.	Botan [Boughton] Island	117
Battersby, Mrs. Robert S.	Midgell	23
Beaton, Victor	Elmira	108
Bernett, Miss Margaret	Fort Augustus	146
Birt, Samuel	Mt. Stewart	120
Bowlen, P.D.		73
Burge, James	St. Peters Bay	112
Burke, Joseph	Fortune Bridge	21
Bruce, Mrs. Annie	Baltic	153
Byrne, Patirck	St. Theresas	2
Callaghan, John	Southport	121
Cameron, Stanley	Elmira	162
Carroll, Josie and James	York Station	6
Chaisson, Peter	Bear River Line Road	109
Coffin, Artemas	French Village	154
Coffin, Victor	Savage Harbor	118
Colgan, Joseph		46
Collings, Guss	New Perth	139
Corcoran, Mrs. Martin		47
Cox, Harry	Morell	107
Curran, Reverend Thomas	Cardigan	52
Davis, Mrs. M.J.	Atkins Ferry	141
Delorie, Miss M.A.	Brundenell	59
Dingwall, Mrs. Doris	Dingwells Mills	61
Dingwall, Henry	Annandale, Lot 56	10
Donahoe, John	Roseneath	100
Doyle, John R.	French Village	155
Dreelan, Mrs. William	Orwell Cove	33 & 37
Drinkwaiter, Mrs. David	Charleston, Mass.	91 (Campbell & MacDonald)
Dromoire, Mrs. John Hughes		145
Dunn, Thomas	Summerville	27 & 29
Egan, Mrs. David	Mount Stewart	30
Feehan, James	Savage Harbor	96
Finlayson, Allen	Cardigan	54
Flynn, Peter	St. Peters Road	60
Forsyth, Mrs. Joseph	Grand Tracadie	53
Fougere, Philip	Lower Montague	95
Galbraith, Mrs. Hattie A.	Saith Bridge, Mass	12 (Beers)
Garland, James	Webster�s Corner	11
Garner, Mrs. Margaret	Georgetown	7
Gay, A.F.		129
Gillis, Mrs. Agnes	Charlottetown	38
Goodwin, Thomas	St. Theresa�s West	57
Gordon, Arthur		22
Gordon, Heber	Cardigan	39
Grant, Richard	Charlottetown	90
Ings, Ernest	Hazelbrook	92
James, Mrs. Henry	Maple Leaf, Lot 56	14
Kane, Mrs. T.	Summerside	132
Keenan, Miss Nellie	Charlottetown	126
Kelly, Patrick	Cardigan	93
Kickham, Richard		44
Knight, John A.	Cardigan	8
Landrigan, Mrs. James	Charlottetown	50
Laverty, Mes. E.P.	Johnstons River	148
Lavie, Mr. Charles	Souris	17
Lavie, John	Souris	133
Lathard, Fred	Cardigan	144
Marah, Mrs. John O.	Cardigan	26
Matheson, Miss Mary	Dundas, Lot 55	63
McAdam, Mrs. Catherine	Burn Point	24
MacAulay, Clara	Souris	164
MacAulay, Revered	St. Peters Bay	97 (Bishop McIntyre)
McCarthy, Eddie	Morell Rear	28
McCormack, Mrs. A.J.		9
McCormack, Charles	Souris	83
MacCormack, Donald	Georgetown	58
MacCormack, Donald	Georgetown	68
McCormack, James	Rollo Bay	140
McCormack, James D.	Vancouver, B.C.	70 (McLean, Campbell)
McCormack, Leo L.	Rock Barra	152
McCormack, Leo S.	Big Pond	161
McCormack, Michael	Souris East	20
McCormack, Michael	Souris West cemetery	102
McDonald, Augustus	Souris East	163
McDonald, D.J.	St. Andrews	105
MacDonald, Miss Francis	North Sydney, NS	18
McDonald, Herman	St. Margarets (Bear River Station)	115
MacDonald, Mrs. J.E.	Cardigan	62
MacDonald, Miss Julie	DeGrosh March	79
McDonald, John A.	Bear River	103
MacDonald, John E.	Souris East	80
McDonald, John F.	Sailor�s Hope, Lot 56	1
McDonald, J.G.	Sailor�s Hope	125
McDonald, Revered D.J.G.	St. Georges	49
McDonald, R.	Pisquid	106
MacEwen, H.D.		45
McInnis, Adrin	Red Point	113
McInnis, Mrs. Agnes		43
McInnis, J.D.	St. Peters Bay	168
McInnis, John G.	St. Georges	104
McIntyre, Peter J.	Cascade, N.H.	168 (Flynn & McIntyre)
McIsaac, James	Souris	40
McIsaac, John	St. Peters Bay	87
McIsaac, Vincent	Souris East	156
MacKay, Miss Cassie	Midgell	149
McKay, John	Mount Hope	41
McKearney, Michael	Charlottetown	88
McKinnon, Mrs. John	Stratcona	72
McKinnon, Patrick H.	Southampton	116
McKinnon, Mrs. Stephen	McAskill River, Lot 42	85
McLaine, Mrs. Donald	St. Peters Bay	86
McLaren, Mrs. John	Montague	32
McLaren, Mrs. Captain William	Georgetown	134
McLeod, Mrs. Daniel A.	Lorne Valley	130
McMillan, Neil	Wood Islands	48
MacNeill, Mrs. Joseph	Morell	15
MacPhee, W.J.	Burn Point	34
McPhee, William	Mount Hope	42
McPherson, Angus	Union Road	135
MacPherson, Donald	St. Peters Road	35
McPherson, Ronald J.		98
McQuaid, A.J.	Souris East	157 & 158
McQuaid, John J.	Pisquid	64 & 71
McQuaid, Owen	Dorchester St., Charlottetown	122
Mills, James	Sailor�s Hope, Lot 56	4
Monaghan, Miss Mary		76
Mooney, John J.	Greenvale	160
Mooney, Lenard	Greenvale	137
Morrison, James	Bridgetown	119
Morrison, Mrs. Joseph	St. Peters Bay	151
Mullally, Dr.		78
Mullin, Mrs. Mary	Kensington	51
Murphy, R. Maud	Summerside	3
Murphy --------	St. Anns, Hope River	69
Muttart, Dr. E.B.	Souris	81
Nicholson, Alexander	Union Road	67
Nicholson, Neil	Head, Cardigan	5
Norton, E.D.	Brudenell	124
O�Connell, Maurice	Johnston�s River	66
O�Conner, Mrs. George M.		94
Parker, George H.		56
Phelan, Reverend Stephen T.	Pastor of Georgetown and Montague	150
Pigott, William D.	Mount Stewart	165
Power, Mrs. John	Newton Cross	99
Riley, J.D.	Charlottetown	128
Rolibary, Daniel White		82
Rose, George	Elmira	111
Sanderson, Harvey	Midgell	84
Scott, Mrs. Walter	Commercial Cross	13 (Reilly)
Scully, Miss Mary E.	Souris West	25
Scully, M.N.		136
Sencabaugh, William	Georgetown	65
Shaw, Mrs. Cyrus	New Perth	127
Sharkey, Patrick	Cardigan	36
Sinnott, Miss Hannah	Bristol	131
Smith, J.J.	New Perth	123
Steele, Miss Sophie	Little Pond, Lot 56	55
Stewart, Donald	Upton	167
Stewart, Hugh	Georgetown	7
Sutherland, Mr. Clement		16
Sutherland, George	Cardigan	31
Taylor, Thomas	Lower Montague	110
Trainor, Patrick		143
Walker, Mrs. Donald J.	Launching	74
Walker, Revered Father		101
Walker, Ronald		75
Weatherbie, Rubell		77
Webster, Mrs. Charles	Marie	166
Webster, Judson	Midgell	114
Whitman, Mrs. Joseph	Aitkens Ferry	159

 

ENDNOTES:

. Examiner, 21 December 1863, p. 3.

This article contains a death announcement for John Lewis, stating "He was a native of Kirkendbrightshire, Scotland, and emigrated to North America AD 1832."

1. During 1991-1192, I was an exchange student at the University of Dundee, in Dundee, Scotland. In May of 1992, I went to Dumfries, Scotland, attempted to do some research on the Lewis family history, and the only item I came across that I recognized as belonging to our family was William�s marriage record.

2. Land Conveyances, Liber 72, Folio 541, Public Archives and Records Office of PEI (PARO).

3. Ibid.

4. Land Conveyances, Liber 88, Folio 529, PARO.

5. Mercantile Agency Reference Book, September 1876, PARO.

6. St. James Roman Catholic Church Records, (PARO), Accession # 3538A/1,4.

7. These directories can be viewed on microfilm at the PEI Public Archives and Records Office (PARO), Accession # 4064.

8. John Alexander MacDonald and John Augustine McDonald fonds, Accession # 3503, Series 3, Box 25, (PARO).

9. The dates following these businesses do not indicate the years of operation, instead indicate the years for which records exist in this particular collection (fonds) of information.

10. Accession # 3503, Box 25, Lewis Marble and Granite Works company minute book.

11. Montague Funeral Home Records, p. 62, PARO. (Melvina Lewis outlived her husband, William Alexander by fifty-one years, and died in 1963. William and Melvina are buried in the All Saints Parish Roman Catholic cemetery in Cardigan).

12. Accession # 3503, Box 25, Lewis Marble and Granite Works company minute book.

13. Stephen Livingston was the son of Alexander Livingston and Margaret MacDonald of Cardigan.

14. Brehaut, Beth, Highlights of Cardigan Area (Prince Edward Island: 1987), p. 27

15. Accession # 3503, Box 25, Lewis Marble and Granite Works company ledger, p. 97.

16. Accession # 3503, Box 25, Lewis Marble and Granite Works correspondence file, 1914.

17. Accession # 3503, Box 25, Lewis Marble and Granite Works correspondence file, 1915.