The Cullens of PEI


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Submitted by Patricia Lunddahl - [email protected]

LUNDDAHL, Patricia (nee Peters)

The death occurred suddenly Sunday, September 7, 2008, in Banyuls sur Mer, France, while on holiday with her sister, Virginia; brother-in-law, Jim; brother, Larry; and sister-in-law, Mary. Patricia lived in Skanderborg, Denmark, and is survived by her two daughters, Anne and Eva and their spouses as well as three grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband Nils in 2005. Patricia was the eldest daughter of the late Marshall and Laura Peters (nee Cullen) and is survived by the following brothers and sisters: Dorothy, Larry (Mary), Virginia Reynolds (Jim), Greg (Dianne) and Pauline Coady (Mike). Burial will take place in Denmark.

Pat was a long time friend and supporter of the Island Register, and we must pass along our condolences to Anne and Eva, to her brothers and sisters, and to Pat's grandchildren. The news came as a very sad surprise Tuesday morning in the Guardian. Many times since I started the newpaper and the web page, we have lost people who have become friends through the page - it is always hard, but this is one of the worst shocks indeed. Though living far away, and visiting the Island infrequently, Pat never stopped researching her Cullen ancestry, and had a great love for her Island family and friends.


The Cullens of PEI

These files are an attempt to collect and interpret what I could find on the early Cullen families on PEI - gleaned from census info online and supplemented with the master name index at the Prov. Archives, the online baptismal index, many helpful people, and other sources, esp. as regards the Clement Cullen family. Much is unproven, with many daring assumptions (that I found logical), but maybe others can correct some of these and flesh out the bones elsewhere - it would be fun to find a connection between some of the families some day!

Note spelling variations in the census - Cullen, Cullin, Culin, Cullan. Note also that there are often variations in data from census to other sources, including church registries. To err is human!

I have several generations of the Clement Cullen family that I am willing to share, and later, but unverified names presumed to be descendents of Edward Cullen of Alexandra. I have chosen not to include the names of living persons, except for a very few of the oldest generation now living.

The 1841 census names only 4 Cullen families on PEI: those of Clement, John, Edward, and James, all Irish, all Catholic, all 35-45 yrs old, all with young families. They lived in Lot 22 Hope River, lot 48 the Mt Herbert-Lake Verde area, lot 49Alexandra, and lot 53 the St. Theresa area, and no connection between them has yet been established.

A later arrival was the Thomas Cullen family in Lot 48, and possibly the Michael Cullen family in Lot 39, Morell, although I believe him to be a son of either James or John, as the census states that he was born on PEI.

Clement came from Co. Wexford, as did the Thomas Cullen who arrived in 1855. I don't know where John, Edward, or James were from.

Surprisingly enough, there were also Protestant Cullens on PEI, maybe even before the Irish arrivals. According to the web site http://www.lrbcg.com/jtcullen/Index.htm , in a section dealing with the Cullens of Pictou County, N.S., they are named in the book entitled, "A Dictionary of Scottish Emigrants to Canada Before Confederation" by Donald Whyte, F.H.G., F.S.G., which mentions the William Cullen who was clerk of the Assembly on PEI for many years, stating that he was a Presbyterian from Anderston, Glasgow, Scotland. The same book also mentions a Rev. William Cullen from Lanarkshire, who studied theology at the University of Glasgow, and settled first at Prince Edward Island and then Australia where he was a minister. However, there are a number of lots missing in the 1841 census, including Charlottetown, which means among other things that someone like this William Cullen is not found in this census, although he must have been here, as he was clerk of the assembly from about 1828, according to his obituary. He also had at least one brother, James here , and William and his wife Ann Skott had a least one child, also called James, born in1823.

So far, I have not found any descendents of this family.

In the 1901 census there is a Margaret, aged 88 (Presbyterian) Who is she? Widow, lodger with Stewart family.

As the years passed, Cullen families could be found in other areas of PEI, but if we look at the map of lots, they seem to remain roughly in the central part of the Island. Some of these were descendents of the first four Irish families, but there were also later immigrants, like Thomas, mentioned above.

None of the early censuses give the maiden names of married women, so daughters of the families tend to disappear, and there are also a number of "strays" that I cannot place. However, I have found some names in marriage and baptismal records at the provincial archives.

I have put the Clement, John, Edward, James and Thomas Cullen families into databases as well as I could, and with all possible reservation as to accuracy, and have also made a separate listing for the Michael Cullen family, Lot 39, (Morell-Morell Rear area), found in the 1881 census.

This Michael and his sister Mary must be children of one of the original families- prob. either James or John, since they were listed as born on PEI, and maybe more likely James, because of the geographic proximity.

A special problem is the William Cullen of N. Wiltshire who married Catherine Landrigan. I have included him in Edward Cullen's data, for reasons explained there, but there is a serious discrepancy in the dates.

Various "unidentified" Cullens:

Baptismal Index:

David Cullen, m. Elisabeth Steward, who had a son, David, on Feb 20, 1845, St Georges

John Cullen, m. Mary Ellen Cutcliff, who had a daughter, Josephine, Anastasia, 21 March 1861, Ch'town

Thomas Cullen, m. Bridget Haley, who had a son, Thomas on May 9, 1862, in Vernon River

John, m. Elizabeth Dunn, who had a daughter, Margaret Ann, 1 Dec 1863, Ch'town.

Some of these may be men already listed but with1st wives who died young as so many did in those days.

Lot 35 1901 census

A.Andrew, aged 20, teacher. Who is he? (In 1901 census, Lot 35, D1, p. 7. School teacher , b. May 1880, boarding with the family of Peter Hughes, in Mill Cove, btw. Bedford and Grand Tracadie. Not found in 1881 census. As far as I can see, this is not the same person as Andrew C, from Hope River who was also teaching and was boarding in Hope River in the 1901 census, aged 28.

Lot 53 1901 census

Frank 36, wife, Maggie 35 and son Michael 1. There is some evidence that this is Thomas Francis, son of John Cullen (either Michael or John) b. 1869. Married Margaret ?, son Michael Francis b. Jan 19 1900. The family later moved to Halifax. (from e-mail, LG Cullen, N.B.)

Lot 39, 1901 census:

Katie Cullen aged 18, a domestic in the John Sinnott household.

James Cullen aged 48, a domestic in the Peter O'Brian household.

Lot 40, Inga Cullen Catholic, b. 1848 on PEI, servant in household of Robert Cox, merchant. Inga sounds like an unusual name for an Irish Catholic girl, did she belong to the Scottish Presbyterians.

Ch'Town Royalty, John Cullen, b. 1851 on PEI, cabinet maker, in household of Donald McIsaac. He could be Thos' son John - the age fits, but then there is a mistake in the census as regards place of birth.

Ch'Town Royalty, Michael Cullen, b. 1836 on PEI, carpenter in household of Thomas Smith, Gardener. (Where was he in 1841, aged 5-6 yrs - child of one of the first families?)

Johanna (or Jeanne) Cullen m Thomas Tobin. She had a child (Philip Tobin) in 1822, (St Jean Baptiste, Malpeque) so must have been born abt 1800 - came from Ireland when?? Who was she?

There were a number of Cullens born in Canada in the 1890 US census, among others:

In Lawrence, Essex Co.: Alice Cullen,b. abt 1840 on PEI, her mother Isabella Cullen b. abt. 1820 on PEI, nephew John H. b. abt 1873 in Mass, nephew Edward, b. abt 1876 in Mass.

In same household, Patrick Cullen, b. abt 1856 on PEI.

In Boston at a boarding school: John Cullen, b. abt 1865 on PEI.

From Islanders in 1870 census, Boston, by Robert E Pierce, on the Island Register

John Cullin, aged 37, Carver, b. PEI (b.1833) could be John and Mary Kehoes son.

From PEI to Boston bet. 1821-1850 Mary Cullen (Family Tree Maker CD #256 - Passenger & Immigration Lists Boston 1821-1850)

Summary:

We now have at least 6, maybe more, different families, plus all the "strays" unaccounted for, and the uncertainty as to whether the families I have put together really belong together.

1.Clement, Irish, Catholic, Lot 22 arrived on PEI in 1830, (after 2 yrs in prob. Quebec).

2. Edward, Irish, Catholic, Lot 49 arrived before 1833.

3. John, Irish, Catholic, Lot 48 arrived before 1841

4. James, Irish, Catholic, Lot 53 arrived before 1841

6. Thomas, Irish, Catholic, Lot 48, arrived 1855

7. William, Scottish, Presbyterian, Ch'Town, arrived before 1828

Skanderborg, Denmark, Oct. 2005

Patricia Peters Lunddahl

(Laura Cullen-Timothy-Andrew-Clement)


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Last Updated: 9/9/2008 4:55:49 PM
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