According to William lacey's will, he accumulated some property in Charlottetown and elsewhere before his untimely death at the age of 27. His will names many of the family members, but unfortunately, also creates a bit of a mystery. He mils his still-living mother Catherine. His brother Pierce lacey records his mother as Margaret Gaffney in his marriage record. Doug Fraser, Genealogical Coordinator at the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation suggests that the most satisfactory explanation is probably that her name was Catherine Margaret Gaifney. The church register in Adamstown alls her Catherine Gaffney.

In 1852 Margaret Doyle, the eldest daughter ofJames Doyle, married John Driscoll of lot 48 and shortly thereafter Pieree Doyle, the eldest son, then twenty-three, left home to make his way in the world, trying his luck first as a tavern operator in Charlottetown in 1856. The year before, in 1855 Charlottetown beame an incorporated municipalitywith its own police force and the power to tax. This meant the beginnings of sidewalk construction, gas street lighting, drainage and sanitary regulation.

Bythe summerof 1863, the Doyle family living in Mermaid consisted of the following poop1e21ames 67, Margaret 52, Catherine 29,James 25, Elizabeth 23, Mary 18, William 16, Moses 13, Annie 8, John 7. All of these people still lived in the original log house. Well aware that the farm could support only so many, three of the family had already left to make their own way in the world.

In October of 1863, Pierce Doyle married Johanna Sullivan, from Clinton (Kerrytown Road), and took up residence in the rapidly-developing town of Summerside. It was also in 1863 that James Doyle, the founder of our branch of Doyles on P.E.I. died. His death notice appeared in the Charlottetown Vindicator, a local newspaper, on December 2, 1863:

At Fullerton's Marsh, Int 48, on the 27th ultimo, Mr.James Doyle, in the 67thywofhisage. Hewasanativeofthe Parish ofAdamstown, County chford, Ireland, and emigrated to this Island in 1816. He was a kind husband and a loving father, and beloved by all who knew him. He died after an illness of four days laying a widow and twelve children—7 sons and 5 daughters—to mourn his irreparable loss— [Irls'b American, Boston Pilot, New York Tablet, and Waford

papers, please insert] (p.3)

The burial site of our first Island ancestor is, as yet, unknown. He belonged to St. Dunstan's Parish in Charlottetown and the graveyard then in use was the pioneer cemetery on Longwonh Avenue (Cemu'Z). It is most likely that he was buried there. Unfortunately, there are no church records going back that far and many of the gravestones of that era have been removed The records of both Vernon Riverand Fort Augustus churches have been checked and neither lists aJames Doyle near that date.

The will ofjames Doyle is of interest, not only from the point of view of who it includes but also who is not included. Those not included were probably ‘on their own' by the time their father died. Son James 8. (third son) inherits the farm with all the stock of farming implements, with the exception

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