658 PAST AND PRESENT OF Mr. Paton and feel that he will bring to this office that dignity, ability and patriotism which should characterize such a position." Mr. Paton is a member and president of the Caledonia Qub, vice-president of the Canadian Retail Furniture Dealers' Associ ¬ ation, and vice-president of the Union of Canadian Municipalities, which has for its object the advancement and beautifying of Canadian cities, the head office being located at Montreal. His religious connection is with the First Methodist church, of which he is a trustee and steward. In January, 1880, Mr. Paton was mar¬ ried to Miss Eva Melcora Anderson, a daughter of John Anderson , of Sackville, New Brunswick , and to them was bom one child, Cora Elizabeth . Mrs. Eva Paton died in 1885 and in September, 1887, Mr. Paton married Miss Florence Gertrude Brown , of Charlottetown , a daughter of the late Wil ¬ liam Brown, who was for many years engaged in the dry goods business here. To this union have been born three children: Isabel Evelyn , Beatrice Gertrude and James Rowland . It is worthy of note that in his capacity as a heavy importer of goods Mr. Paton has crossed the eighty-nine times. James E. Birch , a leading citizen and successful business man at Alberton , Prince county, was born at , Lot 13, on July 29, 1849, and is a son of Thomas and Agnes (Ellis) Birch, the former a native of County Wicklow , Ireland, and the latter a native of this Island and the aunt of A. H. Ellis , of Charlottetown . The paternal grandfather, Dennis Birch , also a native of County Wicklow , Ireland, came to Prince Edward Island about 1820 and located at , where he engaged in tailoring and at the same time worked a farm. He was highly respected in his community and lived to the remarkable age of ninety-nine years. His son, the father of James E ., was educated in his neighbourhood and engaged in farming and house joinering at , where he passed the whole of his life, his death occurring in 1898, at the age of seventy-eight years. He was the father of twelve children. James E. Birch spent his early days at under the parental roof, and on leaving school in his youth began life as a clerk in the employ of James and John Yeo, at his native place, remaining with them some thirteen years. He then went to the United States and passed one summer in Boston, where he was in the employ of Hogg, Brown & Taylor. Upon his return to this Island he again engaged with the Yeo brothers, serving them in the capacity of bookkeeper, a position which he retained three years. At the end of that period he moved to Charlottetown , and during the next three years was in the employ of Patrick Walker , of that city, after which he came to Alberton and for three years worked for John T. Weeks . Subsequently he and Jo¬ seph L. Dyer bought out the dry goods busi¬ ness of Alexander McLeod , which they car¬ ried on about seventeen years under the firm name of Birch & Dyer. In May, 1890, Mr. Birch sold his interest in the business to Mr. Dyer and opened his present store, which is devoted to the sale of general merchandise It is eligibly located on Main street and the only cash and one-price store in Alberton . In this emporium Mr. Birch carries a large and well selected stock of all such articles as are in demand by the local trade, and he has commanded an always large but steadilj