These people began a new trend in settlement of Freetown. Up to this time settlement had been mainly from the Bedeque area but with the opening of the Freetown Road to the Princeton Road, settlement from the eastern section of Freetown was facilitated. Most of these Irish settlers had to lease their land as most of the freehold land was no longer available and they could ill afford to purchase what was left.

During the 1840s and 505 more Irish settlers arrived to settle in Upper Freetown. Included were additional families of McCarvilles, Murphys, Curleys, Deighans and Crokens. The Monaghan settlers were usually persuaded by family members or others to come to Prince Edward Island. They were generally good farmers and excelled at growing potatoes; a mainstay in their native land. They also emphasized education as a means to success and were committed to the advancement of their church.

WHY FREETOWN? The earliest written record to use the term Freetown is a land record dated 27 March 1845. The document

describes a parcel of land as bordering on “The Free Town Roadi’ Another land record dated 13 April 1845 describes land as located at “Freetown-Bedeque? The Prince Edward Island School Visitor Reports in the Prince Edward Island Assembly Journal first used Freetown in 1847. The Road Commissioner Reports in the Assembly Journals first used Freetown in April 1849.

One might ask “Why Freetown?” There are several theories on the origin of the term. Many of the early land records separate the word as Free Town. This separation may give the best clue. If we look at the situation on Prince Edward Island in relation to land ownership in 1845, freehold land was rare. In fact, freehold land was rare even in 1860. According to Progress and Prospects of RE]. by C.B. Bagster, Lot 25 was the only township where small freeholders owned the majority of the land. All other townships were either controlled by private landlords or the government. Lot 25 was thus a haven for prospective settlers who wished to own their own farm without having to pay the rents. In 1845 Freetown had the following amounts of freehold

land available:

Loyalist Land Lot 25 1880 acres John Clark Land Lot 25 4760 acres Loyalist Land Lot 26 950 acres

TOTAL = 7590 acres

The majority of the Thomson-Gordon land in Lot 26 within Freetown was not settled until after 1860. This land, mainly in South Freetown, was known as “Back Settlement” in the 18605 and thus wouldn’t have

been included in the description of Freetown in 1845.

In light of the above it seems obvious that “Free Town” refers to the freehold land available in the area. Most of the early settlers in Freetown had previously lived in other regions of the Island where they had to pay rent to a landlord. These settlers welcomed the opportunity to purchase “free” land where their toils to clear and improve the land would not go in vain or mainly to the benefit of the proprietor.

16