b. 1977. They live in Cardigan. 3. Mitchell, b. 1967 in Charlottetown, attends Charlottetown Rural High School.

CURTIS

James Curtis arrived on the Island, probably by 1778 as footman to Mr. Callbeck the then Attorney General to whom he became clerk. Afterwards he was clerk to Mr. Higgins in 1784 Member of the Assembly, in 1797 Governor Fanning appointed him Assistant Judge (Memorandum by John Hill, ca. 1802). Do we detect a note of malice in the term footman ? for one such, he certainly rose rapidly and did well. Hill also refers to William Lawson, Curtis’ brother-in-law, rather disparagingly He can just read and write .

James Curtis was a Member of the Assembly on and off from 1779 to 1817 and was Speaker in 1803 and 1805. He was Provincial Secretary in 1780 and in the same year Deputy Registrar of Deeds, and was High Sheriff for many years. He was also Storekeeper for the donation articles of the Loyalists around 1787-89. Apart from these public appointments, what chiefly concerns Stanhope is that he was the third agent here, following David Lawson and James Douglas, for Sir James Montgomery and for the latter’s sons, Sir James 11, Robert and Archibald Montgomery. As such, he was responsible for collecting the quit rents, arranging leases, settling disputes, and mediating between the proprietors and the settlers. Correspondence between Robert Montgomery and James Curtis include such instruc- tions as I hope by this time the Bovyers have come to a settlement for if I find by your next they are hanging off in hopes of my granting further indulgence, I shall send such peremptory orders as they little expect being resolved to have no Tenant on the land rather than one who does not pay his rent The Widow Brown I presume has either accepted my offer, or left the farm indeed the latter is the best thing she can do, unless her son & she have a joint lease of so much only as they can farm to advantage The loss sustained by John Millar is considerable but I cannot allow a Tenant having so large a Stock to be so far behind 'for years past and indeed I know from undoubted authority that Millar is a very wealthy man but who always pleads poverty, & unless he pays his rent and arrears I will make an example of him & this I desire you will tell him from me . (from a letter in the Ira Brown Papers, PAPEI, from Robert Montgomery to James Curtis, 15 April, 1807). ,

As well as all this, James Curtis is described as a merchant an storekeeper, and there is a fascinating list of goods, headed Charlotton (sic), 9 July 1785, to be supplied to ...the House of James Curtis and Company, at Charlotton, Island of Saint John, by John

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