Genealogy
A Prince Edward Island
Repeal List for 1843
- by Terrence M. Punch
When the time came to unveil this statue of Daniel OVonnell in Dublin in 1882, it was OVonnell the Emancipator who was
being celebrated, not the frustrated exponent of Repeal
T
his Island story has its roots in
Nova Scotia. One hundred and
forty years ago, the Roman Catholics
of Halifax, Nova Scotia, were predominantly Irish by birth or descent. A
largely ethnic difference had resulted
in the creation of two Roman Catholic
dioceses in the colony. Cape Breton
and eastern mainland Nova Scotia
belonged to the Highland Scots; the
Diocese of Halifax was solidly Irish. As
one might expect, therefore, the local
Catholic newspaper tended towards an
Irish attitude in political affairs. Rather
insensitively, then, has a 20th century
writer, Gertrude N. Tratt, described the
Register as "intended to create or foster
controversy.... Frankly Irish partisan,
it attacked and was attacked by the
Protestant and Conservative press in
the Capital."
The Register continued only for five
years. But such a five years they proved
to be! The period 1841-1845 must be
regarded as the political highpoint of
Irish Nova Scotia history. (Indeed, until
Reformer Joseph Howe made the blunder of falling out with the Roman
Catholics in the late 1850s, the Catholic
vote was pivotal to his success.) During
that period, an Irish constitutional issue
stirred and helped to politicize Irish
feeling everywhere. That issue was
Repeal of the Act of Union of 1801
(which had immersed the Dublin Parliament within the British Parliament
a t Westminster). Led by Daniel
O'Connell, whose successful struggle
for Catholic political rights in the 1820s
had made him the spokesman for the
awakening nationalism of the Irish
populace, the campaign for Repeal was
the Irish issue of the early 1840s.
Repeal Associations or groups of
sympathizers existed wherever there
was a community of emigrant Irishmen. Hotbeds of Repeal sentiment
developed in Halifax and St. John's,
Newfoundland, the places haying the
largest numbers of urban-dwelling Irish
in this region before the Great Famine
of 1846-49 pushed new waves of emigrants out of Ireland. It was not long
before these gentlemen felt a missionary urge to carry the gospel of Repeal
throughout the region. Prominent Repealers from Newfoundland and Halifax converged on Charlottetown, in
neighbouring Prince Edward Island,
to help organize the movement in the
island colony. There they were assisted,
no doubt, by Edward Whelan, a 19
year-old journalistic prodigy and
ardent Repealer, who had been editor
of the Register until early 1843. That
summer, he had established his own
n e w s p a p e r , t h e Palladium,
in
Charlottetown.
The Repealers succeeded in holding
Repeal meetings northeast of Charlottetown, at Fort Augustus and Monaghan (Watervale), and to the west, at
Barrett's Cross Roads (Kensington) and
Bedeque. Probably as a token of their
success, the Halifax Repeal leaders
reported the names of those attending
their meetings in the Catholic (read
"Irish") press of Halifax. Accordingly,
a compilation was published in the
Register of November 6,1843.
Examination of these lists uncovers
several interesting facts. Along with
their names, for example, the birthplaces of many Repealers were recorded. The lists also reveal that several Repealers were women, and that a
good proportion of the Island Repealers were not Irish, but Scots. One was
Edward Whelan, editor of the Palladian (ex- of the Halifax Register,), was
the champion of Repeal on Prince
Edward Island in 1843.
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even an Englishman! Altogether, 150
Island Repealers are listed, all but 30 of
them with their birthplace recorded.
The value of such a list to the genealogist and historian must be appreciable,
and I am very pleased to offer it for the
analysis of scholars and the information of family historians.
Sources
The lists published in this article came
from the November 6, 1843 edition of
the Halifax Register (copy in private
hands). Gertrude Pratt's remarks about
that publication appear in A Survey
and Listing of Nova Scotia Newspapers, 1752-1957 (Halifax: Dalhousie
University School of Library Service,
1979), p. 71. More on the Irish Catholic
community in Nova Scotia, and the
Repeal movement there, can be found
in my "Larry Doyle and Nova Scotia,"
in Talamh An Eisc: Canadian and
Irish Essays (Halifax: Nimbus Publishing Ltd., 1986).
Repeal meeting at Ten Mile House, St. Peter's Road:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Joseph Affleck, Dumfrieshire, Scotland
Daniel Bradley, Donagh, Donegal
Mrs. D. Bradley, Donagh, Donegal
John Byrnes, Monasterevin, Kildare
And what of the Repeal movement
itself? It was doomed. The British
government and people had no intention whatever of acceding to the dissolution of the Act of Union, however
massive Irish agitation became. British intransigence, O'Connell's temporary imprisonment, and, finally, the
devastating Famine conspired to kill
the movement, ifil
41. Alexander Finlay, Banffshire, Scotland
42. James McLaughlin, Sr., Donegal Town
43. James McLaughlin, Jr., Donegal Town
45. Patrick Morrison, Tehallan, Monaghan
Repealers named for Try on Settlement:
7. Philip Coyle, Drumsnat, Monaghan
46. Philip Began, Annaghbeg, Monaghan (Parish of
Clonfeacle)
9. Anthony Dougan, Donagh, Monaghan
10. James Dougan, Donagh, Monaghan
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
James Fitzpatrick, Portarlington, Queen's
Mrs. J. Fitzpatrick, Donagh, Monaghan
Arthur Fitzpatrick, Charlottetown, PEI
James Hughes, Tehallan, Monaghan
John McCarron, Donagh, Monaghan
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
Bernard McKenna, Donagh, Monaghan
Owen McManus, Kilmore, Monaghan
John McPhedy, Donagh, Monaghan
Andrew McPhee
Peter McPhee, Rockcorry, Monaghan
John [Mc]Phee, Rockcorry, Monaghan
Francis McQuaid, Carnahoe, Monaghan
James McQuaid, Carnahoe, Monaghan (Carnowen,
Parish of Killeevan)
John McQuaid, Carnahoe, Monaghan
John McWeid, Donagh, Monaghan
Henry Mooney, Jr., Co. Monaghan
John Mooney, Donagh, Monaghan
Mrs. L. Mooney, Donagh, Monaghan
Patrick Mooney, Co. Monaghan
Robert Mooney, Donagh, Monaghan
Robert Mooney, Donagh, Monaghan
Henry Morney, Donagh, Monaghan
James Moynagh, Donagh, Monaghan
John Moynagh, Donagh, Monaghan
James O'Connors, Graiguenamanagh, Kilkenny
Michael Treanor, Scotstown, Monaghan
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
30
54. Mark Foran, St. James Parish, Wexford
55. James Funehan, Callan, Kilkenny
58. Nicholas Kent, Old Ross, Wexford
59. Donald McDonald
67. James O'Connel, City of Waterford
68. Paul Perry
The largest gathering of Repealers was the eighty-one
Repealers resident at New London Settlement:
70. James Barratt, Queens
71. Mrs. Thomas Barratt, Carlow
39. Matthew Corrick, The Rower, Kilkenny
40. John Deagan, Willan, King's
73. John Brennan, Wexford
74. Martin Brennan, Wexford
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.
101.
102.
103.
104.
105.
106.
107.
108.
109.
110.
111.
112.
John Campbell
James Conners, Kerry
John Connick, Sr., Kildare/Wexford
Daniel Connors, Kerry
James Connrick, Wexford
Margaret Connrick, Wexford
Bernard Croaklin, Monaghan
John Cullaton, Wexford
Maurice Curran, Waterford
Michael Deegan, Queen's
William Deegan
Edward Delaney, Callan, Kilkenny
Mrs. Edward Delaney, Kilkenny
John Delaney, Queen's
Simon Delaney, Kilkenny
Garrett Dempsey, Wexford
Miss Julia Donoghue, Portarlington, Queen's
Timothy Driscoll, Drumbeg, Cork
John Duggan, Queens's
Anne Dunn, Queen's
John Dunn, Kilmacthomas, Waterford
Thomas Dunphy, Kilkenny
Daniel Ferris, Cork
John Hennesy, Youghal, Cork
Peter Hickey, Sr., Queen's
Thomas Hickey
William Hickey
John Terence Kavanagh, Monaghan
Ephraim Keed, Nova Scotia
Patrick Kelly, Tyrone
Michael Lacey, Wexford
John Larrissy, Kilkenny
Arthur McGill, Antrim
John Mclntyre
Roderick Mclntyre
John McKenna, Monaghan
Alexander McKinnon
Alexander McLellan
113.
114.
115.
116.
117.
118.
119.
120.
121.
122.
123.
124.
125.
126.
127.
128.
129.
130.
131.
132.
133.
134.
135.
136.
137.
138.
139.
140.
141.
142.
143.
144.
145.
146.
147.
148.
149.
Angus McLellan
Angus McLellan
Donald McLellan
John McLellan
James McMillan
Donald McMullen
Hugh McNeil
Malcolm McNiel
Dennis Maher, Mullinahone, Tipperary
Edmond Maher, Mullinahone, Tipperary
Thomas Maher, Mullinahone, Tipperary
Michael Meagher, Tipperary
Niel Morrison
Mrs. Morrison, Tralee, Kerry
Lawrence Mullally, Kilkenny
Luttrell Mulligan, Monaghan
Michael Mullin, Monaghan
Peter Mullin, Monaghan
Patrick Murphy, Monaghan
Mrs. Moses Cormick
James O'Brien, Clashmore, Waterford
Mathew O'Shea, Tipperary
John Perkins
James Power, Waterford
John Power, Waterford
Patrick Power, Waterford
Mrs. Power, Waterford
Margaret Shehan, Midleton, Cork
Michael Shehan, Midleton, Cork
Norah Shehan, Midleton, Cork
Patrick Shehan, Cork
Hugh Tiph [or Sept], Sussex, England
Miles Trenor, Monaghan
James Traynor, Monaghan
Thomas Walsh, Ballinaskill, Queen's
John Whelan, Monaghan
William Whelan, Drumsnat, Monaghan
Distribution of the 5,600 people on Prince Edward Island born in
Ireland, 1848 (after Clark, Three Centuries and the Island [Toronto:
University of Toronto Press, 1959J)
31