Next Clyde River Lecture this Saturday, Feb. 10th, 1:30 pm
Saturday, February 10th – 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. – JoDee Samuelson – “Watermills in PEI, especially those in Clyde River” –For her Master of Arts in Island Studies from UPEI, JoDee wrote her thesis on water-powered mills on Prince Edward Island and Gotland Island, Sweden. Her interest in mills began while she lived in Clyde River, across the river from the Dixon/Scott Mill and down the road from the Beer’s Sawmill on the Bannockburn Road. JoDee will pass along her research on the mills on the Clyde River that at one time provided flour, oatmeal, and sawn lumber for a prosperous ambitious community.
JoDee Samuelson grew up on the Canadian prairies and has lived on the beautiful south shore of Prince Edward Island for the past 30 years. Jody is an award-winning filmmaker and writes a column “The Cove Journal” for Charlottetown’s monthly arts magazine, The Buzz.
JoDee will have Old Mills of Prince Edward Island maps for sale at the event – $15 each.
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This is for JoDee Samuelson who has prairie roots; Do you have information on the MacMillan Mill (I believe it would have been in Wood Islands area)?. My grandfather, Alexander Hector MacMillan was a miller. He was a descendant of James (Hamish) MacMillan of the Spencer 1806 passenger list, My understanding Grampa Mac was 2nd eldest of 12 siblings and took over the family mill in Wood Islands from his father. Grampa had suffered a serious injury to his leg involving the milling stone. Some time around 1910, he left PEI destined for BC (probably by train). He stopped in Keewatin in Northwestern Ontario where there was a large flour mill (Lake of the Woods or Five Roses Mill) powered by the Winnipeg River and which milled the grains of the Prairies to the west. Grampa Mac took a position at the mill in Keewatin and ventured no further west. He later became the foreman of the mill, met and married Pearl Beaton and raised their four daughters. He worked at the mill through WWl, the Depression of the ’30’s, and WWll until he retired sometime in the 1950’s, I think. My mother recalled him walking across the town bridge to work; he was close enough to return home for noon dinner with the family and back to work for the afternoon. My impression was he was very content with his life in Keewatin.
Unfortunately, the Keewatin Mill burned down in the early ’60’s.
I was briefly in PEI three years ago and was escorted to the Pioneer Cemetery in Wood Islands. Prior to my visit there, I had had no idea of the amount of work had been done researching and preserving local genealogy – what a delightful find!!
I had the impression my MacMillan ancestors were millers in Scotland but I believe I need to visit Colonsay to find out more.
If you do not know of the MacMillan Mill in Wood Islands, no worries. I thought at least you might appreciate the prairie connections.
Regards,
Mary-El Owen of Winnipeg, Mb
I passed on your question to JoDee. There has been a history written on the MacMillans of Wood Islands. I featured an excerpt on this site. Just search site and the story will appear. I am a descendant of the MacMillans as well. Check out our story on Spencer 1806.