My Family Tree

Past and Present of PEI

JAMES RAMSAY, who until his death on December 30, 1905, at the ripe age of seventy-six years, was successfully engaged in the operation of his splendid farm at Hamilton. Prince county, was born at this place on October 7, 1829, and was a son of Donald and Penelope (McNutt) Ramsay, natives also of Prince Edward Island, the father having been bom at Hamilton in 1773. The paternal grandfather, Archibald Ramsay, and the maternal grandfather, James McNutt, were both natives of Scotland.
The subject of this sketch was educated in the district schools, his privilege of attendance there being somewhat limited, but he supplemented this by study at home so that he became well informed and was considered one of the best reporters in the Provincial Legislature, having occupied this position in 1861, receiving his first appointment under the late Chief Justice Palmer. He served eighteen sessions as reporter in the Legisla ture and two sessions in the assembly when, his health failing, he was compelled to decline further service in this line. However, farming was the main pursuit of his life and in it he achieved a distinctive success, being considered long before his death one of the leading farmers and representative citizens of the locality. Politically, he was a sup-porter of the Liberal party and in religion a member of the Presbyterian church, serv ing faithfully and efficiently as a teacher in the Sunday school for over forty years. On November 6, 1865, he married Miss Eliza- beth Ramsay, a daughter of Edward and Mary (Drummond) Ramsay, the latter of whom died on February 25, 1891. To Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay were born the following
children: Howard and Frederick W., who are farmers at Hamilton; Fulton D., a farmer at O'Leary; Rev. James A., a Presbyte-rian minister at Middletown, Nova Scotia; Rev. Earnest H., a Presbyterian minister now in Glasgow, Scotland, taking a post-graduate course; Minnie, wife of Fred Lockerly, of Hamilton; and Hattie, wife of William Burgess, of Sheffield Mills, Kings county, Nova Scotia. Mr. Ramsay was successful in every enterprise to which he devoted his energies, his dealings with his neighbors and associates were characterized by straightforwardness and strict integrity and he enjoyed the sincere regard and good- will of all with whom he came in contact.

Indenture signed 1868 between Arthur Owen and James and Catherine Ramsay; Mary, Janet, Margaret, James (Donald's son), Elizabeth, William and Dorothy Hillman, and John and Catherine Hamilton. Land Conveyances, vol 91 pg 371

Called James "the Reporter" Ramsay.

1881 census, Lot 18: James, 51; Elizabeth 40, Howard 14; Fulton 11; Mary 10; James 7; Earnest 5; Harriet 4, and William Ramsy, age 26.

Guardian Tuesday January 2, 1906 pg 8

The Angel of Death has for the third time within a week visited the vicinity of Hamilton and called home another aged and respected resident in the person of James Ramsay who departed this lefe on Friday last, 29th inst. He leaves to mourn besides a sister and brother five sons and two daughters as follows - Fulton, O'Leary; Rev. James, in Nova Scotia; Rev. Ernest H., in Edinburgh, Howard and Fred at home, Mrs Fred Lockerby, Hamilton and Mrs W. D. Burgess, Cunard, Nova Scotia.