The family name, Campbell is generally considered a Scottish name. The speaker, Leo Campbell’s family branch, however, was Irish in origin. This name originated both from Ireland and Scotland, and it is one of the oldest names in Ireland, County Tyrone. They were called Campbells by English-speaking people since the 1220s. A lot of them were very involved in religious life. In 1338, Donald Campbell became the Bishop of Derry. In the obituary of the speaker’s great grandfather’s brother, Thomas stated that he was born in the County of Tyrone, Ireland and he immigrated to Canada when he was a young man. He landed in Charlottetown onboard the ship Thomas Kelson on May 28th, 1841. Their family lived for some years in Charlottetown, then subsequently moved to North Wilshire. Thomas Campbell was a patriotic Irishman who, until his last moment, cherished the warmest affection for his native land. The speaker discusses why people moved from Ireland to PEI. He read over again the works of Seamus McCluskey, who is a fantastic historian and knows about the history of Ireland as well as any person in the world. In his history of Emyvale, Ireland, he talked about the night of January 6th, 1839. It was the winter before a lot of Irish came out to PEI. They called it the night of great wind because the wind was so strong that it blew the cottage thatch roofs off. They had potato crops stored in holes underground which were lifted by the wind and were destroyed. People from Counties Tyrone and Armagh in Ireland moved to PEI and the rest of Canada and the US. This was due to periodic crop failures such as the serious blight of 1821 and a great decline in the linen industry. The speaker’s great-great-grandfather Patrick Monaghan was a weaver by trade in the Emyvale area in Ireland. The linen industry was very important during that period and it was the mainstay of the economy. General poverty was a result of the original inhabitants having been disposed of their land and their descendants reduced to sub-system acreages which were continually being sub-divided to the point of insufficiency. There was general resentment among Catholics. The majority of them were against the repressive penal laws established in the 18th century which resulted in demoralization among many for being lowly regarded and in practice as inferior persons and for being effectively deprived of their civil rights, economic opportunity and social dignity in their own land. The first time that Brother Hughie and the speaker and Walter were in Ireland, there was a lady called Kathleen Trainor in her late 80’s who could put up a story together when people give her ideas.

The speaker reads the Immigrant's story by Kathleen Trainor

Kelly's Cross was known as Kelly's Cross as far back as 1875. The speaker had clippings of The Examiner newspaper about a joint meeting that was held when they were trying to buy the land from the landlords. The landlord wanted 229 pounds per acre and they told him it was too much for the land which was mostly hilly. People such as James Gorman, Francis Malone, Harry Settlers and Mr. Bradley who was the secretary of this committee they had formed were the ones who attempted to purchase the land. A church had been the Irish settlers’ greatest wish. Their Irish faith was strong and Sunday mass was their guiding star. A man from Donagh named Patrick Murran donated acres to build the Irish church and he was buried in Kelly’s Cross cemetery. Soon, Saint Joseph's church was built and their faith was renewed. The speaker points to a picture of Saint Joseph's church in Kelly's Cross, Ireland which was built by Father McDermott in 1820. The exact same saints' names were used as the one in Ireland. The speaker continues to quote Kathleen Trainor from Derry Curano in Ireland. For a 20-year celebration, Henry McMahon wrote a song that tells the story which is called “The Little Hills of Monaghan”. Father Pat Moyne helped people come to PEI. The ship, Margaret Pollard with 917 tons registered, came to the wharf on Saturday, May 22nd, 1841. The speaker’s great grandfather's brother came to PEI on that ship with his family. He was 23 when he came out from Ireland. It was believed that the rest of the family, his father and one brother and three sisters came on the ship Margaret Pollard. Thomas Kelsey had arrived a few hours previous. 120 people arrived from the same port a few hours prior. It was ascertained that the Margaret Pollard had left Belfast on the 29th of April with 685. Of the passengers bound for this port, 24 had died in a passage of measles who were all under five years of age. The two of the children onboard were dead making 26 deaths in total. Others were infected with malaria as well. Margaret Pollard sailed on Wednesday at last with Thomas Kelsey for the Miramichi. Then Margaret Pollard left for Quebec. The description is taken from the Colonial Bureau and also was noted in the Royal Cassette.

Around 1819, Father Burke wrote the history of every parish on PEI. The majority of people came to PEI in 1839, and 1841 and some came later in 1847. A lot of the people that came during those times were still alive to tell the message of exactly what happened. The mission is known more generally by the name of Desable or Kelly's Cross by its earlier Irish settlers, in memory of their beloved home amid the green hills of Monaghan in the diocese of Clogher. Township 29 in which Saint Joseph's Church is situated was at the time of the opening of the parish the property of wide town Melville. Upon that portion of the state which extends along the shore between Sable River and Crapaud, the families of Timothy Burns, Thomas Murphy and Cornelius Harrington dwelt 60 years ago. They came about in 1830. The first catholic settler in Kelly's Cross was John Creamer from County Longford who immigrated in 1839. John Kelly lived where Joe Matters lives now. In his obituary, it was said that he came to PEI in 1830 which was before Creamer. On the ship Agitator, Felix McGuigan(who is the great great grandfather of Hughie and speaker) and Big Patrick Monaghan came to PEI in 1939. The majority of the Irish immigrants came in that year. Mr. Creamer was a successful fireman. Soon after his arrival, he built himself a commodious house. When four years later a number of immigrants arrived in the district, Mr. Creamer was able to accommodate them and he sheltered them beneath his hospitable roof until such times as their own dwellings were habitable. To him, Lord Melville's agent entrusted the work of laying out and portioning the farms taken up by the new settlers. The farms comprised 100 acres of land and were granted for 3 years at 3 pence an acre, 3 years at 6 pence, 3 years at 9 pence and 999 years at a shilling an acre. When Mr. Creamer arrived, the settlement did not have any roads. But soon after his arrival, the surveyors went aboard and the cherished road was opened from Charlottetown to as far west as MacAlder’s farm on the Melville Road. The settlers were from Donagh, Ireland and looked over by Father Moyne. Back in Ireland, people were discouraged from immigrating to the “Frozen Pond”.

At that time, within a number of years, the population in Ireland was cut in half from 10 million down to 5 million. People tried to survive by eating grass which made them throw up. However, they elected to abide by the judgment of father Moyne who summoned the Agitator for Charlottetown. Among those who settled in township 29 was Patrick MacMurray who had for years acted in the capacity of Father Moyne to donate land for building the church. He gave two acres of land for the proposed church which was under discussion for years. John Creamer, before his death, prepared a large quantity of scantling but the project was not revived until 1847 when the existing church was built on the land given by Mr. MacMurray. It was not completed entirely until 1859. Father Moyne was instrumental in so many people coming to Kelly’s Cross, PEI. In August 1862, Father Moyne died. The speaker reads what was written on the side of the tomb of the parish priest, Patrick Moyne. It says that he was the constant friend of the poor and at his death. He was possessed of the annual relief of the poor of Ireland which had been so long blessed by his edifying life. He died on the 29th of August 1860 at age 62. He died a few months prior to Father Duffy. Unfortunately in 1839, priests were very scarce and Father James Charles McDonald had his hands more than full, trying to look after these new settlers. The first thing they wanted was to be able to renew their faith and have a place of worship. So, fortunately, in 1939 he had a helper, Father Malachi Reynolds who was a native of Ireland and a near relative of James McDonald.

Father Reynolds arrived quite unexpectedly and asked for admission into the ranks of the Diocese. The bishop gladly accepted his services and placed him in Charlottetown as assistant to Father Charles MacDonald. His arrival in the diocese at this time was opportune not only on account of the parish where he laboured but also because, during the following few years, many immigrants came from Ireland who benefited from his priestly offices after the uncertainties of a long voyage at sea. These exiles of Erin would for a moment forget the bitterness of their exploration when greeted on the shores of the new world by a generous smile. Father Reynolds went down to meet the boats as they came in. He spoke Gaelic to them which was important for the newcomers. The Reverend Malachi Reynolds attended Saint Joseph's for many years. He built the first presbytery of the mission after the erection of the church. Father Reynolds needed a place to stay and he wanted it to be central. Kelly’s Cross was centred between Kinkora and Lot 65. So he built the first presbytery under the direction of the church. It stood upon the opposite side of the road to that occupied by the handsome dwelling in which the priest of Saint Joseph's Mission now resides and was built upon the land which had been bought from Mr. William Waddell for a glebe farm. A glebe farm is a portion of land attached to ecclesiastical benefits as part of its endowment. In poetry, glebe means any field or cultivated land. This was built soon after he took over the parishes and he took over three parishes in 1851. 1852 was likely the year in which it was built. The Reverend Patrick Doyle was in charge of Saint Joseph's Mission. The glebe farm was sold to Mr. Hughie of Charlottetown. Father Doyle built the parochial house which is one of the finest in the diocese and still stands today. In the 1890s, the first parochial church in Kelly’s Cross was fast crumbling to ruin and was not at all in keeping with the general appearance of the parish. It was intended to be replaced in a few years by a handsome edified church as seen in Meacham’s Atlas. There was a bell at the entrance of the church. The history of the church was recorded by a young man of the parish. The history had to be inscribed by hand because they had no typewriters back then. And it was wrongly written that the bell was put there in 1825. Instead, the bell was put there in 1875. Father James McKenna served in the parish of Kelly's Cross between 1874 and 1875 which was the year that they placed the bell there. James McKenna was a priest and a native of Clogher, Ireland. At an early age, he immigrated to Charlottetown with his parents. He studied for a time at St. Dunston’s College and afterward at the Seminary of Quebec. Towards the end of his theological studies, he went to Montreal where he was raised to the priesthood by Bishop Berget on the 24th of November, 1867. The companion of his ordination was Reverend James Aeneas McDonald. The Reverend James Aeneas McDonald came from St. Andrews Parish.

Father McKenna served in Summerside. When he came to Summerside, he was placed in charge of the missions of Kelly’s Cross and Lot 65 in 1875. However, in this new sphere of duty, he was no more successful than in his former position. In a few weeks, the two missions reverted to the care of Father Doyle until his lordship would be in a position to make further provisions for the people. After spending some time in his home in Charlottetown, Father McKenna decided to go abroad and he made an application for admission into the diocese of Oldenburg in the State of New York. Having been accepted by the bishop of that diocese, he went south towards the end of the year 1875 and he never returned to Prince Edward Island. In New York, Father McKenna was troubled, but he flourished and did many great things. The cemetery occupies a very picturesque position on the side of a hill. It is partly surrounded by fine old trees and shows handsome marble monuments. Under the cross in the center of the graveyard is buried, Reverend James Duffy. The speaker describes a picture of a high cross in the cemetery. Every cemetery used to have these highway white crosses. Father Duffy, from March 1859 to December 1860, was in charge of the mission. He was a native of Alderman, County Monaghan in Ireland and a third of his family received Holy Orders. Two brothers of his became priests, Father Michael Duffy and Father Peter Duffy. The girls from Newfoundland who researched him found both of their obituaries when they died. One died in 1837 in Ireland. Father Duffy was at Ferryland in Newfoundland at the time and it says they send their condolence to his brother. Father Duffy came to Newfoundland in 1833 on the ship called The Cabinet. He arrived on the 21st of September. He laboured as a missionary for 40 years in that colony. He then moved to Nova Scotia and settled in a monastery. He returned to Ireland for some years and he had a diocese there. He then moved to Nova Scotia for eight years of work and lived in a Trappist monastery. He then came to PEI and during one year of his ministry, he gained lasting regard from the people of St. Joseph's / Desable and St. Ann's township 65. His niece, Rose Duffy has erected over his grave a marble slab bearing the following inscription, as a token and tribute of respect.

The remains of the late Father Duffy were transferred to the new church grounds at Kelly’s Cross. A monument erected in his honour was unveiled. Pontifical High Mass was celebrated by His Lordship Bishop McDonald and a sermon was preached by Reverend Dr. Doyle. On September 15, 1900, he was reburied at Kelly’s Cross. The sacrament of confirmation would be administrated at St. Joseph’s Church, Kelly’s Cross. The Examiner wrote about his death on September 20th, 1900, as well as the Guardian. Father James Duffy was born in 1798 in County Monaghan, Ireland. He was educated at Maynooth College in Ireland and matriculated from there in 1829. Father James Duffy studied logic which is believed to be a basic art course of today and likely philosophy, psychology and theology. He was ordained in 1833 and he arrived in St. John onboard the Cabinet Ship on September the 21st, 1833 along with Father Bernard Duffy and, Fathers McKenna, Walter and Rory. Father James Duffy had two brothers who were priests. One of them was Father Michael Duffy who was Viscount General of Kelly Medusa, parish priest of Lord Byron. Father Michael Duffy died in 1837. Father Peter Duffy was parish priest of Saint Anne in Gilmore, Ireland. The mission of Saint Joseph's was first served by Reverend Malachi Reynolds from the 12th of October 1851 to the 13th of February 1859. He was succeeded by Reverend James Duffy who was in charge from the 24th of March 1859 to December 1860 when he died. On the 10th of March 1861, Father F. Langill’s name appeared in the parish register, the last entry being the 13th of October 1861. On the 17th of November 1861, Reverend Malachi Reynolds resumes charge of the mission retaining it until the 26th of August, 1866. During this period of time while, Father Duffy looked after the three parishes. Father Reynolds then retired and he stayed in Lot 65 with John Murray’s family.

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He intended to build a house on Lot 65 as his home and that house is resided in by the speaker’s cousin. Walter Matters currently lives in the house that Father Reynolds had constructed on Lot 65 as his own private home. In the 1900s Father Martin Monaghan built his house in Mascouche. Father Louis Callaghan from Lot 65 also built a house for his retirement. They want the freedom of not having to go directly to old people's homes after their priesthood. They wanted to stay out among their old friends and neighbours. Father Doyle resigned Saint Joseph's church into the hands of Reverend Felix. Then Burke took charge of the mission for one year. On the 6th of September 1877, Reverend James A. MacDonald came to reside in St. Joseph's whose mission co-joined with that of St. Ann's township. He was a well-beloved pastor. Judging from the exterior appearance of the farmhouses that crown the hills nestled in the hollows of the country in the heart of which the mission lies one must believe that the immigrants sent out by the farseeing Father Moyne were remarkably successful in their fight against the hardships of life in the western hemisphere. They did encounter hardships. Those of them who still live will remember not the least of these was the extreme severity of the winters indeed even summers were too cold for comfort or for vegetation. Mr. Creamer recalled how the first crops of potatoes put in by his father were killed by the frost in the month of August 1839. All obstacles had been bravely surmounted. Perseverance and thrift brought them rewards. and there are no more prosperous farmers in Prince Edward Island today than the sons of Lord Melville's parish estates. Father Burke listed the first settlers of Kelly’s Cross including John Creamer from County Longford and Henry Woods from Donagh, Felix McGuigan from Donagh, John Kelly, Robert Craig from Donagh, Peter McNally, John Monaghan from Donagh, Francis Malone, and Thomas Hager. The speaker’s great-great-grandmother was Catherine Johnson, wife of Big Pat Monaghan. Her granddaughter, Annie Flood recorded what her grandmother had told her about life as they arrived at Kelly’s Cross.

Catherine Johnston Monaghan wanted to live with her son, James. But he moved to the United States, so she lived with her other children. Hannah Monaghan was Catherine’s daughter and Charles Monaghan was her son. Charles Monaghan was Cardinal Charles McGuigan’s grandfather. Annie Monaghan Smith was another daughter of Hannah Monaghan’s. And John Monaghan was a brother of Hannah’s. John was the speaker and Edie Campbell’s great grandfather. Catherine visited her children frequently, helping with taking care of the grandchildren. This made her always welcomed and much loved. Her spare time was spent in prayer. The speaker used to come home from school and play with her. When they were picking the berries, she told the stories of her in Ireland. She said she learned Gaelic letters in one hour behind a ditch as the Catholics were not allowed to go to school. Catherine said her grandfather was born a protestant. His name was David Johnson. He had three children. Her father was Richard Johnson. He married Mary Monaghan. There was a double marriage between the Monaghans and Johnsons. Seamus McCluskey in Ireland talked about Father Duffy riding horses and teaching in hedge schools. The Johnsons were stone cutters and used to carve fancy stones to decorate the fronts of rich homes and buildings. When Catherine’s grandfather Johnson was small, the bishop of County Monaghan started to build a church or cathedral. It was called St. Mary's. The foundations were started and he was looking for donations to finish them. David Johnson (Catherine’s grandfather) called on the bishop and donated 30 sovereigns. The bishop was stunned by the generosity of this protestant. He didn’t understand why David, a protestant, would do that in light of the great bitterness between the Catholics and Protestants in Ireland. David Johnson replied that he had his whole family going to convert to Catholicism. The bishop gave David Johnson and all his family a great blessing and said “I pray and predict that your family and descendants for generations to come will always help to build and redeem the Catholic church. There will be priests and religious descendants from your family in the future. They will learn easily and make great progress and study.” Catherine also talked about life as a girl in Ireland. When they went to and from mass, they carried sun bonnets in their hands. All the girls wore their hair hanging down their back and tied with a ribbon. She said she had an abundant head of light brown hair. She was beautiful as an old lady and must have been very beautiful as a young girl. She had golden brown hair, rich brown eyes, skin as white as snow, and the natural pink of her cheeks. She did not need any of the cheap colours girls wear today. She was a small woman about 5 feet 3 tall. When the settlers first arrived on PEI, they needed the woods. They also had to settle near water for survival. Their first homes were not fancy.

Catherine Monaghan’s husband, Patrick Monaghan built his house in 1839. It still stands today and it’s the house where Ronnie and Theresa live today. The speaker’s grandfather, Patrick Monaghan was called “Big Pat” because he was a big tall man. He died before the speaker could remember, so, all his accounts of him were from his granny. He was a weaver by trade as nearly all Monaghans were. He was an expert at it and he used to go to England to weave for wealthy families. Weavers in Ireland belonged to a very respectable profession and were looked upon with respect. The speaker’s grandparents came to Prince Edward Island on the sailing vessel named the Margaret Pollock after the supposedly first (European) woman to come to America. When they came from Ireland, they had five children. But the speaker’s mother, Rebecca was born in PEI. They settled in a place now called South Melville which is about one mile from Kelly's Cross Church. They walked to Charlottetown about 18-20 miles for shopping. During the winter Catherine would pick the best straw and braid hats to sell. Sometimes she would carry a dozen of these hats a few pounds of butter and a couple of dozen eggs to town. William Murray's family came to America on the same ship as the Monaghans. They kept a grocery store in Charlottetown. The old census of Charlottetown shows the location of their store. Catherine could sell her wavers there, get her dinner, buy her groceries and return home the same day. There were no direct roads at the time, only the path known as the old Tyron Road. Catherine always took a near cut by Hughie McKenna’s on a cow path called “hauling road” down by South Melville. She was always home before dark. She said that once she bought some coarse salt which she slung over her shoulder in a bag. She carried her basket in her hand. It was warm and as she perspired and when she reached home, her back was badly burned. Once, she was taking a shortcut through some woods near Bonwell, she saw a large brown bear in her path. He was scratching at the root of the tree, probably burying something. She was almost beside the bear before she saw him. She was very frightened and just looked at him and made the sign of the cross. He looked at her a moment and went on digging. Another time, she took off her shoes and stockings and went into some bushes. Suddenly she felt something coil around her ankle. She looked down and saw a great snake. She was terrified but made the sign of the cross and gave her foot a shake. The snake fell off and disappeared into the bushes. She never carried any weapon of defence.

The sign of the cross and her faith and love of God was all Catherine needed. Though she admitted at times that she was terribly afraid. When they settled on Prince Edward Island, there was no church in Kelly's Cross. The nearest church was in Rustico and the speaker's family used to walk there. It was closer than Charlottetown and could be travelled by foot in almost a day. The speaker recalls the old route he took with his grandma to Rustico. They would leave early on Sunday morning to be in mass there at 10 o'clock. The speaker shows pictures of the only two churches they had at that time. The second church in Rustico was built in 1838. In the Autumn of 1838, there was evidence of much stir and bustle in the Mission of Rustico. A new church was in the process of erection. The occasion called forth unbounded enthusiasm in every quarter of the parish. The committee, chosen by the bishop a year before, went to work with hearty goodwill. Before the end of July, they had raised the frame which they were now hurriedly covering in so as to secure it against the storms of the winter. The Acadians of Rustico were proud of their church for it was the largest in the diocese. Its massive tower was unique in the country gave it the stately grandeur that elicited the admiration of all who sighted it. The other church that they would go to was the Basilica which was built in 1843. The first basilica church in Charlottetown was built in 1816. The second one was built in 1843 five years after the one in Rustico. When they built the third basilica (which was burnt by fire), they made the second one into a school. It was divided into two classrooms. There was funding to run the school, about which issues arose in the legislature. An act was passed in 1851 that would help look after the expenses incurred by the school. When Granny walked from Kelly’s Cross to Rustico for mass, she always carried her shoes and stockings because she wanted to save them. It was easier to walk through the forest barefooted. There were three bells, at 9:00, 9:30, and 10:00 o'clock for her to know the time. She felt she wasn't making any sacrifices on these long walks to church. She was happy to be going to mass. She loved the beauties of nature and often told me how she loved to walk through the virgin forest to pluck the wildflowers and to thank god for her health and happiness. She was always happy because she had peace in her soul and love in her heart. She lived to be 96 years old and she never had a doctor in her life. She never took any medicine, wore no glasses, and could see to read until a week before she died. She taught herself to read and write. She knew the mass prayers and liturgies of the heart. She was wonderfully intelligent and many people went to her for advice. Granny (Catherine) was always happy and she had many trials. Her husband died of pneumonia when the family was small and she had to make many heroic sacrifices to keep the children together and bring them up yet she never complained. She would say “other people have enough troubles without mine”. When she got sick, she only lived three days before a very peaceful death. She was a very holy woman and always advised everyone to pray. She would often say “pray when you are in trouble and thank god when you aren't.” The speaker remembers her most for her spirit of sacrifice and resignation to do God's will, her life of prayers, and her happy disposition. The speaker was 13 when she died. He remembers how beautiful she looked when she died and the awful loneliness in his family when they wondered what they would do without her. She passed away in 1883. The speaker reads the writings of a first cousin of hers about a dream involving Granny and John Kelly. There is a list of the first priests and sisters to the religious life with people like Cardinal McGuigan who was her great-grandson who was ordained priest in South Rustico old chapel where Granny used to walk to church. Her son, Charles Monaghan, was Cardinal McGuigan's grandfather. There were at least six Monaghan priests and sisters who were grandchildren of hers.

Norman McDonald was at the lecture who can relate to a history published in 1956. George Paul was 85 years of age. In 1929, he started to write articles for the Guardian. He wrote for about a year published. He tells all about Charlottetown. He was born in 1844 and he wrote everything by hand to the Guardian. The speaker quotes a piece from him, “My Memories of Kelly’s Cross”. Kelly’s Cross was settled by Scotch protestants from Lord Melville's estate in Lot 29. Mr. William W. Lord fetched from Ireland many honest pioneers in his vessel. They settled on the land now called Kelly's Cross. It was wooded with heavy timber. The healthy young Irish people took up their farms at one shilling per acre and made timber for Mr. Lord. He bought all of it and sold it in the old country. They then cleared up their land and pulled in the grain in the burnt land and could thresh out 30 scoops of grain a day with a flail. That was the flail used to knock the grain off the heads. They wanted a church but they had no money to build one. So, they went to work the scamp loom and get the frame up. They had lots of wood and then they hired four or five men from Crapaud to frame their church for they were not used to the framework. Mr. Bess was their boss. The scaffolding was too short and it only rested an inch or two in the girths of the frame. This and the unstable rafters created an accident which killed Mr. Bess and injured some other men. Some had broken skulls, fractured skulls, and broken arms. Mr. Bess died five days later. The church got built but never finished completely. It was used for worship for about 55 years. The church had no pews so the people had to stand. The women took the south side and the men stood on the north side of the church. The church would be filled on a fine Sunday morning. James Bradley stood at the door with his box taking the coppers. Father Reynolds might be the first parish priest. This old church is still standing today. It was converted into a public hall at Kelly's Cross. It is one of the best halls in Lot 29. Now a brand new brick church stands in its place. It is the largest and best church in Lot 29. The parish built it with no grants from landlords or from anyone outside of their own parish. William W. Lord of Charlottetown was a great businessman. He built a great many ships in town and in Crapaud. He had a large shipbuilding industry called Palmer's Wharf. When the settlers first came, the shipbuilding wharf was only 10 or 15 feet high and half the width of this hall where good-sized boats could travel through. He ran a great trade with the old country. He bought up all the hardwood timber and sent it to Ireland. Mr. Lord brought a number of immigrants who settled at Kelly's Cross on wood farms rented at a shilling an acre. They cut down the trees, cleared up the land, made timber in the winter, and hauled it out to Sturdy's Mill. In the summer with high spring tides, they made small rafts and pulled them down below Wigton Bridge and put them into one big raft and then rolled them out into the basin. The Irish people had good English tongues, very sweet voices, and were good singers. The speaker points to William Lord and Patrick Monaghan’s lands on a map. The old newspapers record the tragedy of Richard Bess who was killed when building the church at Kelly’s Cross. He was a carpenter by trade. In 1847, he was given the contract for building the first church in Kelly's Cross. 23 men were working on this job including the Rogerson Brothers, John Arnett, and James Newson who was the brother-in-law of Richard Bess who was killed. When they raised in the rafters, the building collapsed due to the fact that the workman whose duty it was to put dowel pins in place had omitted to do so. As a result, Richard was killed in the accident which seriously injured six others of them. The speaker quotes from the Examiner, September the 25th, 1847, “Melancholy Catastrophe”. MacMillan wrote that in 1847, the people of Lot 29 had their first church since their arrival in the colony. Previously, the only practical religious consultation afforded to them after their hardship of moving from Ireland was that on rare occasions, Father Reynolds would come and hold a station in the neighbourhood. A station is a particular house where you go to say mass. They hoped that one day, a priest would come to reside among them who would keep the torch of faith continually burning, and gladden their hearts by ministering to their spiritual wants. They accordingly commenced to collect materials for a new church and soon had all things in readiness. But the work of construction had not proceeded far when an accident occurred which threw a damper on their enthusiasm. When the frame was ready to be raised, a large number of people assembled to assist. It frequently happens when a number of irresponsible people engaged in an undertaking of that kind, necessary precautions for the safety of the workmen were disregarded. Raising the frame into position, the fasteners gave way and the beams and braces and timbers fell upon the people who were crowded beneath. Over 20 people were injured, some quite seriously. In a short time, they recovered with the exception of Mr. Richard Bess who died of his injuries on the fifth day after the accident. The work was continued notwithstanding this drawback and in due course of time, the church was covered in and put in order for divine service. Then Bishop McDonald came back from away. There were now churches in the southwest in Kinkora. That used to be called southwest because the southwest branch of the Dunk River comes in there. Kelly's Cross and Lot 65 had a scarcity of priests because one had not yet been assigned to them. Meanwhile, their population gradually increased. New immigrants were arriving each year and the circumstances, especially for the early settlers, were improving in the lapse of time. It was therefore imperative that they should have a priest who would devote himself exclusively to their service and thus surrender to them that spiritual attention that they had to look for in their present condition. Father Reynolds was therefore appointed pastor of the three missions. Then, early in the autumn, he assumed duties in Charlottetown. He made the choice of Kelly's Cross for his principal place of residence because it is near the center of the scene of his labours. He could be more easily found there when needed by his Christian flock.

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