In order to illustrate some of the possibilities presented by the maps on Island Imagined, we demonstrate a hypothetical search for an individual named George Palmer. Our family members claim the Palmers lived near Alberton, at one point, in the western part of Prince County. By consulting the Meacham’s Illustrated Atlas (or any contemporary map of Island lots) we know that Lot 4 and Lot 5 encompass Alberton and would be a good place to start. A quick search of the Master Name Index for Palmers with given names starting with “G” reveals that land records included a George P. Palmer in Lot 5 in 1870. The Meacham’s Companion confirms that there was at least one Palmer in this area in 1880, and the Illustrated Atlas identifies a “Geo Palmer” on a lot whose boundaries span 5 acres between the Alberton Road (or Main Street) and the Cascumpeque Harbour.
At this point an examination of the manuscript map and plan index at the PARO would identify other cadastral maps in Lot 5. A search for “Lot 5” or “Lot Five” on the Island Imagined search page would result in maps such as the two below, dating from 1877 and 1911. From there, we can navigate each map using the buttons in the map window. These buttons allow us to zoom in to the area of Alberton Road where we think we might find George Palmer.
We are relatively confident that George Palmer lived in this area in the 1870s, so we begin in 1877 with the map titled Plan of Town Lots at Cascumpec Point. Township No. 5. (Figure 1). This cadastral map of parcel divisions shows names and acreages for each property, and the smaller numbers along parcel boundaries correspond to frontages and other distances measured in chains and links. A chain was 66 feet in length and consisted of 100 links. We can see that George Palmer appeared on the same parcel as the Illustrated Atlas. His land extended over the original survey (shown as a dotted line) so the cartographer included an extra measurement using geographic coordinates to indicate the location of the parcel boundary. In the 1880 Illustrated Atlas, land hooks are used to indicate that both sides of this dotted line belonged to Palmer.
Between the Illustrated Atlas and the 1877 Plan, there is also considerable information about George Palmer’s neighbours, community, local infrastructure, and natural environment. Palmer lived in close proximity to major docks and a rail line. His neighbours owned a range of properties from farm-sized acreages, to town lots and even smaller parcels containing shops and businesses. This end of Alberton appears to have been undergoing urban development, with many subdivided parcels ranging from one and a quarter to two and a quarter acres in size. Most of these parcels were owned by prominent land owners such as G. W. Howlan and the Reid Brothers.
The 1911 map, titled Plan of Township No. 5, shows that our hypothetical family history continued in this area for well over three decades (Figure 2). The same parcel of land was occupied in 1911 by a much older George Palmer. In this map we see that the property is owned by G. P. Palmer, so we can be relatively confident that this is the same George P. Palmer that lived in this area in the 1870s. The map is in some ways less detailed than the 1877 and 1880 maps, but in other ways it is far more useful to genealogists. Topographical features were very different in the 1911 map, where the natural and built environment took a back seat to cadastral names and deeds. Acreage, frontage, and some other boundary measurements are still given for each parcel, but there are no buildings evident like the 1880 Illustrated Atlas and the precision of acreages and smaller lots is much lower than the 1877 Plan.
The main advantages to genealogists from consulting manuscript maps such as the 1911 map are the references to deeds and conveyances. This map was designed as a spatial index to a cadastral list, and not as a community map or even a detailed survey. From this map, land records and taxation officials could quickly identify a parcel’s location and basic measurements and create bills for the appropriate parties. For genealogists who have found their ancestors on the maps, the reference to cadastral lists will potentially open up doors to a wealth of information for their family history. The numbers in red ink below the name on each property refers to the conveyance number and deed number in the land records.
Conveyances are the records of transactions in property ownership. These land records can be quite complicated because of the system of land ownership by large absentee proprietors, or what Islanders call “The Land Question.” An excellent overview of the history, use, and location of land records can be found in the article by Ann Coles, and on the PARO website. Most early conveyances are available at the PARO, where they are indexed alphabetically both by the name of the person selling and the person buying. After 1900, conveyance records are housed at the Prince County and Queens County land registry offices and are alphabetized slightly differently (see Coles). The numbers on the 1911 and many other cadastral maps refer to the “folio” number (Fol.) and “deed” number (Dd) in these records. These records are especially useful for genealogists who have not been able to find wills for an ancestor recorded on a cadastral map. Sometimes property owners conveyed land to their sons and still retained future interest for themselves, thereby disposing of an estate without necessarily drafting a will. Or, a group of family members could convey title to one person, and in this case the deed will include the names of the spouses of each family member, including their address at the time of signing. Records such as this can take what little was known of a person like George Palmer in Alberton and introduce a variety of new avenues for genealogical research.
Historical maps contain a wealth of information for genealogists, and cadastral maps such as the manuscript maps and plans are excellent sources for moving beyond the few and relatively recent years represented by historical atlases. Searching digitized records and online databases is now one of the first actions taken by genealogists.
Many of the lesser known manuscript maps are also becoming more accessible to researchers in digitized form, and the material on IslandImagined adds the capability to search widely through historical maps relating to Prince Edward Island.