Search Public Archives and Records Office of Prince Edward Island
FondsAcc3062 - Alberton Elmsdale Pastoral Charge fonds : [1867-1974, 1997]
SeriesSeries1 - Alberton Circuit of the Methodist Church : [1867-1941]
SeriesSeries2 - Alberton Charge of the Presbyterian Church : [1891-1953]
SeriesSeries3 - Montrose Circuit of the Presbyterian Church : [1882-1966]
SeriesSeries4 - Alberton Pastoral Charge of the United Church : [1920-1974]
Fonds Acc3062 - Alberton Elmsdale Pastoral Charge fonds : [1867-1974, 1997]
Alberton Elmsdale Pastoral Charge fonds : [1867-1974, 1997]
Source of title proper: Title based on the provenance of the fonds
Microfilmed 1978, Copied 1998 (Reproduction)
1867-1974, 1997 (Creation)
Alberton Elmsdale Pastoral Charge of the United Church
2 reels 35 mm microfilm
.001 m. of textual records
The United Church of Canada Alberton Elmsdale pastoral charge had its roots in the Bible Christion, Methodist and Presbyterian congregations of West Prince, Prince Edward Island.
Prior to 1858, the Methodists from West Cape to North Cape had only the occasional services of ministers from the Bedeque circuit. In 1860 a separate mission of West Cape was set up with 13 preaching stations some of which were Lots 7 and 8, Tignish, Kildare and Cascumpec. The pastor was Rev. William C. Brown. By 1868 the circuit was being referred to as the West Cape and Cascumpec circuit and in 1871 it became the Alberton circuit which also included Miminegash who had been supporting the mission since 1861. Methodist Churches had been completed in Cascumpec in 1872, in Alberton in 1878 and in Miminegash in 1881. The latter congregation had already amalgamated with the Bible Christians in the area. For a period of time between 1901 and 1909 Miminegash, West Devon and Woodstock had been affiliated with the O'Leary circuit. At the time of Union in 1925 there were 5 churches in the Alberton circuit at Alberton, West Devon, Cascumpec, Montrose and Miminegash. All congregations became part of the United Church of Canada in 1925.
Prior to 1850 Alberton, West Cape, Montrose and Tignish formed one Presbyterian congregation under the charge of Rev. John C. Sinclair. Before the coming of Rev. Sinclair they had received the occasional ministrations of ministers of the Presbytery such as Rev. William MacGregor, Rev. John Geddie and Rev. John Keir. A small chapel, known as the Dock Church had been erected in Alberton about 1835 to be replaced by a larger ediface in 1857. In 1865, West Point, West Cape, Cambellton and Brae became a separate congregation leaving the Alberton charge with Alberton, Tignish, Montrose, Elmsdale, Bloomfield and O'Leary. The 1870s saw the further splitting of the congregation to form a new congregation of Tignish, Montrose and Elmsdale, and a further splitting off of a self-sustaining congregation of O'Leary and Brae.
By 1900 there were 10 churches in the four charges. When union was proposed in 1925 the only dissenters were a substantial minority of the Presbyterian Church in Alberton who took over the Methodist church building as their place of worship and moved it to a site further east on Church Street. The Old Dock Church was moved to the former site of the Methodist Church to serve as the United Church and was later renamed "Gordon Memorial".
The two congregations, Methodist and Presbyterian came together formally as the United Church in 1926 as the Alberton, Cascumpec and Tignish pastoral charge. In 1969 the Montrose charge comprised of Campbellton, Cascumpec, Elmsdale, Miminegash, and Montrose was amalgamated with Alberton charge to become the Alberton Elmsdale charge. Regular services were held at Alberton, Elmsdale and Miminegash with Sunday School and occasional services held at the other churches in the charge.
The fonds contains records of baptisms, marriages, and burials as well as annual, congregational, official board, and trustee minutes of the Methodist and Presbyterian circuits which eventually made up the Alberton Elmsdale Pastoral Charge of the United Church of Canada. These have been intellectually arranged into the following five series:
Series 1: Alberton Circuit of the Methodist Church
Series 2: Alberton Charge of the Presbyterian Church
Series 3: Montrose Circuit of the Presbyterian Church
Series 4: Alberton Pastoral Charge of the United Church
Series 5: Cascumpec United Church
Records overlap and some of the post 1925 United Church records (Series 4) are contained within the record books of the Methodist and Presbyterian churches (Series 1 & 2)
The physical arrangement of the records for microfilming does not reflect the intellectual arrangement of the description as the microfilming was done prior to the description process
Originals were returned to the donor
NO RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS
PERMISSION FOR USE AND REPRODUCTION IS REQUIRED FROM THE PUBLIC ARCHIVES AND RECORDS OFFICE; QUESTIONS REGARDING COPYRIGHT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE USER
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS, VOLUME LISTINGS BY SERIES, AND A REEL LISTING ARE AVAILABLE
Microfilm is located in the microfilm cabinets in the Reading Room
Alberton (P.E.I.) - Churches
Cascumpec (P.E.I.) - Churches
Churches - Cascumpec (P.E.I.)
Churches - Alberton (P.E.I.)
Churches - Elmsdale (P.E.I.)
Churches - Montrose (P.E.I.)
Elmsdale (P.E.I.) - Churches
Methodist Church - Records
Montrose (P.E.I.) - Churches
Presbyterian Church - Records
United Church - Records
Alberton Elmsdale Pastoral Charge of the United Church (Creator)