NEIL SHAW b. Colonsay c. 1789, went to Pictou PEI 1819 on the “Economy”

Ancestor of Robert Elwell Shaw [Documentation available]

Robert Elwell Shaw was born in 1910, the eldest of five children of Vernon Shaw and Priscilla Reilly Shaw. His siblings were Ellery, Dorothy, Verna and John. He was born at home on the family farm situated on the Montague River in Prince Edward Island . He was educated in the local schools and at Prince of Wales College, Acadia University and Vanderbilt University . In 1938, he was ordained to the Christian Ministry . In 1939, he married … and fathered two daughters and one son. Robert died in 2003, and was buried in the Community Park Cemetery , Montague , PEI .

1. Vernon Shaw was born in 1876, the eldest of six children to William Dockendorff Shaw and Mary Hicken. His siblings were Ernest [died young], Bertha, William, George and Mary Jane. After a number of years working at the Burns Meat Packing Company in Calgary , Alberta , and travelling throughout the Canadian West, Vernon returned to the farm on PEI upon the death of his father. He married Priscilla Reilly of Montague in 1909, and to them were born three sons and two daughters. He died in 1940, and was buried in the Community Park Cemetery , Montague , PEI .

1. William Dockendorff Shaw was born in 1840, the second son of Neil Shaw and Jane Dockendorff. There were four children: Flora, John, William and Jane. William married twice. His first wife Ann Gillis died shortly after the birth of their daughter Nettie, who died in infancy. He married Mary Hicken of St. Mary's Bay in 1875, and inherited the farm upon the death of his father. William died in 1907 and was buried in the Brudenell Cemetery, PEI.

1. Neil Shaw was born abt. 1789 on the Isle of Colonsay, Argyle , Scotland . He was known to have had at least two brothers, Angus and Malcolm, and a sister, Catherine. It is believed that there were other siblings. Neil emigrated to Pictou , Nova Scotia , in 1819, aboard the Ship Economy. [Receipt] He taught school in River John for a short period before moving to Prince Edward Island . He was engaged as a school teacher at Dog River (name changed to Clyde River) and, later, as School Master at Cross Roads. Neil married Jane Dockendorff on April 8,1833 . Jane was the daughter of William Dockendorff, a farmer at York Pt., West River , and a member of the Legislative Assembly. Neil bought a farm in Lot 52, on the north side of the Montague River , where he farmed successfully and raised a family. He served as senior Deacon of the Three Rivers Baptist Church for many years, though he carried with him from Colonsay a certificate of membership in the Kirk dated August 2, 1818 , signed by Session Clerk Donald McNeill. He died April 10, 1875 at the age of 86, a resident of Prince Edward Island for 55 years. [ ARGUS, April 20, 1875 ] It is believed that he was buried in the Brudenell Cemetery, PEI.

This information was received from Donna MacKenzie who may be contacted at donmac22#hotmail.com

10th April 2007: Donna has sent this further file, with Colonsay references: Thomas Shaw of Broomknowe

ANGUS SHAW m. Mary Bell in Colonsay: Angus Shaw

Donna has a wealth of information and, with her permission, it is hoped that some fascinating correspondence between Colonsay and PEI may appear shortly elsewhere on this site.