Introduction . . .Rollo Bay is situated ajacent to Northumberland Strait in
Lots 43 and 44. It was named by Surveyor-General Samuel Holland for Andrew, the 5th. Lord Rollo (1700-1765) who captured P.E.I. from the French and supervised their deportation in 1758, and later distinguished himself in the capture of Canada and in fighting in the West Indies. It appears in 1752 as Havre a Mathieu. Pichon named the area anse a Matieu. Mathieu Turin had a family of ten near East Point in 1752. He had settled there in 1719. The community is situated west of Souris. There was a post office from ca. 1854 to 1888 and from 1896 to 1904. There was a psot office here from 1904 until 1914. The school district was established prior to 1880.
A brief history . . .
The 1862 journal of the House of Assembly stated that in 1860 in
Lot 43 there was 4,153 pounds of butter and 1,393 pounds of leather produced. In the Lot there were 218 horses, 741 cattle, 967 sheep and 645 hogs.
Area farmers Douglas Aitken, C. H. Townshend of Bay Fortune and W. H. Townshend of Rollo Bay West swept the prizes for foundation stock seed potatoes at the State Fair Dec. 17 & 18 at Forest City, Iowa, in 1942.
Although winter came early to Eastern Kings, a long January 1956 thaw made things right. A field of turnips, covered for two months with snow, was harvested in good condition. On January 17, the Guardian ran a photo showing a farmer finally finishing his fall furrows.
Rev. Edward Melville Aitken was born here in 1899. He was ordained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church and later the United Church of Canada. He served charges in P.E.I., Nova Scotia, Alberta and Ontario. He was a chaplain in the Reserve Army from 1939 to 1942. He instituted a radio ministry to vast areas of Western Canada, while residing in Calgary. He served in World War I as a Lieutenant in the Artillery and was author of
A World is Waiting. Rev. Aitken passed away in 1986.
Cora Adele (nee McLean) Townshend was born at Souris, P.E.I. in 1917 and was a teacher, writer, and author. She resided in Rollo Bay West and is remembered by her students as an effective and an innovative teacher. She wrote many articles, newspaper columns and the critically acclaimed Ten Farms Become A Town, a history of the Town of Souris. She also adapted her interest in history by writing plays. Probably her most famous one was about the Edward Abell murder, entitled For The Love of A Horse. She was a Member of the Order of Canada. She passed away in 2003.
Today . . .
Cavendish Agri Services Ltd.Driftwood Auto Body
Billy MacMaster - Licensed Small Engine Repair
Anne M. McPhee - Freelance Writer
Rollo Bay Wildlife Management Area
Townshend Potato Co.
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