My Family Tree

Name William Fife
Spouse's Name Jean Arthur
Event Date 28 Jan 1815
Event Place Houston And Killellan,Renfrew,Scotland
Citing this Record

"Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYQQ-HJW : 8 December 2014), William Fife and Jean Arthur, 28 Jan 1815; citing Houston And Killellan,Renfrew,Scotland, reference ; FHL microfilm 1,041,065, 102,064.

William Fyfe and his wife Jean Arthur were said to have sailed from Scotland on the Alexander 1820 with their children Robert and Elizabeth. There is a genealogy of the family in The History of Stanley Bridge, and a 13 page publication "William Fyfe, ferryman and farmer and his wife Jean Arthur and their descendants" by Ann Coles, 1996 in the PEI Archives.

From the Island Register:

William Fyfe (1794-1865) and wife Jean Arthur (1795-?) plus children Robert born 1816 and Elizabeth (1817-1877). [Likely passengers: Left Scotland April 1820 from Renfrewshite. Existing document: "That the bearer William Fyfe and spouse Jean Arthur resided in this parish from their infancy free from public scandal or any ground of church censure known to our session were communicants attached at Houston, Renfrewshire. Dated 2 April 1820. Signed by John Monteith, Minister and A. MacLean" These documents usually were issued just before a voyage. Document in posession of Alfred Fyfe of Stanley Bridge.]
The family settled on the west bank of the Mill River.

In 1861, there were 5 people in the Fife household: one male between 5-16, one between 21-45, and one over 60. There was one female between 21-45, and one female over 60.

WILLIAM and JEAN ARTHUR FYFE had a family of eleven children, three of whom were born in Scotland.

From A History of Stanley Bridge:

The village we now call Stanley Bridge was known as Fyfe's Ferry...William Fyfe operated the various modes of communication across Stanley River and was honored by having the tiny vil lage called after him. Dougald Henry left us this graphic description of Fyfe's Ferry. Mr. Henry writes:

"After leaving the ship yard, I moved to Stanley Bridge , then called Fyfe's Ferry, got myself a little place, built a blacksmith shop and settled down. There was no bridge in Stanley then. A big log canoe was the ferry, and the horses were to swim across the river; the ferry canoe was run by William Fyfe ; he charged 3 pence for a single passenger, 8 pence for a horse. When people got to have "gigs " the ferryman's means of taking them over was to run the axle on the canoe, the wheels being in the water on either side. It cost about a shilling for this; with the increase in travel, the ferryman made a good bit of money."
(Pioneers of the Island)

Local histories mention that when the men were busy, the daughters ran the ferry - one even met her future husband while rowing him across the river.

The Islander – Jan 5, 1866
Died.
At New London, on the 22d ult., of dropsy, Mr. Wm. Fyfe, sen., in the 72nd year of his age.