My Family Tree

Ada Ramsay (1867-1932) of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, married Neil McLeod (1853-1934) in 1886. She was considered an authority on the history of Summerside and wrote numerous articles about Prince Edward Island for newspapers and magazines. The couple had six sons who survived them: Norman, Donald, William, Reginald, Neil and Kenneth. Two others, John and Allan, died during the First World War.

The letters are addressed to Neil and Ada McLeod's son William who went out to Dilke, Saskatchewan in 1909 to attend to family real estate. He married Alice Mortin in 1924 and passed the original handwritten letters down to his son Frank who had them transcribed in 1999. Frank McLeod sent copies to the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, which in turn gave copies to the MacNaught History Centre and Archives.

Ada McLeod’s manuscripts were edited and published by Marjorie McCallum Gay in 1980 under the title “Roads to Summerside: The Story of Early Summerside and the Surrounding Area.”

Archives of PEI description

The late Mrs. McLeod was born in Malpeque and was the only child of the late William B. Ramsay and Mrs. Ramsay, her mother's maiden name was Miss Fraser. She had 8 sons, three of whom served in the Great War; John, paid the Supreme Sacrifice at Sanctuary Wood in 1916, and Allen died while on military service in Halifax; Donald also saw active service, returned, and is now an engineer at St. Catharines, Ont. Her other sons are Dr. Neil of John Hopkins University; William of Dike, Sask; Kenneth in detroit; Norman of Summerside and Reginald at home.

obit in the Guardian March 1932

Guardian 1920 - WEDDING BELL8.—The mar- riage took place at Summerslde on the morning of Wednesday, the sixth instant, at the home of the bride's father. of Sarah 1-1., daught- er of Mr. and Mrs. ‘William A. Ching, and Norman. son of Mr. and Mrs. Neil McLeod, the Rev. G