Yeo's Mills, Bloomfield

     With all the talk of mills these days and possibly loosing Leard's Mill at Coleman (the last intact grist mill left on the Island) -  I was curious to know more about the mill stones at the entrance to the Bloomfield Provincial Park on the Western Road.  So, I drove in the other day to photograph the three mill stones found there.   
     These stone are always used in pairs and likely came from France as were the stones at Leard's Mill.  I'm not sure if these stones belong to this site as in Meacham's 1880 Atlas of PEI it notes a saw mill here owned by John Yeo with 135 acres surrounding the mill pond.  In Cumins 1928 Atlas of PEI it shows John Hopgood owning this 135 acre property.
     It's amazing the things we/I don't know about our local history - this park was originally named Vanier Park.  Note the following info.  Geographical Place Names of P.E.I. by Alan Rayburn, Page 126...
     "Vanier Park: Provincial park at Mill River, Lot 5. Named for Governor General Georges Vanier.  Also commonly called Bloomfield Park." 

 Above: mill stone south flanking driveway.

  Above: mill stone north flanking driveway.

 Above/Below: this stone is within the park /close-up of stone's center.

*Rev. R.W. Dyer mentions Yeo's Mill (as well as Gorrell’s, Clark’s, Haywood’s, 

Mr. Will’s, Gordon’s, Hunter Dunbar’s, and Lot 6 Mills) often in his 1859-1886 Journals.    

     Below are a few excerpts from his journals.

February 27, 1865 - Went to Yeo's Mills to see Mr. and Mrs. Gorrell.  Found Mrs. G. somewhat better; she had been very ill for some time, I was glad to find her better.  I stayed with them all day, talked with them about Church matters and after dinner we had prayers.  I returned home in the evening by the ice ‑ the same way which I went in the morning.

August 13, 1867 - Had the prayer meeting in our own house this evening. Mr. and Mrs. Weeks present, had a nice prayer meeting. I hope that it will continue to be well attended. The Lord bless us.  Went to Yeo's Mills today, in company with G. Horton.  Called at Hunter Dunbar's Mill; the foreman will cut the beams for the church.  Brought home from Yeo's Mills, 6500 laths.

March 20, 1872  - Sewing circle day.  I started for Bloomfield about noon, went up the ice from Doctor Stewart's to Yeo's Mills, found it terribly cold; I was glad to arrive at Mr. Gorrell's.  Had a good warm‑up, looked about a little, had tea and then prepared to go to the schoolroom for the Service.  We all went on the woodsled.  Had a nice assembly, preached from the words: "When the son of man shall come in his glory..." and then returned to Mr. Gorrell's to sleep.  Thank God for this day.

March 19, 1873 - Started for Lot 6, - Mrs. Dyer went with me.  Called to see Mrs. Rankin, found her a little better and then went on to see Mr. and Mrs. Gorrell at Lot 6 Mills: they have left Yeo’s Mill at last.  Mr. Robert Ellis is gone there.  Stayed at Mr.  Gorrell’s to dinner and then went on to Mr. Webb’s; arrived in good time.  They were expecting Mrs. Dyer.

April 5, 1877 - Roads and ice too bad to go to the village.  It is raining too this evening.  Had a party of the young folks, the singers who I think enjoyed themselves.  About 11 o’clock this night Mr. Wiggins’.  Steam Mill (?) caught fire and was burnt to the ground in about an hour.  Loss estimated about 10 or 11, 000 dollars.  Oh it is a sad matter.  I am sorry for them and for the whole community.

**I also found this information about the Gorrill/Gorrell milling family.

John¹ Gorrill, the third child and second son of John^A Gorrill and Sarah Brooke, was baptized at Bradworthy, North Devon, 24 October 1824, according to the parish register of St. John Church. He was born 25 September of that year, according to this fact given to the 1901 census taker. His father, a cordwainer, and mother, Sarah Brooke, moved to Kilkhampton, in the northern neck of Cornwall, with him and his older brother and sister, William and Catherine.  In about 1845 he emigrated with his brothers William and Richard to Prince Edward Island. Humphrey came five years later. John became a shipyards worker and then a sawmill operator at Bideford and Port Hill. In the 1860’s he operated a circular sawmill at Bloomfield (Vanier Park) and then a water mill for John Yeo at Cascumpec, a combined saw and grist mill. This was a time when a farm had to be hacked and stumped from the virgin forest. The Meacham Atlas of 1880 shows John Gorrill owning about 130 acres in Cascumpec, Lot 6. Two years later John had to pay a school tax of $6.61 cents on his 270 acres. John died 20 October 1906.  John married Eleanor F. Ellis, known as Zena, born 28 July 1840, daughter of George Ellis and Bridget MacArthur and granddaughter of William Ellis the pioneer shipbuilder. They are buried in the cemetery of St. Luke's Anglican Church, Woodstock, PEI (Lot 6 Centre 3 Stone 4).

John¹ (John^A) Gorrill and his wife Eleanor ‘Zena’ Ellis had seven children:

       I.  Eleanor (‘Ellie’) Ellis² Gorrill, born 28 July1860(?), baptized 17 Feb. 1860

     II.  Sarah Catherine Annie² Gorrill, born 10 October 1862, baptized 7 Nov. 1862

   III.  Isabella Priscilla Ida² Gorrill, born 24 December 1865, baptized 22 Feb. 1866

   IV.  Maria Lilla Normandy² Gorrill, born at Yeo’s Mills, Western Road, Lot 5 on 1 February 1868, baptized 27 Feb. 1868

    V.  Elizabeth Lavinia (‘Rose’)² Gorrill, born 7 February 1870, bp. 24 Mar. 1870

  VI.   John Yeo Serjeant² Gorrill, born 27 October, 1872, baptized 1 Nov. 1872

VII. George Richard Walter² Gorrill, born 17 August 1875, baptized 12 Sept. 1875

All baptized by the Rev. R. W. Dyer at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Alberton

cf. The Descendants of John Gorrill 1824-1906 of Cascumpec

  http://www.islandregister.com/gorrill2.html