The Benson family arrived in Little Bay from St. John’s in 1879. Johnathan J. Benson may very well have been the first shopkeeper in town. He owned several fishing schooners which employed people from Little Bay to serve as fishermen off the cold coast of Labrador. The dangerous work cost Benson a ship called the Victor in 1886. Another of his ships, the Sarah Jane, would have been lost that year as well were it not for the heroic wits of a young stewardess named Elizabeth Pilgrim. Benson’s provisional store sold many items but I’ve only found reference to two; an animal pelt and salt. His salt stores were located on his wharf and used illicitly, at least once, to help his bootlegging friends, the McLeans. An incident which put Benson on the wrong side of Sergeant Wells in 1884. He either stopped breaking the liquor laws after that or just got better at breaking them for so far I’ve found no other record of him getting caught. The family had left town by 1904. It was likely the fires that finally drove the Bensons from Little Bay. We can only guess at how must of their property was destroyed. J.J. Benson died ten years later in his hometown of St. John’s. His son Arthur (pictured) harbour master in St. John’s and a master mariner as noted in the Who’s Who.

• 1879 – Bensons arrive in Little Bay from St. John’s (Who’s Who)
• 1881 – Benson vs John Donahue: debt (SC docs)
• 1882 – Benson vs David Oake (SC docs)
• 1882 – Johnathan Benson (Voter’s list)
• 1882 – Johnathan Benson merchant v David Oake labourman debt 60.75 (SC docs)
• 1882 – Birth of son Reuben (VS)
• 1883 – Mr. Benson traveled from St. John’s to Little Bay on the Hercules (ET, Dec 12)
• 1883 – Jonathan Benson trader v Levi Casper and his son William debt (SC docs)
• 1884 – “I informed Mr. Benson that we were in search of liquor. When giving me the key to search his provision store, he remarked that we were too late, that it was all gone, that there was no liquor there. He said that McLean had his liquor in the salt store and that he took it all away about last pay day; and, a few days previous to that he had 4 casks (3 gals each) covered up in his (Benson’s) salt since last fall and that Mrs. McLean asked him to allow her to mark a few casks in his name. This he consented to last fall. After looking in the salt store and two or three other stores, we left” (Wells, April 17).
• 1884 – “Constable Meaney proceeded on duty on the south side of Little Bay to serve a summons on Jonathan Benson in the case of Sergeant Wells vs. Jonathan Benson for breach of 2^nd Sec License Act of 1875 committed on or about the 7^th April” (Wells, May 8)
• 1884 – “The adjourned case of Sergeant Wells vs. Jonathan Benson for breach of the 2^nd License Act of ‘75 was recalled today before J.B. Blandford, Esq., Stipendiary Magistrate, at his office where the evidence of Constable Meaney was taken – the defendant being present – which corroborated my evidence given on Friday last – namely that Benson had told us on the 17^th April, when searching his premises for liquor, that there had been four 30 gal casks of rum covered up in his salt all the winter and that Michael McLean was the owner and that he (McLean) had taken the 1^st away a few days before last pay day, and that he, Benson, had given Mrs. McLean permission to mark his (Benson’s) name on these casks when in St. John’s last fall. The only profit he (Benson) had out of the transaction was two bottles of brandy. The defendant in cross-examining the Constable asked if it was not 2 bottles of wine he said instead of brandy, etc., etc. His Worship dismissed the case, but stated that he would grant a summons against the defendant for aiding and abetting” (Wells, May 15)
• 1884 – J. Benson was having a large craft built by John Evans (TS, Nov 22)
• 1884 – Death of J. J. Benson’s wife Sarah Jane “after a short and painful illness” (TS, Dec 6)
• 1884 – Benson vs Francis Yeats (SC docs)
• 1885 – Mr. Benson reports good news from his men (ET, Aug 13)
• 1885 – Marriage of Jemima Benson to Benjamin Thomas Boyles
• 1885 – Jonathan Benson, merchant was “appointed provisional trustee of the Estate and Effects of the said John McLean” (ET, Nov 11)
• 1885 – J.J. Benson married Martha Louisa Boyle of St. John’s (ET, Sept 28)
• 1885 – Benson vs Joseph Heustis (SC docs)
• 1885 – Benson vs Israel Locke: debt (SC docs)
• 1885 – Benson vs Frederick Young: debt (SC docs)
• 1886 – Jonathon Benson merchant v James Bennett labourer debt goods sold (SC docs)
• 1886 – “Const Meaney proceeded to Shoal Arm to serve a civil summons in the case of Benson vs. Anthony, and also Benson vs. Byrne” (Wells, April 20)
• 1886 – “Court opened at the usual hour, the case of Benson vs. Slade for debt was the first case” (Wells, June 14)
• 1886 – Benson’s craft the Victor was lost at Labrador with two or three hundred quintals of fish aboard (TS, Sept 18)
• 1886 – Benson was in court for two cases one against Bennett and the other against Kennedy (TS, Sept 25)
• 1886 – Elizabeth Pilgrim saved Benson’s craft the Sarah Jane (ET, Oct)
• 1887 – Appointed one of LB Board of Road commissioners (TS, Nov)
• 1888 – Mr. Benson along with other prominent community members attended the funeral of Mrs. Diem (TS, Jan 21)
• 1888 – Benson traveled to Twillingate aboard the Plover (TS, Nov 24)
• 1888 – A case involving Mr. Benson was cancelled due to lack of evidence (TS, Sept 22)
• 1888 – “Constable Sutton proceeded to Shoal Arm at 11:00 tonight in company with Mr. J.J. Benson with a warrant for the arrest of Joshua Ryan on the information of Mr. Benson for the larceny of a Silver Hair Fox that Ryan took from Mr. Benson’s shop. The Constable returned to barracks at midnight with the Fox Skin, but could not find the accused. The skin is valued at $60.00. Could not find the prisoner” (Wells, Nov 6)
• 1888 – “Court opened at the usual hour. The accused, Joshua Ryan, appeared at the Police Station this morning, he having a note from the Magistrate to allow him to remain in the Court Room and not to make any arrest, which was done. The case was heard by J.B. Blandford, Esq., and according to an agreement in writing between Ryan and Benson, the skin was to revert back to Ryan if it was not sold by Benson within a certain amount of time” (Wells, Nov 7)
• 1888 – Wind E fresh breeze and dull. SS Plover from St. John’s at 1:45PM. Slight frost during the night. Plover left for Bensons at about 4PM (Lind, Nov)
• 1889 – Benson was having a 65 ton schooner built at Harry’s Harbour (TS, Jan 19)
• 1889 – Benson launched a schooner for the fishery in the spring (TS, June 1)
• 1889 – Death of Alice Jane Benson (Anglican graves)
• 1892 – Birth of Annie Elizabeth Boyles to Benjamin Thomas and Jemima
• 1893 – Jonathan Benson trader insolvency (SC docs)
• 1895 – Signed with others on a public letter inviting Robert Bond to run for government (TS, Sept 21)
• 1897 – John J. Benson, general dealer (Devine and O’Mara’s)
• 1898 – Johnathan J. Benson of Benson’s Point, Little Bay is listed as schooner holder (McAlpine’s)
• 1903 – Benson’s left Little Bay (Who’s Who)
• 1904 – Johanthan Benson listed as sea captain at South Side, Little Bay (McAlpine’s)
• 1914 – Johnathan Benson died in St. John’s (Benson’s will)