Joseph Justis McKinnon (1849-1936) was known to his friends as Joe. He was the machinist who oversaw the hoist engine, pumps, and other surface equipment for the Little Bay mine. He was described as a hardworking and intelligent fellow.Joe had been b ...
Richard Grey (1823-1907) was an Irishman who worked the dressing floor of Little Bay’s mine as the right-hand-man to Walter Spinney. He was known for his wit and was a popular character among the working men (St. John’s Daily News, May 13, 1955).He i ...
I made a fortunate discovery recently. In January of 1891 the Colonist published the list of parishioners for Little Bay’s Catholic Church. This was in response to Father O’Flynn thanking them for the gift of a new horse. This was a fortunate find i ...
Walter Spinney ran Little Bay mine’s dressing floor along with his right-hand-man: a witty Irishman named Richard Gray. Mr. Spinney was from Cape Breton; he worked under another Nova Scotian: Mine Manager Whyte. Walter Spinney was a member of Little ...
Spelling variants: Rollings, Rollins, Rollin, and RollmsWalter M. Rollings (1853-1926) was Little Bay’s driver and tireman. He was an Englishman, a Methodist, and the child of Henry Rollingsway and Sarah Hodder. Walter Rollings could read and write h ...
Spelling variants: Howson, Hawson, Housen, HousonJoseph Beckett Howson (1838-1905) was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England in 1838 to Richard Joseph Howson and Ann Worth. He immigrated to Newfoundland as a young man and is recorded first in Burgeo ...
The case of William Drummond is a curious one.On the morning of June 12th 1882 a punt with sail was observed adrift off of Little Bay Islands. Two boys set out to investigate. They found no one onboard but the boat appeared to have recently held two ...
Rapter is an odd one. I have one singular reference to the name in Little Bay found in the Twillingate Sun from March of 1882. It lists Rapter, Esq, as manager of the mine among those of note found in audience during the first performance of Little B ...
I’m occasionally challenged on the claim that Little Bay was once one of the biggest spots on the island. This isn't surprising considering the contrast between a current population of 100 and the 19th century hub I describe. I’ve decided to list my ...
The Curtis family sawmill is an important piece in the history of Springdale. The family play an important role in Little Bay’s history as well. The histories of the two communities are intertwined as I’ll consider here.The Curtis family is primarily ...
