Spelling variants: Howson, Hawson, Housen, Houson

Joseph 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 at his wedding to Mary Avery in 1865. He’d relocated to the Northern mining region by 1882 when the Voter’ List places him in Betts Cove. I can’t put him in Little Bay until 1887, however, the presence of an Annie Howson there in 1885 may suggest an earlier arrival.

Mr. Howson worked in Little Bay as an accountant. I wonder if he was called in to replace Selby Dow in that capacity after Mr. Dow leaked the company files in the McVicar case…

J.B. Howson’s obituary describes a genial and intelligent man. I know he was socially involved during his life in Little Bay. He was a member of the Notre Dame Masonic Lodge, the Terra Nova Billiards and Reading Room Club, foreman of the jury at the Supreme Court House, and a supporter of the town’s Temperance Movement. He also supported the Liberal Party and was of the Methodist congregation. He further participated in the community by way of public debates at the Public Hall and he joined a committee to help organize the celebrations for the Queen’s Jubilee in the summer of 1887.

Mr. Howson is first found living in Little Bay at Loading Wharf. His accommodations were likely part of his contract with the mining company. It’s noteworthy that his son-in-law Robert Foote became an account as well so perhaps he trained him as his replacement. In 1891 Mr. Howson made a change of career and began training as a land surveyor under Mr. A.F.G Long. While assisting Mr. Long at Badger Bay in this effort he lost his belongings to a fire. The house they were staying in burned resulting in a loss of property by both men. The following year, after the infamous St. John’s fire, Mr. Howson moved into the city for a year to work at the land surveyor’s office there. He’d returned to Little Bay by 1894 where he takes up the title of District Surveyor after which he is found living in The Bight. In 1905 he came down with a bad case of pneumonia and died at Pilley’s Island. He’d either left Little Bay the previous year after the fire or simply travelled for treatment after getting sick as Little Bay’s hospital had likely not been rebuilt.  Joseph B. Howson’s body was returned to Little Bay for burial and his remains are found at the United Church cemetery there.

Sources:

• 1882 – Joseph Housen at Betts Cove and Joseph Hueston at Little Bay (Voter’s list)
• 1884, April – Mr. Howson spoke at a missionary meeting at Betts Cove (TS)
• 1885, Sept – Death of Florence Aug’a Duder (age 2 months), daughter of John Congdon Duder Jr. and Ann Amelia (Annie) Howson (UC burials)
• 1887, Jan – Mr. Howson spoke in support at a Temperance meeting (TS)
• 1887, Aug – Mr. Hawson was on a committee for the Queen’s Jubilee (ET)
• 1888, June – Joseph B. Housen was a member of Little Bay’s Masonic Lodge (ET/TS)
• 1888, Sept – “Bro J. B. Howson, P.M., an old and worthy member of the fraternity installed the worshipful master elect to office” (TS)
• 1888, Sept 22/29 – Mr. Howson was elected foreman of the jury at the supreme court (TS)
• 1889 – Joseph B. Howson at Loading Wharf, Little Bay (Voter’s list)
• 1889, Sept – Joseph B. Howson is an accountant at Little Bay (Robert Boone probate)
• 1889, April – Mr. Houson participated in a public debate about sailing ships (TS)
• 1890, Jan – J.B. Howson was a member of the Terra Nova Billiards and Reading Room (ET)
• 1890, Sept – J.B. Howson was foreman of the jury at the supreme court (TS)
• 1891, July – J.B. Howson is training as a land surveyor at Badger Bay when the place he is staying burns down (HGS)
• 1891, Aug – Mr. Howson travelled from Little Bay to Fortune on the Conscript (TS)
• 1892 – J.B. Howson moved to St. John’s for a year after the city’s fire to work at the land surveyor’s office (Obit)
• 1894 – J.B. Howson (dis surveyor) living at Little Bay Harbour (McAlpine)
• 1894, April – J.B. Howson signed as witness on the will of Israel Locke
• 1894, May – J.B. Howson was witness at the wedding of John Gillard and Ellen Warren (Civ marriages)
• 1895 – Mr. Howson (speech rep) holds debt with John Lamb (Lind ledger)
• 1895, Sept – J. B. Howson signed the requisition for the Honourable Robert Bond
• 1898 – J. B. Howson (land surveyor) living at Indian Bight, Little Bay (McAlpine)
• 1902, Dec – Marriage of J.B. Howson’s daughter Elfrida to Robert Foote (Civ marriages)
• 1904 – J. B. Howson (land surveyor) and Philip Howson (fisherman) of J. B. living at Indian Bight, Little Bay (McAlpine)
• 1905, Nov – Death at Pilley’s Island of pneumonia (Headstone of Joseph B. Howson in UC cemetery, Little Bay / obituary found in ET)