Spelling variants found: Loader, Loder, Lowder, Loather, Loathers, Louther, Louthers

My first reference to the Loader family in Little Bay appears on the 1882 electoral list for the region. It has recently been suggested that voters had to have lived in a place for two years before registering to vote there. If that is the case it moves the earliest date for this family in town back to 1880. This would correspond with the sale of the mine by the Germans and lines up nicely with references to a flood of Newfoundland-born would-be miners arriving that year.

I can’t yet say for certain if David Loader worked as a miner but it is a good guess as his son Michael certainly mined there. Michael was likely the “young Mr. Louther” who broke his arm while working underground there in March of 1887. Michael would have then been 16 years old – dangerous work for a teenager! The injury must have healed though as he competed in the town’s 1891 summer billiard’s tournament. Michael didn’t live to be very old. He died unmarried in Little Bay in 1899 at the age of 28.

I have not yet been able to identify Michael’s mother but I know he had two sisters and one brother. The brother is probably a James Loader found referenced there. One of the sisters was likely a Maggie Loader found mentioned in Sergeant Wells’ journals. From those entries we learn that she was briefly courted by Constable Sutton before he upset his superiors by changing her name on a marriage application to another’s. The other woman was Annie McLean. Annie McLean was the daughter of the town’s rumrunners. I can’t say if Sutton’s choice scorned poor young Maggie Loader badly but it certainly contributed to the downfall of his career as a Little Bay lawman. I think perhaps it impacted her coarse in life as well as one of the two Loader girls chose the convent and became a nun in Florida. Maggie is a good guess here.

Their father, David Loader, is found listed as a fisherman in 1894 but as many of town’s miners were employed as fishermen that year while mining work was stalled I don’t take it as evidence of his trade. This switching into fishing from mining when production slowed is a recurring trend and one further evidenced by his son Michael also found fishing that year. Michael’s career as a miner is confirmed by its reference on administrative documents surrounding his 1899 demise.

David’s career path would take another turn when he joined Little Bay’s Road Board as reported by the Twillingate Sun on November 10th in 1894. However, his resignation from that position is subsequently reported by the Evening Herald just five days later. I don’t know what motivated this about-turn. However, I don’t think it was any lack of ability to perform the task as his job is listed as the town’s Road Inspector in the 1898 McAlpine’s list. He was back fishing again by 1904. The following year he died in Little Bay with his last rites administered to him by Father Lynch.

My last reference to this family in Little Bay is from 1907 with the death of Sister Michael in Florida. Her brother James Loader of Little Bay was said left to mourn. No one else is mentioned and I have no further reference to the Loaders in Little Bay. If you know more about this family feel free to reach out and fill in some blanks.

Thanks for reading.

Sources:

• David Loader at Little Bay, Bight (1882 voter’s list)
• David Loathers (DC, 1887)
• Mr. Louther broke his arm mining (TS, March 19, 1887)
• Constable Sutton applied for permission to marry Maggie Loder (Wells)
• James Loder donated to the Harbour Grace Cathedral Fund (SJC, Oct 11, 1889)
• David, Michael, and James Loathers signed the 1890 petition for a public wharf (Petition)
• Michael Loather competed in the billiard’s tournament (TS, July 4, 1891)
• David and Michael Loader are fishermen in 1894 (McAlpine’s)
• David Loader joins Little Bay’s Road Board (TS, Nov 10, 1894)
• David Loader resigns from the Road Board and is replaced by Michael Keating (EH, Nov 15, 1894)
• David Loader is a road inspector in 1898 (McAlpine’s)
• Death of David’s son Michael Loader in 1899 (Administrative docs)
• David Loader is a fisherman in 1904 (McAlpine’s)
• David Loder dies in Little Bay (HGS, Nov, 1905)
• James Loader at Little Bay when his sister dies (ET, May 24, 1907)