The Stuckless family came to Little Bay from Twillingate in 1883 or ‘84. They were members of the Church of England. Brothers Albert and William arrived with family including two possibly single mothers; Susanna and Emma Stuckless who I suspect were widows of other brothers.
The Stuckless migration was due to the booming copper mine. Little Bay mines offered a substantially higher income than fishing and the brothers would have sought for those wages alongside Newfoundland’s other would-be miners. The Stuckless clan would have known some Little Bay residents when they arrived as many came, like themselves, from Twillingate. Perhaps they’d been stirred to relocate by tales of profit told by old friends.
I can’t definitively say the Stuckless brothers were miners but the explanation fits the migration pattern. Little Bay wasn’t known for fishing. People went there to mine. While employment references for the family from 1894 onward list them as fishermen, the date corresponds with decreased ore production. Further, the fishing references occur alongside similarly situated workers. The wave of miners that arrived in the mid 1880s came from old Newfoundland stock and many had fishing experience. Such miners could switch back to fishing when mining work was scarce.
The brothers, therefore, didn’t immediately relocate when forced back to fishing in the late 1890s because previous mining slumps had been short lived. They likely remained in Little Bay fully expecting the lucrative industry to return. When the employment situation turned out to be more serious the Stuckless brothers stopped waiting and by 1898 both Albert and William were back in Twillingate. They did not return. The two Stuckless brothers had stayed in Little Bay for over a decade. Albert died at North Side in 1912. His wife Mary married a Jewer and moved to Botwood with her brother-in-law William Stuckless in tow the following year. The name Stuckless was already in Botwood before they arrived so local family may have inspired their final move.
I have a scattered few references to Stuckless in Little Bay after 1898. James Stuckless was married there in 1907 but resided at Little Bay Islands. Elias Stuckless joined Little Bay’s Masonic Lodge in 1905 but resided at Pilley’s Island. I’ve included an image of Elias Stuckless although Masonic membership doesn’t necessarily place him in town. I’ve yet to find images for the family in Little Bay.
I should note that Thomas Boyde’s wife Elizabeth was a Stuckless – they came from Tizzard’s Harbour. I’ve also found these varied spellings of Stuckless; Stucklass, Stucklas, and Stuckles. If you’ve done genealogical work on this family I’d welcome any help clearing them up. Otherwise, that’s all I’ve got for now.
Clear as mud, right? Thanks for reading!
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Sources:
- 1883 – Stuckless family arrival guessed due to absence from the 1882 Voter’s List
- 1884 – James Stuckless born to Susanna (1921 census)
- 1887 – Bessie Stucklas born to Albert and Mary (Vit stats)
- 1889 – William Stuckless, Ambrose Stuckless, and William Stuckless, at Shoal Arm, Little Bay (Voter’s List)
- 1890 – Death of Josiah Stuckless aged 5 days. Son of Albert and Mary Jane (Vit stats)
- 1890 – Death of Fanny Campbell Stucklass. Daughter of Albert and Mary Jane (Vit stats)
- 1891 – The widow Emma Stuckless married John Richmond (Vit stats)
- 1894 – Ambrose Stuckless listed as a fisherman at Little Bay Harbour (1894 census)
- 1898 – Albert and William fishermen at North Side, Twillingate (McAlpine’s)
- 1905 – Elias C. Stuckless joined Little Bay’s Masonic Lodge (Lodge history)
- 1907 – Marriage of James Stuckless to Elizabeth Clare (Vit stats)
- 1912 – Death of Albert Stuckless (Vit stats)
- 1913- Marriage of Mary J. Stuckless to Henry Jewer (Vit stats)
- 1921 – William Stuckless living with the Jewers in Botwood (1921 census)
- 1928 – Stuckless passport photo