Screenshot 2024-06-12 at 8.58.09 AM

Duncan Parsons (Blacksmith)

Duncan Parsons (1856-1914)Duncan Parsons was Little Bay’s blacksmith from 1879 until around 1896.Duncan was born at South Side, Harbour Grace on January 27th 1856 to Frederick and Patience Parsons. The family were Methodists and young Duncan was chri ...

edward paddock

Lighthouse keeper Edward Paddock

I’ve been exploring the possibility that Little Bay has a missing lighthouse. It’s a dubious proposition but not without some circumstantial evidence. It concerns a man named Edward John Paddock.Edward was born at Ward’s Harbour on August 12th 1854 t ...

HansomCab

Rollings

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 ...

Screen Shot 2023-05-26 at 10.24.44 AM

Howson

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 ...

Screen Shot 2023-05-03 at 8.03.18 AM

Curtis

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 ...

Screen Shot 2023-04-15 at 11.38.01 AM

Gillard

According to information found at the Springdale Heritage Centre the Gillard family moved from Germany to England in the 18th century and from there emigrated to Newfoundland in the early years of the following. They worked as fishermen and operated ...

Screen Shot 2023-02-06 at 9.14.41 PM

Folks

My first record of the Folks family being at Little Bay is for 1883. They’d arrived from Betts Cove following the German mining operations. The men worked as miners when mining operations were lucrative and otherwise switched into fishing. Some were ...

Taverner

Captain Joseph Henry Taverner (1845-1920) arrived in Little Bay in 1883 with his new wife Mary Elizabeth. They’d travelled by steamer from Twillingate where they had been married the pervious year. J.H. Taverner was originally from Trinity Bay wher ...

boyles

Boyles

Benjamin T. Boyles (pictured with his wife Jemima) moved to Shoal Arm, Little Bay from St. John’s with his sister Martha in 1878. Benjamin Boyles worked as a general dealer there. There were other Boyles present in the area including William G. Boyle ...

30724182_10156354915378410_6751460513663680512_o

Anstey

OverviewThe Anstey family first appears in my records for Little Bay in 1880. They were Methodists. According to information derived from a MyHeritage family tree ran by Hubert Glyn McKay and a sign at the Springdale Heritage Centre sourced to Chelsl ...