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 ...

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Rideout

Spelling variants found: Rideout / RidoutI lucked out with the Rideout family as there has been genealogical work done on them and I had a number of references in my Little Bay database already. The patriarch of 19th century Little Bay’s Rideout clan ...

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Mansfield

The Mansfield family is first found in my Little Bay records in 1885. They are members of the Church of England but unlikely to be tied to the Temperance Movement. The family is absent from the 1882 Voter’s list for Little Bay so I’m placing their ar ...

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The rum-runners McLean: a Christmas story

“Oh Wells, you are a hard man! The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have their nests, but you hath not a friend anywhere. Wells, your name is a terror to me.” - Mary McLeanIn tonight’s tale I will tell you about the exploits of Michael and ...

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Sutton

Michael J. Sutton (1861-1918)Constable Michael Sutton was 25 years old when he arrived in Little Bay. The Irish born policeman had been ordered to the unofficial capitol of the northern mining region by Inspector Fawcett on December 1st 1886. He trav ...

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Richards

This one has it all - rum running, arson, religious intolerance, and perhaps even hints of murder - if you'll allow me my suspicions anyway! What follows is the Richards family's journey in Little Bay.John Thomas Richards married Sarah Dawe at New Ba ...

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Hillyer

I only have one lonely reference to the name Hillyer. It’s from the police journals of Sergeant Wells which were published in “All Quiet” by his great great grandson Doyle Wells. At 9am on Feb 15 1886 Constable Meaney served James Hillyer a summons f ...

Magistrate Blandford

I’d like to introduce you to somebody. His name was John Bennett Blandford. He was an Englishman who served as Little Bay’s first Magistrate and he was responsible for the largest public event in the town’s history. Newfoundland was a British co ...

Rev. Gunn

St. Andrew’s

Little Bay was lively during the last decade of the 19th century. It could claim a unique culture with some unusual features, most notably were its openminded approach to religion and an odd contrast that was held there between alcohol and literacy. ...

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Eliza Blandford

All that remains of the people I cover are scattered references. What follows is an attempt to use a few documents to tell a story and in so doing catch a glimpse of a person’s life. In this case the task is made more difficult by historical patriar ...