Silk Sails

by Calvin Evans

  Sarah Blaikie Ayre inherited the 32-ton Cactus when her husband John Bray Ayre died in April 1915, and she sold it in December 1930, that is, 15 years and 8 months. Lydia Hollett of Burin, bought the James Young from Hollett’s Fisheries Ltd. of St. John’s in 1931, had mortgages on the ship for 13 years, and sold the ship after more than 17 years of use. Lydia Foote was born at Step-a-Side, Burin, in 1872 and married William Henry Hollett in 1897; they bought a business at Burin North in 1914, had three children, and Lydia died in 1957. Jessie Bragg, widow of Port Union, held on to the ship Marie Yvonne for 21 years (1943 to 1964), and Maud Billard, with her husband Simeon, held on to the two ships Dolores Kaye and Austin & Dianne for a total of 36 years.

  There are other cases which are of interest. Harriet (Edwards) Billard of Rose Blanche, whose husband was Samuel, a fisherman, owned the 25-ton Ethel & Albert from 1932 to 1939. She was an aunt of Maud Billard of Harbour Le Cou, also a shipowner, so again we see an example of modeling shipowning from one generation to another. Annie Hickey of Harbour Breton, whose husband was Augustus Hickey, bought the 12-ton ship Eleanor & Barbara from the Stone Brothers of West Point, La Poile, on August 16, 1951. Augustus was a trader in the Bay de Loo, Rencontre East area. Annie ran the store and was in charge of the business in Harbour Breton. Annie’s birth name was Sarah Ann Bullen and she was born in 1912 at Lamaline. She and Augustus had eight children; they later moved to Wood’s Island, and she died about 1992.

  Jane Bartlett, married woman of Rattling Brook, owned four ships over a period of nine years in the 1930s and 1940s: the Arizona from 1932-34, the Radio City from 1935-36, the Audrey Bartlett from 1936-37, and the Tempest from 1940-42. Jane’s husband, William Francis Bartlett, was a merchant and promoter of shipbuilding in the Green Bay area; all four ships were built under his auspices. Julia Gilbert, married woman of Haystack, Placentia Bay, bought the 33-ton Bride and Annie Dunphy in August 1937, installed an engine in it in 1939, and sold it in April 1946. Gertrude (Yarn) Evans, whose husband Tom managed the H. E. Petite business firm in Mose Ambrose for several years, bought the 34-ton Jessie Beatrice from Ada Annie Petite in 1937, installed an auxiliary motor screw in the ship in 1938 and sold it in 1942 to Jerry Petite & Sons Ltd. of English Harbour West. Mary Vallis, married woman of Coombe’s Cove, Fortune Bay, bought the R. J. Devereux in 1941 and changed the name to Mary King (her birth name?). The vessel was broken up at Harbour Breton in 1952, so it can be assumed that it was in use until that time.

  There were two women on the south coast of Newfoundland who are deserving of special mention. The first is Ada Annie Petite of Mose Ambrose. Ada Annie Hill was born at Sandy Point, St. George’s Bay, Port au Port Peninsula, in 1887 and was teaching at Spaniard’s Bay when Harry Edwin Petite, a young widower from Mose Ambrose, came to town on business and just happened to meet the local school teacher. They were married in 1912, and their son Gordon was born in 1920. At the point where the family business, H. E. Petite Ltd., had reached a level of prosperity where Harry could spend most of his time at home, he was drowned in 1925 when an open freighter taking supplies from English Harbour West to Mose Ambrose swamped in heavy seas and high winds with all hands lost. Ada Annie was described as “a well-read woman of strong character.” Using all her personal resources she kept the family business going, including the bank fishery, with the help of many hired servants and ships’ crews. She supervised every aspect of the operation and set an example of hard work and unique resourcefulness. In 1928 she bought the Gloucester-built ship Charlie and Eric; it was lost off Cape Harrigan, Labrador, in 1933. In 1934 she bought the 129-ton Rex Perry, one of the first power vessels on the coast; it was lost in 1952 off Miquelon Head. And in 1937 she bought the 34-ton locally built ship, the Jessie Beatrice ; she sold this vessel to Gertrude Evans of Mose Ambrose in 1938. She also owned the schooner Uncle Bob. Ada Annie built up a very prosperous business and kept it going until her son Gordon was old enough to take it over, and in 1953 he bought out Jerry Petite & Sons Ltd. of English Harbour West and operated both firms. In that same year, 1953, Ada Annie went to England for the Queen’s Coronation. The Mose Ambrose directory of 1936 described Ada Annie Petite as “general merchant, vessel owner, importer of British, American and Canadian goods, exporter of codfish, cod oil, lobster, salmon: Dealer in dry goods, groceries, provisions, hardware and fishery supplies.” In addition to the store at Mose Ambrose, she also operated branch stores at Red Cove, Boxey and Coomb’s Cove. In 1954 Ada Annie moved to Toronto to live with her daughter Ada and died there in 1964. The firm at English Harbour West is operated today by Debbie Petite, Ada Annie’s granddaughter.

  Deserving a category of her own is shipowner Marie Smart Penny. Marie Smart was born at Little Bay, Notre Dame Bay, and graduated from the Channel Anglican Academy, later taking private tutoring at Carbonear; she subsequently graduated from St. Bride’s College, Littledale. She married George J. Penny, manager of John Penny & Sons Ltd. of Ramea, in 1927. When her husband, by then Senator Penny, died in 1949, Marie became the president of the Penny Company. She was at one time the owner of ten vessels and was familiarly known as “Queen of the Fishing Fleet.” She had more than 200 workers in her employ and knew every one of them by name. In 1970 her company shipped four million pounds of processed fish to the United States. Marie Penny’s daughter Margaret, a graduate of Mount Saint Vincent School of Commerce, and her son-in-law Spencer Lake served with Marie and four other members of the Board of Directors to continue a most successful business along the south coast for many years. In 1959 she was one of only 35 Canadians selected to dine with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in Ottawa. At her home in Ramea, known as Four Winds, she once entertained Governor General Vincent Massey, as well as many other dignitaries and ordinary visitors. In 1967, in recognition of her abilities and business acumen, she was elected the first woman president of the Fisheries Council of Canada, a 400-member organization. Most of the Penny ships were registered under the company name, and Marie Penny is mentioned only once in the ship registers when in 1954 she and Spencer Lake bought the Blue Surf, a 178-ton ship from Job Bros. and sold it later that year to Burgeo Fish Industries Ltd. In the records both Marie and Spencer Lake are titled as “Business Managers.” Marie Penny died in 1970.

  Ownership by married women prevailed over ownership by widows and spinsters, particularly after about 1900, and it soon became the dominant form of sole ownership by women.

  For more women Sole Owners see Appendix A.

  Joint Ownership

  The second most favoured method of owning ships was joint ownership in which a woman was one owner of two or one owner among several: a widow owning with her deceased husband’s partners (usually his brothers); a woman owning with her husband; a single woman owning with family members; a woman owning with several other males; a woman owning with one or more women; and women purchasing one or more of the 64 shares in a ship.

  Margaret McCarthy, widow of Carbonear, was a joint owner with John McCarthy, master of the ship George when the vessel was “raised on and enlarged” in 1823. Eric Gosse of Spaniard’s Bay stated in a 1995 letter to me that Margaret and John were joint owners of this vessel as early as 1804, which would have been before ship registration was regularized in Newfoundland. There are other references to registrations of the George in 1812 and in 1826. Interestingly, at the top of the original registration is written: “D. Buchan, Capt. of Ship Grasshopper & senior naval officer.” This was David Buchan of Beothuk fame, but it seems from the records that he did not come into possession of the Grasshopper until 1819, so another registration may have occurred that year. The role of the woman in the act of registration may be ascertained from the wording of the original agreement. Of John McCarthy it says: “…and having sworn that he together with Margaret McCarthy also of Carbonear aforesaid widow who is not within 20 miles of this place and who has not absented herself to avoid taking the Oath required…” Presumably the registration took place at St. John’s, or possibly at Harbour Grace. Com
pare the previous wording for Ann McCarthy, the first of the widow sole owners, which is even more specific.

  Mary Parsons, widow of Clown’s Cove, was listed earlier as a sole owner of the Margaret & Sally in 1834. But 16 years before that, in 1818, she was a joint owner of the 35-ton schooner Venus with Edward and John Parsons, planters and builders of the vessel. It is just possible that this may have been another Mary Parsons; the 16-year gap seems curious. Edward Parsons was the master of this vessel. He and John were probably her brothers-in-law.

  Another Mary Parsons of Clown’s Cove made an appearance in 1848, but this one was the wife of Alfred Parsons. Alfred was a master mariner and probably was away when the two merchants who held his mortgage on the 38-ton schooner Zephyr, Charles F. Bennett and Thomas Bennett, transferred that mortgage to two other merchants, William H. Taylor and John Bemister. The two new merchants are noted to be “Trustees to Mary Parsons Clown’s Cove wife of Alf.d Parsons of Newfoundland, Master Mariner.” The note was not added to the record until May 20, 1854. Alfred must have been away on a prolonged sea voyage. On his return Alfred lengthened and enlarged the ship at New Perlican in May 1855 and registered it de novo in 1856. It is possible that Mary may have been continuing a local fishing venture in her husband’s absence, under the watchful eyes of the merchants, or she may have fallen behind in her obligations to them.

  Olive Hederson, widow of James of Brigus, was a joint owner with Thomas Hederson of the ship Twin Brothers when it was registered in 1823. The same note about Capt. David Buchan appears at the top of this registration form. Elizabeth Pitts, widow, was a one-third owner with James and William Pitts of Belle Isle, Conception Bay, in 1825 when they registered the Belinda. That means each of them owned 211/3. Elizabeth was probably the widow of John Pitts. The vessel was lost in 1836.

  Mary Taylor, widow of Carbonear, owned 32 shares of the schooner Industry when it was registered in 1826. Thomas Chancey, merchant of Carbonear, was the master and owned the other 32 shares. In that same year Elizabeth Taylor, widow of Carbonear, was a joint owner of the ship Active along with William Powell, the master, merchant Robert Pack of Carbonear, and John Gosse of Poole, and William Fryer of Wimbourne, England. Taylor and Powell owned 21 shares each, and Pack, Gosse and Fryer owned 22 shares among them. Elizabeth Taylor was the “Administratrix to the Estate and Effects” of the late Nicholas Powell, so she probably was his sister. The vessel was broken up in 1829.

  The merchant Simon Levi and Ann Toque, widow of Philip Toque of Carbonear, were joint owners of the ship Elizabeth when it was registered in 1831 (they held 32 shares each and were designated “co-partners in trade”). Levi and Philip Toque had been partners when they registered the 105-ton schooner Alpha in 1828. Philip must have died before 1831 since Levi and Ann Toque were co-partners in December 1835 when they sold the ship to St. John’s merchants. Levi was a Jew and in the election year riots of 1836 his house was attacked twice under the accusation that he was an informer. When Levi died in 1837, the trustees of his insolvent estate transferred all his shares to John Rorke, merchant of Adams Cove, and Ann Toque continued as Rorke’s “co-partner in trade” when they re-registered the ship in 1839. Ann was the daughter of Robert Howell of Carbonear and is listed with her three brothers in the Conception Bay Plantation Book of 1805 as inheritors of their father’s property there in 1800. Of additional interest is the fact that Ann and Philip Tocque’s son, also named Philip, became a literary figure of some note. While still a young man in Carbonear, he and John Elson and others founded a literary circle. In 1849 he moved to Boston and became involved in several liberal causes, including the rights of women. Obviously, his mother’s proactive approach had made a strong impression on him. By 1852 young Philip had moved to Nova Scotia, and in the 1870s he was living in Toronto.

  Catherine Morris, widow of St. John’s and Burin, was joint owner with Joseph Ryan, merchant of St. John’s, of three ships, Shamrock, Saint Patrick, and Calypso, when these were registered in 1831, 1832 and 1833. They are designated as “co-partners in trade.” The first vessel was lost in 1834; in 1835 Catherine sold her shares in the second vessel; the third vessel was still operating in 1837. Catherine was the widow of Geoffrey Morris, and the firm of Morris & Ryan of Poole and Liverpool had been operating in Burin from at least 1812.

  Charles Simms of St. John’s, barrister, and Elizabeth Henderson, widow of Harbour Grace, registered the British-built brig-rigged ship Elizabeth in 1837. Each of them held 32 shares, and they reregistered the ship in 1844, obviously as the result of modifications and some rebuilding. Ann Elizabeth Henderson died in 1858 at the age of 68; she had been the wife of Jordan Henderson, merchant at Harbour Grace. Charles Simms was her son-in-law. Richard Brown, planter, and Catherine Brown, widow of Burin, jointly owned the ship Catherine when it was registered in 1844. Richard had been the builder. He had to take a mortgage on his 48 shares from a St. John’s merchant, but Catherine did not take a mortgage on her 16 shares.

  Twenty-three years before the Married Women’s Property Act was proclaimed in 1876, Julia Kelligrew was a married woman shipowner in partnership with her husband, William Kelligrew, and John Goodridge, both merchants at St. John’s. In 1853 they registered their ship Ann, with William and John holding 48 shares together as “co-partners in trade,” and Julia holding 11 shares each for her under-age children John William and William George. This was obviously Julia’s way of providing for her children’s future. Unfortunately, the vessel was stranded and declared lost near North Sydney in 1854 and was sold by public auction. The Kelligrews were in business at St. John’s until at least 1875.

  Ann Giles, widow of Carbonear, was a partner with William Giles, John Giles and Richard Giles when they registered the ship Nelson in 1853. Each owned 16 shares. The ship was broken up at Carbonear in 1870. In 1855 Robert Pack of Carbonear registered the ship Christina and his partners were “…John Gosse of the Town of Poole in the County of Dorset, merchant, and Mary Rogers Fryer, widow, and representative of the late John Fryer of Wimborne in the County of Dorset, merchant…” This vessel was lost in 1862.

  Catherine Stoneman, widow of St. John’s, was a partner with George Stoneman of Trinity when they registered the ship Henry Thomas in 1858. Catherine’s husband William had died at Trinity in 1856, so Catherine had obviously moved to St. John’s in the interim. Their son, William R. Stoneman, became a writer and was the author of a book, The Penitent’s Tale: Or, The Backslider’s Experience, published by the Morning Post in St. John’s in 1848. The Stonemans had been living at Trinity since at least 1828, and William had owned six ships during that period, including one named Catherine. The Henry Thomas was lost in 1866 on a voyage from North Sydney to Newfoundland.

  Catherine Cummins, widow of St. John’s, was a joint owner with Peter Cummins when they registered the ship Kate Cummins (named after Catherine) in 1862. Catherine’s husband Maurice was a prosperous merchant-planter of St. John’s and had died in 1853 at age 66. Their daughter Catherine had married J. B. Sawyer, Esq., in 1853, and a second daughter, Lizzie Agnes, married Alexander Murray, Esq., of the Geological Survey in 1868. The Kate Cummins was lost in December 1870 at Cow Bay, Conception Bay.

  In 1844, 22 years before the Married Women’s Property Act became law, Caroline Winsor, married woman of Aquaforte, owned shares in the ship Pelter with her sister-in-law, Jane Winsor, and three Winsor males. In 1866, Elizabeth Pond of Greenspond was a partner with her husband John and his brother Andrew when they registered the Edward & Lydia. They held the 64 shares jointly. She had been Elizabeth Wells and had married John on November 4, 1835; they had no children, so she may well have been significantly involved in the fishing venture.

  Ellen Roach of Branch, St. Mary’s Bay, was designated as a “Trader” in 1887 when she and her two partners registered the ship Fleetwing at St. John’s. Her partners were Henry Roach, her husband and builder and master of the vessel, and his brother William Roach. They were designated as fishermen. Ellen’s birth name was C
antwell and she was born at Torbay in 1852. Perhaps she went to Branch as a school teacher. She married Henry Roach in 1877, and they had nine children. The term trader usually refers to coastal trading of goods and picking up dried cod on these visits to communities. In this case it may refer to the fact that Ellen was the business head of a general store and accompanied her male partners in some of these trading ventures. This was common along the south coast. Ellen died in 1931.

  At a somewhat later date, the Tessier women of St. John’s became involved with ships. Julia Tessier was a married woman in 1893 when she and Charles Nicholls, a master mariner of St. John’s, registered the 207-ton British-built ship Petunia. This was a three-masted brigantine-rigged ship designed for foreign-going ventures. Julia held 48 shares; Charles Nicholls, master, held 16 shares. Julia died without a will late in that same year and Letters of Administration were granted by the Supreme Court the next year to James C. Tessier, and he sold the ship to George James Tessier, accountant. Prior to Julia’s involvement with the Petunia, Ann Catherine Weston Tessier, widow, had owned the ship with Peter Germon Tessier, Lewis R. Tessier, Charles W. Tessier and Weston G. Tessier. They had sold it to Julia and Charles Nicholls. Ann Tessier had owned shares in the Native in 1886, in the Lilac in 1891, in the Mistletoe in 1893, and in the Brisk in 1900. Anne C. M. Tessier, spinster and daughter of Peter Germon Tessier, owned 3 shares in the Mistletoe in 1893 and bought a further 10 shares in 1895; she owned 9 shares in the Silver Sea in 1895 and bought a further 11 shares in the same ship in 1902 and held 7 shares in the Gladiola in 1898. Bertha Mary Tessier, married woman, bought 4 shares in the Silver Sea in 1893 and 1 additional share in 1895 and 33 shares in 1902. She bought 3 shares in the Mistletoe in 1896 from Anne C. M. Tessier. She held 3 shares in the Gladiola in 1898. All four Tessier women were speculators in the ship business.