Silk Sails (24 page)

These were both proactive women. Compared with them, their husbands were passive.

Perhaps it is time to allow the near-myth of the passive woman to die, as the myth of the woman as bad luck at sea has died. The near-myth seems to have little basis in the reality portrayed here.

Women had to work within certain societal strictures which were characteristic of the times, but as we have seen repeatedly in this study they found ways of “pushing the envelope” and securing advances, one tiny step at a time.

The women described in this study deserve our admiration and praise. Women today stand on the shoulders of their sisters in the past.

Many of the Newfoundland sole owners and joint owners are described in Chapters 2 and 3, but there are several others who are worthy of honourable mention. These are listed below with sufficient information to help determine how long women held on to ships and for what purposes these were used. The abbreviation M after the date indicates that the woman had arranged a mortgage on her ship.

Jane Parsons, Harbour Grace, Widow, 1837,
Lavinia

Jane bought this ship on November 13, 1837. Tobias Parsons served as master. No further transactions could be found.

Mary O'Neill, Fermeuse, Widow, 1844-5,
Cousins

Cornelius O'Neill was master of the ship. Mary sold the ship in 1845 to Dugald Markellar, merchant at St. John's.

Johanna Nowlan, St. John's, Widow, 1862-68,
Dash

When Michael Nowlan registered this ship in 1862, he transferred all 64 shares to Johanna, who was then a widow. Michael died on February 27, 1868, and his will, dated February 20, 1865, appointed
Johanna as executrix. She sold the ship on May 22, 1868, to Daniel Green, merchant of Harbour Grace.

Mary McCarthy, Carbonear, Widow, 1868-,
Alma

Mary bought this ship on May 25, 1868, from Frederick Joseph Wyatt. The 44-ton vessel had been built in 1859 at Silly Cove. No further transactions could be found.

Sarah Andrews, Port de Grave, Widow, 1870-2,
Flower

Sarah bought the ship in December 1870 and sold it in May 1872 to William and George Andrews, planters of Port de Grave, perhaps her sons.

Constance Garnier, Bay St. George, Trader, 1881-2,
Beatrice

Ernest Garnier, “vice master” of the ship and possibly Constance's husband, is also listed as a trader.

Anne Farrell, St. Jacques, Trader, 1886-,
Carrie K.

This vessel was built in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, in 1882 and had been registered at Lunenberg in 1883. Thomas Farrell was master of the ship. Its name may originally have been the
Carrie McK.
Anne and Thomas Farrel were coastal traders along the south coast.

Kezia Foote, Grand Bank, Widow, 1889-,
Samuel J. Foote

Kezia's husband had been Morgan Foote. Kezia died in 1910 at age 75.

Bridget Keough, St. John's, Widow, 1893, M,
Hope

Bridget bought the ship from William Grant at Halifax on January 13, 1893, under Mortgage C. She sold it on June 13 the same year to James McAdam at Sydney.

Eliza Anne Tobin, Twillingate, Widow, 1893-6,
Erminie

& St. John's, 1893-6,
Jubilee

1893-7,
Dorothy

Eliza Anne was the widow of Joseph Bennett Tobin, who was a merchant, major shipowner and member of the Grand Jury for Twillingate and who died February 14, 1893.

Laura Simmons, Harry's Harbour, Married, 1894-8, M,
Bonny Lass

Laura was the first owner of this ship, buying it in 1894 from the
builder, Thomas Burt. She may have had it built for her purposes. She took a mortgage on the ship in 1895 for the amount of $693.42 with interest at 6%; her mortgagee was George Knowling, merchant of St. John's. In 1898 Knowling transferred the mortgage to James Norris, planter of Three Arms, Notre Dame Bay. On November 14, 1898, Norris sold the ship to John McDonald of Salmonier. So it must have been Norris' way of collecting on a mortgage that could not be paid. It appears that Laura's business venture had failed. On November 21, 1902, John McDonald sold the ship to Anastassia McDonald, married woman of Salmonier, probably his wife.

Anna Vale McKenzie, St. John's, Married, 1894-1900,
Clara

This 25-ton vessel was built in 1864 by the Cluetts of Fortune Bay who sold it to Anna in 1894. Anna had it rebuilt and enlarged to 27-tons in 1896 at Little Bay East by William Miles. On November 23, 1900, she sold the ship to Robert K. Bishop, merchant of St. John's. The ship lasted for a remarkable 36-plus years.

Margaret Catherine Fitzgerald, St. John's, Matron, 1896-, M,
Ada

Margaret bought the ship on October 5, 1896, from John F. Apsey and Alfred G. Smith. It had been previously registered in 1878, so it was already 18 years old. Margaret took a mortgage for $500 with Robert G. Rendell, merchant. No further transactions could be found. The fate of the vessel is indecipherable in the record.

Eliza Strong, Old Perlican, Widow, 1897-8,
Mary Jane

Eliza bought this 16-ton, nine-year-old ship and registered it on May 25, 1897. She sold it on November 10, 1898, to William C. Job, merchant of St. John's.

Emma Jane Chalk, Scissor's Cove, Married, 1898-,
Phoebe Jane

Abraham Chalk, the builder of this 15-ton vessel, was probably Emma Jane's husband. No further transactions could be found.

Rachel Davis, St. John's?, 1899-,
Trio

Rachel bought this 21-year-old ship after Walter Baine Grieve, merchant of St. John's, had discharged the mortgage of the previous owner.

Mary Murphy, St. John's?, Married, 1899-1900, M,
Kersage

Mary had a mortgage with Charles W. J. Emerson for $100 and interest at 6% payable on November 15, 1900. She probably had bought the ship from George Graham Crosbie, merchant at Brigus. The ship was wrecked at Western Bay sometime in 1900. She may have been the Mary Murphy, aged 76, widow of Nicholas, who died in St. John's in 1916. If so, she left a husband and three sons.,

Elizabeth Ingraham, Ramea, Married, 1899-1902,
Nevada

Elizabeth bought the 46-ton ship from her husband, John Ingraham, who had owned it for six years. The ship was owned later by Lena Young of St. Jacques.

Sarah Jane Johnson, Little Catalina, Married, 1899-04, M,
Lego

James Johnson, the builder of this 16-ton vessel, was probably Sarah Jane's husband. Sarah Jane took a mortgage for $250 in 1900, one for $250 in 1901, one for $207.75 in 1902 and one for $200 in 1903; these were all at 10% interest. These were all discharged on June 2, 1904, and the next day she sold the ship to the mortgagee, Benjamin Garland, shoemaker of St. John's. It appears that business was not going well for the Johnsons.

Catherine Guy, Pilley's Island, Married, 1899-1927,
Esther

Catherine bought this ship from her son Frederick after he had had it for one year and paid off his mortgage with W. C. Job, merchant, after only five months. The ship was lost at the Grey Islands in 1927, which means that Catherine may have held the ship for a remarkable 28 years. Frederick died in 1920.

Ann Andrews, St. John's? -1899,
Hyacinth

Ann was the sixth owner of this ship; the purchase date cannot be determined. She sold it on June 10, 1899, to Michael Martin, trader of King's Cove. Martin sold it in 1902 to Emmie Wilcox and Henrietta Roberts, married women of Brigus. See
Chapter 3
.

Catherine Barron, Placentia, Widow, 1900,
Cygnet

Frank Barron, mariner of Placentia, bought this ship on October 13, 1899. He died intestate on October 30, 1900. Letters of Administration were granted to Catherine by the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and she sold the vessel on November 25, 1900, to Walter Baine Grieve, merchant at St. John's.

Ann Barnes, Harbour Mille, Married, 1900-07,
Glencoe

Ann's husband was John Barnes, the builder. Ann sold the ship in 1907 to Jeremiah Petite, merchant of Mose Ambrose.

Jessie Gushue, Brigus, Married, 1901-,
Jane

1907-11,
Willis C.

Jessie bought the
Jane
on December 15, 1901, but no further transactions could be found. She bought the 82-ton
Willis C.
, which had been built at La Have, Nova Scotia, on March 11, 1907, and sold it on June 19, 1911, to William C. Job, merchant of St. John's.

Julia Ann Johnson, Little Catalina, Married, 1902-,
D. B. J.

Julia Ann's husband was probably Alexander Johnson, the builder of this 28-ton vessel. The fate of the ship is indecipherable in the record.

Mary J. Davis, Fox Harbour, Widow, 1904,
Bessie

The 26-ton vessel had been built in Fox Harbour by George Lamb in 1900. Mary registered the ship on June 28, 1904, and sold it the same day to Reuben Pike, mariner of St. John's.

Mary Horwood, Carbonear, Married, 1905-,
Maggie Barbara

Samuel P. Horwood, planter of Carbonear, bought the 22-ton ship on April 8, 1905, and sold it on April 11, 1905, to Mary Horwood. No further transactions could be found.

Charlotte A. Haliburton, Bonne Bay, Married, 1905-14,
Marie Ann

This 30-ton ship had been built in Quebec in 1890. Louisa A. Whiteley had owned it from 1903 to 1905. Charlotte's husband was probably John P. Haliburton. The vessel was broken up at Bonne Bay in January 1914.

Lena Young, St. Jacques, Married, 1905-9,
Nevada

This ship had been owned previously by Elizabeth Ingraham of Ramea. The Youngs had been a merchant family at St. Jacques since the 1880s.

Maria Tuck, Fortune, Widow, 1905-17,
Argo

Maria was the widow of William Tuck who built the Argo in 1895 and died on December 24, 1905, and she was also executrix of his will. She sold the ship on May 1, 1917, to Walter John and Alfred
Tuck, mariners of Fortune, and probably her sons. Maria died on April 24, 1933, at age 84.

Jemima Emine Parsons, Freshwater, Married, 1905-7,
Orient

Jemima bought the ship from Francis J. Parsons, planter of Freshwater, Bay de Verde, on May 25, 1905. The ship was lost at Wesleyville in September 1907 or 1917; the date is indistinct in the record.

Margaret Ryan, Catalina, Married, 1906-17,
Success

Margaret's husband was P. F. Ryan and she was the youngest daughter of John and Johanna Murphy. Margaret died in November 1917 and left a husband, two sisters and three brothers. The 17-ton vessel was broken up at Catalina about 1919.

Frances Miles, Herring Neck, Planter, 1906-12,
Pratincole

This 64-ton ship was built at Exploits Harbour by Robert A. Sceviour for Thomas A. Winsor, merchant of Exploits. Winsor sold it on December 24 to Frances Miles, planter. This is the only time “Planter” was used in the ship registers for a woman. Both times the name “Frances” appears in the record, it is clearly spelled with an “e.” Henry, Esau and Stephen Myles of Herring Neck were planters from the 1830s to the 1880s. Many of the early women were planters in all but name only, e.g., Mary Ludevig of Ferryland and the women of Spaniard's Bay. Frances sold the ship in June 1912 to William Ashbourne, merchant at Twillingate.

Susannah Davis, Harbour Grace, Married, 1906-10,
Pleasant Time

Susannah bought this ship from John T. McRae, merchant of Harbour Grace, on February 14, 1906. The ship was lost on the Labrador on September 20, 1910.

Teresa Power, St. Mary's, Widow, 1906-11,
Bridie M. Power

Teresa inherited the ship when her husband, James Power, died without a will on August 7, 1906. She held on to the vessel for five years and sold it on May 8, 1911.

Carrie Carter, Summerside, Widow, 1907-,
Erita & Ena

Herbert D. Carter built the
Erita & Ena
in 1905. Carrie was the owner when she registered the 33-ton vessel on July 12, 1907. No further transactions could be found.

Jessie A. Burdock, Belleoram, Married, 1910-11,
Gertrude

Jessie bought the
Gertrude
at St. Pierre et Miquelon on December 17, 1910; the ship had been built at Essex, Massachusetts. She sold it on June 26, 1911, to Robert Moulton, merchant at Burgeo.

Ellen Snow, Bay Roberts, Married, 1913,
Darryl

Ellen bought the ship on May 28, 1913, from William H. Peters, merchant of St. John's, and sold the ship on June 7, 1913, to Philip Templeman, merchant of Bonavista, owning the ship for only 10 days.

Ursula Petipas, Curling, Married, 1914-,
Kathleen Alice

Ursula bought the 13-ton vessel the same year it was built at Curling; it had a vertical reciprocating internal combustion engine. The ship was broken up at Flower's Cove in 1947.

Martha Carter, Channel, Widow, 1915-16,
Good Ship Jubilee

It is difficult to figure out the history of the
Good Ship Jubilee.
William Carter, master mariner of Channel, had the 59-ton vessel built for him at Channel by George Scott in 1897. Sometime after that he appears to have sold it to Philip T. Clement and held a mortgage on the ship. Martha may, in fact, have been the mortgagee. When William Carter died, perhaps in 1914 or early 1915, Clement sold the ship to Martha on May 22, 1915, perhaps in settlement of the mortgage. On that date Martha is referred to as the “Administratrix for the estate of William Carter, late of Channel, mariner, deceased.” On June 21, 1916, Martha sold the ship to Theodore Keeping, mariner of Channel.

Catherine Reddy, Marystown, Widow, 1915-18,
Woodrow Wilson

When Hugh Reddy, merchant of Marystown, died on April 6, 1915, his will of May 9, 1912, appointed Catherine as executrix. Catherine was a nurse from England and had a long career in nursing before she married Hugh. She sold the ship on September 21, 1918.