Beatrice May (Bessie) Salter & Raymond Flynn

Beatrice May Salter and Raymond Flynn as they were wife and husband. 

Bessie Salter Flynn c. 1965

Bessie, as she was known, was my grandmother's young cousin and was born in Forteau, Labrador. One of the most amusing ancestors I have known, Bessie was the complete personality opposite to my grandmother Poole. While my grandmother was what we would term very lady-like, Bessie was more of the tomboy type. Don't get me wrong, she had manners but she was rough and tumble and was very outspoken.

Ray Flynn c. 1970

She married Ray Flynn also of Forteau who like most of the men in the area was a fisherman. The most interesting story I remember about Ray was the time he was caught in a Strait of Belle Isle storm that had come from nowhere. It hadn't been forwarned and caught many off guard. I can't remember if it was the spring or the fall of the year but I know he was alone in his small boat where the freezing cold water of the Straits is unforgiving. When he did not return to the community wharf, Bessie and the other residents became very worried. I believe the storm continued overnight but broke the next morning. Searchers from the communities along the Straits set out to find him. Still alive but suffering from hypothermia, Ray was found holding onto his capsized boat literally hanging onto life. He was brought back to Forteau hospital where he recovered fully. It was only then did he relay his ordeal; that the boat had capsized very early in the raging storm and he had spent the entire time in the water. He was one very lucky man indeed.

Bessie Salter Flynn at Forteau Nursing Station 1940's

Back to cousin Bessie: I was told this story by my mom's first cousin, Loretta Poole of Brooklyn, New York. My grandmother Poole had been the postmistress of Forteau post office for many years. When my mom, her parents and grandmother moved to Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Bessie was appointed the new postmistress of Forteau. While most people picked up their mail, some of it was to be delivered. This was no problem for Bessie as she was quite happy to do so. However, she was told that she could only deliver to a certain area along the coast. Well, Bessie wasn't much for being told what she could or couldn't do expecially if she believed it was unfair to others. Once it was found out that she was going beyond her area, the head of the postal offices decided to place a post (yes, an acutal post) to indicate that Bessie was not to go beyond that point, or was the case, that post! And so she didn't. Every time Bessie set out for her deliveries, she uprooted the post and placed it to where she wanted to go and then returned it to its original spot at the end of the day. Well, she didn't go beyond the post now did she? And that was Bessie Salter Flynn.

In the '70's, Bessie was stricken with breast cancer and was recuperating from the life-saving operation. I think she was at the St. Anthony hospital when Ray came for one of his frequent visits. He excused himself for a few minutes to go to the washroom but he didn't return. After considerable, Bessie asked one of the nurses to look for him. Sadly, Ray was not going to return to Bessie's bedside as he had suffered a massive heart attack and had died.

As did my grandmother, Bessie went on to gather the oral history of the Straits. For this and other efforts, she received the Order of Canada.

From the Governor General of Canada's website:

A former postmistress, she has long been devoted to her Labrador community, helping to detect enemy aircraft during wartime and working for many years as a volunteer with charitable, church and youth associations. Through her storytelling, in collecting books and papers, and by supporting, encouraging and teaching traditional craft techniques, she has helped safeguard the heritage of the Labrador Straits region.

Sadly, Bessie died before her investiture into the Order. She passed away on June 1, 1994 but not before learning of the honour.

Happy Mother's Day Mom - Florence Marjorie Poole

Marjorie Poole 1953

FACTS:

Margie 1931

• Name: Florence Marjorie Poole - Check
• DOB: May 30, 1928 - Check
• Place of Birth: Forteau, Newfoundland (actually Labrador) - Check
• Parents Names: Alice Maud Salter and William Edgar Poole - Check
• Spouse's Name: Baxter Abel Joseph Smith - Check
• Date of Marriage: August 4, 1954 - Check
• No. of Children: 2 - Check
• Occupation: Post Mistress - Check
• Died: June 30, 1995, Corner Brook, Newfoundland - Check, Unfortunately.

Wedding Day 1954

MEMORIES:

LIKE...........

Smelling the fresh, cold air emanating from her skin, as she entered my grandparents' house to retrieve me after a weekend stay; her hot pink smile contrasting against the silver fox fur of her winter coat - the same coat she would cover me in as I fell asleep just because I liked the softness against my face.

Holding my hand as I walked on the light grey stone, that half-wall in front of the Masonic Lodge, me, the clumsy gymnast, hanging on to power, as we made our way up West Street; carefully watching to make sure I didn't fall, smiling with encouragement. So much patience.

Taking me to work, "her little postmistress", as a treat; because she could. Allowing me to stamp everything in sight. Bright red ink, on paper, on fingers, on nose.Black ink smuidged across the back of my hands.

Sitting on the edge of my bed, telling me stories - for what seemed like hours - when I was sick so that I wouldn't feel lonely. Temple massage included at no extra cost.

Reminding me with a twinkle in her eye that Santa had left my "Crissy" doll next to my bed like I had asked him to do -  when, in horror, I did not find her under the tree.

Meandering down the bank behind "the house" - our spring journey - filling the buckets with rich black soil - nutrients - life to breathe into the red brick planter stand.

Attempting to hide her worry, her face clearly not following the directions, while listening to doctors argue over which was the best course of action to treat my broken arm; holding me, comforting me during our 6 hour ER stay.

Telling me for the 'nth' time about the day I was born. (It was in a blizzard and thus she was strongly considering calling me Gail).

Watching the orange sunset of chiffon flow over the stairs, the sprinkling of Chanel No. 5 throughout the room. Oh how I loved seeing her dress up for New Year's Eve. One day I was going to flow over stairs dotting the room with a beautiful breeze.

Me and Mom, My Baptism Day

Thanking every day that I have my memories of her....

Smiling, laughing, loving - perfectly.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

Florence Lavinia Salter - The Lure of the Big City

 As part of the 52 Ancestors project, it was suggested that this month we write about a few of the women in our family tree who we felt were fearless. I looked through my tree and suddenly realized I have so many from which to choose. Let's face it; if you lived in Newfoundland and Labrador during the 1800's you deserved a medal. It wasn't an easy life especially if you lived in the rural areas of the land. The turn of the 20th century was not much better.

Those women worked hard and persevered through extreme conditions. Whether it was Bridget Sisk from Ferryland who went to Riviere St-Paul, Basse-Cote-Nord, Quebec, Lavinia Roberts from Brigus who met up with her brother Issac in the Strait of Belle Isle, Labrador or Mary Ann Vane Courtenay of Devon, England who was shipwrecked on the shores of Brador, each and everyone of them deserves to be admired for their determination to create a life for themselves and their families.

Rather than focus on a female ancestor who moved to or stayed in the province, I have decided to focus on one of the women who left her homeland behind to find a "better" life.

Flossie Salter, cousin Howard
& sister Maud, 1914 

My grandmother Poole's sister, Florence Lavinia Salter, married my grandfather Poole's brother Harold in 1927. To make it clear - two sisters married two brothers. Shortly after, Flossie and Harold were New York City bound. Harold was hired as an ironworker, building the high rises in the massive city. Starting in the early 20th century, there was an exodus of Newfoundlanders who had left to make money in the bustling American economy. Whether it is New York City or Boston, you will find many families with Newfoundland roots. The men became legendary for their ability to walk the narrow iron above the busy streets below. Many of the young wives, if they hadn't started a family, worked as domestics to help settle into this new normal.

Flossie & Harold
Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NYC late 1920's

Flossie and Harold moved to the borough of Brooklyn as did many of their compatriots. However the 1929 stockmarket crash, as we all know, drove the country into economic depression.  Ironwork continued for a short while but like everything else, was scaled back. Flossie and Harold remained in Brooklyn until 1930/31 but soon after packed their belongings and moved back to Hant's Harbour, Newfoundland where they built a house.  Much of Harold's family still lived in Hant's Harbour; all of them trying to ride out the depression storm. It wasn't the fast paced life of the big city but there they had a roof over their heads and plenty of food.



Towards the end of the decade, the economy began to improve and the city beckoned. Flossie was not much for the outport life in Newfoundland and wanted to get back to New York and the lifestyle she so desired. The construction industry started to boom and more ironworkers were needed. By 1940, Harold and Flossie had settled back in Brooklyn leaving their old lives behind.

Harold died in 1980 at the age of 77 while Flossie lived to the age of 94. She passed away in 1994 in her beloved Brooklyn.

Marjorie Poole - Consumed

Marjorie Poole c. 1919

I have often thought how horrible the feeling must be in losing a child; not miscarriage or still-birth although painful in their own right, but having a beautiful person in your life - 2, 4, 6 yrs and beyond. What feeling could be worse than outliving your child?

My grandfather had two older siblings who had died of diphtheria but the family seemed to survive other maladies of the time. Pop, who had become the eldest, moved onto life at sea finally settling down in Forteau, Labrador in 1918. His younger siblings included four sisters and one brother who was the youngest. His "little sister", Marjorie, was a real joy; a beautiful young woman full of life.

Back on the island of Newfoundland as was happening in Labrador and around the globe, tuberculosis was gripping communities. This disease had been documented in the province for centuries and while the rest of the world seemed to be comabtting it successfully by the 1920's, the same was not true for Newfoundland. Several reasons have been cited for this but the largest contributing factor was the lack of information and medical help to the rural communities.

It was December 1920 and consumption, the latter stage of TB, had taken hold of young Marjorie now 20 years old. Her death must have been one of true suffering as the certificate states not only did she die of consumption but as a result of the disease, it had infected her bowels. What a terrible death indeed; to waste away.

As a teen when I visited, my grandfather would sometimes quietly retreat to his room sobbing. My grandmother explained that I reminded him of Marjorie and it made him sad thinking of that time so long ago. For him I brought back the memories of what he had lost. She never faded; his heart still ached.

Marjorie and sister Annie Poole

Joseph Blackler - Sawyer of Springdale

Joseph H. Blackler 1859-1935

Twillingate - historic fishing and merchant island off of the north east coast of Newfoundland is the birthplace to the first of my 52 ancestors on my paternal side.

Joseph H. Blackler was born in November 1859. The second oldest child of nine for his parents James and Eliza House, he married Elizabeth Cox also of Twillingate.  They soon started their family and had three daughters; the oldest Louisa was my great-grandmother.

Like his grandfather, father and brothers, Joseph was involved in the fishery but found himself in a different line of work not long after his marriage.

During the years 1877-78, a sawmill was constructed by Nicholas Peters on an island in Hall's Bay. The owner was a merchant and shipbuilder from Harbour Grace by the name of Udle. This mill employed a number of men who worked at the mill itself or supplied raw materials to it. Of these men, Joseph Blackler was hired as the first sawyer. What a change from fishing this must have been.

He and Elizabeth moved to Wolf Cove where he built a tilt house as a temporary home. Not living on Mill Island, he depended on his rowboat daily for getting him to and from his place of employ. Wolf Cove later became Springdale and Joseph was the first person to build a home there.

The sawmill came close to destruction as a forest fire raged through Hall's Bay as reported in the Twillingate Sun of June 16, 1881:

Fire in Hall's Bay.- For some days past a fire has been raging in the vicinity of Hall's Bay, destroying much of the valuable forests in that part. When the steamer left Little Bay Mines on Tuesday, the fire was advancing with great rapidity towards that place, and great consternation was manifested by the inhabitants, fearing that the destructive element would soon reach them, the fire then being not more than twenty miles from the settlement. We regret to hear that a new house and premises belonging to Mr. John CURTIS have been completely destroyed. The saw-mill works have escaped damage. It is said that the fire originated at Indian Brook, being caused by sparks which flew among the bushes from the funnel of a dwelling there.

John Curtis and his brother Francis purchased the enterprisel but their future dimmed by 1890 as the mill finally met its fate and fell victim to a raging fire. The Mill Island community closed down as families moved to Wolf Cove and a new era began. Joseph H. Blackler, my second great-grandfather and pioneer of Springdale, saw his community become the hub of Hall's Bay.

Joseph H. Blackler, c. 1930

Joseph Maidment H.H.

As kids, some of our most cherished memories are of time spent with our grandparents. I loved going to my grandmother Poole's house when I was young. I loved looking through her special drawer in her bureau where all these neat things were kept. I would spend hours playing putting on old jewellery; just having fun. Every time my mother would arrive to pick me up she would walk in the bedroom and find me with little mounds of things, little treasures I had found. I was immediately told to stop and put it all away but my grandmother would say "That's fine Marjorie. Leave her alone. She's having fun." and I was left to continue my exploration.

It wasn't only the bureau that had neat little treasures. Hanging from the sitting room wall were two very interesting items. One was a gun powder horn that belonged to my gr. gr. grandfather Joseph Maidment. It had his  name and an H.H. carved in it and a date1840. The other item was a very odd looking  thing made of wood. Thankfully, my  grandmother, my family history saviour, told me what it was and from where it came. Bizaare little thing really but once you know what it is it makes perfect sense.

Gun Powder Horn Joseph Maidment

Like so many of my ancestors, Joseph was a fisherman who lived in Hant's Harbour, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. He was the son of Samuel Maidment and Ann (unknown). Born on May 31, 1839 he was one of seven children. I suspect he began fishing at a young age. That was usually the case; attend school until you were a teen (sometimes younger) and then enter the fishing business so to speak.

At the age of 23, Joseph married a girl from another Hant's Harbour family named Esther Critch on September 20, 1862. As had Joseph's parents, he and Esther also had seven children. The second oldest was my gr. grandmother Eliza Jane. The oldest child, Mary Ann was born on February 28, 1863. Oops!

Joseph spent his entire life in Hant's Harbour fishing and raising his family with Esther. He is recorded in both the Hutchinson and McAlpine Directories of 1864 and 1904 respectively. That is where my trace stops for Joseph. I have to be honest, I am somewhat surprised I can't find his death record. At least I know he died before 1921 as he is not listed in the census that year.

Aboriginal Tool Made from Tree Knot

Back to the powder horn. The date of 1840 I believe was added after Joseph's death to commemorate his birth and life but as we know it is incorrect. As for the odd little item that hung  on the wall with the powder horn? As the story goes, it is a tool for grounding gun powder that was made by an old aboriginal man and given to Joseph. He carved it from a single knot of a tree. It is a truly remarkable piece of tangible history.

Lavinia Roberts - A Family Found

There is often a discussion as to the value of sites such as ancestry.ca or My Heritage. For me, I have found some valuable records on Ancestry but most of the records were located through research at my provincial archives now housed at The Rooms here in St. John's, Newfoundland or through familysearch.org. Where web services such as Ancestry really stand out is the connections that you can make. Below is an example of how I found the family of Lavinia Roberts.

I have spent considerable time searching for the birth record of my gr. gr. grandmother Lavinia to no avail. I do know she was born in Brigus, Newfoundland around 1845. She married John Salter on October 10, 1870 in Forteau, Labrador. They had two sons, George and John Jr.

The information I have came from two documents; her death record which stated she was 82 in 1927 and her marriage record which stated she was born in Brigus. Unfortunately it did not list her parents names. That was most common for the time.

My grandmother had told me that Lavinia was a third cousin to Captain Robert Bartlett, the famous 20th century explorer who had accompanied Peary in his search to reach the North Pole. She had also mentioned a sister Emma and brother William. Armed with this information I set out to the provincial archives to find Lavinia's birth record. Boy was I disappointed. I got zilch. It seemed I had nowhere to turn. That was more than 20 years ago.

It wasn't until this year that I came across a fellow family historian who had made a connection with my Chevalier relatives. Upon further investigation, I discovered that she had many Roberts relatives in her tree. This family of Roberts also came from Brigus and settled in Forteau as well. Many of their birth records too were missing but not their death records which recorded their place of birth and their ages. Some of the offspring moved to the other side of the border to the Canadian Labrador - Cote Nord, Quebec. I had found, finally, Lavinia's family. Listed with her relatives were her sister Emma, brother William and four other siblings. Her father was Esau (Evan) and her mother was Ann Medkiff. The information led me to find the dates of birth and death for Lavinia's ancestors back to the 1700's. And yes, just as my grandmother had told me, Captain Bob was indeed her third cousin.

And that is how I found Lavinia Roberts's family - through connections.

Thank you Irene Roberts Richard.

Lavinia Roberts Salter