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