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Authority record
Ahern, William
Person · 1860-1907

William Ahern (1860-1907), Catholic priest, was born in Waterford, Ireland, on 26 April 1860. He died in Brooklyn, New York, on 27 July 1907.

Ahern attended Mount Mellray College, Ireland, where he enrolled in the course of classics preparatory of philosophy and theology. He pursued these studies at All Hallows College, Dublin, where he remained until 1883. Ahern was ordained a priest in St. John's on 8 June 1883 by Thomas Joseph Power, Bishop of St. John's.

Ahern began his work at St. Mary's, St. Mary's Bay (1883-87). In 1887 he was transferred to St. Bonaventure's College and appointed Dean of Studies. He succeeded Michael A. Fitzgerald as President in 1888, until the administration of the institution was assumed by the Christian Brothers in 1889. After the transfer of the College to the Christian Brothers, Ahern accepted an appointment in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Parish, St. John's, where he remained for nearly three years.

In 1892 Ahern left Newfoundland and was incardinated into the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York. For the next seven years, (1892-99), he worked as curate in St. Joseph's Parish, Brooklyn, under the pastoral leadership of Monsignor McNamara. Ahern was appointed Rector of St. Gabriel's Parish in the New Lots section of Brooklyn.

Alice Perrault
Person

Alice (Perrett) Perrault (1896-1990) was born in Makkovik, Labrador, to Rev. Walter and Helen Perrett. The daughter of a Moravian missionary, Alice Perrett was trained as a teacher in England and taught in several communities on the Labrador coast before her marriage to Thorwald Perrault. In 1942 Alice moved to Refugee Cove (later Happy Valley) with her family to work on construction of the Goose Bay Air Force Base. In 1943 Alice Perrault started the first school in Happy Valley in the kitchen of her home and was instrumental in securing more permanent facilities for the school in 1946. She was awarded the Order of Canada on June 25, 1984, for a lifetime of service to her community.

Allard, F.Z.
Person · [18--]

F.Z. Allard, Catholic priest, was assistant to Monsignor Sears, Prefect Apostolic of the Prefecture Apostolic of St. George's, Newfoundland, from 1878 to 1879.

Alvin Blake
Person

Alvin Blake (1909-1998) was born to Ellen ( Michelin) and Mark Blake. He married Marjorie Michelin.

Anderson, Hugh Abercrombie
Person · 1890-1965

Hugh Abercrombie Anderson (1890-1965), playwright and theatre manager, was born in St. John's, Newfoundland on 10 February 1890, the son of Amelia (Murray) and John Anderson, a prominent local businessman and politician. He died at his home at Forest Hills Inn, Queens, New York on 9 November 1965.

Anderson attended Bishop Feild College, St. John's, followed by additional education at the Edinburgh Academy (Scotland). He also spent time in Switzerland and France. After completing his tour of Europe he returned to St. John's and joined his father's business.

Anderson joined the First Newfoundland Regiment (later the Royal Newfoundland Regiment) in 1915. A medical problem, however, prevented him from seeing service at the front so he worked in the Pay and Records Office in London. In 1917 he was promoted to Lieutenant and in 1918 to Captain. In 1919 he was awarded a certificate as a Member of the British Empire for his war service. Anderson was one of only nine members of the Regiments to be so honoured.

Anderson returned to St. John's and his father's business in 1919 but quickly became restless. In 1921 he decided to join his older brother John who was involved in the New York theatre scene and with motion pictures. In time, Hugh became John's business manager and associate producer. Together, they collaborated on twenty-nine major Broadway musicals.

Anderson also wrote a great deal, penning plays of his own as well as tailoring those of others for the stage. In 1954 his largest work, a biography of his brother John Murray Anderson was published. Anderson spent the remainder of his life in New York but returned to St. John's for visits from time to time.

Anderson, John Murray
Person · 1886-1954

John Murray Anderson (1886-1954), dance instructor, writer, Broadway producer, was born in St. John's, Newfoundland, on 20 September 1886, the son of Amelia (Murray) and John Anderson. He married Genevieve Lyon of Chicago in 1914. She died of tuberculosis in 1916. They had no children. Anderson died in New York City on 30 January 1954.

Anderson received his early education at Bishop Feild College, St. John's. Like many of his contemporaries from St. John's merchant families, he was sent to Europe to continue his education. He attended Edinburgh Academy and Lausanne University. After graduating from Lausanne, he went to London where he studied voice with Sir Charles Santley and acting with Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree. In 1909 he returned to St. John's where he spent time collecting antiques along the Southern Shore and other parts of the Avalon Peninsula, before moving to New York City.

In New York, Anderson quickly became involved in theatre, first as a dance instructor, before becoming a writer and producer, particularly of musical comedy and revues. His first play was The World Mother, starring Blanche Bates (1918). Over the next 30 years, he was responsible for over thirty productions, including The Greenwich Village Follies, The Music Box Revue, and Murray Anderson's Almanac. Between 1926-29 he produced fifty-seven miniature revues for Paramount Famous Players Theatres. After the death of Florenz Zeigfeld (1932), he became producer of The Zeigfeld Follies. He also took shows to London and was involved in the 1937 production,The Coronation Revue, staged to celebrate the coronation of King George VI.

For a number of years in the 1920s, in partnership with Robert Milton, Anderson also operated a school of theatre and dance located at East 58th Street in New York City. Some of the graduates of the school were Lucille Ball, Bette Davis, Paul Muni and Joan Blondell.

Anderson had a brief involvement with motion pictures. He spent 1929-30 in Hollywood, during which time he was the driving force behind the acclaimed, first all-colour, musical motion picture, The King of Jazz, released by Universal Studios in 1930. The theatre remained Anderson's first love, however, and he returned to it to present live stage productions until shortly before his death. During the 1940s he was involved in the production of a number of circus shows for Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus.

Anderson was a periodic visitor to Newfoundland throughout his life. In the year before his death, Anderson dictated his autobiography, Out without my Rubbers, with his brother, Hugh, as writer.

Anderson, Torsten
Person · 1834-[19-]

Torsten Anderson (1834-19-) was born in Norway on 9 February 1834 as Torstein Kverna. He married Mary Thomas in 1859; they had six boys and four girls.

Torstein Kverna arrived in Labrador in the late 1840s as an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company. He adopted a new name following his arrival in Labrador, altering the old Norwegian spelling of Torstein to Torsten and changing his surname from Kverna to Anderson as the latter was considered too difficult to pronounce. He chose the Anderson as his father's name was Anders and the name Anders had been in the family for about two hundred years. Torsten Anderson was the first European to settle in Makkovik, Labrador.

Attenborough, Frederick
Person · fl.1935

Frederick Attenborough (fl. 1935), was a teacher and diarist who traveled to Newfoundland via Edinburgh and Liverpool in the summer of 1935. Little is known about Attenborough beyond what can be discerned from his diary. At the time of his trip, he resided at 43 Milton Street, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. He was a schoolmaster at Burton Grammar School. In July and August 1935, he took his annual summer holiday abroad. He had no travelling companions, but he did make several acquaintances on board the SS Nova Scotia. His trip extended from 29 July to 31 August.

Attenborough's holiday took him by ship to parts of Newfoundland and Canada. He remained in St. John's from 8 August to 11 August, returning again from 23 August to 25 August. Attenborough visited many sites such as Bowring Park, Cabot Tower and Government House.

Aylward, Thomas
Person · 1829-1902

Thomas Aylward (1829-1902), mariner, was born at Falmouth, Nova Scotia in 1829. He died at Windsor on 21 March 1902.

In 1854 Aylward obtained his Master Mariner's certificate in London. His first command was on the ship China. He later commanded the British Queen and the Nile. He commanded vessels for the firm of John S. DeWolfe & Co. of Liverpool, England which sailed to India and Australia, and for Bennett Smith of Windsor, Nova Scotia. For several years he was managing owner of the ship Avoca and the barquentines St. Croix, St. Paul and St. Peter.

Alyward was a member of the Board of Stewards of the Methodist Church of Windsor, Nova Scotia and was on the building committee of the church, St. John's United, erected in 1899.

Baggs, John P.
Person · [19-]

John P. Baggs was a member of the Newfoundland Constabulary. He was stationed at Trinity from 1940 to 1950.