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Authority record
Bemister, John
Person · 1815-1892

John Bemister (1815-1892), politician, was born in Carbonear, Newfoundland in 1815. He died at Harbour Grace on 23 December 1892.

Bemister entered politics in 1855 as a Conservative supporter of Sir Hugh Hoyles and represented the district of Bay de Verde in the first House of Assembly after the granting of Responsible Government. Bemister continued to represent this district up to 1870 when he retired from politics.

In 1861 he was appointed to the cabinet as Receiver General, the major financial portfolio. In 1865, he was appointed by the Prime Minister Frederick Carter to the position of Colonial Secretary. Confederation was a key election issue in 1869, and Bemister, who supported union with Canada, maintained the support of his district despite the controversial nature of the election. Religious tensions flared as the Catholic Church advised its faithful to vote against the issue, while the Protestant Churches took the opposite stand. In the end, the anti-Confederates were successful and Confederation became a dead issue.

Upon his retirement from politics in 1870, Bemister was appointed a sheriff of the Northern District, where he held the position until 1892.

Bergin, Martin Joseph
Person · 1809-1841

Martin Joseph Bergin (1809-1841), Catholic priest, was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1809. Bergen died at Tilton Harbour 28 September 1841.

At the invitation of Michael Anthony Fleming, Bergin came to the Vicariate of Newfoundland, arriving in 1834. He served St. Patrick's Parish, Tilton (Tilting) Harbour, Fogo Island, from 1834 to 1841.

Berney, Michael
Person · 1808-1886

Michael Berney (1808-1886), Catholic priest, was born in Tintern Parish County Wexford, Ireland. He arrived in Newfoundland in 1831. He was ordained at the Roman Catholic Chapel in St. John's by Bishop Michael Anthony Fleming on 24 September 1831.

Reverend Berney's first appointment was as a curate to Reverend Thomas Ewer at Harbour Grace (1831-33). In 1833 he was appointed the first parish priest of Burin.

Reverend Berney was a strong proponent of education on the Burin Peninsula, serving as Chairman of the Board of Education for the Electoral District of Burin. "Under his leadership... men of different faiths worked together to bring education to this section of the island." He was later chairman of the Roman Catholic School Board (1846-48); documentation indicates that he also taught night courses. In 1854, Berney established a school in Fox Cove. He played an important role in bringing the Sisters of Mercy to teach in the Burin School (1863).

In 1865 Rev. Berney was paralysed on the right side as a result of exposure to severe wet weather during his missionary tours. He died in Burin at age 78.

Reverend Berney's brother, Richard (d. 27 June 1871) was a medical doctor who served for a short time on the Burin Peninsula and then moved to Carbonear.

Blake, Thomas L.
Person · 1843-1935

Thomas L. Blake (1843-1935), was born in Hamilton Inlet, Labrador on 22 March 1843, the son of William Blake Jr. and Lydia (Brooks) Blake. Thomas had never been to school and was taught to read and write by his mother who had been taught by her father, Ambrose Brooks. Thomas was married four times. He kept a diary detailing life and social conditions in Labrador from 1883-1890. Thomas spent time in Nova Scotia where he attended day school. Later he taught night school in Labrador at Lester's Point. Throughout his life Thomas Blake was a trapper and a fisherman. He died 2 October 1935.

Blathwayt, William
Person · ca. 1649-1717

William Blathwayt (ca. 1649-1717), British civil servant, senior government administrator, and member of Parliament, was the only son of Anne (Povey) and William Blathwayt, St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, England. He married Mary Wynter, daughter of John Wynter, on 24 December 1686 at Dyrham church, Gloucestershire. They had five children, two of whom died in infancy. He died at Dyrham, England, where he was buried on 30 August 1717.

In 1675, Blathwayt began work as a minor clerk in the Plantation Office, a position he secured through the influence of his uncles, Thomas and Richard Povey, both of whom were prominent in colonial affairs. He advanced quickly, and held a number of important administrative positions including: clerk of the privy council (1675); secretary to the Lords of Trade (1679); surveyor and auditor general of Plantation Revenues (1680); secretary at war (1683); acting secretary of state with William III in Flanders (1692) and member of the Board of Trade (1696).

Blathwayt represented the constituency of Bath in the British House of Commons (1693-1710). Blathwayt was regarded as one of the most distinguished civil servants of his time; however, he gradually lost favour with the ruling elite. In 1712, with his health failing, he was forced to withdraw from public life. He spent the last five years of his life in retirement at Dyrham Park, an estate acquired from his wife's father.

Bloomfield, Walter
Person · [18-]-1943

Walter Broomfield (18-?-1943), the youngest son of Samuel James and Eliza (Learning) Broomfield, was born in 18-?. He married Carrie Anderson and had five children. He was a trapper and fisherman from Big Bay, near Davis Inlet.

Bond, George John
Person · 1850-1933

George Bond (1850-1933), Methodist minister and writer, was born on 1 July 1850 in St. John's, the eldest son of merchant John Bond and Elizabeth Roberts. His brother was Robert Bond, Prime Minister of Newfoundland (1900-1909). In 1881 Bond married Lucy Amelia Macpherson (185?-1903). They had five children: Herbert (1866-1910); Harry (1885-89); Elsie (1887-88); Fraser (1891-1965); Roberta (b. 1901- ). Bond died on 22 June 1933 in Halifax.

In 1869 Bond, who had received his early education in St. John's, decided to enter the Methodist ministry. He was accepted as a candidate in 1871, and studied for the ministry at Mount Allison Methodist College in Sackville, New Brunswick; he graduated in 1874. He was ordained into the Methodist ministry at George Street Methodist Church in St. John's on 26 June 1876.

Bond served in a number of Methodist circuits in Newfoundland: assistant minister at Gower Street Methodist Church, St. John's (1874-76); minister at Tilt Cove (1877); Fogo (1878-79); Trinity (1879-82). He returned to St. John's, with pastoral responsibilities for the following congregations: Cochrane Street (1883-84), Gower Street (1884-86), and George Street (1886-89). He was then posted in Grand Bank (1890-91). He also served the Newfoundland Conference in a number of administrative positions: Chairman of District, Journal Secretary, and member of the General Board of Missions. He was elected President of the Newfoundland Methodist Conference three times (1885, 1888, and 1919).

In 1891 Bond transferred to Nova Scotia. He served in Halifax at Grafton Methodist Church and Oxford Street Church, as well as at Canso. In 1895 he was appointed editor of The Wesleyan, a monthly church magazine published in Halifax. He held that post until 1902 when he moved to Toronto to become editor of the national church magazine, The Christian Guardian. He also served as President of the Nova Scotia Conference of the Methodist Church (1911-12). He twice served as a member of the Board of Regents of Mount Allison College (1893-1906; 1913-15), and was a frequent delegate to the Methodist Church's General Conference. He returned to Newfoundland in 1916 and served the Cochrane Street circuit until 1921, when he returned to Nova Scotia. Before leaving for Nova Scotia, he represented Newfoundland at the Ecumenical Conference held in London (1916).

While stationed in Nova Scotia, Bond spent a year (1907-8) in China and Japan studying the church's missionary work there. His visit took him up the Yangtze River where he saw first-hand the work of the Methodist missionaries. After his return to Halifax, he used what he had learned, together with photographs he had taken in China, to give public lectures on this facet of the church's work.

In addition to his clerical achievements, Bond was also a writer of fiction. In 1887 he published a novel, Skipper George Netman, the story of Newfoundland fishermen and their lives in the fictional outport of Caplin Bight. It had previously been serialized in The Canadian Methodist Magazine (1885) and was later republished in London by Charles H. Kelly (1900) and in Toronto by the Missionary Society of the Methodist Church (1911). His short story, "The Castaway of Fish Rock" appeared in The Methodist Monthly Greeting in June and July 1891. He wrote other stories which were not published and a number of articles on the Church's missionary work which appeared in various church publications.

Bond retired from the active ministry in 1923. He spent part of his retirement in Halifax, but also lived part of each year at the Grange, which he inherited after his brother's death in 1927. When Bond died, his body was brought back to St. John's for burial from Cochrane Street Methodist Church.

Born, William
Person · 1844-1910

William Born (1844-1910), Catholic priest, was born at St. John's, Newfoundland, on 10 January 1844, the son of Mary (Doutney) and Valentine Born. He died at St. John's on 10 December 1910 and was buried in Belvedere Cemetery.

Born was educated in St. John's and completed his studies for the priesthood at St. Bonaventure's College. Born was ordained a priest in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, St. John's, on 18 August 1867, by Bishop John Thomas Mullock.

Rev. William Born served as a curate in Sacred Heart Parish, St. Kyran's, Placentia West, under Rev. James Walsh, parish priest. He was transferred to St. Patrick's Parish, Burin, where he served as curate under the pastorate of Rev. Richard O'Donnell, whom he later succeeded as parish priest. In 1882, Rev. Born was appointed by Bishop Thomas Joseph Power as parish priest of Holy Redeemer Parish, Trepassey. He also served as chairman of the Roman Catholic School Board for the Trepassey District, until the time of his transfer to St. John's. In September 1908 Rev. Born was named Dean of the Diocese of St. John's and Rector of St. Patrick's Parish, St. John's, with residence in the presbytery at Corpus Christi Parish, Kilbride.

Bourke, Edmund
Person · 1756-1826

Edmund Bourke (1756-1826), Catholic priest, was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, in 1756. He became a professed member of the Dominican Order of Preachers and studied for the priesthood in the convents of Corpo Santo, Lisbon, and St. Maria da Victoria, Batalha, Portugal. Bourke returned to Ireland circa 1782 as an ordained priest and ministered to the congregation of Waterford from 1784 to 1785.

In 1786, Rev. Bourke became the first regularly authorized missionary to come to Newfoundland under the leadership of Rev. James Louis O'Donel, Prefect Apostolic of the island. He was appointed to Placentia, where he served with distinction. His success in spreading Catholicism in the area brought him into conflict with Prince William Henry (later King William IV) when the prince visited that town. He also built a presbytery and a chapel at Placentia.

Michael Francis Howley, Bishop of St. John's, stated in his Ecclesiastical History of Newfoundland that Bourke left Newfoundland in 1798, the year of the Irish rebellion, and took up residence in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Howley felt that Bourke left because he was in some way implicated in the Irish rebellion and feared the vengeance of British authorities at Newfoundland. It is thought that he was a brother of Dr. Bourke, the first Bishop of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

While working in Halifax, Rev. Bourke experienced difficulties with the Irish in his congregation and with the trustees of the church. In the autumn of 1801, he returned to Cork, Ireland, where he worked from 1801 to 1816. In 1817, he accepted an appointment in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and remained there until he died on 12 January 1826 at the age of 70.

Rev. Bourke was one of the three priests who signed the petition requesting the elevation of Rev. O'Donel to episcopal ranking. His surname appears alternately as Burke or Borke in archdiocesan archival papers.

Bowers, Patrick Raymond
Person · 1844

Patrick Raymond Bowers was born in Ireland on 10 May 1844. He immigrated to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, while still quite young, where he attended a private school operated by John LePage. He later became a student at St. Dunstan's College.

Politics captured Bowers' imagination at a very early age. He held the post of secretary of the Liberal Reform Association of Prince Edward Island while still only 18 years old. Perhaps it was this interest in politics which propelled him to a career in journalism: in 1863 he became an editorial contributor of The Examiner, a newspaper published by the Hon. Edward Whelan, a prominent journalist, member of the PEI Legislature, and a Father of Confederation. In 1868 Bowers published a biography of Whelan, who had died the previous year.

In 1865 Bowers left The Examiner to become headmaster and choirmaster at the Roman Catholic Academy in Woodstock, New Brunswick. He returned to The Examiner in 1870 as editor, a post he would hold until 1873, when he became Queen's Printer for PEI, a probable political sinecure. Bowers appointment to the Queen's Printer's position coincides with the election of 1873 and PEI joining the Canadian Confederation. While his knowledge of printing may have qualified him for the job, it did not secure it for him, as he lost the position three years later when the party he supported lost the 1876 election.

Even before he left office as Queen's Printer, Bowers had established his own newspaper, The New Era. He was publisher and editor of that paper from 1874 until 1886. In 1875 he also became secretary of the O'Connell Centenary Celebration, charged with arranging appropriate celebrations for Prince Edward Island to mark the one-hundredth anniversary of the birth of the Irish patriot, Daniel O'Connell.

In 1878 Bowers accepted Roman Catholic Bishop Peter McIntyre's invitation to be one of 12 laymen, who, together with four clergy, would constitute the first board of the Catholic Total Abstinence Union. Bowers served as secretary of the board from his appointment until 1886. During 1884-85 he was also first vice-president of the Charlottetown Literary and Scientific Institute.

Bowers made one attempt at elected office in the 8 May 1882 provincial election when he accepted the Liberal Party nomination as one of its candidates in the two-member King's County (2nd division) seat. One of the Conservative candidates was incumbent premier W. W. Sullivan, who finished second with 569 votes to Bowers 481.

In 1886 Bowers left PEI for Newfoundland where he had accepted the editorship of a new newspaper, The Colonist, a St. John's paper owned and operated by Colonist Printing and Publishing Company (Maurice A. Devine and John O'Mara, proprietors). It was established as a voice for the Roman Catholic Liberal Party in response to the election of 1885 which resulted in the all-Protestant Reform Party forming the government. In spite of this proclaimed mandate, Bowers, who was the paper's sole editor, kept the paper on a very non-political course. In fact, its major political issue was opposition to Newfoundland joining the Canadian Confederation.

The fire of 8 July 1892, which ravaged much of downtown St. John's, destroyed The Colonist's building and its press, forcing it to cease publication. Bowers attempted to start a new paper, The Daily Tribune, in November 1892, but by September 1893 it was in financial difficulty. It published irregularly until the end of the year, when it, too, ceased publication.

Beginning in 1896, Bowers published the first of 15 annual Christmas numbers of The Tribune. It was a special Christmas issue, containing prose, poetry and illustrations appropriate for the season. In the interim, he acted as correspondent for other St. John's papers and did freelance writing, including compiling biographical sketches of Newfoundlanders for inclusion in H. J. Morgan's Canadian Who's Who.

It would appear that Bowers quickly gained the confidence of the Liberal Party hierarchy. In 1890, only four years after his arrival in Newfoundland, he was one of the government delegates sent to Canada to seek support for Newfoundland's campaign to bring about an end to French fishing rights on Newfoundland's west coast.

Bowers married Mary Cahill of Prince Edward Island in 1879. They had one daughter, who died on 5 December 1891 as a result of burns sustained when her clothes accidentally caught fire. P. R. Bowers died at St. John's on 18 August 1911. His wife, Mary, published volume 16 of Christmas issue later that year.