A.H. Murray & Company Limited, St. John's, was a leading Newfoundland mercantile firm for most of the twentieth century. The company engaged in the general supply trade of the inshore and Labrador cod fisheries. The company was also involved in exporting and importing, the offshore sealing industry, shipping, as well as a dealer in marine engines. In more recent times, the company has been strongly associated with building supplies.
James Murray (1864), a Scottish emigrant and member of the House of Assembly (MHA), immigrated to St. John's in the 1830s. A broker, his first venture was in making hard bread (or sea biscuit), but by 1845 he was also involved in more general trading in the cod fisheries and sealing. This trade expanded under the direction of his son, James Murray Jr. (1843-1900). He went bankrupt following the loss of his company's assets and records in the Great Fire of 1892.
In 1918, Andrew H. Murray (1879-1965) and his brother David (ca. 1877-1971) re-established the family business and incorporated it as A.H. Murray & Co. Ltd. A.H. (Bill) Crosbie, Murray's son-in-law, and the youngest son of Sir John Crosbie, joined the company in 1952. When A.H. Murray died in 1965, Crosbie became managing director. On 1 January 1979, A.H. Murray & Co. Ltd. restructured and amalgamated its subsidiary companies - Murray & Co. (St. Anthony) Ltd. and Murray Agencies and Transport Co. Ltd. - as Murray Industrial Ltd.
Over the years A.H. Murray formed a number of subsidiary shipping companies. These included Newfoundland Shipping Company Ltd. (1911-25), Annzac Steamships Company Limited (1916-23), Baccalieu Shipping Company Ltd.(1917-22), and Salmonier Shipping Company Ltd.(1947-62). Other enterprises with which the company was involved included: Salt Importers Association (1940-66), Newfoundland Coal Company (1948-63), Blu-Flame Gas Company Ltd., (1963), Newfoundland Agency Ltd., and Colonial Cordage Company (1959-62).
St. John's Art Club was founded in 1940, under the name Art Students Club, by Mrs. A.C. (Muriel) Hunter. Its mandate was to promote local artists and their art. Activities included exhibitions of local and imported art, sketching and art discussion groups, sponsorship of local art students, the maintenance of a member-borrowing library of art books, and illustrated lectures. One exhibition featured 73 painting by U.S. servicemen stationed in Newfoundland.
The Club's name was changed in 1945 to St. John's Art Club. In 1950, the group presented recommendations to a Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences (Massey Commission). The last general meeting was held in 1973; in 1976, the Executive voted to close the Club bank account and donate the balance to the A.C. Hunter scholarship.
The Church of England Women’s Association (C.E.W.A.) was founded in 1876 at Heart’s Content. The C.E.W.A. promoted Christian unity and fellowship at home and overseas. A branch of the C.E.W.A .was established at Ireland’s Eye in 1905. On October 4th, 41 ladies from the congregation attended the first meeting, which was addressed by Mrs. Hollands, wife of the Rector of the Parish. All present voted in favour of establishing St. Faith’s branch.
The Association met once a week to work at sewing, knitting, embroidery etc. They held regular sales of work, and the proceeds were donated to various charities at home and abroad, and contributions were made to the rector’s stipend and church funds. The Association made a substantial contribution to the new Church of St. George’s built in 1927.
The final meeting of St. Faith’s was held on August 28 1965.
In 1855 the Newfoundland District of the British Wesleyan Methodist Conference was joined with the districts of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Bermuda and Newfoundland form the Wesleyan Methodist Conference of Eastern British America, retaining in this restructuring their affiliation with the British Wesleyan Methodist Conference. In 1874 the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Eastern British America joined with the Wesleyan Methodist Conference of Canada and the New Connexion Methodist Church of Canada to form the Methodist Church of Canada. The Methodist Church of Canada then became a free-standing body and its direct connection to the British Wesleyan Methodist Conference was severed. The old Newfoundland District became a Conference of the new organisation. For a discussion of the history of the various Methodist bodies in Canada see Neil Semple, The Lord’s Dominion (Montreal, 1996). For a detailed history of the Methodist Church of Canada in Newfoundland and Labrador see D.W. Johnson, Methodism in Eastern British America (Sackville, N.B., 1924).