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Guzzwell, Mary Green
Person · 1909-1994

Mary (Green) Guzzwell (1909-1994), Newfoundland nurse, was born in 1909 in Winterton, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. She received her nurse's training at Highland View Hospital, Amherst, Nova Scotia, graduating in 1932. From 1932 to 1939, Green was a district nurse in St. John's and in various outports. During the summers of 1936 and 1938, she was a nurse on the S.S. Kyle on its annual Labrador runs. Green was the first nurse to hold this position, which was more often held by American medical students. These experiences are chronicled in an article, "SS Kyle Nurse," in Them Days (v. 13, 1987).

In 1939, Nurse Green arrived in Bonne Bay as the first nurse in the new hospital. From 1943 to 1947, she held the position of Director of Public Health Nursing Service under the Newfoundland Commission of Government (1934-1949). Her annual reports, some illustrated with her own photographs, chronicle the experiences of rural and urban public health nurses. As a result of her services at this time, Green was made a M.B.E. on 5 November 1947.

Green was married in 1947 to Harold Guzzwell, a Newfoundland Ranger originally from St. John's. The couple had no children.

Nurse (Green) Guzzwell's record of registration with the Association of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador (ARNN) indicates that she remained active in the nursing profession after 1947. While details of her career are sketchy, family members have indicated that she worked with the cottage hospital in Brookfield, Bonavista Bay, and in the Bowater's clinic in Deer Lake. From 1968 to 1974, she was the assistant evening supervisor at the Hoyles Home in St. John's. She retired in 1974 but maintained her ARNN registration until 1985. She died in St. John's on 20 March 1994.

Buchan, David
Person · 1780-1838

Buchan, David (1780-1838), explorer, naval officer, surrogate judge, was born in Scotland in 1780. In 1802 or 1803, Buchan married Maria Adye; the Buchans had at least three children. Buchan was reportedly lost in a shipwreck on 8 December 1838, en route from India to England.

Buchan joined the British Navy and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1806. In 1808, Buchan became a convoy officer for the Newfoundland fishing fleet.

Buchan was involved in several initiatives to improve the strained relations between the Newfoundland government and the Beothuk tribes. In the winter of 1810, the Newfoundland Governor, John Duckworth, directed Buchan to travel to the interior of the island and make peaceful contact with the Beothuk. Buchan made the expedition in January 1811, traveling up the Exploits River with a party of 21 marines and 3 guides. Initial contact was promising, and four Beothuk agreed to travel back to Buchan's camp, with two marines left behind with the remaining tribe as hostages. The arrangement was a failure, ending with the murder of the marines. Buchan undertook a second expedition in late 1819, accompanied by John Peyton, Jr., to return the body of Demasduit to her tribe. In 1823, Shanawdithit, her mother, and sister lived with Buchan in St. John's.

Following the ill-fated expedition, Buchan served as surrogate judge at Trinity (1811). In 1818, he was appointed Commanding Officer at his Majesty's Forces on the Newfoundland Station and served as acting governor for the winters of 1816-1818. Both winters were difficult for the residents of St. John's, who suffered from fire and food shortages. Buchan did what he could to improve the situation, including sharing the rations of his crew among some of the residents. In 1820, he served as surrogate judge at the Harbour Grace court. During his tenure at Harbour Grace, he sentenced two fishermen to be flogged for contempt of court. Public outcry against the sentence resulted in a heavy fine against Buchan and the eventual abolition of the surrogate court system. Despite the controversy, Buchan was promoted to Captain in 1823 and sailed to England for the fall. When he returned to Newfoundland in 1825, he was appointed High Sheriff, a position he held until 1835. Following his resignation, he traveled to India.

Chollett, L.J.
Person · fl.1927-1954

L. J. Chollett (fl. 1927-1954) was a general merchant in Flat Islands, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland.

Caffery, Jeremiah
Person · 1794-1844

There is little documentation on the early life of Jeremiah Caffery (1794-1844), teacher. He was invited by his uncle, Rev. Alexander FitzGerald, to join him in Newfoundland. Following his arrival, Caffery was sent by his uncle to study for the priesthood at a seminary in Nicolet, Quebec. Caffery was not ordained, however. He chose to go to Halifax, Nova Scotia where he worked as a teacher until his death on 19 October 1844.

Bannerman, Sir Alexander
Person · 1788-1864

Alexander Bannerman (1788-1864), merchant, politician and Governor of Newfoundland (1857-64), was born on 7 October 1788 in Aberdeen, Scotland, son of Thomas Bannerman, a prominent wine merchant. He married Margaret Gordon of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on 14 January 1825. They had no children. Bannerman was knighted in February 1851. He died 30 December 1864 in London, England.

Bannerman was educated at the Marischal College grammar school in Aberdeen before assuming control the family wine business with his younger brother Thomas (1820) after the death of their father. He also invested in a number of other businesses, including banking and whaling, as well as cotton mills and iron foundries. Well-known in Aberdeen, Bannerman became involved in politics, and was subsequently acclaimed as a Whig member for the city in the reformed House of Commons in 1832, where he sat until his retirement in 1847.

In 1850 Britain appointed Bannerman as Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island (1850-54) to implement responsible government. Identified as a Reform partisan, Bannerman became embroiled in island politics and was transferred by the Colonial Office to the Bahamas where he served as Governor until 1857. In mid-1857, Bannerman was selected as Governor of Newfoundland where responsible government had been achieved only two years earlier (1855).

In Newfoundland Bannerman asserted the prerogative of the governor as the Crown's representative to overrule decisions of the Executive Council, declaring that he was "by no means obliged to follow their advice if he considers it to be wrong." Following the resignation of the first Prime Minister Philip Francis Little (1858), Bannerman clashed repeatedly with his successor, the radical Liberal John Kent, over French fishing rights on the western shore of Newfoundland, the use of government funds and relief monies for fishermen, and the dismissal of government officials.

In 1861 Bannerman dissolved the Kent administration, a move observed with some alarm by the British government, and invited the Conservative leader, Hugh William Hoyles, to establish a new government, thus provoking the constitutional crisis of 1861. The Hoyles government was quickly defeated by a non-confidence motion; in the ensuing election there was much sectarian bitterness, and outbreaks of violence at Carbonear, Harbour Grace, St. John's, and Harbour Main. A petition from 8,000 Catholics denouncing Bannerman was sent to the Colonial Office. Bannerman was more temperate in the exercise of his prerogative powers during the Hoyles administration. He retired in September 1864 and died four months later in London.

Fitzpatrick, Ambrose
Person · 1787-[18-]

Ambrose Fitzpatrick (1787-1818), Catholic priest, was born in Kilkenny, Ireland. As a young man, he entered the Order of St. Francis, and was ordained a Franciscan friar.

Rev. Fitzpatrick arrived in St. John's, Newfoundland circa 1800 at the invitation of Bishop James Louis O'Donel, Vicar Apostolic of Newfoundland. He was appointed parish priest at Harbour Grace, succeeding Rev. Patrick Phelan, who had drowned in 1799. Fitzpatrick remained at this parish from 1800 to 1806. From 1806 to1815, he served as a parish priest in the ecclesiastical district of Ferryland, with his residence at Ferryland.

In July 1815, Fitzpatrick left Newfoundland for Prince Edward Island, with the permission of Patrick Lambert, Vicar Apostolic of Newfoundland, to seek a new appointment in a warmer climate. Bishop Joseph Octave Plessis of Quebec, whose jurisdiction included the territory of Prince Edward Island, initially questioned Fitzpatrick's clerical credentials. Nonetheless, the bishop eventually instructed his vicar general, Rev. MacEachern, to place Fitzpatrick in spiritual charge of the people in Charlottetown, where he ministered for approximately one year.

In a letter dated 30 April 1816 (Archives of the Diocese of Charlottetown), Rev. MacEachern wrote: "In one of my excursions visiting the sick late in the fall to Three Rivers and East Point, Mr. Fitzpatrick took his departure in a transport for Halifax. I never heard of him since but learned the other day that he was to return to Newfoundland...." Fitzpatrick went to Boston in 1818. The place and date of his death are unknown.

Willoughby, Percival
Person · fl.1606-1643

Percival Willoughby (fl.1606-1643), settlement promoter, council member of the Newfoundland Company, member of parliament, was born into the Kentish branch of the house of Willoughby d'Eresby in the latter sixteenth century. He married his kinswoman, Bridget (also spelled Bridgett) heiress of Francis Willoughby of Wollaton, Nottingham, and acquired substantial property in both Kent and Nottingham. They had at least three sons, one of whom, Thomas, was also involved in the Newfoundland ventures. Willoughby died in England in 1643.

The Nottingham estate was riddled with debt, and by 1606, Willoughby was threatened by the prospect of debtors' prison. Lured by the promise of iron, copper, and silver profits in North America, he became a subscriber and council member of the Newfoundland Company, probably influenced by a major creditor, John Slany, the company's treasurer. But like other members, he was also genuinely interested in establishing a self-sufficient colony on the island and developing its fishing, agricultural, potash, and mineral potential. Two years later, he also became subscriber to the Virginia Company, but the focus of his interest remained the Newfoundland venture.

Willoughby's anticipated allotment lay between Conception and Trinity Bays, north of a line drawn between Carbonear and Heart's Content. In 1612, he sent his wayward third son, Thomas, with his agent Henry Crout and six apprentices, to the company's colony at Cuper's Cove (Cupids). He also sent a surveyor named Oliney to survey his lot and Bartholomew Pearson from the Wollaton estate to assess its agricultural capacity. Few of the party were impressed. Only Crout expressed any hope of the land's potential in mineral wealth. Faced with disappointing prospects, the hostility of migratory fishermen, and the coastal raiding of pirate Peter Easton, Thomas returned home in 1613, only to incur his father's wrath for lack of commitment. Sir Percival relented in 1615, intending to transfer the title of his Newfoundland lot to Thomas and another son, Edward. In 1616, he sent Thomas back to Newfoundland. But Thomas' name was written out of the family pedigree by 1631, suggesting that his father finally disowned him.

Before this estrangement, Thomas advised his father: "If efver you looke for your monney agayne in this country you must send fisher men." (1616). Unfortunately, Sir Percival did not heed his son's counsel. Although his lot included the rich fishing grounds off Baccalieu Island, Willoughby continued to pursue his hopes of mineral wealth. He was not successful in persuading the company to grant him the rich iron ores of Bell Island. During 1616-17, Willoughby also purchased a half share in the company for his son Edward from John Browne, and then tried to inveigle the company into granting the valuable St. John's lot to Browne without mentioning that his son was Browne's partner. This effort was also unsuccessful. When Willoughby officially accepted his allotment in 1617, it was for the original, more northerly portion.

In 1618, Willoughby entered into a partnership with William Hannam and Thomas Rowley, transferring to them his share of land in Trinity Bay for a nominal rent and their commitment to explore the potential of farming, mineral deposits, and trade with the Aboriginals. Constant squabbling and Willoughby's distrustful nature drove the partners apart within a few years. By 1626, Willoughby was in danger of losing the Trinity Bay portion of his lot because he had not managed to find colonists, thus defaulting on one of the conditions set by the company. His creditor John Slany managed to maintain the company on Willoughby's behalf, but with very little thanks from Willoughby, who claimed that his investment, so far from turning a profit, had actually cost him about œ500.

By 1631, Willoughby was negotiating with Nicholas Guy to settle on his land. Guy had been on the island since 1612 and had already moved from Cuper's Cove to Carbonear, where he was fishing and farming profitably in 1631. No further evidence of Willoughby's involvement in Newfoundland exists beyond Guy's letter to him of 1 September 1631. Despite various setbacks, Willoughby's interest in Newfoundland had lasted for at least twenty-one years, making him one of the island's most tenacious, if not most successful, promoters of settlement.

Jackman, William Henry
Person · 1865-1908

William Henry Jackman (1865-1908), Catholic priest, was born at St. John's, Newfoundland, on 20 October 1865, the son of Bridget (Barbridge) and William Jackman. He died at the residence of his aunt, Mrs. Smith, Patrick Street, St. John's, on 16 July 1908. He is buried in Belvedere Cemetery.

Jackman was a resident student in St. Bonaventure's College, St. John's (1881-85). He began his studies for the priesthood at Mount Mellray, a boarding college for candidates to the priesthood under the direction of the monks of the Cistercian Order (1886-89). He transferred to St. Patrick's College, Carlow, Ireland (1889-93). Jackman was ordained a priest in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, St. John's on 30 November 1893, by Thomas Joseph Power, Bishop of Diocese of St. John's.

Rev. Jackman served as curate in several parishes: St. Patrick's Parish (St. John's); Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Parish (St. John's); the missions of Topsail and Kelligrews, Conception Bay South; Sacred Heart Parish (St. Kyran's, Placentia Bay); Assumption Parish (St. Mary's, St. Mary's Bay) ; and St. Patrick's Parish (Burin).

Rev. Jackman was appointed parish priest of St. Joseph's Parish, (Salmonier, St. Mary's Bay) and later parish priest of Holy Redeemer Parish (Trepassey). He was transferred to St. Patrick's Parish, St. John's, where he was serving at the time of his death in 1908.

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.

Carpenter, Reuben
Person · 1911-2001

Reuben Carpenter (1911-2001) master shipbuilder, designer, vessel inspector, was born in Little Catalina, Newfoundland on 21 June 1911, son of Annie (Tippett) and Philip Carpenter. Reuben Carpenter married twice. His first marriage was to Elizabeth Dalton and they had three children: Winnie, Marcie and Pearl. His second marriage was to Ducile Johnson and they had five children: Joe, Louise, Bruce, Marie, and Joan. Carpenter died in Port Union, Newfoundland on 18 May 2001.

Between the mid 1940s and 1965, Carpenter worked at the Clarenville Shipyard where he designed and built ships, including the "Splinter Fleet" and the Philip E. Lake, the last of the Newfoundland banking schooners. In 1965, Reuben Carpenter moved his family from Clarenville to Port Union and opened Carpenter's Shipyard. In the 1970s, Carpenter also worked for the Government of Newfoundland as a boat inspector, and in Postville, Labrador where he was involved in vessels construction.

Carpenter retired to Port Union where he died in 2001.