James Ryan and Company

The Ryan family of Bonavista created a mercantile empire on the northeast coast of Newfoundland that was comparable in scale to many of the Water Street merchant houses of St. John's. James Ryan and his father, Michael Ryan, founded the fishery supply and general trade business at Bonavista in 1857. During the next three decades, James, along with brothers Daniel, Edmund, Nicholas and, to lesser degrees, Patrick, Michael J., and John, expanded the business into three separate firms with branch operations and barter shops in many communities throughout Bonavista and Trinity bays and along the coast of Labrador. James Ryan soon became the leading merchant in the shore fishery around Bonavista and also began supplying the Labrador fishery.

As Bonavista lacked a suitable harbour for schooner anchorage, James and his brother Daniel established a separate firm at King's Cove in 1875. Initially operating under the masthead of James and D. A. Ryan, the company soon became known as James Ryan and Company. Daniel moved to King's Cove to manage the operation and eventually became the sole proprietor. He handled trade in King's Cove for most of his life, with the branch becoming Ryan's main base for supplying the Labrador trade.

The firm remained a dominant player in the Newfoundland salt cod trade well into the twentieth century. The family members, operating out of separate branches, continued to maintain regular contact. By the 1930s, the firm experienced significant change as the older Ryan brothers had died and the branches were managed by in-laws. While the end of the family connection affected the conduct of the business, the decline of the salt fish trade had the more significant impact on the firm's future direction.

By 1953, James Ryan and Company had completely withdrawn from the fish trade, becoming primarily a wholesale and retail business. The firm carried on in this vein for several years, but was eventually closed in 1978 following the death of James's son, Herbert Ryan.

Created - May 8, 2013

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