A grand Newfoundland welcome or a “Placentian feu de joie”

Archival Moment

August 27, 1886

Photo Credit: The Rooms Provincial Archives VA 1074-22.1; Royal salute or feu de joie for a wedding party at Harrington Harbour. International Grenfell Association photograph collection. Note the men with the guns in the background.

Photo Credit: The Rooms Provincial Archives VA 104-22.1; Royal salute or feu de joie for a wedding party at Harrington Harbour. International Grenfell Association photograph collection. Note the men with the guns in the background.

There was a custom in all Newfoundland communities whereby the local residents would greet all visiting dignitaries with a ‘loud salute of guns’ also known as “feu de joie.”  If the dignitary was arriving by boat the men of the town would line the wharf with guns aimed to the sky shooting a volley as a sign of welcome.  If the delegation came by road, the men armed with their guns, stood along the road, often near a green bough archway, that was created for the dignitary to walk under shooting the volley  as he entered.

In early August 1886 the men of Placentia gave a loud salute of guns from the “plaza” of Placentia that greeted the ears of Mr. George H. Emerson, MH.A., as he walked ashore into Placentia  from the costal steamer, just arrived from St. John’s. Emerson was well known in Placentia, he had been elected the year previous as the Liberal member of the House of Assembly (M.H.A.) for Placentia and St. Mary’s.

Upon hearing the “feu de joie” the locals noticed that  Emmerson “doffed his sombrero bowing deeply and graciously, acknowledging the compliment extended to him” by the citizens of Placentia.

Emerson was however soon blushing with embarrassment.  A juvenile from Placentia who stood witness to his bowing shouted:

 “The guns are not for you, sir they’re for Mr. Fowlow’s wedding that took place last night.”

It appears that the men of Placentia were not on the wharf to greet Mr. Emerson but rather they were there to ‘salute their guns” to their friend Mr. Fowlow who had just married and was about to depart the town on the same coastal steamer that the young politician had arrived on.

The firing off the guns or “feu de joie“  as a young couple left the church, after exchanging vows,  was a long established tradition in Newfoundland. Another tradition was to fire the guns as they departed the community on their honeymoon.

Embarrassed that he had stolen the limelight Mr. Emerson confidence “drooped and he sought out his hotel.”

Upon arrival at the hotel he quickly” ordered a cocktail, which soon put him in good feather again”.

The Editor of the St. John’s newspaper the Evening Telegram on August 27, 1886, with tongue planted firmly in cheek wrote:

  “In the sweet by and by when he leads one of his fair constituents to Hyman’s altar, he will be entitled to all the honor and comfort derivable from Placentian feu de joie.”

To take someone to Hyman’s altar was an expression that referred  to taking someone to the altar to marry.  Emerson, the Editor of the Evening Telegram suggested, would not receive the salute of guns  (the Placentian feu de joie)  until his marriage day.

Recommended Archival Collection: The Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language  (MUNFLA) comprises extensive collections of Newfoundland and Labrador folksongs and music , folk narratives , oral history, folk customs, beliefs and practices, childlore and descriptions of material culture. Explore your traditions  at MUN!!

Recommended Reading:  Dictionary of Newfoundland English G.M. Story, W.J. Kirwin, and J.D.A. Widdowson, eds. (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, The DNE is a historical dictionary based on evidence taken from printed sources and, in addition, on evidence of tape-recorded speech in the province. After its great popular success in 1982 and widespread published reviews, it has continued in print to the present. http://www.heritage.nf.ca/dictionary/d7ction.html

Recommended Museum Exhibit:  The Rooms Provincial Museum Division,  Here, We Made a Home: The Elinor Gill Ratcliffe Gallery, Level 4. See a short film video “Wedding salute in Fogo.”  The video captures the traditional Newfoundland and Labrador, ‘loud salute of guns’ or a fusillade also known as “feu de joie.”

New Phrases: — n  , feu de joie  a salute of musketry fired successively by each man in turn along a line and back   C18: literally: fire of joy] . The custom continues in many communities in Newfoundland especially on the Cape Shore where guns are fired as the newly married couples leave the church.

When was the last time that you witnessed a ‘salute of guns’ in your community?

When was the last time that a green bough arch was erected in your community to welcome some dignitary?

Newfoundlander, one of the best light-weight jockeys in North America.

ARCHIVAL MOMENT

August 25, 1979

Photo Credit: Nick Wall from Newfoundland sitting atop Stagehand on the Santa Anita track inCalifornia. Wall beat out the legendary Seabiscuit. Copyright: Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Nick Wall  of Kelligrews, Conception Bay, Newfoundland  was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame at Toronto, 25 August 1979.

Born at Lower Gully, Kelligrews Conception Bay, Newfoundland18 December, 1906, Wall moved to Glace Bay, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, in 1913. While working in the mines, he learned to ride pit ponies and, during the frequent miners’ strikes, he raced with his fellow workers.

In his mid-twenties, Wall left Atlantic Canada to pursue racing professionally in the U.S.A. His petite, 100-lbs. frame made him a popular choice with trainers, and he was often given choice mounts. Over the course of his career, he rode in all the major American races, including the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes.

At the peak of his career in the late 1930s, Nick Wall was one of the best light-weight jockeys in North America. Between 1926 and 1957, he rode 11,164 mounts, with 1,419 first, 1,305 second, and 1,352 third-place finishes.

The highlight of his career came at the Santa Anita Handicap in 1938. Wall rode Stagehand to a thrilling photo-finish victory over the famed Seabiscuit. That same year, he was leading money-winning jockey in Unite States, earning $385,161.

In total, Wall finished in the money with over 4,000 horses and enjoyed a career purse of nearly $3.5 million. For his success, he was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame at Torontoon  25 August 1979 and into the Newfoundland Sports Hall of Fame, 19 October 1979.

Recommended Archival Collection: At the Rooms, Provincial Archives Division see the Stewart Alexander Davidson fonds. This fonds consists of audio cassette of interviews with members of the Newfoundland and Labrador Hall of Fame including Nicholas M. “Nick” Wall

Recommended Web Site: Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame: www.sportshall.ca/honoured-members/28038/nick-wall/

Recommended Movie:  Seabiscuit (2003)  Stars: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Elizabeth Banks.

Women plea for justice

Archival Moment

August 1891

Harbour Grace Court House

Harbour Grace Court House

We do not often hear the voices of women speak to us from the pages of history especially the wives and sisters of poor fishermen but an incident in Carbonear in 1891 forced some women to take action.

In early June 1891, George Peckam and David Clarke of Victoria Village near Carbonear, Stephen Howell, Mark Dean, James Reid, and John Powell all of Carbonear were convicted “on a charge of disobedience of orders and refusal of duty.”  They were all crew members on the banking Schooner Argonaut.

When these six  men signed up  to prosecute the fishery on the banking Schooner Argonaut it is likely that he would have signed a standard agreement known to many as the ‘Masters and Servants Agreement.’  This agreement covered the contractual obligations of the fishermen and the consequences of disobeying the Captain or deserting the vessel.

These Carbonear fishermen would likely have also been aware of the Statutes of Newfoundland passed in 1888 that detail laws concerning dissertation of a Banking Schooner. The law read:

  “When any person, fishermen, shoreman or shareman, shall fail or refuse to perform such contract or agreement without showing cause therefor, such as unseawothiness of the vessel, insufficiency of food, absence of suitable accommodation, or a medical certificate or some other good excuse, any justice may, upon complaint by some employer or his agent, issue his warrant and cause such person to be apprehended and brought before him. “

Disobeying orders and or refusal of duty automatically meant 30 – 60 days in jail.

The Stipendiary Magistrate in Carbonear, James Hippisley who heard the case  was not sympathetic to the men. He gave the maximum sentence.

The mothers and children of the six men were devastated. These men were the bread winners in their families; if they did not work their families would face starvation.

On June 15, 1891 the five women made an emotional plea in the form of a petition to the Colonial Governor of Newfoundland, Sir John Terence Nicholls O’Brien begging  for some form of relief  and that that their men be released from the prison in Harbour Grace.

In the petition Susannah Peckam explained that her son George Peckham had “six children the eldest is only ten years old.”

Martha (Clarke) Howell the mother of Stephen Howell explained that he had five children, the eldest is seventeen and that her husband is a cripple and unable to work. She was determined to get her son releases. This was the second petition presented on his behalf.

Martha Clarke the sister of David Clarke explained that she is “deprived of the ways and means of assisting an aged father of 76 years according of the duty of a child to a parent.”

Margaret (Butt) Dean the wife of Mark Dean explained that she had no support and that they were responsible for “an aged father (84) and mother (60) and two young children.”

Sophia (Mulley) Reid the mother James Reid explained that she would be “deprived of all help.”

Cecily (Gillespie) Powell pleaded for the release of her son John Powell “who has four in family the oldest 17 and labors under heart disease and very often bad with it and often falls down.”

Cecil Frane, the Secretary for Governor O’Brien, responded to the petition. He wrote:  “the case of the prisoners has already been reported upon,  Magistrate Hippisley and the Governor refused to release Howell who first petitioned and the other cases are exactly similar.”

From June till early August 1891 the six men languished in the Harbour Grace prison.

It would be a difficult fall and winter because they had no income, no share in the summer catch of fish.  Their families faced starvation and destitution.

Recommended Archival Collection: At the Rooms Provincial Archives see GN 2.22, Box 12, v. 2, no. 27. , p. 104-111 (15 June 1891) Petition requesting  for relief due to losses incurred by imprisonment at Harbour Grace of sons and husbands, crew of banking schooner Argonaut.  Letter to Robert Bond, colonial secretary from Cecil Fane, private secretary, governor, enclosed. p. 104-11

Recommended Reading:  Bannister, Jerry: The Rule of the Admirals: Law, Custom, and Naval Government in Newfoundland, 1699-1832. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003.

Recommended Reading:  The Newfoundland Bank Fishery: Government Policies and the Struggle to Improve Bank Fishing Crews’ Working, Health and Safety Conditions. Fred Winsor, B.A., M.A.  Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1996.

“she long mourned her son as dead.”

Archival Moment

August 16, 1898

Photo Credit: The Rooms Provincial Archives: Two fishing boats, Broad Cove, Conception Bay, A 10-31 Elsie Holloway, Holloway Studio, St. John's, N.L.

Photo Credit: The Rooms Provincial Archives: Two fishing boats, Broad Cove, Conception Bay, A 10-31 Elsie Holloway, Holloway Studio, St. John’s, N.L.

In August 1898, Robert Hoskins waited at a small wharf in Quidi Vidi, St. John’s for a fishing boat. He was waiting for his brother, he was told he was fishing out of Quidi Vidi, he had not seen him in twenty eight years.

In 1870, a fourteen year old boy Robert Hoskins left his home in Plymouth, England. His mother bade her sailor boy goodbye, praying that God would bring him safe back to her again; but in the twenty eight years, the boy never returned to gladden his poor mother’s heart.

The Captain of the ship that Robert sailed on was very hard on the young teenager. Robert decided because of the ill treatment to jump ship and on his arrival at the first port. When the opportunity presented itself he jumped ship, he was in Newfoundland.

In the 1870’s those that deserted their ships often went into hiding and were forced to take on a new identity. The young boy made his way to Broad Cove, on the North Shore of Conception Bay; it was a good place to hide. Broad Cove was described “as an open cove with a beach, and by no means a place of shelter in bad weather, 15 miles from Carbonear.”

Upon arrival in Broad Cove he took on a new name (William) and found a friend in Skipper John Butt, who reared him up as one of his own, until he was old enough to look after himself. John Butt  knew by this act of kindness that he was breaking the law.

Newspapers of the day ran daily notices that typically stated:

“Deserted from the service of (name of person) the following YOUNGSTERS, who came out Passengers from Ireland (or England). The notice would then proceed to identify the individual giving details such as  name, height, hair colour, age and the clothing they wore.  The notices always ended with the warning “Any person harbouring or employing the above deserters, after this notice, will be prosecuted to the utmost rigour of the Law.”

Robert (now known as William) would have maintained a low profile.

Twelve years after finding a home with the Butt family in Broad Cove, Robert decided that it was time that he marry his sweetheart Susanna Janes, the daughter of Mr. George Janes also of Broad Cove. On October 7,1882 they married with George Janes and Ada Stowe as their witnesses.

Ten years later, Mrs. William Bailey of St. John’s was visiting her grandfather, William Butt  at Broad Cove and became acquainted with Robert. During one conversation he told her how he had come to Newfoundland, 28 years earlier.

Upon returning to St. John’s she told her husband Mr. Bailey about the Hoskins in Broad Cove, Conception Bay and the journey of young man to Newfoundland. Mr. Bailey was intrigued, he worked with the fishery protection service on the H.M.S. Pelican  and had known a Richard Hoskins a signalman for 20 years on another vessel the H.M.S. Zephyr.

Mr. Bailey arranged that Richard should get together with his wife. When they met she quickly maneuvered the conversation to find out about his family, he was soon telling her about a brother William who had left as a boy and had never been heard from since.

She was stunned by the similarities of the two stories and proceeded to tell him that she knew a William Hoskins and would try and get his address. She discovered that William was fishing in Quidi Vidi.

On Sunday afternoon Robert went down to the wharf where he was rewarded by finding his lost brother. They recognized each other at once, although so long separated.

William Bailey who was instrumental in bringing the two brothers together decided to write to the local paper to tell the story. He wrote to the Editor  of the Evening Telegram on August 15,1898 :

“ We cannot imagine the feelings of those two brothers  after being separated for so long, and what will be the feelings  of that poor old mother to hear the joyful news  that her long lost son is alive and well.  She is now in her seventies.  The old lady at home may yet live to see the son that she had long mourned as dead.”

Recommended Archival Collection:  At the Rooms Provincial Archives take some time to find your family in Parish Records:  Births, Deaths and Marriages. This collection contains photocopies and/or microfilm copies of original church registers of baptisms, marriages and burials, as well as records of confirmations, minute books and other records of parish life. There are approximately 200 Newfoundland and Labrador parishes represented in this collection. The religious denominations include the Anglican, Congregational, United Church, Moravian, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and Salvation Army faiths.  For more information go to:  http://www.therooms.ca/archives/prfa.asp

(Note to Hoskin family  genealogists: The Hoskins -Janes marriage on October 7, 1882 is recorded in the circuit marriage register for George Street Wesleyan – Methodist Church, St. John’s.  The story of the Meeting of the Two Brothers after 28 years can be found in a letter to The Editor in the Evening Telegram, St. John’s, 1898 – 08 – 16)

If you know someone from the Hoskins, Butt or Bailey families,  pass on this story.  Let’s find out if this young man did get home to see his mother!!

 

Memorial to Portuguese fishermen to be delivered

Photo Credit: The memorial was designed by the Portuguese artist Antonio Neves (centre). It will be delivered to St.John's on a Portuguese Nval vessel on Friday, August 14.

Photo Credit: The memorial was designed by the Portuguese artist Antonio Neves (centre). It will be delivered to St.John’s on a Portuguese Nval vessel on Friday, August 14.

In 2012 at the request of a Commanding Officer in the Portuguese Navy a search was initiated in St. John’ s to find the unmarked grave of Dionisio Esteves, a 26 year old fisherman who lost his life of the coast of Newfoundland in 1966.

Using photographs and film, the unmarked grave was found by the archivist Larry Dohey in Mount Carmel Cemetery in St. John’s. Since the discovery of the grave, Portuguese Naval officials annually host a wreath laying ceremony at the site to remember Esteves who has come to symbolize all Portuguese fishermen who have died prosecuting the fishery. Esteves was one of the thousands of Portuguese who plied Newfoundland waters as part of the crew of the Portuguese White Fleet. Estves sailed on the celebrated Santa Maria Manuela.

Through the efforts of individuals in Newfoundland and in Portugal a small monument has been designed that will be placed at the gravesite as a permanent memorial. The memorial was designed by the Portuguese artist Antonio Neves.

The Portuguese Naval vessel, the FIGUERA DA FOZ will be arriving in St. John’s on August 14th, 2015 at 8.00 AM carrying on her deck a crate with the memorial. The vessel will proceed to Pier #11 at the foot of Prescott Street.

IMG_7631A wreath laying ceremony will be held on August 14th, 2015  at 11 AM at Mt Carmel Cemetery at the grave site of Esteves. The wreath laying ceremony is open to the public. Those attending are encouraged to use the Kenna’s Hill entrance to the cemetery.

The St John’s Port  Authority  will have the gates opened during the stay of the vessel. This will allow for the Captain and crew of the FIGUERA DA FOZ to welcome the public to the vessel on Saturday. Visiting hours 10 AM to NOON and 2PM to 4 PM.

The monument will be installed at the gravesite later in the  summer and will be officially  inaugurated on October 6th, 2015  with a short Prayer Service at the grave site. The Portuguese Ambassador to Canada will be in attendance with local dignitaries as well as a Portuguese film crew. The film crew is travelling with a white fleet dory fisherman who was a colleague of Dionisio Esteves.

Local businessman and author, Jean Pierre Andrieux has been spearheading a financial campaign to raise the funds to erect the memorial that will serve to remember all Portuguese fishermen who lost their lives fishing in Newfoundland waters.

For further information on these events contact:

Jean Pierre Andrieux @ jpa@spmtours.com   or 753-7277

 

 

A skating rink in Bannerman Park ?

ARCHIVAL MOMENT

July 31, 1882

1800_the-timid-pupilIn July 1882 the talk in St. John’s was all about the erection of a skating rink in Bannerman Park.  The rink under the management of the ‘Victoria Rink Company Limited‘ would replace the first rink that was established in the park (in the late 1860’s) that was destroyed by a fire in the early morning of July 16, 1878.

Some of the leading citizens in St. John’s were determined that the skating rink be built. On July 31, 1882 the St. John’s newspaper, The Telegram ran an advertisement that declared:

“ Victoria Rink Company Limited: Tenders will be received up to noon on 5 August for the erection of a skating rink in Bannerman Park. Plans and specifications to be seen at the Bowring Brothers Office. W. Parnell, Secretary”

Residents of St. John’s, in the day, had some fond memories of the Victoria Skating Rink in Bannerman Park located next to the Colonial Building on Military Road.  The Victoria, and its neighbor, the Avalon, built in 1870, were designed for winter sports such as skating and curling but most people associated the two buildings with the eccentric Professor Charles Henry Danielle.  Under his guidance, the Victoria Rink became the home of elaborate fancy-dress balls and ice carnivals. These balls were huge affairs. For one  ball the local papers reported  that

“near three thousand dollars’ worth of Costumes have been brought to the country (Newfoundland) to give the Ball. It has cost weeks of labour in classifying and fitting these costumes… “

The Professor (as he liked to be called) also created a large array of fancy-dress costumes which he rented and sold. These were stored in an adjacent building (The Avalon) to the Victoria Rink.

The idea of a new skating rink in Bannerman Park did not catch the imagination of the population another proposal for a ‘Curling and Skating Rink’ on the “Parade Grounds” (now the site of the Rooms and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) Headquarters) won the day. The Parade grounds Curling and Ice Rink opened in December 1882.

Skating in Bannerman Park was forgotten

In July 2013  (131 years  after the first proposal)  funding to establish a skating facility became a reality.

Today in the heart of the park, is a new ice skating trail, The Bannerman Loop aka “The Loop”. Named through a social media callout for suggested names at the request of its sponsor, Patron Donor Elinor Gill Ratcliffe and the Gill Ratcliffe Foundation, this ice trail is unique in both its presence in the city and its design. From October to April, many a day is now being spent skating with friends and family on this one-of-a-kind ice skating surface. In the warmer months, in-line skating and children cycling is the order of the day.

Professor Danielle is certain to be smiling on the Bannerman Foundation.

Recommended Reading: Stories About Bannerman Park: http://www.bannermanpark.ca/stories/

Recommended Action:  Support the Garden of Memories in Bannerman Park:  People who enjoy the park can contribute to the park‘s revitalization through by sponsoring various fixtures, flower gardens, and commemorative granite stones, which will be used for the pathways in the Garden. For more information: http://www.bannermanpark.ca/the-garden-of-memories-open-to-the-public/

Recommended to Listen: Lines On The Death Of Professor Danielle (Johnny Burke) http://www.wtv-zone.com/phyrst/audio/nfld/29/lines.htm

Do you have a story to tell about Bannerman Park?

Has Newfoundland Folk Music influenced Bob Dylan?

Archival Moment

July 25, 1965

Dylan sings Newfoundland Folk

Bob-Dylan-at-Newport-1965Music critics have written that Bob Dylan’s career path was established on the night of July 25, 1965 at the Newport Folk Festival, Rhode Island where he performed a rock-and-roll set to a chorus of shouts and boos from a dismayed audience. The folk purist in the audience did not like the fact that Dylan was moving away from his ‘folk roots’ and embracing ‘rock and roll’.

Sitting in the wings as witnesses to this musical shift were two Newfoundlanders who had on the same weekend performed on the same stage, Arthur Nicolle and Annie Walters of Rocky Harbour.

Arthur Nicolle and Annie Walters were two well established traditional Newfoundland folk singers who were invited to prestigious Newport Festival by Robert Jones and Ralph Rinzler, they travelled Atlantic Canada and the USA in 1964 cultivating the use of traditional talent at the festival and unearthing these artists from various locations. In 1965, Jones joined the operation of the Newport Folk Festival and in 1965, he accepted a position at Festival Productions.

The two Rocky Harbour residents were originally brought to the attention of the world through the work of Kenneth Peacock. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Canadian folk revival movement; between 1951 and 1961 he visited Newfoundland six times to do folksong research. A number of the songs in his collection were taken from Nicolle and Walters.

The Friday evening concert at the Newport Festival (July 23, 1965) that featured Newfoundlanders, Arthur Nicolle and Annie Walters also featured the internationally celebrated artists Peter, Paul & Mary and Pete Seeger. The audience was estimated to be as large as 17,000 persons.

The connection between the Newfoundlanders and Bob Dylan especially Mrs. Annie Walters connection is of particular interest.

It is a part of the folk festival tradition for singers to listen to their peers in ballad swapping sessions. It has been speculated that Dylan may have been at a swap session where he heard Mrs. Annie Walters sing a few of her songs. One of the songs in her repertoire was ‘The Blooming Bright Star of Belle Isle’ the Newfoundland adaptation of an old Irish love song, ‘Loch Erin’s Sweet Riverside’, the song tells the familiar story of a lover who returns after a long absence and tests his sweetheart’s fidelity before revealing himself.

Dylan released the song, five years after the Newport Festival under the title “Belle Isle.” The song is performed by Bob Dylan and appears on the album Self Portrait (1970) and on the box set The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait 1969-1971 (2013).

The song has made the seemingly unlikely journey from outport anthem to the mainstream of North American popular culture.

The program, for the 1965 Newport Festival that Mrs. Annie Walters brought back as a souvenir to show her family and friends was acquired during the past month by the Canadian Museum of History.

The Fender Stratocaster electric guitar that Dylan played at the festival sold for nearly $1 million, the highest price ever paid for a guitar at auction. A new book by Elijah Wald, Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night that Split the Sixties, takes a look at the event that two Newfoundlanders sat in the wings and witnessed.

Recommended Archival Collection: Memorial University of Newfoundland Kenneth Peacock fonds Accession Number SC 1.6. The collection is 144 audio cassette copies of field recordings done in Newfoundland and Labrador by Peacock in the summer months of 1951 and 1952 and at various times during the years 1958-1961, along with copies of Peacock’s tape indexes. Much of this material was published in 1965 as Songs of the Newfoundland Outports.

Recommended Reading: Folksongs and Folk Revival: The Cultural Politics of Kenneth Peacock’s Songs of the Newfoundland Outports by Anna Kearney Guigne, 2008.

Recommended Recording: Annie Walters & Arthur Nicole can be heard singing on the LP “Songs of the Newfoundland Outports” released in 1984 by Pigeon Inlet Productions. (Unfortunately it is now out of print). Original recordings by Kenneth Peacock.

Kenneth Peacock’s Songs of the Newfoundland Ouports is available CD ROM since 2005 from SingSong Inc. It includes the full lyrics and music for the 517 songs in the original printed edition, all of Mr. Peacock’s notes and photographs, 244 original recordings, including those of Arthur Nicolle and Annie Walters. It also includes an audio file for each song to enable people who don’t read music to hear the song melodies. www.singsonginc.ca/index.php/catalog/full-catalogue/6-songs-of-the-newfoundland-outport

Listen to Dylan sing traditional Newfoundland: http://www.bobdylan.com/us/songs/belle-isle

The 39th Annual Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival is poised to be another incredible weekend of entertainment for the whole family. The Festival is the coming together of community, province and culture – our province is renowned for its contributions to the musical fabric of Canada and we do all we can to wave that flag high and proud. For more information: http://www.nlfolk.com/festival.php

 

A note in the toe of a sock

Archival Moment

July 9, 1918

SocksDuring the First World War women in kitchens and parlors in homes throughout Newfoundland and Labrador were feverishly knitting goods, especially socks for the men who had signed up to fight for King and Country. Many of these women were members of the Woman’s Patriotic Association (W.P.A.) an organization of more than 15,000 women from throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

The W.P.A. raised enormous sums of money; made and shipped clothing, medical supplies and other goods to troops overseas; they visited families who had sons, brothers, fathers, or husbands on the front lines; and they volunteered in local hospitals.

In Twillingate, Newfoundland, the tradition gradually evolved that saw women write short notes that they stuffed into the toes of the socks. Typically the sentiment of the note was “Into this sock I weave a prayer, That God keep you in His love and care.”

The socks were delivered in by the barrell full to the trenches in Turkey, France and Belgium or wherever the young men of Newfoundland stood in the trenches, fighting for King and Country.

Soldier Writing Home

Soldier Writing Home

Mrs. Peter Jenkins of Twillingate on finishing a pair of socks, like many of the other knitters, stuffed a note into the toe and signed her name and address. Months later she received a note of thanks from a young soldier from Greenspond, Bonavista Bay, a young man looking forward to getting home to his beloved Newfoundland.

He wrote:

 Somewhere in France

May 17th, 1918

 Mrs. Peter JENKINS (Twillingate)

 Dear Friend: –

 Just a word to let you know I received your socks and was very glad to get them. I got them when I was in the front line and it was very muddy at the time, up over my boots, so your socks came in great.

 You will have to excuse me for not writing before. I received your socks in March and I was wounded on the 12th of April, but glad to say it was slightly in the head and shoulder. I am well again now and back with my Battalion again.

 I haven’t much strange news to tell you. We are getting some fine weather over here almost too warm for us Nflders.

 Well, Mrs. JENKINS, I hope the war will soon be over and we will be able to get back to old Newfoundland again. We will have something to be proud of our island home and the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. We have a good reputation and we are going to keep it up.

 No doubt some of our brave boys have fell but fought and fell for a good cause, and I believe you, as a W.P.A. are doing your bit at home.

 Now you will have to excuse my bad scribbling and writing, as I am not much of a scholar, my home is at Greenspond, Bonavista Bay. I think I have said all at present.

I remain your sincere friend,

 J.W. HARDING.

 My address: 3720 Pte. J.W. HARDING, A. Co. Royal Nfld. Rgt., B.E.F., France.

 Please write and let me know if you got my letter or not and thanks for the socks.

  Joseph William Harding of Greenspond returned to his beloved Newfoundland on February 7, 1919. It is not known if he ever did meet Mrs. Jenkins but his letter survives (it was printed in the Twillingate Sun, July 9, 1918) as a testimonial to how grateful the young soldiers were for the support of the women at home.

Recommended Reading: “A Pair of Grey Socks. Facts and Fancies. Lovingly dedicated to the boys of the Newfoundland Regiment. And to every woman who has knitted a pair of grey socks. By Tryphena Duley. Verses by Margaret Duley.”

Recommended Archival Collection: Distinguished Service: the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in the Great War, this on line exhibition documents the lives and experiences of the province’s soldiers and aims to encourage interest in research on the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. This on line exhibit focuses on the World War I service records of the Regiment, available at the ARCHIVES on microfilm. Some of the service records are on line at: http://www.therooms.ca/regiment/part1_entering_the_great_war.asp

Recommended Exhibit: Pleasantville: From Recreation to Military Installation. Level 2 Atrium Pleasantville before the First World War was the site of the St. John’s cricket grounds. With the declaration of war, Pleasantville quickly emerged as a tent city, the home of the storied “First 500”. It was here that the First Newfoundland Regiment recruits began preliminary military training during the months of September and October of 1914. This exhibition highlights some of the activities and training of the Blue Puttees up to their embarkation on the SS Florizel for overseas service.

“A light sulkey, suitable for an outport clergyman”

ARCHIVAL MOMENT

July 6, 1879

Sulkey for sale

Sulkey for sale

On July 6, 2013, Pope Francis told the Catholic bishops and priests from around the world that it pained him to see clergy driving ‘flashy cars’, and told them to pick something more “humble”.

This observation by the Pope that clergy like “flashy” transportation is nothing new, on July 6, 1879  the local St. John’s newspapers were advertising “the sale of a light sulkey, suitable for an outport Clergyman.”

The sulkey is a lightweight two-wheeled, single-seat cart that was used as a form of rural transport in many parts of the world. The sulkey was the top of the line in transportation. It was not some old slow dray, not some old wagon, not some old cart, the sulkey was sleek and fast and as the advertisers put it in the day “suitable for outport clergymen and doctors.”

They are called “sulkies” because the driver prefers to be alone.

The clergyman’s penchant for the flashy is in short not a new phenomenon. Certainly the advertisers 134 years ago saw the potential for vanity in the clergymen.

The reality in Newfoundland was however that the sulkey might not have been the most practical for the ‘outport clergymen.’ With the poor state of the roads in much of outport Newfoundland the more robust option was the horse and cart.

The advertisement for the ‘light sulkey” appeared in the daily papers in St. John’s for most of the summer. It is not known if it sold!!

Note: There are two variations on the spelling of the word. Newfoundland papers refer to sulkey. American publications use sulky.

Looking for a Good Tea Fight?

Archival Moment

June 26, 1897

Evening Telegram, St. John's, NL Advertisement: February 3, 1894

Evening Telegram, St. John’s, NL Advertisement: February 3, 1894

A great number of expressions and terms that were part of everyday conversation have been lost over the years. In Newfoundland there was a time that one would be very excited to be invited to a “tea fight” it was an event that people looked forward to with great enthusiasm.

On June 26, 1897 the St. John’s newspaper the Evening Telegram reported on a big “tea fight” held in the community of Channel, Port aux Basques. The newspaper reported:

“There was a great display of bunting at Channel (Port aux Basques) on the 22nd. In the evening people of the place enjoyed a big “tea fight” and a dancing event on an extensive scale.”

In the 1890’s a great number of societies and organizations throughout the country (Newfoundland) were encouraging “tea fights.”   Firemen, policemen, educators, Christian teachers, leaders in the temperance community, all were encouraging or sponsoring ‘big tea fights.”

In St. John’s a “tea fight”  at the West End Fire Hall for firemen, policemen, and lady friends, kept up till midnight.

“Tea fights” were annual events at the Temperance Hall on Victoria St. The Telegram reported

“There was a superb tea fight participated in with good appetite. Every person present fared well—freely partook of a good serving by young ladies in charge of the tables, and made no further complaint than “the water is not hot enough.”

A “tea fight” is an English term that referred to a “little social gathering” or “an evening party.” The Oxford English Dictionary explains “tea-fight” as a slang or humorous name for a tea-party or tea-meeting.

In 1869 William Conant Church argued in the entertainment magazine The Galaxy that the “ignominious phrase, a tea fight…” can be traced back to the expression “a sociable dish of tea.” He wrote:

“Our mother and grandmothers gathered on special summons or went without warning on general invitation; and even our fathers and grandfathers despised neither the tea nor the sociability that sweetened it. But the thing (a sociable dish of tea) and its name have passed away … it lives only in the memory of some morose old bachelors under the ignominious phrase, a tea fight…”

The phrase “tea fight” may have been dying away in other parts of the world in the early 1870’s but in Newfoundland “tea fights” were very popular in the 1890’s and continued until the 1920’s.

It is now another phrase lost from our everyday conversation.

Time for a tea, perhaps I will have you over for a “tea fight” some evening.

What are other phrases, terms or expressions particular to Newfoundland and Labrador have been lost?

Recommended Reading: The Dictionary of Newfoundland English, first published in 1982 is a historical dictionary that gives the pronunciations and definitions for words that the editors have called “Newfoundland English”. The varieties of English spoken in Newfoundland date back four centuries, Culled from a vast reading of books, newspapers and magazines, this book is the most sustained reading ever undertaken of the written words of this province. http://www.heritage.nf.ca/dictionary/