Ruby M. Cusack
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada - Canada's Winter Shipping Port - 1914
Gram’s visitors had come and gone, but all that talking about the days of yesteryear and looking at pictures in the album got her thinking.
She was on a hunt and no amount of chocolate boxes to rummage through was going to deter here.
For days, it seemed all she thought about was finding a picture of her Uncle Hiram’s blacksmith shop, but to no avail.
Ordinarily Gram seemed to enjoy my interest in who was who, but I got snapped at more than once as I leaned close to her, with my tongue wagging at both ends, asking about the people and buildings in these small boxes of curled up pictures.
I think she felt a little sorry for being out of sorts with me. She stopped looking for the picture and told me all about her Uncle Hiram’s Blacksmith Shop. It seems he made horse shoes and shoed horses, fixed anything made of iron that was broken, made the rims for the wagon wheels, hinges and latches for doors and tempered tools. As iron is heated to increasing temperatures, it first glows red, then orange, yellow, and finally white, when it becomes soft and can be shaped by hammering or bending.
Back in 1914, under the direction of the Common Council of the City of Saint John, a book was issued, titled, “Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada - Canada's Winter Shipping Port” that had nearly two hundred pictures of businesses, churches, schools and better still gave information on many of them.
In that year, 450 people were employed at the Atlantic Sugar Refinery, 450 at the Cornwall and York Cotton Mill, 200 at T. H. Estabrooks Co. Ltd., 300 at T. S. Simms, 7 worked in the Electro Plating for Jules Grondines and 400 at T. McAvity & Sons.
Some of the companies mentioned:
The Saint John Hide Company of which R. Arscott is manager, was established by C. S. Hyman Company Ltd. Of London, Ontario, as the headquarters for their Eastern Canadian business.
The new Sugar Refinery will begin operations in October and will cost close to three million dollars and occupies seven acres on the harbour front.
The city had four daily newspapers in 1914.
Mr. C.P. Correly in an interview with R. E. Armstrong states the wood of New Brunswick was well adapted for the manufacture of furniture.
Sidd Suspender Co. Ltd. made suspenders with seven employees.
Jones & Schofield at 13 North Wharf were wholesale grocers who occupied a four story building.
A. E. Massie was the District Manager for the Canadian Consolidated Rubber Co. Ltd. on 34 - 38 King St.
Some of the pictures include: Kennealy & Wetmore on Pettingill Wharf, A. W. Adams on 10 Nelson Street, Charles Robinson - Baker and Confectioner on Celebration Street, Wholesale Grocers of T. Collins & Co. on Water Street, St. John Desk Co. on the corner of Broad and Pitt Streets, E. S. Stephenson & Company was on 17 - 19 Nelson Street and the business of Carriage and Vehicle Builder of George Murphy was at 101 Paradise Row.
Put on your reading glasses and take a walk through the business districts of Saint John a century ago. Read the details of who were the owners or operators. You may be surprised at how many of these buildings are still around.
Looking at Saint John City Directories may enlighten you as to one of your relatives earning their wages to feed the family from one of the establishments mentioned in this 1914 publication.
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Query 1895
Markham - McLeod: The Gleaner and Northumberland Schediasma of August 10, 1861 announced the marriage on Friday, August 02, 1861 at Richibucto, Kent Co., New Brunswick by Rev. Jas. Law, of Alexander MacAuly Markham, H.M. Bengal Civil Service to Christina McLeod, fourth daughter of Wm McLeod, Esq., St. John, N.B. Alexander MacAuly Markham was of County Antrim, Ireland. The couple returned to Ireland before departing for India with the ICS. Any suggestions as to how this couple would have met?
Contact Don by email don@rdcrowley.com
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