Wesleyville, Newfoundland and Labrador
Encyclopedia
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located on the Straight Shore of the northeast coast of Newfoundland, near the communities of Greenspond
Greenspond, Newfoundland and Labrador
Greenspond is one of the communities that comprise an area on the northeast coast of the Island of Newfoundland, called Bonavista North. These communities have a shared history in that they were settled by people from England, predominantly from the West Country - Dorset, Devon, Somerset and...
and Newtown
Newtown, Newfoundland and Labrador
Newtown is a part of the Municipality of New-Wes-Valley, located at the North end of Bonavista Bay in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The approximate population is 400. Settlement in Newtown originated around 1850 when people relocated from nearby areas...
. It was settled in the early 19th century, when residents relocated from nearby islands.
History
The first settlers originally lived on Swain's Island, which is often called the 'parent of Wesleyville'. They moved to the mainland between 1870 and 1930 to what is now called Wesleyville. Wesleyville was named in 1884 after a leader in the Methodist movement, John WesleyJohn Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
.
By 1891 the population was close to 2000 people who relied mostly on the Labrador fishery. With the decline of the fishery in the 1930s the population of Wesleyville began to decrease; there was less than 1000 people living there by 1945.
When roads, a hospital, and a highway were built in the 1950s, services and businesses began to improve thus helping the population grow once more. In 1959 a central high school was also built in Wesleyville.
The population peaked in mid-century at about 1200. Wesleyville is now part of the municipality of New-Wes-Valley
New-Wes-Valley, Newfoundland and Labrador
New-Wes-Valley is a municipality in Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada.Incorporated in 1992, it is located at the Northern end of Bonavista Bay just south of Cape Freels.Statistics* 2006 census - 2,485* 2001 census - 2,832* 1996 census - 3,061...
, with a population of approximately 2800. The municipality comprises the villages and towns of the area, including Pool's Island
Pool's Island, Newfoundland and Labrador
Pool's Island is an incorporated community of Badger's Quay-Valleyfield-Pool's Island in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is now part of the town of New-Wes-Valley.-History:Pool's Island was named Fool's Island up until the 1850s...
, Badger's Quay
Badger's Quay, Newfoundland and Labrador
Badger's Quay is a Canadian town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Located on Bonavista Bay, it had a population of 611 in 1956. Its name was referred to as Badger's Bay in early census data. The name "badger" probably named after the community of Badger in Shropshire, England...
, Valleyfield
Valleyfield, Newfoundland and Labrador
Valleyfield, Newfoundland is a village and was served by the C.N.R. It joined the Rural District of Badger's Quay-Valleyfield-Pool's Island in April 1980 until 1992 when the District merged with other nearby towns to form New-Wes-Valley...
, Brookfield
Brookfield, Newfoundland and Labrador
Brookfield is a Canadian community located on the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Situated near Wesleyville, it was formerly named Norton's Cove but was changed in 1879 when Captain Abram Kean and his family of nine moved there and renamed...
, Wesleyville, Pound Cove
Pound Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador
Pound Cove, Newfoundland is located north of Wesleyville. In 1884 Pound Cove was listed as "Punch Cove" with a population of 106. It was inhabited by people from Flowers Island and Pinchard's Island. Pound Cove was settled during the Labrador fishery and by 1890 there were 114 people living there;...
, Templeman
Templeman, Newfoundland and Labrador
Templeman, Newfoundland is located on the north side of Bonavista Bay just south of Cape Freels and north of Wesleyville. Templeman has a shallow and rocky harbour, therefore its harbour can only accommodate and is only suitable for small boats.-History:...
, and Newtown
Newtown, Newfoundland and Labrador
Newtown is a part of the Municipality of New-Wes-Valley, located at the North end of Bonavista Bay in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The approximate population is 400. Settlement in Newtown originated around 1850 when people relocated from nearby areas...
. The main employer today is a fish processing plant located in Valleyfield, owned by Beothic Fish Processors. Wesleyville is famous for its involvement, historically, in the sealing industry
Seal hunting
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Norway and Russia...
.
Church history
In the 19th century there were only a few resident missionaries stationed in Newfoundland. For example, there was a resident minister in Greenspond who would visit surrounding communities to perform services there. The communities in which the missionaries were responsible for were divided up into missions and circuits. The Greenspond Mission between 1862 and 1884 grew so quickly that the missionaries found it too difficult to visit all the communities so they were broke up into circuits. For example, the growth of Methodists was so great in the late 19th century that by 1884 Wesleyville Circuit was established.The first minister for the Wesleyville Circuit was the Rev. George Bullen for one year, and then Rev. James Lumsden came in 1885 and left in 1888. The Methodist population had increased from 120 to 226 during Lumsden's ministry.
The first Methodist church was built in 1874. A parsonage was built in Wesleyville in 1887, and a new section was built on the church in 1889. In 1892 there were 611 Methodists in Wesleyville; by 1912 a new Methodist church was built.
Names of ministers who have served the Swain's Island and Wesleyville Congregation since 1874:
- Rev. F Embree 1874-1876
- Rev. W Myers 1876-1878
- Rev. C Lester 1878-1881
- Rev. S Matthews 1881-1884
- Rev. G Bullen 1884-1885
- Rev. J Lumsden 1885-1888
- Rev. S Dunn 1888-1891
- Rev. W Harris 1891-1894
- Rev. S Hill 1894-1896
- Rev. W Tratt 1896-1899
- Rev. H Indoe 1899-1903
Education history
The fist church in 1874 was used as the first day school also. The first real Methodist school was built in 1876 and a Sunday school commenced in 1877. By 1885 there were 80 children enroled in Sunday school and 40 people in adult classes.Methodist Board of Education in Wesleyville, 1880s:
- Rev James Lumsden
- George Hann
- Japhet Sainesbury
- Abraham Kane
- William Barber
- Richard Parsons
- Henry Melendy
Interesting facts
- Wesleyville is the birthplace of the well-known Canadian artist David BlackwoodDavid BlackwoodDavid Lloyd Blackwood, CM, O.Ont is a Canadian artist.Blackwood is known chiefly for his intaglio prints, often depicting dramatic historical scenes of Newfoundland outport life and industry, such as shipwrecks, seal hunting, iceberg encounters, and resettlement...
. - John Wicks of Wesleyville died in the Greenland Disaster of 1898 under Captain George Barbour.
- Ferryman in late 19th century was Robert Biddlecombe
See also
- List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador
- Bonavista BayBonavista BayBonavista Bay is a large bay located on the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It opens directly onto the Atlantic Ocean....
- New-Wes-Valley