Person Page

     Frances Elizabeth Myers was born on October 16, 1873 in Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada,¹, the daughter of Agnes Blakeney and John Myers.¹ Francis married first Elijah Blakeney, who died 1905.¹
     Frances married second Charles Duncan Slade, son of Charles Alexander Slade and Mary Jane Crawford, on October 16, 1915 in Nova Scotia.¹ Frances was widowed when her husband, Charles, died on April 17, 1921 at age 53 died of tuberculosis.^2,3 Frances died on April 14, 1959 at age 85¹ and was buried in Riverside Cemetery, Musquodoboit Harbor, Halifax Co., Nova Scotia, Canada.¹

     James Duncan Slade was born in April, 1908 in Musquodoboit Harbor, Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada.² He was the son of Charles Duncan Slade and Sarah Agnes Day.²
     James married Lois Jessie Siteman on August 2, 1940 in Lower Ships Harbor, Cumberland Co., Nova Scotia, Canada.³, the daughter of Lewis Ervin and Anna Myrtle Siteman.

     William Slade was born in Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada.¹
     William married Alexandria Eliza [?] circa 1871.¹

     John Slade was born circa 1881 in Newfoundland.² He was Roman Catholic.³
     John married Julia Ann King on January 26, 1911 in Northern Bay, Newfoundland,², the daughter of Mary Dunne & John King.² John Slade was a fisherman & Roman Catholic.² John died on January 31, 1958 in Glace Bay, Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia, Canada.⁴

     John Lewis Slade was born on October 13, 1911 in Truro, Colchester Co., Nova Scotia, Canada.¹ He was the son of Hugh Slade and Henrietta Nolan.²
     John married Julienne Edith Comeau on January 27, 1941 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.¹ He signed attestation paper March 8, 1943 while living at 57 3rd Ave, Noranda, Quebec. His wife Mrs Edith Julian Slade's residence was listed as 727 Ajax, Ontario. He was a plumber, pipe fitter and religion was Church of England.¹ He was a Corporal in the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry.³ John died on August 29, 1944 at age 32.³ He was buried in Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery, Cintheaux, France.³

     Ronald Mitchell Brown Slade was born in January, 1904 in Musquodoboit Harbor, Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada.² He was the son of Alexander Crawford Slade and Hattie Florence Gaetz.²
     Ronald married Annie May Murley on December 15, 1936 in Halifax, Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada.³ Ronald died on April 21, 1990 at age 86.³

     Isadore Ella Hurley was known as Dora. She was born on May 20, 1897 in Nova Scotia², the daughter of Peter Hurley & Jennie Nanele.³
     Isadore married Charles Edward Slade, son of Charles Duncan Slade and Sarah Agnes Day, on April 15, 1918 in Dartmouth, Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada.⁴ Isadore died on November 2, 1929 at age 32.³ She was buried in Union Cemetery, Musquodoboit Harbor, Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada.³

     Ruby B. Smalley was born on May 9, 1911.²
     Ruby married Arthur Roy Slade, son of William Henry Slade and Minnie May McGraw, on April 10, 1927.¹ Ruby died on December 14, 1991 at age 80.² She was buried in East Lawn Cemetery, Urbana, Champaign County, Illinois.³

     Anne Sergaent was born circa 1680 in Wareham Parish, Purbeck District, Dorset, England.¹
     Anne married John Slade, son of David Slade and Deborah [?], on December 27, 1711 in Piddleton Village, Dorset, England.³ Anne died in 1725 in Winfirth Newburg, Dorset, England,⁴ and was buried in Winfirth Newburg, Dorset.⁴

     John Slade was christened on April 19, 1719 in St. James, Poole, Dorset, England.^1,2 He was the son of John Slade and Anne Sergaent.¹ (Other researchers state that John was born 10 Jun 1718 in Winfrith Newburg to John Slade and Mary Hodder.) John, orphaned at the age of 8, probably received some basic education in the Free School and an early mariner apprenticeship, for seafaring was the backbone of Poole’s economic life. Soon, John was captaining Poole merchant ships on voyages to the Channel Islands, the Mediterranean and Ireland. His first recorded visit to Newfoundland was in 1748 as the captain of the Molly, a trader owned by Joseph White. John made many trans-Atlantic voyages at the helm of Molly, records show three roundtrips in 1750. He remained at the helm of Molly until 1751 when he became captain of James Kittier’s Dolphin. He continued sailing between Poole, the Mediterranean and Newfoundland. Usually, he spent winter months in Poole and spring and summer months in Newfoundland. Occasionally, he would over-winter in Newfoundland.¹ John Slade He captained several ships to the Channel Islands, the Mediterranean and Ireland. He made his first recorded visit to Newfoundland in 1748 as master of the trader "Molly" which he sailed between Poole, Newfoundland, Cork and Lisbon. In 1750, he made three trips to Newfoundland. Usually, he spent winter in Poole and spring and then summer months in Newfoundland. Occasionally, he would over-winter in Newfoundland. in 1741.³ Usually spent winter in Poole and spring and summer months in Newfoundland. Occasionally, he would over-winter in Newfoundland.³
     John married Martha Hayter on February 16, 1752 in Wareham Parish, Dorset, England, at Holy Trinity Church.^4,5, the daughter of John Hayter, a prosperous merchant in Poole & Newfoundland of a slightly earlier era.^4,6 See map: John Slade Fishing & Sealing Ports. Shortly after the wedding, John purchased his first ship, the 90 ton Little John and headed to Newfoundland to begin his own trading company. His previous experience had given him first-hand knowledge of the expanding fishing trade in northern Newfoundland.
     The fishing trade between Poole and Newfoundland had been active for 200 years and was well established by the time John arrived. Most of the fishing was from small boats or ships brought from Poole. John saw the advantages of Newfoundland residents fishing year-round from the shores. Not only would the fishing season be longer, he would not have the expense of providing all of the fishing boats. In the winter, employees could harvest seal skins and oils, and other furs for sale in Europe. John encouraged settlement in Fogo and Twillingate bringing fishermen, tradesmen and laborers from western England and Ireland. Life was difficult in England at the time and the settlers found themselves nearly self-sufficient in Newfoundland with their small gardens, farm animals, all the fish, game and berries they could eat. The Slade employees soon brought their families.
     John used and improved an existing Truck system with the residents in his employ. He would supply everything they would need to survive that was not available on the island – food, clothing, prayer books, building materials, guns and ammunition, rum, tobacco, etc. In return, he bought everything the residents produced – salted cod, cod liver oil, furs, lumber, train oil, smoked/salted salmon and berries. An elaborate system of credit was established allowing purchases before the end of the season against their pay. As the season closed, each employee “settled up” with their purchases subtracted from their wages. They were paid the remaining amounts. During the 1760’s Slade also began trading on the Labrador coast. He exported various goods to Newfoundland and imported cod oil, and furs of beaver, otter, fox and marten, as well as seal skins. The diversification from fish to furs and employing year-round workers set Slade apart from other mariners who dealt in the trade of fish only.
     Slade & Co. vessels continued to make regular trips between Fogo and Waterford, Ireland. Regular trips were also made to Spain and Portugal for salt and cork and to Italy for wine and fruit.
     By the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, the Slade & Co. was firmly established at Twillingate, the main base, with a supply and staple collection system that served settlements and exploitation outposts throughout Notre Dame Bay and along the Labrador coast. The revolutionary years were difficult for Slade. American privateers plagued his ships and establishments. In the fall of 1775 he lost several vessels and ten fishing boats in a storm. His wharves in Fogo were destroyed in the fall of 1782 by a gale that also washed away his stages at Twillingate with some 800 quintals of cured fish. Wartime conditions in Poole made it difficult to recruit seamen and servants. He decided to stay in Poole permanently, leaving the issues in Newfoundland to younger relatives.^7,8,9,10
John Slade left a will on January 7, 1792 in Saint James in the Town, Dorset, England; Probate 11/1239/225 and Probate 11/1239/167 10 Dec 1793

Will of John Slade of Poole, merchant
(1) Sister Hannah Davis £50 per annum
(2) Children of my beloved brother and sister John and Hannah Gritton. Viz: John Gritton, James Gritton and Mary Morley £100 each child.
(3) Beloved sister Mary Spratt £100 per annum.
(4) Children of my brother and sister Samuel and Mary Spratt each viz: Samuel Spratt, Martha Whittle, Olivia Spratt, Ffrances Allen, Elizabeth Spratt, Thomas Spratt. £100 each.
(5) Children of my late brother James Slade viz: James Slade, George Card Slade, Robert Slade £100 each.
(6) Samuel Slade, my nephew, s/o my late brother James Slade, 8s per week for life.
(7) My cousins: John Slade s/o my nephew George Card Slade; John Slade Allen s/o George Nickleson Allen, Mary Poole d/o the late William Poole, £100 each.
(8) Children of the late Ffarr and Ann Strong viz: Samuel Strong, Ffarr Strong, Ann Strong, Francis Strong £50 each
(9) To John Slade my cousin s/o my nephew George Card Slade, Leasehold Estates at Sherford Gorefields and Gowheath at Litchett and Morden
(10)To my servant Ann Stainsmore £5.
(11)To my nephews John Slade, Thomas Slade and David Slade sons of my late brother Robert Slade deceased and unto my cousin George Nickleson Allen all ffishing rooms, plantations, warehouses, stages, salmon brooks, sealing posts in Newfoundland and on the coast of Labrador, all boats, crafts, all goods and property there. Also all my ships and vessels equally divided between them.
Out of the Newfoundland trade my five cousins: John Slade, Thomas Slade, David Slade, Robert Slade, George Nickleson Allen shall pay my nephew James Slade s/o my late brother Robert Slade deceased £100 and unto his daughter Mary Slade £100 and unto Elizabeth Slade widow of my late brother Robert Slade deceased and her two daughters: Jane Thomas & Elizabeth Cox £10 each.
(12) to my servant Thomas Loyte £10 to be paid by my cousins as above.
(13) to my nephew Robert Slade s/o my late brother James Slade deceased – all lands etc purchased of Mr. John Watts
(14) to my nephews John Slade and Thomas Slade sons of my late brother Robert Slade deceased – all lands purchased of Mr. William Barfoot deceased and that of Olivia Spratt equally between them.
(15) annuities commence paying six months after my death and continue half-yearly when due.
(16) Legacies paid one year after my death unless otherwise ordered.
(17) If any are unruly, withhold from my heirs until they reform.
(18) household goods, furniture, plate, wearing apparel to my nephews John Slade & Thomas Slade sons of my late brother Robert Slade deceased And to Robert Slade s/o my late brother James Slade deceased equally between them.
(19) Executors: my nephews John Slade, Thomas Slade, sons of my late brother Robert Slade deceased. Robert Slade s/o my late brother James Slade deceased & George Nickleson Allen.
Signed: Jno Slade
Witnesses: Cantlo Joyce, Willm Barter, Tho Joyce
Probate: John Slade nephew, George Nickleson Allen – others haven’t come forward yet.

Apparently several of Slade’s relatives protested Slade’s selection of Executors. It seems they all wanted to partake in the execution but all was in vain.
PROB 11/1239/167
Sentence for the validity of the will of John Slade deceased
Mentions:
Three of the Executors: John Slade nephew, Thomas Slade nephew, George Nickleson Allen.¹¹
     John Slade died on February 17, 1792 in Poole, Dorset, England, at age 72.¹ John Slade's estate was estimated, perhaps conservatively, at £70,000, a millionaire in his time. Upon his death, his business was shared equally between his five nephews: John Slade Jr., Robert Slade, Thomas Slade, David Slade and George Allen. John Slade Jr. took over operations in Poole, Thomas took over the Fogo branch and Robert took Twillingate operations. Through his heirs his firm continued to be a major economic and social force in northeastern Newfoundland and Labrador until the 1860s, when it was sold out of the family.⁷

A more detailed Biography of John Slade can be found by clicking on the source citation below.⁷ He

John's will stated his “fishing rooms, plantations, warehouses, stages, Salmon Brooks, Sealing Ports . . . in Newfoundland and on the coast of Labrador . . . with all my boats and crafts and all my goods and property there and all my ships and vessels.” He owned six ships between 60 and 150 tons, averaging 90 tons, and trading establishments in Fogo, Twillingate, Change Island, Conche, and Wester Head in Newfoundland and in Battle Harbour, Hawke’s Port, Hawkes Bay, Lewis Bay, Matthews Cove, Caribou Tickle, and Guy’s Cove in Labrador. in 2020. He SLADE, JOHN, sea captain, shipowner, officeholder, and merchant; b. 1719 at Poole, England, one of eight children of John Slade, a mason, and his wife Ann; m. Martha Haitor (Hayter) and they had one son; d. 17 Feb. 1792 at Poole.

John Slade’s father was a man of modest means, leaving at his death in 1727 only a small plot of land with a tenement and a bequest of £10 to three sons – John, Robert, and Thomas. John, though orphaned at the age of eight, probably received some basic education in the Free School and an early apprenticeship as a mariner, for seafaring was the backbone of Poole’s economic life. Indeed it was during Slade’s childhood that Daniel Defoe visited Poole and in A tour through the whole island of Great Britain described it as the most considerable seaport in southern England. He further noted that the key to the town’s growth had been “ships fitted out every year to the Newfoundland fishery.” Yet in Defoe’s day Poole was but approaching its main period of expansion of trade with Newfoundland. In the early eighteenth century the trade consisted largely of seasonal migratory adventures, with fishing crews drawn from members of the ship’s company and divided into catching and curing crews during the summer months. Later the trade expanded rapidly and Poole merchants found it to their advantage to set up those of their servants who wished to settle in Newfoundland, and a trade based on the provisioning of these planters in return for their production of fish and other staples began to supersede the migratory fishery. It was during the years of dynamic growth and fundamental change that John Slade became involved. From the trade he amassed a respectable fortune, exerting in the process considerable economic and cultural influence upon the development of settlement in northeastern Newfoundland and Labrador.

The earliest knovrn documentation of Slade’s maritime career is for the 1740s, when he captained several Poole merchant ships on voyages to the Channel Islands, the Mediterranean, Ireland, and Newfoundland. He made his first recorded visit to Newfoundland in 1748 as master of the trader Molly, a vessel he commanded until 1750, sailing between Poole, Newfoundland, Cork, and Lisbon. In 1750 alone, he completed three transatlantic crossings. At this time, he was apparently in the employ of Joseph White, a Poole Quaker, then the most substantial of the Poole-Newfoundland adventurers. In 1751 Slade took command of the 100-ton Dolphin, owned by William Kittier, and followed the familiar routes between Newfoundland, the Mediterranean salt fish markets, and Poole for another two years.

In 1753 Slade acquired ownership of his first ship, the 90-ton Little John, and struck out into the Newfoundland trade on his own account. This development was undoubtedly aided by some wealth acquired from his marriage to Martha Haitor, apparently the daughter of John Hayter, a Poole-Newfoundland merchant of a slightly earlier era. It was probably also through her inheritance that Slade advanced his social position in Poole and came to reside amongst the merchants of Thames Street (Spurriers, Lesters, and Westons) in a house that for decades afterwards was identified in Poole rate books as “Mr. Hayters tenement.”

Slade’s early experience in Newfoundland, especially with Kittier, had given him a thorough firsthand knowledge of an expanding frontier of English exploitation: the region to the north of Bonavista Bay, especially the large and varied Notre Dame Bay district. Up to 1728 the region had formed part of the French migratory fishery, which afterwards began to shift northward of Cape St John probably because of pilfering by the Beothuks and the northward thrust of the English, who were in the habit of overwintering and usurping the best fishing places. English migratory fishermen, mainly from Poole, first occupied the area between 1728 and 1732 and it became a regular resort after 1738. The territory not only added new inshore areas prolific in codfish but also provided in the numerous estuaries and river valleys at the bottom of Notre Dame Bay some of the finer timber stands, fur-hunting areas, and salmon runs on the island. Harbours such as Fogo and Twillingate, the first to be favoured by the English, were reliable ports from which to harvest both cod in the summer and harp seals in the winter and spring, and were convenient for strikes farther northwards, even to Labrador.

In the late 1750s John Slade was developing his trade in the northern regions in competition with other small shipowners and establishing a foothold within the ranks of the Poole-Newfoundland merchant community. He was one of 30 “principal merchants and traders” of Poole who in 1758 petitioned for the exemption of fishermen from naval service and for convoy protection of shipping between Poole, Newfoundland, and the fish markets. The Poole port books show that in 1759 he exported varied provisions to Newfoundland and imported train-oil (cod oil) and furs of beaver, fox, otter, and marten, as well as seal skins. Aggressive and persistent, by the 1760s Slade had expanded his business. Between 1764 and 1770 he owned and operated three to four ships (ranging between 40 and 80 tons and averaging 60) and deployed cod fishing crews in Twillingate, Fogo, and Tilting Harbour. Occasionally he ventured north of Cape St John, despite the injunction of Governor Hugh Palliser not to disturb the French fishery in this area. Although an intruder himself, in 1766 Slade even seized a fishing room at Fleur-de-Lys Harbour built by William Branscombe, a Devon ship’s captain, whom he undoubtedly regarded as an interloper. Towards the end of the Seven Years’ War other English traders had begun moving northward of Cape St John but only Slade persisted in this region beyond the period of the American revolution. Over the years he was to develop a significant and regular trade with planters there. To a far greater degree than most Poole traders, who concentrated on the cod fishery, Slade’s interest in Newfoundland was diversified and directed towards furs, salmon, and seals and in this regard he was a pioneer.

During the 1760s Slade also began trading on the Labrador coast. Governor Palliser was anxious to revive the fishery as a “nursery of seamen,” and in 1765 he encouraged English merchants to extend their activities to Labrador. Slade followed the other merchants including Jeremiah Coghlan of Bristol in partnership with Nicholas Darby of London, John Noble of Bristol and Andrew Pinson* of Dartmouth, and George Cartwright* of London, in establishing cod, seal, and salmon fisheries and a furring business there. Cartwright’s journal records Slade in Labrador with a winter sealing crew in 1771 and another Slade crew bound northward from Henley Harbour in September the following year.

John Slade divided his more active working years between his home port and his Newfoundland establishments, usually in a winter-summer cycle, but he occasionally overwintered on the island. His movements are well documented in the diaries of Isaac Lester, his next-door neighbour in Poole, and of Isaac’s brother Benjamin. Their trading firm kept a keen eye on Slade’s business and Benjamin, though based in Trinity, had a close association with him in Newfoundland. The diaries document Slade’s migratory pattern until 1777 when he apparently gave it up in order to spend the rest of his life in Poole. He was then well enough established in Newfoundland to entrust the more vigorous aspects of business management to younger relatives.

By the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War Slade was firmly established at Twillingate, his main base, with a supply and staple collection system that served settlements and exploitation outposts throughout Notre Dame Bay and along the Labrador coast. Many of the migrant apprentices and indentured servants Slade recruited in Dorset and west Hampshire became planters once they had acquired the basic skills of fishermen, furriers, or sealers. Slade advanced supplies, food, clothing, and even servants to the planters mortgaged against their production, of cod, oil, and other staples. The planters thus became dependent on him for their continued existence, and Slade had an assured production unit when labour was scarce especially in war time, and increased his profits by acting as a retailer. Though the system was in use elsewhere, it was innovative in the area and the stability which it assured enabled Slade to resist incursions by the Lesters, whose main establishment from the 1760s was at Trinity. His shipping, though modest compared to the Lesters’ fleet of 15–20 vessels, now consisted of five ships between 30 and 120 tons, with an average of 93. The larger brigs plied the Atlantic; the schooners linked Twillingate and Slade’s various outports. Occasionally he sent a vessel to New York for foodstuffs.

In 1774 Slade had sought Isaac Lester’s help in securing an appointment as naval officer in Twillingate. He received the commission within five days, and was re-appointed the next year. Apparently this post was the only political office he sought or held. In Poole, apart from joining the conservative lobby of merchants led by the Lesters, Spurriers, and Westons in voicing opinions on Newfoundland affairs, he was not concerned with politics. Even in his active years, in Notre Dame Bay he was overshadowed by Jeremiah Coghlan at Fogo, the owner of eight to ten ships, who commanded significantly more economic and political influence.

The revolutionary years were difficult for Slade. American privateers plagued his ships and establishments. In August 1778 the privateer John Grimes captured one of his vessels at Charles Harbour in Labrador. Early the following spring another privateering vessel with only four guns ventured boldly into Twillingate, captured another of Slade’s ships laden with fish, broke open his stores, and distributed his goods to the “poor inhabitants of the place.” It next fell upon Slade’s Battle Harbour premises in Labrador and captured a sloop with 22 tons of seal oil and destroyed his goods. Natural hazards added to his problems. In the fall of 1775 he lost several vessels and ten fishing boats in a storm. His wharves in Fogo were destroyed in the fall of 1782 by a gale that also washed away his stages at Twillingate with some 800 quintals of cured fish. Wartime conditions in Poole made it difficult to recruit seamen and servants because of pressgangs and at one stage Slade was desperate enough to spirit away Lester’s men. In 1776 Isaac Lester noted, “John Slade our neighbour is mean enough to ship our people after they agreed with us, and conceal them. He or his son [in fact his nephew John] is at the door all day and watches to see who goes in and out of the house and nabs them and gets them into his house.” For all these reasons Slade’s trade suffered serious decline. In 1773 his tax rates in Poole were assessed at £3,000 annual trade; a decade later he was taxed on half that amount.

It was natural that Slade’s only son, John Haitor, should have been earmarked to succeed him. When he was 15 years old he began accompanying his father on the annual trip to Newfoundland, and within a few years acted in the absence of his father as chief agent in Twillingate. In 1773, however, he died of smallpox. Slade’s attention now focussed on his nephews. Several, including John, David, Robert, and Thomas, had had considerable experience with him in Newfoundland as mariners and ships’ captains. According to Isaac Lester, he took John Slade, eldest son of his brother Robert, into his household in 1776 and had also contemplated adopting a boy he had fathered reputedly by a Twillingate planter’s wife. From 1777 to 1792 Slade’s nephew, now called John Slade Jr, was chief Newfoundland agent of John Slade and Company and in 1793 became its Poole-based principal. David Slade assisted as company factor in Twillingate, Thomas Slade commanded ships, and Robert Slade took major responsibility for Labrador operations.

This placement of his nephews proved prudent for after 1783 Slade’s trade yielded the most profitable returns of his career. When Coghlan’s failed in 1782 Slade opened a second major establishment in Fogo. His firm was not without competition on the northeast coast until he died, but it was the only major resident firm. In his will he divided equally among his four nephews and cousin, George Nickleson Allen, his “fishing rooms, plantations, warehouses, stages, Salmon Brooks, Sealing Ports . . . in Newfoundland and on the coast of Labrador . . . with all my boats and crafts and all my goods and property there” and “all my ships and vessels.” He owned six ships between 60 and 150 tons, averaging 90 tons, and trading establishments in Fogo, Twillingate, Change Island, Conche, and Wester Head in Newfoundland and in Battle Harbour, Hawke’s Port, Hawkes Bay, Lewis Bay, Matthews Cove, Caribou Tickle, and Guy’s Cove in Labrador.

Slade’s trading system fostered migration from Poole and Dorset and the growth of permanent settlement in Newfoundland. The surnames of many of those who live in the Twillingate-Fogo region today are those of the settlers he recruited. The most important aspect of his Newfoundland career was thus the initiation in this area of the transition from the migratory fishery to permanent residency; his heirs and their successors were to further it. As Chief Justice John Reeves* stressed in 1793: “The merchants . . . were and still are the chief encouragers of residency.” In fact, only those merchants having a regular supply trade with planters survived for long in any district. The perseverance of Bideford and Barnstaple merchants in the ancient migratory mode has been given as the main reason these ports were driven out of the Newfoundland fishery. The inhabitant fishery secured for men such as Slade their major source of marketable staples during war, and if they survived they were in a better position to expand in peace-time.

The ledgers of John Slade and Company from 1783 onwards show that under the credit or truck system the firm was annually staking the ventures of some 90–100 planters in northeastern Newfoundland and employed 150–200 servants directly. In 1787–88 Slade collected from them some 2, 200 seal skins, 200 tierces of salmon, 400 bundles of hoops, 32 tons of seal oil, 2,000 gallons of train-oil, 3,000 quintals of fish, 24,000 wooden staves, 15,000 feet of board, 32 sets.of oars, 30 pounds of beaver skins, 25 furs (fox, otter, and marten), and sundry smaller items. Slade was also closely associated in trade with independent frontiersmen such as John Peyton*, Henry Miller, William Hooper, and William Cull*, who as salmon fishermen and furriers were drawn into contact and conflict with the dwindling remnants of the ill-fated Beothuks.

There was little that Slade did in Newfoundland for which one could not find contemporary parallels or earlier precedents. He was one of a set of adventurers, who closely copied one another’s successful innovations and changing emphases in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage. Contending for the same resources, supplies, and markets, they hated one another, but they formed a closely knit community for common interests and survival. Slade’s distinction lies in his persistence and his continuity of effort; his single-minded attention to business was undoubtedly the reason his firm survived when Coghlan’s failed in 1782. At his death in 1792 his estate was estimated, perhaps conservatively, at £70,000 , earned, as the Western Flying Post; or, Sherborne and Yeovil Mercury reported, from “many years extensive and lucrative trade to Newfoundland and Labrador.” Through his heirs his firm continued to be a major economic and social force in northeastern Newfoundland and Labrador until the 1860s, when it was sold out of the family.⁷

     Robert Slade was born circa 1720 in Poole, Dorset, England.² He was baptized on October 19, 1720 in Poole, Dorset; Church of England.³ He was the son of John Slade and Anne Sergaent.¹
     Robert married Elizabeth Dunning on January 9, 1744 in Winfirth Newburg, Dorset, England.⁴ Robert died in April, 1816 at age 95.⁵ He was buried in Poole, Dorset.⁵

     Martha Hayter was born circa 1720 in Wareham Parish, Dorset, England,¹, the daughter of John Hayter, a prosperous merchant in Poole & Newfoundland of a slightly earlier era.^2,3
     Martha married John Slade, son of John Slade and Anne Sergaent, on February 16, 1752 in Wareham Parish, Dorset, at Holy Trinity Church.^2,4

     John Hayter Slade was baptized on February 10, 1753 in Poole, Dorset, England.¹ He was the son of John Slade and Martha Hayter.² In 1768, John began accompanying his father on the annual trip to Newfoundland for trading and in a few years was acting as chief agent in Twillingate, Newfoundland.² John died in 1783 died of smallpox.² John had a home built on Fogo Island. Named Bleak House, it has been home to the mmost influential families in Fogo's history; the Slades, John Ownes and Henry Earle. In 1983, the house became a gift to the Town Council of Fogo. It is now a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. After a full restoration, it opened to the public as Bleak House Museum in 1988.³

Note: The names of John Hayter Slade, died 1783, and Robert Standley Slade, died 1846,
both appear on an iron headstone at Fogo. [It is not known if either man is buried here]⁴

     John died in Dorset, England.² He was born on April 26, 1747 in Winfirth Newburg, Dorset, England.³ He was the son of Robert Slade and Elizabeth Dunning.³
     John married Sarah White on June 2, 1767.⁴ Was taken into the household of his uncle John Slade and taught the business of Slade & Co. Uncle John thought about adopting him, though there is no evidence this happened. He was known as John Jr.¹ In 1777, John became the principal agent of John Slade & Co. in Newfoundland.¹ Was promoted to the principal at headquarters of John Slade & Co in Poole, Dorset, England.¹ Brothers John, Thomas, David Slade all sons of the Merchant John Slade's late brother Robert Slade and his cousin George Nickleson Allen received from his estate all of the Merchant John Slade's fishing rooms, plantations, warehouses, stages, salmon brooks, sealing posts in Newfoundland and on the coast of Labrador. All boats, crafts, all goods and property, also all ships and vessels to be equally divided between them.

Also "all lands purchased of Mr. William Barfoot deceased and that of Olivia Spratt" to be divided equally with his brother Thomas.

"All Household goods, furniture, plate, wearing apparel to be divided equally between John Slade & Thomas Slade sons of my late brother Robert Slade, Robert Slade, son of my late brother James Slade and George Nickleson Allen."⁵ Upon the death of his brother Thomas, he inherited significant funds.⁶ John Slade Tom Slade has d Mar 21 1832, 84yrs, Marshall's Folly on March 21, 1832 in Marshall's Folly, Newfoundland.⁴

     Thomas Slade was born on June 12, 1753 in Winfirth Newburg, Dorset, England.² He was the son of Robert Slade and Elizabeth Dunning.² He began working for his uncle, John Slade, in the Merchant Trade in Newfoundland working in many different capacities. He soon became a ship's captain, commanding transatlantic voyages from 1780-1790's.⁴ Brothers John, Thomas, David Slade all sons of the Merchant John Slade's late brother Robert Slade and his cousin George Nickleson Allen received from his estate all of the Merchant John Slade's fishing rooms, plantations, warehouses, stages, salmon brooks, sealing posts in Newfoundland and on the coast of Labrador. All boats, crafts, all goods and property, also all ships and vessels to be equally divided between them.

"all lands purchased of Mr. William Barfoot deceased and that of Olivia Spratt" to be divided equally with his brother Thomas.

"All Household goods, furniture, plate, wearing apparel to be divided equally between John Slade & Thomas Slade sons of my late brother Robert Slade, Robert Slade, son of my late brother James Slade and George Nickleson Allen."^3,5 About 1813, Thomas broke away from the original firm and formed the new firm of Thomas Slade & Company with his brother-in-law, William Cox. They were merchant traders, mainly in Bonavista Bay, trading goods from England for fish and furs from Newfoundland.⁴ [P fell ill and] died in 1816 in Poole, Dorset, England, at the age of 63. He left a fortune of £64,000. The name of the firm was changed to Slade and Cox.^6,7 Thomas Slade left a will on June 15, 1816; PROBATE 11/1586/211; 7 Oct 1816; Nov1816
15 Jun 1816
Will of Thomas Slade of Poole merchant
£2000 to my Executors in trust for
sister Jane Thomas wife of George Thomas (her husband Thomas Thomas) – said Jane Thomas & ?Thomas Thomas.
£2000 stock in trust for Elizabeth Talbot daughter of said sister Jane Thomas, married Richard Talbot.

£4000 in trust for my brother James Slade & Ann his wife. Elizabeth and Sophie daughters of said James Slade.

£2000 for Mary Slade born about 1795 daughter of my brother James Slade living with me under 25.
£8000 for my sister Elizabeth wife of William Cox. Jane Cox, Thomas Cox, Mary Cox, Hannah Cox, children of Elizabeth (all under 25).

£10000 for John Slade (under 25) etal s/o my late niece Mary Slade (dec’d) late wife of my cousin Robert Slade [Executor].
Elison? Slade (under 25) daughter of my late niece the said Mary Slade dec’d.
Mary Slade (under 25) another daughter of my said late niece Mary Slade dec’d.

Part of the said £10000 to Robert Slade (under 25) another son of the late niece Mary Slade.
Sarah Slade (under 25) another daughter
James Slade (under 25) another son
Thomas Slade (under 25) another son
Anna Slade (under 25) another daughter.
Their father Robert Slade

Additional £8000 in trust for my niece Elizabeth Talbot, wife of Richard Talbot.

£2000 in trust for John Hooper and George Hooper (both under 25) sons of my late niece Mary Hooper (dec’d).


£11600 in trust for my nephew Robert Slade (under 25) s/o my brother David Slade. Also other children (under 25) of David: John, Thomas, David, James, George, Mary, Richard, Sarah, and Samuel.

£500 cousin James Gritton/Griffin/Grisson

£100 each to Hannah Slade, Martha Slade, Robert Slade, children of my late cousin James Slade (dec’d)

Pg8
£50 to cousin Robert Standley
Purchase of Mr. Thomas Burt
Property in East and West Morden

Nephew William Cox son of my sister Elizabeth Cox ½ of all my Newfoundland trade
Other half of Newfoundland premises to cousin Robert Slade merchant one of my Executors, in trust for Thomas Slade son of my brother David (under 24) and for Thomas Slade son of my cousin Robert Slade (under 24).
Trustees and Executors cousin Robert Slade, Thomas Parr gent.

Pg9
2nd in line is Robert Slade, another son of my cousin Robert Slade
3rd in line is my brother David Slade & William Cox (John?) son of my sister Elizabeth Cox
Pg10
17th September 1816; 15 June last similar will
Signed Thos Slade
Witnesses: Robt H Parr, John A Willis, Wm Raynolds

Pg11
Codicil: Hannah Spratt £10 per annum, Olivia Spratt £10 per annum, Frances Allen wife of George Nickleson Allen £10 per annum, niece Mary Slade daughter of my brother James Slade household goods furniture ?bone china prints printed books. Rev Peter William Jolliffe £3 per annum, Mary Ann Jenkins servant girl £5 per annum,
Witnesses: Elizabeth Brenton, mark of Jane Stanley.⁸

"Thomas, who evidently had never married, left a considerable fortune in stocks, money, property, and trade assets to be divided in a complex manner among his kinfolk. He distributed £53,100 to his immediate relatives, the largest sums going to his brother John and nephew Robert. He also bequeathed a total of £11,000 to some other members of the family and smaller amounts to sundry relations. His lands in the parishes of East and West Morden in Dorset, England, he left to his brother David, and a storehouse in Poole to David?s son Thomas. Half of his Newfoundland trade and all plantations, rooms, storehouses, flakes, land and estates . . . and also ships, brigs, sloops, schooners, boats, craft, fishing implements and other effects belonging to the said trade went to his nephew and partner William Cox. The other half was placed in trust with his cousin Robert for his son Thomas and for the son of his brother David, also named Thomas. It was further enjoined that at the age of 24 the two Thomases were to become partners in Thomas Slade?s company, which would take the name of Thomas Slade and Thomas Slade."^6,9 In 1836, there were six Slade family firms operating in Newfoundland. They were one of the last merchant families to conduct trade directly from Poole.⁴ He "Biography: Thomas Slade’s early life is enveloped in obscurity, and some of the few details we possess come from the will of his uncle John Slade*, a prominent Poole–Newfoundland merchant. After the death of his only son in 1773, John Slade focussed his attention on four of his nephews to provide family continuity within the business: each of the nephews assumed specific areas of responsibility within the firm of John Slade and Company. Over the next several years Thomas was employed in various capacities in his uncle’s expansive trade, including that of ship’s captain and agent. In 1780 he commanded the 180-ton brig Fame from Fogo to Poole, and he continued as a master under his brother John into the 1790s.

"The partnership of John Slade and Company spawned a new complex of Poole merchant firms that dominated the trade of outport Newfoundland throughout most of the 19th century. When John Slade Sr died in 1792 the firm possessed major mercantile establishments and sub-establishments along the northeast coast of Newfoundland and in Labrador, owned six brigs, and conducted an extensive supply trade with the growing population on the northeast coast. The estate devolved upon the nephews and their cousin, George Nickleson Allen, who continued the success of the firm, though forced by wartime conditions to reduce their volume of trade during the 1790s. In the next decade the Slades increased their business and were able to take advantage of the lucrative prices for cod, salmon, sealskins, and oil, especially between 1809 and 1812. Moreover, they expanded from the traditional Slade stronghold in the Fogo–Twillingate area southwards into Bonavista, Trinity, and Conception bays, as well as into St Mary’s Bay and the Burin region on the south coast.

Despite the increased prosperity, not all the partners wished to continue working within the firm. The first of the Slade heirs to break away was Robert, who in 1804 moved to Trinity and leased the premises previously operated by John Jeffrey of Poole. His business grew steadily and by 1817 his tax rate in Poole was assessed on a trade of more value than that of John Slade and Company. One of the reasons for the apparent decline in the trade of the old firm between 1813 and 1817 was Thomas Slade’s departure to form yet another company. By 1817 his firm, Thomas Slade and Company, was rated in Poole on £700 worth of imports and exports, the equivalent in value of John Slade and Company. The principals of the new company were Thomas Slade and his nephew William Cox. It is not clear whether Slade withdrew his capital from the parent firm and struck out on his own, or whether, because of expansion, a decision was taken to manage a branch of the business under a separate name. It appears that John Slade and Company continued its connections with Twillingate and Fogo, whereas Thomas Slade and Company traded mainly in Bonavista Bay. Thomas Slade’s name was attached to the new firm for only a few years. He apparently fell ill in 1816; his will was made on 17 September and probated on 11 November.

Thomas Slade, who evidently did not marry, left a considerable fortune in stocks, money, property, and trade assets, to be divided in a complex manner among his kinfolk. He distributed £53,100 to his immediate relatives, the largest sums going to his brother John and nephew Robert. He also bequeathed a total of £11,000 to some other members of the family and smaller amounts to sundry relations. His lands in the parishes of East and West Morden in Dorset, England, he left to his brother David, and a storehouse in Poole to David’s son Thomas. Half of his “Newfoundland trade and all my plantations, rooms, storehouses, flakes, land and estates . . . and also my ships, brigs, sloops, schooners, boats, craft, fishing implements and other effects belonging to the said trade” went to his nephew and partner William Cox. The other half was placed in trust with his cousin Robert for his son Thomas and for the son of his brother David, also named Thomas. It was further enjoined that at the age of 24 the two Thomases were to become partners in Thomas Slade’s company, which would take the name of Thomas Slade and Thomas Slade.

Shortly after Thomas Slade’s death his company’s name was changed to Slade and Cox. By 1824 this company had six ships totalling 904 tons in the Newfoundland trade. The firm traded under this style until 1828, when the Thomas Slades became 24 and the company adopted the name stipulated in Slade’s will. By 1836 the house went under the label of Thomas Slade Sr and Company, and was one of six Slade family firms operating in Newfoundland. Thomas Slade therefore represented one of many, but nevertheless important, links in the succession of Slade merchant firms that were involved in Newfoundland from about 1750 to 1868.

"Thomas Slade evidently concentrated his energy entirely on commerce and paid little attention to political affairs. He does not appear either to have held or to have sought any political office or appointment in Poole or Newfoundland. In Newfoundland the Slades were one of the last merchant families to conduct trade directly from Poole. They were also notable as one of the last English mercantile families to resist the 19th-century trends towards the centralization of commerce at St John’s and a domestically controlled economy on the island."
W. Gordon Handcock

in 2020.¹⁰

     John Slade was born on September 27, 1797 in Poole, Dorset, England.^1,2 He was the son of Robert Slade and Mary Poole.¹ Visited Robert in Trinity at Robert Slade & Co.³ His Uncle Thomas Slade, Newfoundland Merchant bequeathed £10000 to him to be split with his brothers and sisters; Elizabeth, Mary, Robert, Sarah, James, Thomas, and Anna all under 25 years.⁴ John Slade John Slade, a resident of Twillingate, registered the merchant vessel named George, a cutter, with access to all Newfoundland ports. Constructed by Slade & Co. in 1832 it had a crew of one. in 1832.⁵
     He was the manager of his great-uncle, John Slade's prime Newfoundland operation in Twillingate. Although he was only 24, that same year he was elected the Newfoundland House Assembly representing Twillingate and Fogo. He was the youngest representative ever elected.¹ Residing in Twillingate, Newfoundland, he registered a Schooner that he built in 1840 and owned, with access to all ports in Newfoundland.⁵
     John started his own trading companies at Fogo and Twillingate in 1845.¹ He was a liberal benefactor of St. Peter's Anglican Church and the Methodist Church being built in Twillingate. He secured chandelliers and gas lights from St. James' Church in Poole to be used in the new St. Peter's Church in Twillingate.

The St. Peter's website states: The next major addition to the church came in 1862 when the congregation raised sufficient funds to erect a large bell in the tower in praise of that year's bountiful seal harvest. In 1884 a chancel was added and the seating capacity was increased to 1000. The Slade plaques were subsequently placed on either side of the chancel window.^1,6 The local newspaper ran letters to & from John Slade on it's front page Nov 11, 1846.⁷ John died on January 9, 1847 in Poole, Dorset, England, at age 49 at age 28.¹ He was buried in St. Andrew's Anglican Church Yard, Fogo, Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland, Memorial plaque at church in Fogo, however it is believed that John is buried in Poole.¹

     Robert Studley Slade was born circa 1823 in Wareham Parish, Dorset, England.¹ He was the son of Elizabeth Leer. Robert became the manager of his great-Uncle John Slade's Fogo operations of John Slade Company. His older brother, John was the manager of the Twillingate operations of the company.¹ Robert died in 1846 in Poole, Dorset, England.¹ Robert Standley Slade has an iron marker in the churchyard at Fogo, but he was likely buried in Poole, England.²