Where did everyone go?That's the question I thought this building foundation asked. This was a significant investment by someone as the cement had to be mixed by hand, it says I intend to be around here for a while. Maybe they were in terms of a human life but in the grand scheme of things it was the blink of an eye. But nothing is forever and the need for access to modern conveniences meant that a subsistence living with a huge quality of life had to be given up for life in a bigger center.
A 1921 census lists there were 191 individuals living in 36 homes. That was a sizeable community in my estimation for such a small area with very little level land. The surnames on the census were: Elms, Pope, Harris, Bond, Dinham, Tibbo, Buffett, Hatch, Johnson, Riggs, Frances, Fizzard and Miller.
Of the 191 souls, only 8 people were over the age of 60. I think that speaks volumes about longevity when you live in an isolated setting.
But, what's more important? Quantity or quality?
Stairway to ??? I wonder who poured these steps and who else lived here where a house once stood. I wonder how many kitchen parties were held here, how many times dinner got burned on the stove, how many times a wife waited expectantly for her husband to come home from the fishing grounds? No one will ever know.
Now I lay me down The shores of the church lie on the ground where the former church stood. It was a fairly large church judging by the number of shores and the outside perimeter of the foundation. Well, it would have had to accomodate 191 souls.
I'm watching A lone cemetary marker with the name "Price" on it looks down over Stone's Cove. There didn't appear to be a grave nor did I find any other gravestones. That is pretty unusual for a community that in 1921 had 191 living souls. I suspect that they burried their loved ones in the cemetary at Crant's Cove because some of the names on the Stone's Cove census are on gravestones there - in particular Bond and Pope.
Three individuals from former families have returned to build cabins but a far cry from the heyday of Stone's Cove
Thank you so much for posting this info and pics of Stone's Cove. My family is from there and they speak of it highly and with great memories.I'm glad to see there is still an interest in the resettlement era. I love the pics too.Any chance I could get copies?My grandparent's and their kids(my dad, uncles and aunts) lived just down over the hill from the lone cross.
ReplyDeleteThe reason it's called Crant's Cove is because the Crant's would fish there in "leanys" in the summer and "Tilt Up" in winter at Wreck Cove, The first record of the name was in Volume 30 of the DPHW records in 1835 spelled as Craint, it was actually Curant from Gosport Hampshire before arriving in Newfoundland in the late 1700's, earlier it was Curantte, back in the 1550's. The came out to Harbour Breton as servants to the firm of Newman and Sons.
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks for that information. Sounds like you've done a ton of work on your ancestry. Thanks for checking out my blog and hope you enjoyed seeing the pix!
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