Images of William Bemister (1823-1902)

Some confusion has arisen over images of two brothers with similar names. Both inherited a portion of their father's name

William Bemister (1823-1902) and his brother Capt. Willis Bemister (1819-1869) were sons of William Willis Bemister (1789-1863) who immigrated to Carbonear, Newfoundland in 1803.

Hopefully this will assist with identifications of the three individuals - first the brothers and lastly the father

Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland

From Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland
By E. Seary, William Kirwin
pg 33

BEM(M)ISTER, surnames of England, from the English place name Beaminster (Dorset), so pronounced locally. (Reaney). Traced by Matthews in Poole (Dorset) and Christchurch (Hampshire).

In Newfoundland:

Family traditions: John Banister (1747-1832), probably the first Bemister to winter in Carbonear, started the family which survived there until recently, and was buried at Cork Mullen (Dorset) (MUN Folklore), William Henry, from Brighton (Sussex), settled at St. John's between 1865-1875 (MUN Folklore).

Early instances: George, schoolmaster of Bonavista, 1791 (USPG); William Bemister, from Christchurch (Hampshire), planter of Green Bay, deceased 1814 (Royal Gazette 10 Nov 1814): Thomas Beaminster, of Greenspond, 1815 (DPHW 76): W.W. Bemister, of Harbour Grace, 1817 (D'Alberti 27); Edward, planter of Freshwater (Carbonear), 1823 (DPHW 48); Reuben, of New Perlican. 1859 (DPHW 59A); William, of Hare Bay (Bonavista B.), 1871 (Lovell).

Modern status: At St. John's and Ragged Harbour (Fogo district).

The Devon-Newfoundland Story: A Celebration of Historical and Cultural Connections - 2017

As published by The Devonshire Association For the Advancement of Science,

 Literature and the Arts

In the first two weeks of April 2017 the Devonshire Association (www.devonassoc.org.uk), in collaboration with the Devon Family History Society (www.devonfhs.org.uk), is planning a celebration of nearly 600 years of contact and interaction between Devon and Newfoundland.

The Association, which was founded in 1862 to promote the study, understanding and appreciation of every aspect of Devon, is an active organisation with over 1300 members. It has both historical and existing links with Newfoundland: several of its present members have collaborated with Newfoundlanders in history, archaeology and music, and in the 1970s and 1980s the Association had a Newfoundland Branch, based in St John’s. Developing these connections is one of the aims of the planned celebration; another is to make ordinary Devonians and Newfoundlanders more aware of the importance of each place in the history and development of the other, and of how much culture they share.

Powderham Castle - rose garden

The celebration will be county-wide, but particularly centred in Exeter, the county town, and in Bideford, a North Devon port town with strong historic Newfoundland connections. The core event will be a weekend of talks, workshops and exhibits: starting with a reception on Friday April 7th in Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum, awarded UK Museum of the Year in 2013; and continuing on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th with a symposium in Devon County Hall in Exeter, in which a series of talks by experts from both sides of the Atlantic will explore aspects of shared history and trade, dialect and folklore, music, mumming and dance. Alongside and interspersed with these will be an informal programme of exhibits, short talks and conversation in which family history interests can be shared and discussed. Both before and after this central weekend, there will linked events in other Devon towns, and excursions to these and to other places with particular Newfoundland connections.

These will include a tour on Thursday 6th to Dartmouth, Totnes, and to Compton Castle, the seat of Sir Humphrey Gilbert who first claimed Newfoundland for a British colony, and still owned by the family. Friday 7th will explore Exeter, a walled city founded by the Romans, with fine mediaeval and later buildings; and will visit the pretty adjacent port of Topsham. Monday 10th will visit Plymouth, with its citadel and old harbour. On Tuesday April 11th Bideford and Barnstaple will run a full programme of events, including talks, museum visits, displays and pottery workshops – North Devon pottery was widely used in C17th and C18th Newfoundland, and is still made. Throughout the two weeks several museums in Devon towns are mounting special exhibitions linked to the overall celebration. There will be a concert of folk music involving musicians from both Devon and Newfoundland, which will explore their shared traditions and may tour between several venues in the county.

William Willis Bemister (1789-1863)

For those interested in family history: as well as the weekend event it will be possible to visit Tree House in Exeter, the research centre of the Devon Family History Society; and the Society is also planning a family history help desk on April 11th and a talk and display on April 15th, all in Bideford. Devon will be in early Spring, and we hope that many Newfoundlanders will take the opportunity to visit this beautiful, historic, amazingly varied county and take part in this celebration of our common heritage. For those wishing to explore on their own we will provide details of car hire companies and bus and rail timetables. If you may be interested in coming please email devonshireassoc@btinternet.com without commitment, and we will keep you posted with developments. You will be made very welcome.

Devon 2017

Devon 2017
as posted on the website of The Wessex Society of Newfoundland

DEVONSHIRE-NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR CONNECTIONS:
A proposal for a themed excursion to Devon, APRIL 2017

The Devonshire Association (DA), a society founded in 1862 to promote subjects linked to Devon in the science, literature and the arts, is exploring the idea of hosting a two-day symposium in April 2017 in Exeter which would focus on the historic and cultural connections between Devonshire and Newfoundland. The Wessex Society of Newfoundland and others have been invited to participate. A DA steering committee has been up and is currently making plans to develop a program which envisions having presentations on a wide range of subjects including music, history and folklore, and also a half day in which Newfoundlanders & Labradorians could meet Devonians informally to explore family histories and genealogies. There would also be a reception in a historic building, probably St Nicholas’ Priory in Exeter, and a concert of shared music.

The Devonshire Association also plans to seek the interest of the Devon towns historically most involved with fishery, trade and colonization of Newfoundland – Dartmouth, Totnes, Plymouth, Teignmouth, Bideford, Topsham, Newton Abbot – in arranging exhibitions and satellite events, over perhaps a one or two week period. Coach tours could be arranged throughout the county area.

It is hoped that this would be an attractive enough event to tempt visitors from Newfoundland for a themed holiday. At present April 2017 is being considered as a good time, when Devon is already into spring and we are still emerging from winter. Nothing is yet fixed, however, and the Devonshire Association is discussing timing, venues, other participating organisations, probable costs, and sources of funding.

Meanwhile they are asking our views on the proposal. Are we interested? If so, is the timing appropriate?

We will discuss these ideas in more detail later and examine such important issues as costs. It seems possible that a group tour throughout Wessex and the West Country could be feasible which, in addition to the proposed Devonshire Association event in Exeter and South Devon, could include visits to places such as the Salisbury Plains (taking in Stonehenge and Aldershot), the New Forest of Hampshire, Bristol, Poole, Dorset and Somerset with a day or so in London to conclude.

The following is a letter to the Wessex Society received in December 2014 from Robin Wootton, President of the Devonshire Society outlining their proposal.

I am writing to all the people with whom I have already been in contact about a proposed Devonshire Association event exploring historical and cultural links between Devon and Newfoundland. This is an update on progress.

The suggestion originally came from the DA’s Music Section, and preliminary ideas have since been explored by a small informal group comprising Paul Wilson and Marilyn Tucker (musicians, with Newfoundland connections), John Allan (archaeologist, with Newfoundland interests) and myself. Bill Gilbert, who knows Paul, Marilyn and John in both capacities and was visiting them earlier this year, took part in one of our meetings.

The Association’s Executive has now taken on the initiative, and has set up a formal steering group chaired by the Vice Chairman, John Mather, with the same people plus Sadie Green, an authority on North Devon pottery and its transatlantic trade, and Julien Parsons, of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter. John himself is a retired Geology professor.

The original idea has grown considerably. We now envisage the event as a longer celebration built around a two day symposium with contributions from experts an a wide range of subjects, history, dialect, folklore, music, artefacts; but also involving a half day in which Newfoundlanders and Devonians could meet more informally to explore family histories, genealogies etc. There would be also be a reception in a historic building, probably St Nicholas’ Priory in Exeter, and a concert of shared music. We hope also to interest the Devon towns historically most involved with fishery, trade and colonization in Newfoundland – Dartmouth, Totnes, Plymouth, Teignmouth, Bideford, Topsham, Newton Abbot – in arranging exhibitions and satellite events, over perhaps a one or two week period. Coach tours could be arranged. The Devonshire Association itself has a historic connection with Newfoundland. We had a Newfoundland Branch in the 1970s and 80s; and it would be nice if the old relationship could be renewed.

We are hoping that this would be an attractive enough event to tempt visitors over from Newfoundland for a themed holiday. At present we are considering April 2017 as a good time, when Devon is already into spring and Newfoundland still emerging from winter. Nothing is yet fixed, however, and we are still discussing timing, venues, other participating organisations, probable costs, and sources of funding.

We should be very glad to have your views on the proposal, and particularly on the timing.

With my very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year,
Robin Wootton

For more information and to contact the organizers

Professor J.W. Nichols (1846-1916)

Joseph William Nichols, FSA - played a key role in developing the visual arts in Newfoundland.

An English trained artist known at "Professor Nichols" or J.W. Nichols, he emigrated to St. John's from his home in Leeds, Yorkshire to become Art Master at the Methodist College. He was the son of Rev. George Nichols, (1818-1886) whose home in 1886 was listed as Milton Cottage, Kirkstall, near Leeds, England.

Joseph left his position at the Methodist College to create and run the St. John's School of Art which was known for:

Classes daily in oil, watercolour, painting on china, pastels, modelling, design, machine and architectural drawing, sketching from nature. Art Exhibitions were held regularly. Students sat yearly for examination of the Royal Drawing Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Daily News - St. John's, Feb 8, 1966

Upon his retirement in 1908 he was awarded a pension from the Carnegie Retiring Fund.

"Hearty congratulations to Professor J.W. Nichols, whose thirty-five years of arduous work in this Island have been recognized by Mr. Carnegie who has offered him a life pension. Mr. Nicholl's [sic] name is so closely connected with the history of Art in this Colony that it is known wherever a Newfoundlander is to be found. He has done good and faithful work, and in thus recognizing his work and ability the Laird of Skibo Castle has not only honoured him and his adopted country, but has also honoured himself. That Mr. Nicholls [sic] may enjoy many years freed from the anxieties that seem inseparable from the workers of this strenuous age, will be the wish of all who know him."

Free Press - St. John's, 14 Apr 1908.

- transcribed by M. Elizabeth Squires

He married Ida Suzanna Bemister on the 13th of November 1877 in New Perlican, Newfoundland. Ida was the orphaned daughter of Mary and Capt. Willis Bemister of Carbonear and along with her siblings lived with various family members. They were married at the residence of the bride's uncle, Reuben James Bemister, J.P., by the Reverend Thomas H. James of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, assisted by the Reverend J. Lister.

Professor Nichols sketches were requested by newspapers and when the SS Arizona had a collision with an iceberg in 1879 and was brought to St. John's for repairs the Canadian Illustrated News in reporting the news created engravings based on his sketches. Double click on the images to see details.


The entry on Nichols in the Encyclopedia of Newfoundland & Labrador has an error in his name calling him John instead of Joseph:

Nichols, John W.
(1846-1916). Educator; artist. Born Leeds, England. Married Ida Bemister. Nichols came to Newfoundland in 1870 as a drawing master at the Methodist College in St. John's. In 1873 he left the College to found the St. John's Art School, which taught classes in painting, sketching, design, modelling and architectural drawing. The students participated in examinations and competitions administered by the Royal Drawing Society, and exhibitions which were held regularly. In 1908 Nichols represented Newfoundland at the International Congress for the Development of Drawing and Art Education. He retired from the School that same year but continued to teach art throughout Newfoundland. Active in the Methodist Church, in 1915 he edited A Century of Methodism in Newfoundland 1815-1915. Nichols died in St. John's on July 16, 1916.

Centre for Newfoundland Studies (J.W. Nichols),
A.C. Hunter Newfoundland Collection (J.W. Nichols).

He was also an active Methodist and church historian, and as mentioned above when it was time to celebrate a century of Methodism in his adopted city it was Nichols who was recruited to tell the story. Not only was he the editor but provided sketches to illustrate the book as well. The full book is now available digitally through Memorial University of Newfoundland.

He was also known for his sketches of Newfoundland scenes. Most of these are unfinished or are field sketches, likely made for reference purposes to be developed later into paintings in his studio.

Trinity from Cove, Oil Sketch by J.W. Nichols

Codroy Valley - J.W. Nichols


Ferryland - by J.W. Nichols


"Humber River from part of Little Rapids looking east" - sketch by J.W. Nichols

Heart's Content  - watercolour sketch by  J.W. Nichols

Boaat on a Pond - watercolour sketch by  J.W. Nichols

Professor J.W. Nichols (1846-1916)

Professor J.W. Nichols (1846-1916)

A sketch from a photo album once owned by J. W. Nichols - unsigned.

Bemisters of Carbonear Video

Bemisters of Carbonear Reunion 2010

Bemisters Gather

Bemisters from across North America are headed home - to an ancestral home being Carbonear, Newfoundland. Keep posted here for updates on Bemister 2010. By the way this blog post is being written in the airport lounge in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island - as we await our flight to St. John's.

Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Cheers
Ian Scott

Ode To Newfoundland

">

2010 Bemister Family Reunion

Come Ye One and All !

to the

2010 Bemister Family Reunion

to be held

August 6th to 8th, 2010

at

The Royal Canadian Legion

Carbonear

Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada

In celebration of the 263rd Birthday of John Bemister of Corfe Mullen!

• Meet distant cousins from all over North America and UK
• Explore Bemister genealogy and family history
• Experience traditional Newfoundland hospitality
• Enjoy guided bus tours of Carbonear and nearby communities
• Take guided tour of cemetery to commune with ancestors
• Savour wonderful grand Newfoundland Feast and Kitchen Party
• Marvel at Bemister travelling museum
• Participate in Bemister Music Festival and Choir
• Share Church Service at traditional home of Bemisters
• Tour historic and archeological sites and provincial archives; and enjoy
whale watching, as well as cultural and social events with Bemister
cousins before and after the main celebration if you would like this option

contact bemister2010@gmail.com for more information.

New Image of William Willis Bemister is Discovered

While another image was known, the discovery of  this additional image of  William Willis Bemister was a great thrill.

Born on 7 May 1789 in Corfe Mullen Parish, Dorset England William Willis Bemister came as a young lad age 14 to Carbonear, Conception Bay, Newfoundland to work as a clerk with the firm of George & James Kemp. He married Ann Howell at Carbonear on 25 November 1810 and they had 9 children. He later operated the firm of W. Bemister & Co. at Carbonear. He died at Carbonear on the 30th December 1863.

This is the previous image of him.

New Pictures Surface

It was a real surprise to discover pictures that were previously unknown which have recently surfaced. These include very early images of Bemister relatives as well as letters.

Of the letters:

• The first is from W W Bemister [dated 21 Aug. 1855] to his daughter Maria Shepherd. It's very brittle and is of the type where the full sheet of paper was folded up and addressed on the outside -- no envelope.
• The other letter was written by 6 or 7 year old Mary Lavinia Shepherd to her older brothers, William and Charles. [She wrote to Will on one side of the sheet of paper, and to Charley on the other side] .

Copies will be available at the Carbonear reunion in August.

Bemister Gallery - We Need Your Pictures !!

The Bemister Gallery is our effort to share the visual heritage of the Bemisters of Carbonear with friends and family but we need your pictures - to make it happen.

Due to the fact that families become widely distributed and portraits and other pictures were not easy to copy at one time - we sometime end up without ever seeing a picture of our own ancestors. It thus become a special treat to discover an image of our own ancestors.

William Willis Bemister (1789-1863)

I experienced this when I recently found a picture in the Centre for Newfoundland Studies, of my GGG grandfather - William Willis Bemister (1789-1863), who arrived in Newfoundland at the age of 21.

William Willis Bemister (1789-1863)

Next to the picture was one of his son - my GG grandfather - Capt. Willis Bemister (1819-1869). The picture was not new to me but knowing who it was, broke new ground. A copy unidentified had survived within my own family but we never knew who it was.

Capt. Willis Bemister (1819-1869)

These images were part of the Forward family fonds and Forward ledgers 1750-1928 which had been donated to the Maritime History Archive, Memorial University.

The collection also includes many other important photographs, and higher resolution images can be ordered from the site for your own printing.

Ready to Rock -- on the Rock

It will be a grand time - if prior reunions are any indication. So pack your camera, and your dancing shoes because a Bemister reunion is a memory making event.

The registration materials are out in the mail and also on this blog. They are spread out over a few posting so look at the side bar on the left for the last few to get all the details.

And if by chance you have arrived here - with no prior contact with the Bemister descendants who hail from the Newfoundland town of Carbonear -- welcome aboard !!

The dates are August 6 to 8, 2010

2010 Family Reunion Registration Form
(Please return to the address above electronically or by regular post)

I would like to attend the 2010 Bemister Family Reunion in Carbonear, NL from August 6th to 8th 2010 and will be accompanied by family members listed on this sheet (or attached if necessary).

NAME -----------------------------------
TELEPHONE ---------------------------- FEE -------------------

ADDRESS-------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
E –MAIL --------------------------------- $100

Names of other family members who wish to attend
Relationship to you (and age of children)
2.------------------------------ $ ----------------

3.------------------------------ $ ----------------

4.------------------------------ $ ----------------

5.------------------------------ $ ----------------
TOTAL
Which of the following activities & workshops (W/S) & stuff really interest you? $____

Walking tour of Carbonear, local museums, Bemister’s Hill ___
Guided tour of cemetery, stories behind the gravestones ___
Bus tour of Carbonear, Hr. Grace, Freshwater (half day) ___
Bus tour to Heart’s Content & North Shore (full day) ___
Bus tour to Brigus, Cupids, archaeological site (full day) ___
Boat ride to Carbonear Island, whale watching (2 hr) ___
W/S on history of the Bemisters and the Carbonear fishery ___
W/S on history of the West Country Migration to NFLD ___
W/S on Genealogy and Family History ___
W/S on Traditional NF Music (bring voice and instrument) ___
Other? Child care? Youth program? ___
Bemister baseball hats and T-shirts? (give quantity and sizes) ___

As in times of old, we are proposing to provide our own entertainment by showcasing Bemister talent and offering opportunities to sing, play instruments and generally take an active part in a traditional Kitchen Party on Friday evening at the reception, a Talent Show on Saturday evening at the dinner and on Sunday in a Bemister Church Choir.

Do you sing? ------------ Play an instrument? ------- Which one (s)?--------------



Would you like to take part in the Friday night Kitchen Party? ----------
In the Saturday night Concert? --------------------

In the Bemister Choir on Sunday? ---------------------

In the past several Bemisters have taken part in a Bethany Church service in other ways such as reading the lesson. Would you like to do this? Please indicate how you would like to participate. (Of course, all this is subject to approval by the Worship Committee - but they have been extraordinarily welcoming to our family members in the past as many of you can attest!)
--------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------
Many of our cousins will extend their visit to the homeland by several days and we have had some interest expressed in activities that people can take part in before and after the reunion with their new found cousins. Please indicate your interest in any of the following:

Pre-reunion: Wed. Aug 4 St. John’s Regatta, evening meal at the Battery Hotel _ _

Thur. Aug 5 Walking tour of St John’s East, The Rooms, Fish & Chips _ _

Thur. Aug 5 Bus tour of Signal Hill, Old St John’s, Cape Spear _ _

Thur. Aug 5 Afternoon tea and Garden Party at HJB Woods’ Home
(Everton House, see web site) and evening dinner -------

Post Reunion: Mon. Aug 9 Morning tour of General Protestant Cemetery in St. John’s
And, time permitting, other Bemister related sites in St. John’s West ---
Mon. Aug 9 Afternoon and evening whale watching at Bay Bulls
and possibly Ferryland, followed by seafood dinner _ _

I would like to help promote the reunion by (please check):
Forwarding information to my close family members
Supplying genealogical information, pictures, stories _ _
Supplying an address list of family members (e.g. Xmas card list!!!) _ _
Making a donation of $ ________ _ _
Other assistance? -------------------------------------------------------------
I am not able to attend but I would like to receive further information -----------------

Please send your form by post or e-mail. If you are not able to attend, a $10 membership in Bemisters of Carbonear will keep you on the mailing list and help pay our costs of printing, mailing, and so on. Donations are welcome. Please make cheques payable to the Bemisters of Carbonear and send to our St. John’s postal address. For the reunion please calculate the basic fees based on $100 per adult, $50 for youth (8 to 18), younger children (under 8) free. (Tour fees for bus, boat rides, etc. should be paid on site when registering).
$ __________

2010 Family Reunion – Proposed Program of Activities

2010 Family Reunion – Proposed Program of Activities

Most activities are scheduled to start at the Royal Canadian Legion Carbonear, Newfoundland & Labrador

Friday, August 6, 2010

10:00 am Registration opens

• Committee organizing venue, setting up posters, decorations
• Walking tours available for first arrivals

12:00 noon Registration continues

• Lunch meeting for the organizing committee

2:00 pm Activities begin

• Workshops, short bus tours, boat rides, walking tour of Carbonear

5:00 pm Supper break (on your own for meals on Friday)

7:00 pm to 11:00 pm

• Reception at Legion – guests include public officials
• Grand Opening
  
• The Bemister Travelling Museum
• Old Time Kitchen Party

Saturday, August 7, 2010

7:30 am Breakfast served at legion (~ $7.50 pp, young children free)
until 8:30 am, coffee available throughout day

9:00 am

• Registration continues
• Activities continue
• Longer bus tours, boat rides to Carbonear Island, walking tour including cemetery
• Workshops: Bemisters and the Carbonear Fishery, The West Country migration, Family History, Traditional Newfoundland Music

12:00 noon Lunch provided at Legion or box lunch/picnic for tours

2:00 pm More activities as per morning

5:00 pm End of activities – relaxation time

6:00 pm Official pictures of group taken at Legion – a record of history

6:30 pm Cocktails

7:00 pm

• Traditional Newfoundland feast

• Toasts, Newfoundland Songs and Stories, Guest Speakers, Bemister talent providing music and live entertainment, Celebration of 263^rd Birthday of John Bemister

11:00 pm End of evening

Sunday, August 8, 2010

9:00 am Boat ride to Carbonear Island

11:00 am Church Service at Bethany United Church. (Services will be posted for other denominations.) All are invited to the luncheon at the Bethany UC.

12:00 pm Lunch in Church Hall ($10 pp) - Official Closing

2:00 pm “The Quick and the Dead” – Tour of Bethany cemetery with stories both true and slightly exaggerated – pictures at graves of the ancestors.

4:00 pm End of formal activities

Possible Pre-Reunion and Post Reunion Activities in St. John’s

Wed. Aug 4 , 2010

• Regatta day at Quidi Vidi followed by evening dinner at Battery Hotel with the best view in the city;
• Cabot Tower at night

Thur. Aug 5, 2010

• Walking tour of St John’s East including the Colonial Building where Hon. John Bemister served as a Member of the House of Assembly from 1850 - 1870,
• Other Bemister related sites,
• The Rooms containing the Provincial Archives, Museum and Art Gallery,
• Lunch at Ches’s Famous Fish & Chips

Thur. Aug 5 - 2010

• Afternoon tea and Garden Party at Henry JB Woods’ Home (Everton House, see web site) and evening dinner at a fine local restaurant with traditional fare.

Mon. Aug 9

• Morning tour of General Protestant Cemetery in St. John’s where there are more than 120 Bemister graves and
  
• Other sites in St. John’s West including Capt. Edward and Emma (Bemister) White’s house,
  
• VOWR – first radio station in St. John’s – with a memorial to its founder Rev. Joe Joyce (grandson of Juliana B).

• Bus tour of Signal Hill, Old St John’s, Cape Spear – the most easterly point of North America – as well as picturesque nearby outports and lunch at a popular restaurant serving traditional fare pan fried cod, poached salmon, cod tongues, toutons and molasses, and figgy duff)

Mon. Aug 9
Afternoon whale watching cruise out of Bay Bulls followed by dinner at the Captain’s Table (a great sea food restaurant near Witless Bay). We could include the Ferryland archaeological site (1620–1700) – the site of Lord Baltimore’s Colony and a great beauty spot. These towns are about 45 min south of St John’s by car.

Bemister Reunion - Carbonear, NL from August 6 to 8, 2010

Hi Folks,

Attached is the second notice for our grand celebration in Carbonear, NL from August 6 to 8, 2010 - Our 2010 Reunion is less than a half year away! We hope you will forward this notice and its attachments to as many of your Bemister relatives as possible - ASAP!

We got great coverage on our last mailing and we think we will reach over 1000 families this time. Now we are still sending out the notice by Canada Post, but we will be glad to take people off the list and save money, if you will assure us you are reaching them by e-mail. Also if there is anyone you would like use to send the notice to by regular post, please let us know as soon as possible.

We are expecting a grand crowd in Carbonear, and we are getting reports of as many as 6 to 10 in a family group making arrangements to fly to St. John's, booking Bed and Breakfasts or hotels, and of course renting a vehicle. I would recommend that you make all these arrangements fairly quickly. It's going to be a great tourist year in part because of the Cupids 400 celebration, and we are competing with a very large event! However, if you start now you should still be able to find what you are looking for. There are lots of web sites suggested in the package that will be helpful to you on that score.

However, if you are having trouble finding what you are looking for, call me or one of our other committee members and we will try to help you. John and Mary Bemister could not have imagined what their progeny are up to this year - and John's 263 rd birthday will be the greatest birthday party Carbonear is likely to see this whole summer!

IF you can help in other ways we would be very pleased. Sending genealogical information and family stories would be really helpful, bringing artifacts for the Bemister traveling museum would be a wonderful addition, and just coming with your immediate family will be a thrill of a lifetime for all of you. If you can take part in our committee that would be fantastic too. You need to tell us on the registration form what your interests are so we can plan the event to maximize participation in activities people would most like.

When else do you think your granddaughter will see her 7th cousin? When else will you meet descendants of Maria Bemister Shepherd born 2000 years ago - the first Bemister born in the new world? This is a great opportunity that is not likely to be repeated any time soon, so you need to be there. And all of us on the organizing committee will be excited to meet you - right where it all started on 207 years ago when William Willis Bemister came to Newfoundland.

Please get your registrations in the mail and we'll hold your berth on the Bemister Brigantine, just down the gangway from Capt Willis Bemister himself. I can almost see Aunt Stella waving from the deck. The ghosts are everywhere, trust me! It's all going to be lots of fun, and you will be glad you came. Also we have to pay the bills, so your registration cheques will be a big help as will donations which are very welcome.

With our kindest regards

Cameron Hopkins - for the organizing committee

Edward Bemister's capture by American Privateer in the War of 1812

We are still finding new Bemisters, both the quick and the dead. The live ones seem to be delighted to be found - like the descendants of Mary Shepherd and James Howell Shepherd, not to mention Willard Bemister Wiltse who was the grandson of Bart and Emma Bemister's brother Lad.

As for the ancestors, well, I guess they are happy too. The latest is more new info on Edward Bemister's unfortunate capture by an American Privateer in the war of 1812. Upsetting as it was, it turned out to be his ticket to Carbonear (after a year and a day on a prison ship in Salem). Edward is no more happy about that than he was 150 years ago - but it all adds to the story and that we are happy about that for sure. Next time you are having delays at an airport, remember Edward!!! Nowadays you can be pretty sure you will fly to Newfoundland without being captured by American privateers!!! In 1813 it was no sure thing at all.

- by Cameron Hopkins

Friends of St Hubert's Church - Host Bemister Descendants

Just discovered this article from The Daily Echo, in Bournemouth, Dorset which tells of our 2004 visit as part of the Bemister family reunion in England to the churchyard grave at St Hubert's Church where my Bemister ancestors are buried - GGGG grandparents John Bemister (1747-1832) and Mary (Willis) Bemister (1749-1838).

A very special site, we also held a small memorial service within St Hubert's Church to honour their memory as well as gratitude for the special opportunity of sharing a moment of reflection in the church which had held such great importance for family members over the years.

-- The Daily Echo article --

A village graveyard provided the unlikely setting for a family reunion when 28 descendants of a Corfe Mullen couple joined to pay homage to their ancestors.

The group had travelled from Canada and America to visit the graves of Mary and John Bemister at St Hubert’s church, Corfe Mullen.

Two of the couple’s sons emigrated to Newfoundland in the early 1800s. Between them, William and Edward fathered 18 children who were to continue the Bemister family’s links with Canada for the next two centuries.

Poole’s links with Newfoundland date back to when fishermen from the Dorset town sailed west to catch the cod.

In 1802 the Poole fleet numbered 350 ships whose mariners braved mountainous seas and bloody clashes with privateers.

But the end of the Napoleonic wars in 1815 signalled the end to the lucrative cod trade.

William Bemister came to Carbonear in 1803, where he earned a reputation as a respected businessman and community leader.

His brother Edward left England in 1812 and it is likely that he was on the high seas in June, unaware a war was raging.

His vessel was captured by the Americans and he was imprisoned on a ship in Boston for a year and a day.

On his release Edward was given a suit and enough money to find his way to Newfoundland.

The family reunion was organised by local historian Dr Alan Perry, who has just returned from his 47th visit to Newfoundland and Cameron Hopkins, Mary and John’s great- great- great- great-grandson who now lives in Ontario.

“Various people including my sister helped trace the family tree,” recalled Cameron.

“I came here nine years ago but for many it was their first visit to England.

“They were very excited about seeing the places where their direct ancestors lived and died all those years ago.”

As well as paying their respects at Mary and John’s graves, the party visited Wimborne’s historic Minster where the couple were married in 1785 and were guests of Lord and Lady Digby at their home in Minterne near Dorchester.

Dr Perry, who is chairman of the Wessex Newfoundland Society and was awarded an OBE in 1997 for his work there, said: ”It was quite emotional. Family members had travelled a long way and they weren’t disappointed.

“We had a wonderful farewell dinner in the Blue Boar in Poole, surrounded by letters and deeds on the walls from Newfoundland. It was the perfect ending to a very successful trip.”

Dr Perry is planning another trip to Newfoundland next month.

(By Julie Magee, published in the Daily Echo, Thursday August 12, 2004. Courtesy of The Daily Echo, Bournemouth)

2010 Bemister Family Reunion - History

Since we first began this Bemister voyage of discovery in the spring of 1997, we have had picnics, dinners, lunches, reunions and fun from coast to coast in Canada – and a wonderful 1995 reunion on the old sod at the home of John and Mary Bemister in Corfe Mullen, Dorset. More than 500 Bemisters have gotten involved for activities in Carbonear, Vancouver, Toronto area (twice), St John’s and Dorset. Our cousins have not only enjoyed the events, the genealogy, the history and the artifacts – they have enjoyed each other! Many who come to our 2010 event in Carbonear will be meeting lots of old friends; some will be discovering distant cousins with a common heritage for the first time. But ALL will say they are glad they came! You will be too

Sincerely,
Cameron Hopkins
on behalf of the Organizing Committee