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

Bemisters of Carbonear Video

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.

Bemister Reunion in Newfoundland

In exactly one year from this week, family will gather in Carbonear as the Bemisters of Carbonear hold a reunion in the community that connects all descendants of the two pioneer brothers (William Willis Bemister and his younger brother Edward) who moved there in the early 1800's.

The Steering Committee have been working on plans which are well underway, and will be distributed within weeks.

We will also post updated plans on this Bemister Blog so stay tuned for more news.
Looking forward to seeing everyone in Carbonear in August 2010.

Sincerely
Cameron Hopkins

Wimborne Minster, Dorset

The Parish Church of Wimborne Minster, Dorset has a enduring significance for the Bemister Family of Carbonear.

It was on the 30th of May 1785, in the Minster - as it is locally known - that John Bemister married Mary Willis. John had been baptised there on the 13th of November, 1747.

It would be two of the three sons that John & Mary raised at nearby Lambsgreen Farm - a location that is now a popular pub and eatery surrounded by farmland - that would eventually establish the family in Newfoundland as young lads. The first to accept an apprenticeship in the Newfoundland with a merchant was William Willis Bemister, when he was 14. His younger brother Edward Smith Bemister joined him and both became established in their own firm in Carbonear eventually.

The descendants of the Bemisters of Carbonear are all related to one of these two men.

Wimborne Minster has served as a place of workship for centuries, in fact the history predating the current Norman structure dates to its foundation by Cuthburga, sister of Ine, King of the West Saxons in 718.

In 871 Alfred the Great buried his older brother King Ethelred I of England, in the minster.

An historical overview is now available of one of the early stages of the Minster when it operated as the Collegiate Church of Wimborne Minster.

The Lambs Green Inn in Corfe Mullen

In 2004 when the Bemisters of Carbonear held their reunion in the Poole area of Dorset, UK a very special gathering was held at the site of what researchers have concluded is most likely their ancestral home.

Lambs Green Inn in Corfe Mullen is now a thriving country pub which was established in 1980's in a farmhouse - what was long known as Lambs Green Farm. Located on Lambs Green Lane and still surrounded by farmland, the pub operates like any traditional facility with the operators accommodation on the second floor and the restaurant facilities spread throughout the rest of the various attached thatched roofed buildings.
Examination of the various parts of the current structure, shows that additions have been made in various centuries but the core of the pub is centered around original hearths of a farmhouse that appear to date to a time that John and Mary (Willis) Bemister were listed as living at Lambs Green Farm in Corfe Mullen, raising their three sons. John and Mary had married in 1785.

About 1804 a son had sailed for Newfoundland with a brother to follow eventually. Both sons became established in business and had their own families in Carbonear, Newfoundland.

As all descendants of the Bemisters of Carbonear can trace their ancestry to John and Mary Bemister's Lambs Green Farm, it was a great comfort to be able to enjoy a meal and explore the old house.

Receiving a warm welcome from the staff, we would recommend that anyone with an interest in local history or simply looking for a great meal, plan a trip to Lambs Green Inn.