Looking for John Farewell poss of Poole

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Hi,

I am looking for help in finding out more about John Farewell, his wife Lydia, and his daughter Martha. 

John was buried in Twillingate, Newfoundland, in 1823 (or possibly 1825), age 55, giving a birthdate of 1768 or 1770. I have a family bible which indicates Lydia (no surname) was born in 1778 in Twillingate.  Their daughter Martha was born in 1817, when her mother was 39.  I found serveral unsourced Ancestry trees which indicate Martha had two brothers, William b. 1813 and John 1821.  Martha may have married an Easton circa 1835.

John Farewell is listed in  Notre Dame Bay ~ The Slade Ledgers (1783 - 1792) in 1786 and 1787, with a comment 2 summers, 1 winter.  He would have been 18 in 1786.  This is probably when he first came to Newfoundland, working presumably for the Poole merchant firm of John Slade & Co.  There is also a Thomas Farewell in 1786 listed right after John, with the note "From Poole,  Summers only".  So, I'm guessing John was likely from Poole as well.

Lydia would have been 39 when Martha was born, and if the William reference is true, 35 when he was born.  This suggests she may have had other children, pre-1813, either by John or an earlier marriage.   Most of the parish records for Twillingate in this period were burned and the only record of this family which survived was that of Martha's baptism.  However I'm hoping maybe John and Lydia's marriage or an earlier birth might have taken place in Poole, not Twillingate.  Or, potentially Lydia, widowed with 3 small children, might have gone back to family in Poole after 1823 - she does not appear to be buried with John.

I've been looking on IGI without success so far.  I am in Canada and can't consult the records in person. Is anyone else researching Farewell's of Poole, or can anyone find any further records of this family?

Thanks,

Jennifer.

[MHA]

Hi Jennifer;

I have done extensive research on the earliest settlers of Notre Dame Bay.  The surname 'Farewell' is included in my files.

As you are probably aware, John Farewell is buried in St. Peter's Anglican Churchyard Cemetery on the Twillingate North Island.  I photographed his gravesite marker some time ago.  According to a weathered inscription on the headstone, he died on October 16, 1825 (the year could be 1823).

There was a Captain Farewell (Farwell) who traversed the Atlantic between England and Newfoundland during the mid to late 1700's..... a captain of ships who was attached to the Isaac and Benjamin Lester mercantile establishment at Poole, Dorset, and Trinity, Newfoundland, and the John Slade mercantile establishment at Poole Dorset, and Twillingate/Fogo, Newfoundland.  I don't have any proof, but I would consider this Captain Farewell as a preferred candidate as being the father of the John Farwell buried at Twillingate in 1825 (1823).

I am curious about the 'Old Family Bible' you referenced.  Is there significant information on the Farewell family, or other early families at Twillingate, contained in this Bible?

Appreciated,

Milt
   

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Hi,

That is fascinating about Captain Farewell.  I agree, it sounds quite likely it is the same John Farewell.  Could you post or PM more details?  I would love to hear more. 

I have been to Twillingate myself and saw John Farewell's headstone but didn't photograph it.  I couldn't tell if it was 1825 or 1823 either.

As for the bible, I've posted about it elsewhere on this forum, but since you asked hopefully the moderator will forgive me reposting the same info.

My mother inherited a family bible from her father, who was an Easton.  We believe it came down from the Easton side which fits since his family was from Greenspond (and prior to that Musgrave Harbour), so the right general area.  However we have no idea what the link is to the Farewells since we have no known connection. 

The inscription is brief, and relates only to the Farewells.  Spacing and spelling is as per the original:

"John Farewell, his book
Lydga Farwell
Born in Twillingate
the 8th of January in the Year of our Lord
1778"

Elsewhere in the book is also written very faintly "Joseph F", without further comment.

The bible is dated MDCCC - (1800) and is in very poor condition.

It’s not entirely clear who was born in Twillingate in 1778, but given that John Farewell’s headstone indicates a birthdate of 1768 or 1770, the birthdate must be for “Lydga”.

The slender volume of SPG records that escaped the fire in Twillingate (with which I’m sure you must be familiar) show that a John and Lydia Farewell had a daughter Martha baptised in 1817.  In the same group of records, Thomas and Mary Easton of Bar’rd Islands, Fogo had 4 children baptised, including 2 sons, all baptised on the same day in 1821.  I’m speculating that maybe one of Thomas and Mary’s sons married Martha, or possibly another unknown daughter of John Farewell.   John seems to have started as a planter of Fogo before moving to Twillingate, so there may have been a connection. My oldest known Easton ancestor was George b. circa 1838, so he would have been the right age to be Martha’s son.

I despair that I’ll never know for sure because the parish records are gone, but if in your research on early settlers of Notre Dame Bay you have found anything that you might be of help or interest I would love to hear it.

Thanks,

Jennifer.

[MHA]

Jennifer, it is intriguing that Lydia Farewell may have been born at Twillingate in 1778, a mere fifty years after the first English settler put down roots there.

Yes, John and Lydia Farewell had more than one child.  There is a reference on his headstone marker to "wife and children".

I have seen several references to Captain Farewell's (Farwell's) activities in Notre Dame Bay during the mid to late 1700's.  His name appears more than once in the Lester Diaries, and elsewhere.  I had always considered that John Farewell of Twillingate was somehow attached to him.  I will notify you if and when I come across specific references to Captain Farewell during my research endeavours.

The surname Farewell does not appear to be prevalent in Poole, Dorset.  The name appears more often in other places in Dorset....Corfe Castle, Melcombe Regis, etc.

According to the composition 'Fishermen of Notre Dame Bay 1700-1900', there was a J. Easton at Twillingate in 1768.  And then there was the Easton family at Barr'd Islands that you referenced.

Take care,

Milt

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Thank you Milt for your reply!  I have never dug into the Lester Diaries, I will put it on my to do list.  I notice that Memorial University has now digitised the diaries and put them on their website.

I don't think I've heard of "Fishermen of Notre Dame Bay 1700-1900" - is it a book?  J. Easton of Twilligate is also new to me, very exciting, could be a connection for sure.

Since my original posting I have been in contact with the owner of one of the unsourced trees on Ancestry.  She says the two Farewell sons, William and John, both died in Foote's Cove, Pardy's Island, down by Burin.  Seems a bit odd that the family would move so far - do you know of any connections between the two areas?

Thanks,

Jennifer.

[MHA]

Yes, Jennifer, I have looked at the Farewells of Burin and area.  I have not seen any connection to the Notre Dame Bay Farewells....that is not to say there is not a connection.

There is one aspect that causes me some concern....

The surname of John Farewell at Twillingate was usually spelled as Farewell, and not Farwell.  The surname of the Captain Farwell that I referred to, was usually presented as Farwell.  I don't know if that issue should be a significant consideration.

Here is something else for you to chew on !

There is a John Farewell and a Thomas Farewell appearing in the Slade Ledgers during the 1780's.

John Farewell, who died at Twillingate on October 16, 1825 or 1823, at the age of 55 years, would have been born circa 1768 - 1770.

Christopher Farewell (spelled as Farewell) married Ann Purse on June 2, 1759, at Melcombe Regis, Dorset, by banns.

John Farewell was baptised on October 30, 1768, at Melcombe Regis, Dorset, son of Christopher and Ann Farewell.

Thomas Farewell was baptised on November 18, 1763, at Melcombe Regis, Dorset, son of Christopher and Ann Farewell.

A possibility....

Milt

 

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Hi Milt,

Christopher Farewell and Ann Purse do indeed look to be very strong candidates for parents of John and Thomas Farewell!  Did they have any other children, do you know? 

The only possible hitch is that the reference to John and Thomas in the Slade Ledgers includes a note next to Thomas' name saying "from Poole".  I just looked on Google Maps, Poole is over near Bournmouth, while Melcombe Regis looks to be near Weymouth.  Seems like a long distance to travel in the 18th century.  Does anyone on the board know if it was common for people to migrate between the two areas in that time period?

Interestingly, I notice that south of Weymouth is a town called Easton.  Possible connection to my Eastons, I wonder?

Of course now that look at it, John was probably too young to be Captain Farwell in the Lester Diaries.  I'm looking at the digital version on line right now- Aug 21, 1868, Benjamin Lester dined with Captain Farwell. John Farewell would have hardly been born.  Perhaps Captain Farwell is Captain Christopher Farwell, John and Thomas' father?

The Farwell/Farewell issue would trouble me more except that in my mother's bible, the name is spelled both ways - "John Farewell, his book, Lydga Farwell....".  It's all in the same handwriting (possibly John's own?), so I'm thinking both spellings were used interchangably in that time period.

Jennifer.

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Further re Farwell/Farewell - When I look at my notes on John Farewell, I also have the following reference:

Ships Rooms Register, Twillingate, 1806-1818:

John Farwell's room, Stage, Flakes, Wharves
65 yards waterside
60 yeards inward
Twillingate, Northside, Riverhead
Claim - by building
10th Feb 1806
Sold 14th sept by wm R.....
Auction to W Printon, half this room

Note that the name in the register is Farwell, not Farewell, but it's clearly the same guy.  There doesn't seem to be much precision about the spelling.

Jennifer.

[MHA]

Good morning, Jennifer;

In reply.....while I am sipping on my morning coffee !

Christopher and Ann Farewell of Melcombe Regis had at least one other child, a daughter Ann, baptised in 1760.  I presented that particular family to you simply because the names and birth/baptism dates jive somewhat with our thinking.  To be quite honest, I am somewhat iffy on John Farewell of Twillingate being a member of that Farewell family of Melcombe Regis.....but the possibility does exist.

Yes, there is a notation in the Slade Ledgers, attached to Thomas Farewell, suggesting he was from Poole, Dorset.  I would not necessarily construe this comment to mean that he was a native, that he was born/baptised, at Poole.  Thomas Farewell may have sailed from Poole to Twillingate, or he may have resided at Poole before coming to Twillingate to work as a servant for Slade, but was he born/baptised at Poole?  Let me provide you with an example, to serve as clarification in making my point.  The claim has consistently been made that John Slade, the merchant of Poole, Dorset and Twillingate/Fogo, Newfoundland, came from Poole, Dorset.  There are many renowned publications that have printed the assertion that John Slade was born in Poole, Dorset, in 1819, son of John (the mason) and Ann Slade of Poole.  While it is true that John Slade operated his mercantile enterprise out of Poole, Dorset, and he maintained his homestead there during those years, and he died at Poole......John Slade was not born at Poole, and he was not a son of John and Ann Slade of Poole.  Maybe we should not place substantial emphasis on the suggestion that Thomas Farewell, named in the Slade Ledgers, was a native (born/baptised) of Poole, Dorset.

And, yes, the Dorset folks of the 1700's used to move around the county almost as routinely as we move around our province today !  The only difference is their means of transportation was not as efficient and swift as what we have at our disposal today.

John Farewell of Twillingate was definitely not the Captain Farwell referenced in the Lester Diaries.  My thinking is the Captain Farwell that was active in Trinity Bay and Notre Dame Bay (particularly at Fogo) during the mid to late 1700's, could have been the father of John Farewell of Twillingate.  Again, only a possibility.  Although I have a lingering hunch that Captain Farwell left descendants in Notre Dame Bay.

Jennifer, as you have confirmed from your notes, John Farewell of Twillingate registered a property in the "Register of Fishing Rooms" at Riverhead, on the Twillingate North Island, on September 10, 1806.  The added notation entered in the register reads: "Sold 14th. Sept. by Mr. Rice at auction to Mr. Jas Preston, half this room".  (Mr. James Rice and Mr. James Preston were also early residents at Twillingate).

Now it is time for an early Sunday morning jaunt !

Take care.

Milt