Making a Living in the Nineteenth Century Chapter 3 Making a Living in the Nineteenth Century

Self-Sufficient People Consumer Economy – people use money to buy what they need. Subsistence Economy – people produced most of what they needed for they own consumption.

Fishermen and their Families The chief occupation of the 19th century was cod fishing. Three types of Fishery: The Shore Fishery The Labrador Fishery The Bank Fishery

The Inshore Fishery Use small boats near the shore. Use baited handlines Bait consisted of: Capelin Herring Mackerel Squid Shellfish The Fish were brought to shore cleaned ,split, salted and dried. They were dried either on the rocks or a Fish Flake.

Inshore Fishery cont. The best drying weather was sunny and windy. The fish had to be taken in when it rained. Everyone in the family was involved in this process.

Fishing – A family affair Women dried fish, looked after the vegetable garden, took care of the animals and the children, washed clothes. The men fished, repaired the nets, boats, and buildings. They hunted wild game, cut and hauled out wood when the fishing season was over.

The Labrador Fishery Many Newfoundlanders traveled to Labrador in June to take part in the Labrador Fishery. They would travel home in September or October. Sometimes the entire family would go. “Stationers” dried their fish on shore the same as in Newfoundland. “Floaters” heavily salted heir fish and dried them when they returned to Newfoundland.

The Bank Fishery Large vessels called Schooners carried crews and dories to the banks. They fished using trawl lines and hand-lines. Dangers included; gales, fog, lost overboard, separation from the schooner

Bank Fishery Cont. Living conditions were harsh, with little water for washing. They would be off-shore for about a month. The Bank fishery changed the way of life for Newfoundlanders. The season started earlier and lasted longer. Men and women could not spend as much time at gardening and hauling wood, instead they bought coal and food.

Fish Merchants Merchants were often portrayed as villains who took advantage of fishermen. They operated a “truck system”. Fishermen would give the merchant their catch in exchange for essential supplies as fishing gear, food, and clothing. No money exchanged hands.

Fish Merchant Operations Fish was measured and sold by the quintal. There were seven grades. Lower grade sent to the West Indies, higher grade sent to Southern Europe. The grading and price of fish was inconsistent thus fishermen were never sure what their fish would be worth in the fall.

Fish Merchant Operations Some merchants undervalued the fish and overcharged for the goods at their stores. This kept some families in a state of debt. Other merchants were fair to the fishermen and had genuinely cared about them. They faced financial ruin because of the fluctuations in the price of fish and unrecoverable credit. They needed the profit in the good years to ride out the bad.

Sealing began as an activity for personal use. two branches of the commercial fishery: Landsman’s Hunt and Offshore Hunt.

Seal Fishery Seals were hunted for food, clothing and oil (the most important use). There were many disasters surrounding the seal fishery. (Southern Cross, The Newfoundland)

Sealing Disasters Dead sealers, 4 April 1914 The sealing vessel SS Bellaventure arrived at the port of St. John’s on 4 April 1914 with 69 dead sealers stacked on its deck. The men, all from the SS Newfoundland, died after being stranded on the North Atlantic ice floes in blizzard conditions for 53 hours.

Trappers Trapping was a commercial industry that took men away from home for months on end.

Trappers When animal numbers were low, it caused hardship for the trappers and their families. Many natives traded using the “truck system” as well as cash. Moravian headquarters in Nain The Moravians included education and health care to the natives.

Shipbuilders and Other Occupations Boats were originally built for personal use but as demand grew with settlement of immigrants it became a major industry. Between 1820 and 1920 there were almost 10,000 large ships built in Newfoundland.

Shipbuilders and other Occupations Many people began working in mines, forests and the railway by the beginning of the 20th century. Cities provided many more opportunities. (Refer to page 65 of text)

People in History Michael Kearney Born in Ferryland in 1811 Irish A shipbuilder (naturally talented, trained in Ireland) His ships were known for their strength, speed and beauty His ship, Ida, set the record for the trip from Newfoundland to Bristol in 26 days Elected to the House of Assembly in 1865 Died March 4, 1885