John "Johnny" Wade

Other Events:

• Voter: Between 1855 and 1859, Stone Island, Caplin Bay, Newfoundland
• Land: 1870, Stone Island, Caplin Bay, Newfoundland

Notes:

The name John Wade first appears in the Voter's List at Caplin Bay in 1855, and again in 1859. In Lovell's Directory of 1871, he is listed at Caplin Bay as a farmer. Local oral tradition concerning Johnny Wade tends to paint a picture of a man who spent considerable time and effort clearing the land still referred to as Wade's Meadow. Fisherman, going to the fishing grounds very early in the morning, told of seeing Johnny Wade sitting on the cliffs above the cove, with his legs dangling over the edge, resting from a hard night's work.

The fact that Johnny worked at night and slept during the day was considered rather strange by the local population. This "eccentricity", coupled with a strong Irish belief in "the fairies", led many to speculate that the large boulders he moved while clearing his land could only have been moved with the help of the "little people". Superstition aside, Johnny was probably a very practical man. In the summertime, the cool clear moonlit nights on the cliffs overlooking Caplin Bay were certainly more favourable for hard labour than toiling in the midday heat. Obviously a physically strong man, with a good mastery of basic lever and fulcrum, Johnny skills as a farmer were lost on his superstitious neighbours.

Birth:
It is likely that Johnny Wade was born at Stone Island, but no record or reference was found to prove that conclusion.

Land:
On the 8th of February 1870, a Crown Land grant was recorded as follows: Index # 3119 Wade, John: Stone Island, Caplin Bay. A description of this land was later recorded in Crown Land's Volume 16, Folio 107. Unfortunately, this volume was destroyed in the Great St. John's Fire of 1892. Although the grant was never reregistered, it is my understanding that the original (or a copy) is still in the possession of a descendant of Martin Sullivan, who came into possession of the land, likely in the 1930s.

Died:
St. John's Newspapers - 26 March 1884 - Death: Wed. 18th Mar. 1884 - Caplin Bay, Newfoundland - John Wade - aged 60. Deceased left a family.

John married Martha [Wade] Abt 1852. Martha was born Abt 1826, Aquaforte, Newfoundland; died 17 May 1891, Stone Island, Caplin Bay, Newfoundland; was buried Abt 19 May 1891, Holy Trinity RC Cemetery, Ferryland, Ferryland District, Newfoundland, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

According to local oral tradition, Kitty Wade was the last person to move from Stone Island to the main settlement of Caplin Bay. She lived alone at Stone Island in the old family home for a number of years after her sister, Mary, died. After Kitty moved from Stone Island, she lived on land at the foot of Galavan's Hill, just east of where the second generation of Sullivans had settled after they moved from Stone Island. Her old property, on the west side of Stone Island River eventually became the property of Martin Sullivan.

Died:
The 1921 Newfoundland Census says Kitty was born at Caplin Bay in May 1859, however her death certificate says she was born in Ferryland and that she was 82 when she died in 1934. If correct, this would indicate her birth was about 1852. It is not known which age is correct, and it seems unlikely she was born at Ferryland.