A Brief History of Charleston

I offer one clarification for a note that isn't entirely clear from this brief text. While it is stated that the name of Charleston was chosen in honour of the first settler, Charles Quinton, the manner in which "Charleston" is obtained from "Charles Quinton" is not stated. As the story was told to me, "Charleston" was formed by taking "Charles" and then omitting the "Quin" in "Quinton".

December 16, 1964

It was in the early part of the 18th century that the little settlement of Charleston in Bonavista Bay was first inhabited. The first settler to arrive there was Charles Quinton who came there to make his home together with his wife and family which consisted of 2 sons and 3 daughters. At that time there was nothing but forest all around with a lake of salt water going inland until it became only about 1/2 mile wide at the bottom of the bay. This narrow inlet was called Southern Bay which name applied to both sides of the harbour. It was about fifty years later that the name Charleston was given to one side of the bay. Southern Bay being still the name of the opposite side. Soon after the arrival of Charles Quinton to the settlement a few other families decided to try their luck at making a home there too. Among them being names such as John Fry, Thomas Fry, Richard Taylor, James Gould, Christopher Prince, Abram Hobbs, James Matthews and Henry Fry and as time passed others were added to the number. These were hard working people both men and women, truly pioneers. They fished and farmed during the summer and during the winter months they built boats and cut firewood and logs to be sawed into planks for schooners, many of which were built by the early settlers. Lumber for houses was easily obtained near their homes, it being thick forest all around them. The job of sawing the lumber was not so easy. There were no saw mills in these days so the lumber required for any building had to be sawed by pit saw which meant long hours of arms aching, back breaking work for the men. Nevertheless by work and perseverance they succeeded in all their efforts and in a few years the settlement began to take shape. Most of the people up to that time belonged to the church of England faith. After a few years they built a small church and appointed a lay-reader in the person of Mr. Abram Hobbs. Here they held services every Sunday, the position of lay reader being transferred a few years later to Mr. Hobbs's son-in-law, Joseph Fry. Occasionally a travelling minister would have a service in the church. At such times all over due church work such as christening babies etc etc would be done often babies would be ten and twelve months old before their parents had a chance to have them christened. However with the years came improvement and very soon a small school was built, where many of the present generation got a fair amount of education which enabled them to take their place in the world. One of which attained the rank of Major in the Salvation Army and is now living in retirement on the mainland of Canada. A small plot of land was also cleared for a cemetery, where to day stands the headstones of Charles Quinton, his wife Martha, two sons William and John and one daughter Sarah, Mrs. John Fry. The dates on the headstones are as follows:

• Charles Quineton, died August 14, 1891, aged 80 years.
• William Quinton, died August 23, 1878, aged 31 years.
• Martha Quinton, died September 10, 1907, aged 90 years.
• John Quinton, died September 27, 1914, aged 67 years.
• Sarah Fry, died January 9, 1934, aged 76 years.

During the latter part of the century other families came to live at Southern Bay, which was later to be named Charleston, some of which made their homes right up in the bottom of the bay, it being only half a mile wide. Among the late comers were two brothers, Herbert and Charlie Quinton. They had lived until then on Pinchards Point a little place about 10 miles down the shore where they had been born together with their brothers and sisters. Their mother was a widow, their father having died when Charlie was only 14 and Herbert a young child. When they moved up the bay they were both married and had small families. Three of their sisters had also married and moved up the bay with their families. A year or two earlier the oldest of them Mary married James Matthews while Elizabeth married John Fry and Hannah married Thomas Fry. Charlie married a young woman from Keels, B.B. Martha Jane Wheeler and brought her as a bride to Pinchards Point where his mother and brothers lived including Herbert who was married a year or two later to a young woman from Musgravetown, Lydia Greening who also came to live on Pinchards Point. Meanwhile both Charlie and Herbert were busy building homes up the Bay and before too long was ready to move up. People were very poor at that time, there being very little money to be earned. Their only chance to make a dollar was to go to the ice fields so around the first of March each year the trek to the ice began on foot. First across the neck with just a footpath to a place now known as Lethbridge a distance of ten miles and further still to Shoal Harbour around 15 miles where they would board the train for St. John's. The same routine would have to be followed on their return from the ice. One year Herbert, who by the way was my father, walked all the way to Greenspond where he signed on for the ice. I well remember when I was a child listening to him as he told stories of his early life. He was a remarkable man as many can tell. Having no chance on Pinchards Point where he grew up to get any education he became interested as a child in learning, his mother being his only teacher. As soon as he began to show his ability to learn it was such that before he reached young manhood he mastered the Royal Readers in the lower grades of that day a few years later as a young man he bought a grade 6 Royal Reader which at that time was the extent of anyones education. Years later when he moved up to Southern Bay he conducted night school for the young men who like himself had no chance in their younger days to get any education. The night school was held in some of their own homes there being no other place available. In later years the same men were often heard to say I got my learning from Uncle Herbert. Most of the families who came into the bay at that time were supporters of the Salvation Army. So in due time they built a little barracks (a plot of land being given by my uncle James Matthews) who was married to my father's sister Mary. Here they held services on Sundays and during week nights too and here they took their babies to have them dedicated; here also they brought their dead for the final service before laying them to rest in the little cemetery close by, land for which was also given to the Salvation Army by my uncle James Matthews, himself, his wife Mary and one of his sons having been laid to rest there many years ago now. It was early in the 19th century I should say about 1908 or 1910 that the name of Charleston was chosen for the north side of Southern Bay where we lived. I was a small girl at the time but I remember it perfectly. A young man by the name of Eleazor Quinton came to our house. He was a grandson of pioneer Charles Quinton. The purpose of his visit was to consult my father about the choice of a name for our little settlement. Without one bit of hesitation my father came up with the name Charleston, it being the name of your grandfather, he being the first settler deserves such honour to his memory.

Before closing I would like to say that instead of the little Church of England spoken of above there now stands a larger one built on the land previously owned by Charles Quinton and close by the old cemetery where he lies. A two room school has also replaced the little old one of the early days. With the passing of the old people the Salvation Army has died out and a new United Church now stands on the land which belonged to Herbert Quinton. The new church was opened on October 20, 1963. There is also a U.C. school built 20 years ago both churches and schools are lighted by electricity.

Sent in by Mrs. Alfred Pike
Charleston B.B.

Last Modified: Friday, 06-Aug-2010 11:38:01 NDT