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Wesleyville is a small coastal community in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is located on the Straight Shore of Bonavista Bay, on the northeast coast of Newfoundland, near the communities of Greenspond and Newtown. It was settled in the early 19th century, when residents relocated from nearby islands.
The first settlers originally lived on Swain's Island, which is often called the "parent of Wesleyville." They moved to the mainland between 1870 and 1930 to what is now called Wesleyville. Wesleyville was named in 1884 after John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist movement.
By 1891 the population was close to 2,000. The town relied mostly on the Labrador fishery. With the decline of the fishery in the 1930s the population of Wesleyville began to decrease; there were less than 1,000 people living there by 1945.
When roads, a hospital, and a highway were built in the 1950s, services and businesses began to improve, thus helping the population grow once more. In 1959, a central high school was also built in Wesleyville. [1]
The population peaked in mid-century at about 1,200. Wesleyville is now part of the municipality of New-Wes-Valley, with a population of approximately 2,100. The municipality comprises the villages and towns of the area, including Pool's Island, Badger's Quay, Valleyfield, Brookfield, Wesleyville, Pound Cove, Templeman, and Newtown. The main employer today is a fish processing plant located in Valleyfield, owned by Beothic Fish Processors. Wesleyville is famous for its involvement, historically, in the sealing industry.
In the 19th century there were only a few resident missionaries stationed in Newfoundland. For example, there was a resident minister in Greenspond who would visit surrounding communities to perform services there. The communities in which the missionaries were responsible for were divided up into missions and circuits. The Greenspond Mission between 1862 and 1884 grew so quickly that the missionaries found it too difficult to visit all the communities so they were broken up into circuits. For example, the growth of Methodists was so great in the late 19th century that by 1884 Wesleyville Circuit was established.
The first minister for the Wesleyville Circuit was the Rev. George Bullen for one year, and then Rev. James Lumsden came in 1885 and left in 1888. The Methodist population had increased from 120 to 226 during Lumsden's ministry.
The first Methodist church was built in 1874. A parsonage was built in Wesleyville in 1887, and a new section was built on the church in 1889. In 1892 there were 611 Methodists in Wesleyville; by 1912 a new Methodist church was built.
Names of ministers who have served the Swain's Island and Wesleyville Congregation since 1874: [2]
The first church in 1874 was used as the first day school also. The first real Methodist school was built in 1876 and a Sunday school commenced in 1877. By 1885 there were 80 children enrolled in Sunday school and 40 people in adult classes. [2]
Methodist Board of Education in Wesleyville, 1880s: [3]
Newtown is a part of the Municipality of New-Wes-Valley, located at the North end of Bonavista Bay in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The approximate population is 400. Settlement in Newtown originated around 1850 when people relocated from nearby areas. Newtown is well known for being built on many small islands, and is the home of the Barbour Living Heritage Village.
Bonavista North was a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It existed from when Newfoundland joined confederation in 1949 until 2015.
Greenspond is a community in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Safe Harbour is an abandoned outport on the northeast coast of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Settled by 1870, it was abandoned in 1955.
Templeman is a community of New-Wes-Valley in Newfoundland, Canada, located on the north side of Bonavista Bay just south of Cape Freels and north of Wesleyville. Templeman has a shallow and rocky harbour, and can only accommodate small boats.
Valleyfield, Newfoundland is a village and was served by the C.N.R. It joined the Rural District of Badger's Quay-Valleyfield-Pool's Island in April 1980 until 1992 when the District merged with other nearby towns to form New-Wes-Valley. Valleyfield has a good harbour, and is the location of the Beothic Fisheries fish plant.
Badger's Quay is a Canadian town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Musgrave Harbour is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
New-Wes-Valley is a municipality in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Cape Island is the name of both an island and a former community in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Deadman's Bay is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is on the Straight Shore of Bonavista Bay near the community of Lumsden. The community is located near fishing grounds, contributing to its diversified and successful fishery despite its exposed, sandy coastline and harsh fall storms.
Flowers Island was one of the communities in an area on the northeast coast of the Island of Newfoundland called Bonavista North. These communities have a shared history in that they were settled by people from England, predominantly from the West Country—Dorset, Devon Somerset and Hampshire.
Cape Freels is one of the communities that comprise an area on the northeast coast of the Island of Newfoundland, called Bonavista North, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. These communities have a shared history in that they were settled by people from England, predominantly from the West Country - Dorset, Devon, Somerset and Hampshire.
Lumsden, formerly known as Cat Harbour, is a community located on the Straight Shore of Newfoundland in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, near communities such as Musgrave Harbour and Newtown. Lumsden formerly consisted of two settlements, Lumsden North on the tip of a sandy peninsula and Lumsden South on the main road. Although the harbour in Lumsden is not ideal because it is not sheltered, Lumsden has excellent fishing grounds.
Ladle Cove is a designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is along the Straight Shore on the island of Newfoundland.
Pool's Island is an incorporated community of Badger's Quay-Valleyfield-Pool's Island in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is now part of the town of New-Wes-Valley.
Swain's Island, Newfoundland, is actually a group of eight islands on the north side of Bonavista Bay, southeast of Wesleyville. All of these islands once had inhabitants but eventually all of them were resettled, mostly to Wesleyville.
Located on the northwest side of Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland at the mouth of the Indian Bay inlet is a small island named Silver Fox Island that was once inhabited. It is about 3 km in length and about 3 km from Fair Island. The first settling began at Warren's Harbour on the southern side of the island.
Pinchard's Island was one of the communities that comprise an area on the northeast coast of the Island of Newfoundland, called Bonavista North. These communities have a shared history in that they were settled by people from England, predominantly from the West Country - Dorset, Devon Somerset and Hampshire.
Naboth Winsor was born to Robert Stewart Winsor and Jane (Butt) Winsor, on Winsor's Island, one of the islands comprising Swain's Island, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland. Winsor and his family moved to nearby Wesleyville when he was four years old. Winsor received a Bachelor of Arts Degree, the Degree of Master of Divinity, and a Master of Arts Degree. He was an Ordained United Church Minister, and later, an author. Winsor was a United Church Minister for forty-four years, and he wrote several books on certain aspects of Newfoundland History, primarily on areas in Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland.