The process of gathering information about the families of Calvert has taken a long one. Starting with my own family about 1982, the scope
of my curiosity has expanded to include the families of the entire community of Calvert, and beyond. Although I have gathered a lot of information on my own, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the fact that a number of other people have made significant contributions to the information included on this web site. In this regard, I feel it is appropriate to post acknowledgements for the contributions received thus far. The contributions that I have received and used to "flesh out" family profiles have come from a number of people; some with a lot to share, others with just a little to share. Regardless of the extent of the contribution, all information is appreciated.
The order in which I have listed acknowledgements below is random and does not necessarily represent the magnitude or importance of the information received. All visitors to the site are encouraged to comment on, critique, identify errors in, or debate the contents of any information posted on this site. If I have missed anyone who has contributed, drop me an e-mail and I will set the record straight.
This page also includes a list of updates to this website as additional information was added, or corrections and improvements were made.
I would first like to acknowledge the contributions of three people who have been constant in their sharing of information. For more than a decade, Chris Morry and Enid O'Brien have helped me gather, analyse, and evaluate information pertaining, in particular, to the Morry and Sweetland families. Through our exchange of e-mails, shared transcription efforts, and many debates over the interpretation of old documents and records, we have discovered settlement details about these two families that were previously unknown, or forgotten. This effort has been very encouraging and we hope to uncover more details in the future. I would also like to acknowledge the many newspaper obits, articles, etc. regarding Caplin Bay people that have been forwarded to me by Audrey Swain and Enid O'Brien. In addition, Audrey's findings on web sites such as "familysearch.org" and "ancestry.com" have helped identify information on a number of emigrants from Caplin Bay/Calvert who moved to the U.S.
Unfortunately research on my own family started late, at a time when most of my immediate relatives had passed on. However, I wish to acknowledge the valuable oral family history provided to me by my late uncle, Tom Reddigan (1914-1983). His recollection of the married surnames of Reddigan women, who had emigrated to the U.S. at the turn of the last century, enabled me in later years to exchange family details with a distant relative in that country. Gregg Armstrong, grandson of Catherine Francis (Reddigan) Armstrong, was kind enough to provide me with information re his family tree. Gregg also gleaned, from his aged aunts, the old address of my grandfather's sister, Alice (Reddigan) Pike. This address enabled me to access the U.S. Census Records for more details. In addition he was able to supply me with several old photos of the Pike family. I would also like to thank my second cousin Regina Sulliavan for making me aware that my grandmother Bridget (Meaney) Reddigan had a sister who emigrated to Nova Scotia. With the information provided I was able to successfully find some details of her presence in that province.
Information on my maternal relations, the O'Brien's of Calvert, has always been very vague and elusive. My grandmother Ellen (O'Brien) Carey died when my mother was only six years old, hence she did not know a lot about that side of her family. A second cousin, Marian Norris has provided me with information about the O'Brien family and some lore about other long gone Caplin Bay families, the Barrys and Mahers. Marian and the late Dorothy (Barnable) Agresti also provided me with information about the Johnston families of Calvert and Ferryland.
Information on the Swains, and other families descended from Robert Swain of Stone Island, was provided from a number of sources. My main source and correspondent has been Don Lopes who married a descendant of Robert Swain of Stone Island. Dianne Butz, another Swain descendant, has contributed considerable information to Don, which he has shared with me. Mary Ellen (Ledwell) Kavanagh, another Swain descendant, has also been a good source of information regarding the Swain/Evoy/Ledwell branch of the family.
The late Ray Curran, who sadly passed away at the age of 54 in August 2002, was the main contributor of information on the Rossiter family.In addition, Ray's transcription of various Ferryland area colonial and court records, church registers, etc., posted on the Newfoundland's Grand Bank's have been invaluable reference source. Other pieces of the Rossiter family history have been provided by Pat Rossiter, Pam Todd, Patrick McDonald and the late Tom Rossiter. Gerry Collins provided me with information re the Gearys of Ferryland, who it appears were related to the Rossiters.
I was also very fortunate to find a researcher who was willing to share information regarding the Stephenson family. Paul Furlong provided me with information re his family's connection to the Stephenson family. He also gave me permission to link to some of his research and use information from family letters which outline family tree information about the Stephensons.
Although the Healy family are generally associated with Ferryland, they were also associated with Caplin Bay for several decades during the 1800s. I would like to acknowledge the information regarding this family provided to me by Roberta and the late Richard Sullivan from their research of the Ferryland branch of that family. Likewise, the Caplin Bay (O')Keefe family, and their association with the Rossiter family of Caplin Bay and the O'Neiil and Hagan families of Fermeuse, has been verified through past and current contact with their US descendant, Barbara Smith. Another early Caplin Bay name that is now extinct (and about whom little was known in earlier generations) is the Clancy family. However, through the Internet and this website I have had contact with a couple of people who have been able to provide information on a U.S. branch of this family. In 2006, I corresponded with Jim Farrell (grandson of Patrick Clancy of Caplin Bay and Mary Hartery of Cape Broyle who emigrated to Chicago) and his daughter Mary York. They shared some information with me about their family in Illinois and their Newfoundland connections. In April 2014, I was contacted by Bill Whalen, an Newfoundlander who lives in England, and through some research we have discovered that he is a descendant of Anastasia Clancey of Caplin Bay and John Williams of Bay Bulls.
Although their stay at Calvert may have been brief, I decided to include the Badcock/Battcock family name in the families of Calvert. I have received information on this family from several sources. John Paul Bradford, who married a Battcock descendant, has been a good source of information on the Battcocks, from their arrival in Newfoundland to the present. Eileen "Bunny"Best, a Battcock descendant, has provided me with information on her branch of the family, many of whom became known as Babcock when they settled in the U.S. in the 1890s. Other Battcock descendants Liz Croft and Kay Svagdys have also been in contact with me regarding family information.
........ to be continued ........
