BUSINESS AND COMMERCE

According to Lorne Callbeck in his book The Cradle of Confederation, the Island settled into a twenty year period of prosperity after entering Confederation in 1873 where “breweries, tanneries, carriage factories, carding and weaving mills, sawmills, and many other small industries," provided employment for those willing to work. (1) Such was the case in the St. Peters area. The history of business in the area, however, began much earlier than this. There were businesses in the St. Peters area during the French Occupation, but it was in the early 1800s that ledgers began to appear for some of the earliest stores in the

area.

FROM FLOUR TO NAILS TO BOLTS (2)

The General Store

I’d know it by the sight of it, I ’d Know it by the smell,

I ’d know it by the sound of it, and Know it mighty well.

I 'd know it if you set me down at Midnight, mid the scent

Of coffee bags and sugar bins and Country butter blend.

With eyes shut, I can smell again the Prints upon the shelf,

Amid the hickory shirting — you Could do the same yourself. (3)

Many of the early country stores stocked everything from flour to nails to bolts. The earliest record concerning communities within the fire district appears in a ledger of an unidentified general merchant in Kings COunty from 1810—1843. (4) This general merchant supplied goods to a rIUmber of people in the communities of Goose River, St. Peters Bay, Cable Head and Naufrage. The names, addresses, and sometimes the Occupations 0f the individuals having'accounts with the merchant are listed. The accounts in the earliest ledger for 1810 appear to have been carried forward from an earlier book.

A ledger, which is presumed to be from a member of the MacDonald family in Lot 39, also had many listings for customers from ‘St. Peters Bay,” “St. Peters an Farms,” and “New Fraze" Capes an Cable Head." From St. Peters Bay familiar names, which are spelled slightly differently appear such as “McCauley” and “McIsaack.” For the “St.

_ ¥—_~

‘ :1 This is the original spelling as it appears in the Ledger.

113