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Halifax Merchants Private Signals (1800s), Nova Scotia, Canada

Last modified: 2020-07-26 by rob raeside
Keywords: halifax merchants private signals | fort george |
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[Northern Navigation Company] image by Rob Raeside, January 2015
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Introduction

A chart which seems to have been sold as a souvenir at the Halifax Citadel, published by R & J Wetmore, a lithographer in the 1800s in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Wetmores are documented as being in business in 1871, so it's not unlikely that they printed this chart before the Nova Scotia arms changed (or because of it).
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015


Customs House

Bottom right: Custom House.
A blue ensign with a square canton, bearing in the centre what on this chart is the representation of a crown, and in the lower half, each about centred in a quarter, white capital letters "C" and "H". I'm not sure how wide the range for this flag would have been. It could be Halifax, Nova Scotia, North America, Colonies. I would expect a custom house in the UK to have a portcullis, but I may be off regarding the time or the precise nature of a custom house. As we all know, I can't draw recognisable crowns, so I'll have to leave this one for someone who can.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015


J.E. Cummings

[J.E. Cummings] image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015

A white flag with a blue saltire: Nova Scotia without the arms, or Scotia Antiqua (or whatever that would be in Latin; I would say "Caledonia", rather than "Scotia", so what do I know,) inverted.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015


Wm Lawson

[Wm Lawson] image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015

Divided per saltire white over blue. Again, a saltire in blue and white, with possible (New) Scotland associations.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015


Murphy & Twining

[Murphy & Twining] image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015

A white flag with a red ball, of half the length of the hoist in diameter. The disk isn't quite centred, but 1/12th of the length of the hoist offset towards the top-edge of the flag, and the same mm. towards the hoist. Though the poster depicts the flag sinister hoist, I have depicted it dexter hoist, on the assumption that the sides are mirror-images. Whether the off-set is in fact significant, I don't know.

According to the index, Murphy & Twining are mentioned somewhere in Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. Series 1, Volume 27. http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark%3A/67531/metapth192862/
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015


McLean, Campbell & Co.

[McLean, Campbell & Co.] image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015

Red over white over red, 2:3:2. Strictly speaking, the chart says "McLean Campbell & Co.", as if McLean is a first name. I'm going with the telegram at https://mailman.ednet.ns.ca/pipermail/nsroots/2006-January/000918.html, though:
"Halifax Citizen, Tuesday, January 9, 1866
SHIP NEWS. -- Disasters.
Schr Sir John Moore, May, from Plaister Cove for Halifax has been wrecked at Cape Canso. The cargo is being saved. Telegram to McLean, Campbell & Co."
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015


Bauld & Gibson

[Bauld & Gibson] image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015

Chequered of nine, red and white. Probably not related to Dutch shipping companies with similar flags. Bauld & Gibson were store owners in Halifax. One thing they had in store must have been tobacco:
"Halifax Citizen, Saturday, February 3, 1866 Police Court

Friday, Feb. 2. -- Leander Miller, for being drunk and refusing to quit the police station when requested to do so, fined $1; John Seymore, a Chinese, for stealing a quantity of tobacco from Messrs. Bauld & Gibson, sentenced to 30 days in the city prison."
https://mailman.ednet.ns.ca/pipermail/nsroots/2006-February/001161.html
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015


R. J. & W. Hart

[R. J. & W. Hart] image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015

A white flag with a red tile, half the length of the hoist in width. A bit reminiscent of the Hart Line, but no reason to assume a connection. Apparently the Messrs. Hart were in the ever incomprehensible trade of using ships to import fish, rather than to catch them:
Morning Chronicle (Halifax, Nova Scotia) Thursday, 22 December 1864, p. 4, col. 6:
The Yarmouth Herald confirms the report of the loss of the schr. Pearl on Sunday Point during the gale on Monday week. ...She belonged to Harbourville, Cornwallis, and cleared at this port for Boston on the 8th inst. ... The cargo consisted of pickled fish, shipped by Messrs. R.J. & W. Hart. ...
http://boards.ancestry.com/localities.northam.canada.novascotia.general/2205/mb.ashx
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015


Black Bros & Co.

[Black Bros & Co.] image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015

White before very dark blue. The firm can be dated back to at least 1816, but the name "Black Brothers & Co." was used starting in 1855. After 1871 no actual Brothers Black were part, but the firm continued as a hardware store under that name even into the 20th century. Considering they had a private signal, they must have imported foreign hardware themselves.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015


J.M. Watson & Co.

[J.M. Watson & Co.] image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015

A white flag with ca. the top 2/7th of the hoist red, tapering to a point at the upper fly, and the lower 2/7th of the fly very dark blue, tapering to a point at the lower hoist.

In 1839, the Senate of the United States had recorded among other things, that E. Watson & Co. imported spice from Halifax to Philadelphia. J.M Watson may have been in the same trade a generation later. (But I didn't find anything clear on J.M.)

See also a sinister hoist version of this, which is under JM Watson, Great Britain. The drawings are not the same as I drew it dexter hoist, and they differ in nearly all details as well, but it's recognisably the same flag.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015


Debloi & Markle

[Debloi & Markle] image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015

Red, with the centre 9th white.

There are people called "Deblois" and "Markle" in Halifax history, but so far I didn't run into the combination.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015


C.H. Starr & Co.

[C.H. Starr & Co.] image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 17 January 2015

With that name, we'd know what to expect. We'd be wrong, though, as apparently it's a white broad pennant.

The Starrs definitely owned ships in Halifax in the 19th century, and the Journals of the House of Assembly of the Province of New Brunswick name for 1 January 1853 a G.H. Starr, Halifax. My quick search did not result in exactly the right company name, though.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 17 January 2015


Albro & Co.

[Albro & Co.] image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 17 January 2015

A white and blue flag: A white flag width a very dark blue border, approximately an eighth of the length of the hoist in width.

- For 1820, Moore's Numismatic lists a Nova Scotia one dollar coin from John Albro & Co., hardware merchant, Halifax. http://www.moorecoins.com/JOHN-ALBRO-CO-HARDWARE-MERCHANT-Halifax-N-S-One-Dollar-5-Shillin_i21395010 At the time, merchants would sometimes privately mint coins, which functioned as a form of advertising.

- For 1869 we have Edward Albro & Co. as shareholders of the Merchants Bank of Halifax. https://archive.org/details/fiftiethannivers00royauoft

- For 1871, Llovell's lists a K. Albro & Co., Nail Factory in Dartmouth http://www.mocavo.com/Lovells1871/131048/1628

Apparently the Albros tended toward enterprises that required additional capital. It makes it difficult to identify exactly this "Albro & Co., though, until we can better determine the date of the chart.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 17 January 2015


John Strachan

[John Strachan] image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 17 January 2015

Though in the drawing its slightly asymmetrical, I assume this is intended to be three striped of white before red.

John Strachan was the Halifax merchant that Moseley built the Stag for, though she probably never sailed for him, as she was sold just a month later, from December 1854 to January 1855. The Stag was considered the fastest ship of Nova Scotia, and it may be this flag was hoisted aboard her briefly. But, anyway: John Strachan would be in the right time frame and location, so this is likely to have been his house flag. (But, again, caveat lector)
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 17 January 2015