Last modified: 2020-07-26 by rob raeside
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![[Northern Navigation Company]](../images/c/ca~ftghx.jpg)
image by Rob Raeside, January 2015A 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
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]](../images/c/ca~$cu.gif)
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015
A white flag with a blue saltire: Nova Scotia without the arms, or Scotia
Antiqua (or whatever that would be in Latin; I would say "Caledonia", rather
than "Scotia", so what do I know,) inverted.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015
![[Wm Lawson]](../images/c/ca~$la.gif)
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]](../images/c/ca~$mt.gif)
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015
A white flag with a red ball, of half the length of the hoist in diameter.
The disk isn't quite centred, but 1/12th of the length of the hoist offset
towards the top-edge of the flag, and the same mm. towards the hoist. Though
the poster depicts the flag sinister hoist, I have depicted it dexter hoist,
on the assumption that the sides are mirror-images. Whether the off-set is in
fact significant, I don't know.
According to the index, Murphy &
Twining are mentioned somewhere in Official Records of the Union and
Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. Series 1, Volume 27.
http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark%3A/67531/metapth192862/
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015
![[McLean, Campbell & Co.]](../images/c/ca~$mlc.gif)
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]](../images/c/ca~$bg.gif)
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 $1; John Seymore, a Chinese, for stealing a quantity of tobacco from
Messrs. Bauld & Gibson, sentenced to 30 days in the city prison."
https://mailman.ednet.ns.ca/pipermail/nsroots/2006-February/001161.html
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015
![[R. J. & W. Hart]](../images/c/ca~$rjwh.gif)
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.]](../images/c/ca~$bb.gif)
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015
White before very dark blue. The firm can be dated back to at least 1816,
but the name "Black Brothers & Co." was used starting in 1855. After 1871 no
actual Brothers Black were part, but the firm continued as a hardware store
under that name even into the 20th century. Considering they had a private
signal, they must have imported foreign hardware themselves.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015
![[J.M. Watson & Co.]](../images/c/ca~$jmw.gif)
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]](../images/c/ca~$db.gif)
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015
Red, with the centre 9th white.
There are people called "Deblois"
and "Markle" in Halifax history, but so far I didn't run into the combination.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 January 2015
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 17 January 2015
With that name, we'd know what to expect. We'd be wrong, though, as
apparently it's a white broad pennant.
The Starrs definitely owned
ships in Halifax in the 19th century, and the Journals of the House of
Assembly of the Province of New Brunswick name for 1 January 1853 a G.H.
Starr, Halifax. My quick search did not result in exactly the right company
name, though.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg,
17 January 2015
![[Albro & Co.]](../images/c/ca~$alb.gif)
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]](../images/c/ca~$str.gif)
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