Craig's Newfoundland Genealogy                              Web Page

    I am currently finding my ansectral roots in Newfoundland. Some of my ansectors on my father's side are Acadian immigrants to Newfoundland, French immigrants from the Channel Island, and English. My mother's side is mostly English settler's from the South and SouthWest coast of Newfoundland. Many of her ansectors settled the area's of Codroy Valley, Grand Bank, and Bay Chaleur-Recnotre. My father's family settled in the area's of Holyrood, Three Rock Cove, Lourdes (originally Clam Bank Cove), Sandy Point, and Highlands (near Codroy). My grandmother Mary Besaw (nee Murphy), is however from Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, so I also have a number of Irish, and a few English lines from her side with names such as Kelly; Lane; Cross; Walsh; and Carter. Also some Scottish blood through my great-grandmother Besaw comes in with Highland Scot's who immigrated to Newfoundland from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

Father's Side of the Family

Mother's Side of the Family

A bit of Besaw Family History

A bit of Bennett Family History

  My father's roots lay in different areas. Our family line of Besaw, and it's alternate Besau, stems from the Channel Islands, and before that in the are of Normandy, France. Earliest know ansector was Francis Bes(s)on (c.1765-????) and his sister Katherine, both Roman Catholics, who came from Guernsey, Channel Islands, and settled in Holyrood where at least Francis married.  This was in the early 1780-1790's. Unfortunatly, all church records for the earleir times of Holyrood were destoryed by fire so his wife's name is lost to us. But from here we find his grandson, James Bessu (later Besaw)(1845/49-1906), son of Francis Besson Jr., moved to Burnt Island on Newfoundland's Southcoast. James married a woman named Clair Courtney, of English desceant. Her family was originally from Mosquito. and were Anglicans. James is buried at the Mainland Roman Catholic Cemetery as "James Beasau". Their eldest son, Edward Besaw/Besau (1875-1953), was my great-greatgrandfather. He married Susan Young (1878-1969), a descendant of the LeJeune's who immigrated from France to Acadia, and whose later descendants moved to Newfoundland. There son
Matthew Besaw (1901-1984) married Eunice Gale (1902-1961), granddaughter of James Gale  and Nancy Ann McEachern who were Highland Scot's who had also moved to Newfoundland from Cape Breton. Her parents  were Daniel Gale (1867-1949) and  Eleanor(a) Felix (1872-1957), of French desceant, but from where is unknown. It was there son Norman Besaw (1930-1998) who married my grandmother Mary Murphyof Plate Cove, Newfoundland.
  My grandmother's family line Murphy came from County Cork, Ireland in the early 1810's and settled in Plate Cove, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland. Here we find Dennis Murphy of Ireland married to Honora Kelly. They were married in January 1820 in Plate Cove, after his arival a time before. His son, Denis Jr., (1838-1913) married Rebecca Walsh (1847-1928). Neither a marriage record for the couple, nor a baptism/birth record for Rebecca has been found, but she was the sister of Agnes Walsh who married a Tracy from Plate Cove. Her parents were Peter Walsh and Eliza Cross. Eliza's family was most likely English, where Peter's origins are unknown. Denis and Rebecca's son Timoty William (1881-1960) married Cecilia Lane (1889-1972)daughter of John Lane and Sarah Kelly from Tickle Cove, Newfoundland. I have yet to go back farther into their lines.

  My mother's family line stems from Dorset, England. Her great-grandfather, William Bennett (1832-????) was born in Dorset to Charles Bennett. William came to Newfoundland and settled in the Southwest coast at the present community of Channel-Port aux Basque, among other English settlers. Here William met and married Jane Kittle (1834-1913) (family names later becoming Kettle.) who was originall from Burin, but had moved from there sometime ago and now lived at Grand Bay where her family had settled. Jane's father was William Kittle (1801-1883)_of Dorset, England and her mother was a woman named Mary, William Kittle's first wife.  William and Jane's son, John William Bennett (1873-????), was born in Channel along with the rest of his siblings. John married Evangeline 'Fanny' Chaulk (c.1878-1968) of Mouse Island. Evangeline was the daughter of John Chaulk (1847-1934) and Mary Ann Osmond (1853-1933). John's parents, Thomas and Jane, were the parents of the Burnt Island Chaulk's aswell, and Mary Ann's family was originally from the Norfolk area of England, some two-generations back.  When John William died sometime before 1921, Evangeline moved to Codroy, later followeed by her children, and married Philip Collier.  John William and Evangeline's son, John Thomas Bennett (1913-1968), who had followed his mother to Codroy, married Annie Jane Hilliard (1930-1968) of Cape Anguille, Codroy. They were my grandparents.
    The Hilliard family, possibly originally from England or Scotland, came to Codroy sometime in the 1860's. The settler was John William Hillyard (1848-1905). He married Rose Ann Collier (1848-????) of Codroy in 1871. Rose Ann was related to the Woodvilel Collier family, who had no ties to the other Collier family of Codroy, who had once inhabited Codroy Island. After John William's death in 1905, Rose Ann remarried to George Frank. John William and Rose Ann's son, James William, married Annie Smith, originlly of Burnt Island, but living in the Codroy-Grand River area. She was the daughter of Englishman John Smith (????-????) and
Ann Green (1838-????) of Grand Bank. Ann was the daughter of Engliishman  William Green (1810-1887) and Susan Francis (c.1812-1855) of Grand Bank. Susan was the daughter of John Francis (1793-1847) of England and Jane Cox (1787-1868) of Grand Bank. Jane was granddaughter to Elizabeth (aka 'Grammer Cox') and her husband who was from England.
    James William and Annie's son James William Hilliard Jr. , married Harriet Ellen Collier of Codroy.


                          Under Construction
   

In Memory of my Grandparents

Norman Besaw : October 10, 1930 - March 31, 1998
                                                                       John Thomas Bennett: July23, 1913 - September 5, 1968 & Annie Jane (Hilliard) Bennett: Januray 23, 1930- October 13, 1968
"They are gone but not forgotten.We share with them memories, and blood. We are their eternal life on earth, as they live in eternity in heaven with the Lord. "