"AMAZING" ANTECEDENTS TOO

It is possible that I overuse the word "amazing" when speaking of St Patrick's people but, as I am sure you will agree, they truly are amazing, each and every one of them!  Marina Carew Aita and her sisters are all graduates of St Patrick's Convent Schools.  The story that Marina shares with us shows that St Patrick's people have some "amazing" (oops, sorry, that word again) antecedents too.  With regard to the City of St John's, I feel this is also an historically important snippet.  

St Patrick's Convent and the City of St John's Crests

Read and enjoy - and maybe help Marina along the way. Marina is hoping that someone, perhaps a City Councillor or a B I S Member, might pick up on this and be able to help her locate a photograph of her relative.  Anyway, here is Marina's interesting story.

“My great grandfather John Carew operated a funeral parlour located on Carew St. His son John, my g/uncle, was a St. John’s City Councillor at the time. According to The Daily News of Sept. 4, 1909, an issue being debated in Council on September 3, 1909 concerned a communication from some Chinese people requesting permission to exhume the body of a Chinese man who died some eight years previously. Their idea was to send it to China. In the interest of public health safety, John was opposed to the request and during the heated debate he suddenly suffered a massive heart attack and died instantly in the City Chamber.

My reason for posting this article is that I could never find a photo of my g/uncle John to add to our family tree, and thought perhaps some of your readers might be of help.  As well as a City Councillor, John was a lifetime member of B.I.S. and I believe I recall reading posts on your blog from members of both organizations. Perhaps they might have access to photos as I understand their archives are in the process of being updated.“

What a fascinating, if tragic, story.  Marina's great Uncle John Carew must have been a man of strong character and firm convictions.  I love this story and I hope someone will be able to help Marina in her search for a photo of her Uncle John.

Thanks Marina for sharing this with us.  Any family stories, no matter how old or how recent, are welcome if they have any connection to our School or Parish.  If you would like to share a tale with us, send it to mcallistersmith@gmail.com.