The Peddle Family  The beginning of your Newfoundland roots.

The legacy of the Peddle family began not in prosperity, but in the ashes of rebellion. In 1685, Levi Peddle, a man of noble standing, was stripped of his titles and banished from England following the failed Monmouth Rebellion. Exiled to the rugged shores of Newfoundland, he arrived in Mosquito Cove as a disgraced convict. Yet, the adventurous spirit that defined his life transformed his legacy; in 1697, he rallied two hundred defenders to hold Carbonear Island against French marauders. His sword, used in the defense of his new home, would remain a symbol of the family’s resilience for over three centuries.

Generations later, this same spirit fueled Levi’s great-great-great-grandson, Francis Peddle. Born in 1826 in Bread and Cheeze Cove later renamed Bishops Cove, Francis grew into a man as imposing as the Newfoundland cliffs, standing seven feet tall by the age of eighteen. Dissatisfied with the quiet life of a fisherman, he set sail from St. John’s, driven by an insatiable hunger for fortune and the unknown.

His odyssey spanned the globe. Aboard the cargo ship Sea, he proved his mettle when he dove into icy waters to save William Bennett, a fish merchant, after the ship struck an iceberg. This act of courage launched his ascent through the ranks of society and the maritime world, eventually leading him to represent the British East India Company. Over the next four decades, Francis—known to many as Frank—confronted storms, outmaneuvered privateers, and navigated the political intricacies of lands as diverse as Egypt and Scotland.

His path eventually led him to the American West, where he amassed a fortune in gold and silver, survived a grizzly bear attack, and pioneered the Washington Territory. He built shipyards, established sprawling farms, and earned the respect of Indigenous guides. Yet, throughout these triumphs, he was rarely alone; he was accompanied by his loyal Wolf dog, Maggie.

Almost forty years of adventure, the weight of age began to settle upon him. When his faithful companion Maggie passed away, the fire that had driven his global pursuits finally dimmed. He felt the pull of his birthplace, a longing for the rugged coast of his youth.

Frank returned to Newfoundland, not as the boy who left, but as a seasoned, wealthy traveler. He settled into a new chapter, silently investing his fortune into the local railway industry alongside Robert Gillispie Reid and establishing a community he named Peddleton. However, his health, compromised by years of travel and recurring fever, began to fail. After one final, unsuccessful search for a cure in the West, he returned home to spend his remaining days surrounded by family.

When Frank passed away, his physical fortune vanished into history—his legendarily full treasure trunks were never found, and his will was lost in the chaos of greed that followed his death. Yet, the story of the man who traveled from the icy waters of Newfoundland to the mountains of the West and back again remained. It lived on in the family Bible and the oral traditions of a lineage that had once been exiled, only to return as legends.

James E. Mercer *** November 20, 2016 *** copyright protected all rights reserved.