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James Yeo (1789 – August 25, 1868) was a Cornish-born shipbuilder, merchant, farmer and political figure in Prince Edward Island.
Early life
[edit]Yeo was born in Kilkhampton, Cornwall, England. His father was also named James Yeo and was a shoemaker. His mother was Ann Orsborn. He was baptized on February 13, 1790.[1]
Business career
[edit]Yeo was first employed as a labourer. He married Mary Francis in 1812. In 1814 or 1815, Yeo established a carter business, transporting goods between Kilkhampton and Devon. His wife died in 1818 and Yeo began drinking heavily, becoming one of the causes for his business failing.[1]
Yeo married Damaris Sargent in 1819 and they moved to Port Hill, Prince County, Prince Edward Island, probably that same year. He was the superintendent for the lumbering gangs and managed various lumbering, shipbuilding and mercantile businesses owned by Thomas Burnard. When Burnard died, the business was sold to William Ellis. Yeo collected outstanding debts owned to the business and retained the profits, even though they should have gone to Ellis. He used these funds to become a storekeeper, lumber dealer, and the owner of a merchant schooner called Mary Ann. Yeo later bought Ellis's business, possibly with the money he collected after Burnard's death.[1]
Exploiting the uncertainty of settlers' titles to land, Yeo would send his employees to chop timber on their acres for as long as possible. His stores in Port Hill became the largest on the western part of the island and operated on a credit system: when creditors could not pay, they became employed by Yeo or sold timber on their land. By the 1840s he was lending money to others on Prince Edward Island; as credit was difficult to come by for islanders, he was often their only option to get financing.[1]
Yeo expanded his shipbuilding business in 1840, becoming the largest on Prince Edward Island. He built at least 155 ships with his company. He also co-owned, with his son William, around 20 ships that would ship cargo to various destinations around the world.[1] Ships built in Prince Edward Island would sail to North Devon in England filled with timber; once arrived, the vessel would be outfitted at the Richmond drydock in Appledore, Torridge, then sold by William.[2] Yeo also exported agricultural products from Prince Edward Island on ships: by the late 1840s every year he arranged for ten ships to sail to Britain and 40 schooners to sail to the other Canadian provinces.[1]
Yeo purchased property throughout the island. He was also the land agent for George Seymour, and purchased Seymour's 16,000 acres of land in 1857.[1] He named his estate Green Park.[3] By the 1860s, Yeo was loaning money to the Prince Edward Island government. The Islander newspaper claimed that the wages he paid to his employees was greater than the revenue collected by the Prince Edward Island government. In the last decade of his life, newspapers referred to him as the richest man in PEI.[1]
Political life
[edit]Yeo became involved in local politics in the 1830s, speaking about the planning of roads, ferry service, and the affairs of the custom house at Cascumpec. In 1839, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island as a Conservative member for 1st Prince and served until 1846. He decided not to run for reelection so that James Warburton could run in his constituency, and Yeo became a justice of the peace. He returned to the legislative assembly in 1848. In 1859, the Conservative Party held the majority of seats in the assembly and Yeo was appointed to the Executive Council of Prince Edward Island. Yeo used his influence to grant political appointments to family members and associates. He was defeated in the 1863 election by 50 votes. A month after his electoral defeat, Yeo was elected to the Legislative Council of Prince Edward Island. He remained in the legislative council and the executive council until 1867.[1]
Yeo's used his wealth and influence over his debtors to secure influence amongst Prince Edward Island politics, earning him the nicknames "Ledger Baron of Port Hill" and "Driver of the Government." His politics reflected practices that would allow the least amount of changes to the current political system. He opposed government ownership of unoccupied lands, the implementation of responsible government and land reforms.[1]
Personal life, death, and legacy
[edit]Yeo had three children with his first wife, Mary Francis. With his second wife, he had five daughters and two sons, James and John.[1]
Yeo died at Port Hill, Prince Edward Island, on August 25, 1868. His assets were split amongst his descendants. His son John continued his father's business.[1]
In 1960 Green Park Provincial Park was established at the location of his estate, named Yeo's moniker for the estate.[3]
References
[edit]Works cited
[edit]- Hamilton, William B. (1996). Place Names of Atlantic Canada. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781442678507.
- Starkey, David J. (1993). Ville, Simon P. (ed.). Shipbuilding in the United Kingdom in the nineteenth century: a regional approach. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. ISBN 978-0-9695885-3-5.