Moses Harvey Photograph Collection (COLL-041)

Moses Harvey Photograph Collection (COLL-041)

Scope and Content:
This fonds contains 79 photographs taken by Dr. Wilfred Grenfell (1865-1940), during his initial visit to Newfoundland and Labrador in 1892 and given to Rev. Moses Harvey. They include several pictures of St. John's in the aftermath of the fire that destroyed much of the town on July 8, and many others documenting life in the many small fishing villages along the southern coast of Labrador. A further 30 photographs by St. John's photographer Simeon H. Parsons (1844-1908) depict a number of Newfoundland communities and ice bergs along the coast of the island. Three scrapbooks contain clippings of many of Harvey's newspaper columns and other items related to happenings in Newfoundland collected and saved by Harvey. A f ourth scrapbook, in a similar collecting vein, was compiled by one of Harvey's sons.There is a bibliography containing a partial list of Harvey's writings in the early 1870s and copies of obituaries of Harvey, one written by Daniel W. Prowse, that appeared in the St. John's Evening Telegram on September 3 and 4, 1901.Custodial History:The contents of the fonds, except for two items, were acquired from Frances Monroe Baird Cole, St. John's, Newfoundland, a grand-daughter of Moses Harvey, in 1983. The scrapbook labeled 2.01.001 was a gift of Rosalie Fowler, widow of former Memorial University History professor Ian MacDonald (1942-1977), who had acquired it during his research into Newfoundland history, in 1967. The scrapbook compiled by A. Stanley Harvey was transferred from the Newfoundland collection at the Newfoundland Public Library at the St. John's Arts and Culture Centre in 1994.Restrictions:There are no restrictions on access. Copyright laws and regulations may apply to all or to parts of this collection. All patrons should be aware that copyright regulations state that any copy of archival material is to be used solely for the purpose of research or private study. Any use of the copy for any other purpose may require the authorization of the copyright owner. It is the patron's responsibility to obtain such authorization.Biography or History:Moses Harvey (1820-1901), Presbyterian minister, essayist, lecturer, historian, naturalist, was born at Armagh, Northern Ireland, on 21 March 1820 to Reverend James Harvey and Jane Holmes. He married Sarah Anne ("Jessie") Browne on 7 July 1852 in Cockermouth, England, and the couple had three sons, Alfred J., Charles James and A. Stanley. Harvey died in St. John's on 3 September 1901.Harvey was educated at Royal Academical Institute, Belfast, and was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry in 1844,

Biography
Moses Harvey (1820-1901), Presbyterian minister, essayist, lecturer, historian, naturalist, was born at Armagh, Northern Ireland, on 21 March 1820 to Reverend James Harvey and Jane Holmes. He married Sarah Anne ("Jessie") Browne on 7 July 1852 in Cockermouth, England, and the couple had three sons, Alfred J., Charles James and A. Stanley. Harvey died in St. John's on 3 September 1901.

Harvey was educated at Royal Academical Institute, Belfast, and was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry in 1844, serving the John Street Presbyterian Church in Maryport, Cumberland, England. Marrying in 1852, he and his wife emigrated to Newfoundland the same year.

Harvey settled with his wife in St. John's, where their three sons were born. He quickly became a significant figure in the community, serving at St. Andrew's Free Presbyterian Church and giving many public sermons and lectures on a variety of topics ranging from spirituality and faith to the Newfoundland lifestyle and economy. He served there until 1878, when he retired from incumbency of the Presbyterian Church and turned wholly to literary work.

Harvey wrote prolifically for a number of publications, most importantly the Montreal Gazette, which published over nine hundred articles under his pen name, Delta. His great interest in Newfoundland history was reflected in some of his more significant publications, including Newfoundland, the Oldest British Colony (1883), co-written with Joseph Hatton, and two editions of a Text Book of Newfoundland History (1885, 1890). "The Economic Condition of Newfoundland at the Close of 1896" was published in the Journal of the Canadian Bankers' Association in April 1897, and demonstrates the depth of his involvement with, and understanding of, Newfoundland life, as well as his high hopes for the future.

The work Harvey did as a naturalist is perhaps how he is best known. He is credited with bringing the existence of the giant squid to the attention of British and American zoologists in 1873 after obtaining the tentacle of one such creature from two fishermen in Conception Bay who were attacked by it at sea. That same year, Harvey's tale of the fishermen's encounter with the "cuttlefish" was published in the British journal, Annals and Magazine of Natural History. He later came into possession of an almost complete carcass, which he donated to Yale University for research. Yale scientist, A.E. Verril, eventually named the species Architeuthis harveyi to honour Harvey's work; however, the name had to be changed due to technicalities of the Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Harvey would later write an essay entitled "The Artificial Propagation of Marine Food Fishes and Edible Crustaceans", and advocate the building of an advanced marine sciences laboratory in Newfoundland. He also did much work in cataloguing the rocks, birds and wild flowers of the island.

Harvey's other accomplishments and honours were numerous. He served as President of the St. John's Athenaeum Society, Secretary to the Newfoundland Fisheries Commission, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (1886) and the Royal Society of Canada (1891), and helped found the Evening Mercury newspaper. In 1891 he was awarded the honorary doctor of laws degree from McGill University. His contributions to the religious, literary, historical and scientific life of Newfoundland have assured him a place of honour in his adopted homeland.