Notes for Leonard Meshach Penney: Leonard Penn(e)y was born in Cooper's Cove in 1914.
At the age of 9-years he finished school (grade four) and went fishing out of Merasheen with his father. Quote "I could barely see over the head of the punt, the local fishermen use to call me the Little Tiger".
At age 14-years he went hand line fishing out of Renews with Otto Best, on the 2-dory schooner "Lara". A Mrs. Payne living in Renews wanted to adopt him. She said he was to young to be fishing, and that he should be in school. She wanted the skipper to give him to her. One day while he and his buddy "Charlie Brown" (latter Captain Brown) were fishing in their dory, Charlie threw his killick behind another mans dory. The man shouted, "Don't throw that rock there". Charlie replied "It's a good thing you don't know what to call it".
He fished of Cape St. Mary's each season, in several boats out of Tacks Beach. In 1930, at age 17-years he made his first trip to the Grand Banks with Clar Best, on the 4-dory schooner "Ada Maud". He continued fishing on the Grand Banks, St. Pierre Banks and of Cape St. Marys. In the fall of 1937, after the fishing season on the banks, he went in the lumber-woods at Indian Bay. He had met his fiance (Lilly Senior) that July and when he returned from the lumber-woods they got married on January 13, 1938. He fished for Saul Reid the summer of 1938. His wife worked as a housekeeper for Mrs. Reid.
In 1943, at age 29-years, he went Captain on his first fishing vessel; the Browns of Tacks Beach owned the 4-dory schooner "Fagan" The Fagan. That first year the Fagan was under sail and powered by only a 10-HP Atlantic (two-cylinder gas engine). He made four or five trips that year, landing a total of 1000 quintals of salt bulk codfish. That October, after the fishing season, he made a trip to Sydney, Nova Scotia, for a load of coal. The war was on and there was a real danger from German U-boats. He fished the Fagan for three years.
In 1946 he went Skipper on the "Howard & Cecil", also owned by the Browns. The Howard & Cecil was an 8-dory schooner and he fished this vessel on the banks until the end of the Dory Fishery in 1951/52. The schooner was then used for coastal work, until it was lost on a shoal of Lamaline, Placentia Bay on December 16, 1953; the date his youngest child Melvin was born.
In the spring of 1954, he took the schooner "Marie Stone", also owned by the Browns. This vessel was used for coastal work around Newfoundland & Labrador and Nova Scotia until it was lost by fire in the spring of 1963, at Broad Cove, Tack's Beach. That was the end of his career working for the Browns of Tack's Beach.
Over the following year he was skipper on the "Maxine Johnson", owned by the Johnson's of Catalina and the "Emily", owned by Lake & Lake's of Fortune. Then in 1964, he took the schooner "Philip E. Lake", also owned by the Lake's.
In August 1965, he resettled his family from Tack's Beach to Fortune. He sold his property in Tack's Beach for $200.00 and bought his house in Fortune for $2000.00. The Philip E. Lake was tied-up for good in 1972, as a result of a lack of freight to keep it operational. He then moved on and worked with several companies. He was captain on Irving Oil Tankers. He was captain on the Twilingate, owned by Herb Gillitt He was captain of the Sandy Point, owned by Rolly Bennett He was captain of the Regina B, owned by Max Row locks He was captain of Marine Transport, Marine Trader, Dunure, Marine Eagle; owned by Puddister. He retired January 12, 1980.
On November 12, 2004 he celebrate his 90th birthday with his wife (85-years old) and family at Fortune. They will celebrate their 67th wedding anniversary on January 13, 2003.
More About Leonard Meshach Penney: Baptism: 17 Jan 1915 Occupation: Sea Captain. Retirement: Jan 1980, Fortune, NF, CA.
More About Leonard Meshach Penney and Lillian Senior: Marriage: 13 Jan 1938, Tacks Beach, NF, CA.1214
Children of Leonard Meshach Penney and Lillian Senior are:
Captain Leonard Meshach Penney (b. 12 Nov 1914, d. 28 Mar 2007)
Notes for Leonard Meshach Penney: