NLGenWeb Headstone Inscriptions

Notre Dame Bay ~ NDB West District

Three Arms Island - Roman Catholic and other Cemeteries

Three Arms Island is located just to the west of Little Bay Islands, in western Notre Dame Bay. "[Three Arms Island] was a thriving community but... after Confederation... many of the buildings were floated to such places as Harry's Harbour... At one time this was the headquarters of the merchant James Norris, whose vessels traded throughout the bay... Norris was a Roman Catholic and had a small chapel built here for the use of his family (still standing in 1992)..." (From "Coastal Cruising Newfoundland" by Rob Mills). No hills to climb here - a most memorable summer's day "outing" on my brother's sailboat brought us to this beautiful, quiet little island; we followed a path through the woods from one end of the island to the other, on my first visit there in 1996. No buildings are left there now, except an old well-house still standing, and hand-hewn timbers from the old chapel were still in evidence. I sometimes wonder why I yearn to live in the city...

Headstone inscriptions were transcribed by BARBARA PEDERSON, August 1998. While I have endeavored to be as correct as humanly possible, there could be some typographical errors. 

NAME RELATION BIRTH DEATH AGE/INFORMATION
Cemetery 1: Here follows the inscriptions from the cemetery of James Norris:
Lieut. Stephen C. Norris

Oct. 11, 1916 aged 24 years; who was killed at Gueudecourt, France

Catherine Dollard wife of James Norris
May 17, 1891 aged 76 years

James Norris a native of Waterford, Ireland
(No date) aged 73 years

Walter F. [NORRIS] child of James and Mary Norris
April 13, 1903 aged 3 yrs. 5 mos.

James [NORRIS] son of James and Mary Norris
at St. John's June 11, 1905 aged 10 yrs. & 9 mos.

William T. Norris

July 13, 1906 aged 11-/2 years

Mary Ann Dower wife of James Norris at Conche March 19, 1854 Montreal June 21, 1950

James Norris Erected by Mary A. Norris in memory of her husband
St. John's Dec. 6, 1924 aged 73 years

Elizabeth [NORRIS] wife of David Norris
10 June 1887 aged 31 years

David Norris

5th Oct. 1888 aged 47 years

Helen [NORRIS] wife of David Norris
24 Oct. 1880 aged 32 years

Cemetery 2: Inscriptions from another cemetery located near that of James Norris, possibly a second R.C. cemetery:
Catherine Sexton Erected by James J. Byrne, grandson
Apr. 1, 1922 aged 77 [?] years

Ann Lee [RIDEOUT] wife of Abraham Ridout
Mar. 7, 1927 aged 68 years

Cemetery 3: From a third cemetery on the island:
Charlotte [WELLS] wife of Henry W. Wells
July 23, 1912 age 65 years

Henry Wells

Mar. 20, 1917 age 76 years (Next to the one above)

Abraham Rideout

Sept. 30, 1938 aged 79 yrs. 9 mos.

Cemetery 4: And yet another Three Arms Island cemetery:
Frederick J. Strong

Apr, 4, 1915 age 64

Henry J. Strong
Apr, 8, 1838 Nov. 15, 1908 age 70 yrs. 7 mos.

John Henry Strong son of Fred and Rebecca Jane Strong of Three Arms
1908 age 16 yrs. & 8 mos.

Eliza Strong

1938 age 87 [89?] years Jan. 2nd
Thomas E. Strong

1929 age 73 years Apr. 7th (Both on the same stone)

Emma Knight wife of John R. Knight
Apr. 11, 1912 age 22 yrs. 9 mos.
E.K.


(A small headstone)

Henry Shearing
Aug. 10, 1861 Oct. 5, 1948
Martha Shearing and wife Jan. 8, 1867 Mar. 27, 1944

Hedley V. Hudson

July 6, 1907 age 22 yrs. & 5 mos.

Kenneth B. Hudson

Dec. 24, 1908 age 26 yrs. & 5 mos.

John W. Moores
1875 1966

Jane Wells
1874 1959
John B. Wells
1868 1952
Note: Erected by the children. (On the same stone)

Joseph Oxford
1833 1913
Elizabeth Oxford
1846 1926 (On the same stone)

Janet [ROBERTS] wife of Frederick C. Roberts
Grand Falls Sept. 5, 1914 age 40 years

© 1998 Barbara Pederson and NL GenWeb

Notre Dame Bay West District