AVON RIVER HERITAGE CENTRE
  • About
    • Avon River Heritage Society
    • Artifacts & Archives
    • The Avon River
    • Meet the People in our Neighbourhood >
      • Dawn Allen, August 21st, 2020
      • Sara Beanlands, July 22nd, 2021
      • Carolyn Connors, July 30th, 2020
      • Carolyn Connors, July 21st, 2021
      • Louis Coutinho, August 13th, 2020
      • Sean Coutinho, January 13th, 2021
      • Eva Evans, July 24th, 2020
      • Elizabeth Ferguson, July 27th, 2020
      • Nicholas Hughes, August 6th, 2020
      • Olwynn Hughes, August 11th, 2020
      • Kim Lake, January 18th & 21st, 2021
      • Trudy Lake, March 13th, 2022
      • Raymond Parker, August 12th, 2020
      • Raymond Parker, July 7th, 2021
      • Zacchary Paul, August 21st, 2021
      • Tacha Reed, August 27th, 2020
      • Allen Shaw, January 18th, 2021
      • Carolyn vanGurp, July 16th, 2020
      • Abraham Zebian, August 24th, 2020
    • Avondale Walking Tour
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  • History
    • Natural History >
      • Highest Tides in the World
      • Tidal Bore
      • Avon Peninsula Ecology
      • Birds of the Avon
      • Marine and Freshwater Species of the Avon
      • Karst Environment
      • Gypsum
      • Avon Peninsula Watershed Preservation Society >
        • Avon Peninsula Watershed Preservation Society, Interview with President, Raymond Parker
        • Avon-Shore Seed Library
    • Mi'kmaq >
      • Mi'kmaq Birch Bark Canoes
      • Mi'kmaq of the Avon River >
        • Treaty Truckhouse 2 & Zacchary Paul
    • The Coming of the Europeans
    • The North American Colonies
    • Acadians >
      • Pisiquit
      • Acadians of the Avon River >
        • Babin
        • Breau
        • Cheverie
        • Forest
        • Landry
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        • Rivest
        • Thibodeau
        • Trahan
        • Vincent
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      • Village Thibodeau (Poplar Grove)
      • Acadian Families After Expulsion >
        • Broussard
        • Brun
        • Comeau
        • Deveau
        • Girouard
        • Johnson
        • Leger
        • Pellerin
        • Poitier
        • Robicheau
        • Suret
    • New England Planters >
      • New England Planters in Avondale >
        • Genealogy
        • Samuel Bentley
        • Benjamin Borden
        • John Chambers
        • James and John Harvie
        • Caleb Lake
        • James and Lydia Mosher
        • Nathaniel Reynolds
        • Benjamin Sanford
        • James Smith
        • Henry Tucker
        • James Weedon
    • Loyalists
    • African Nova Scotians
    • The Avondale School
    • Avondale Wharf & The Landing
    • The Avon Spirit
    • Community Orchard
    • Edmund McCarthy
    • Golden Age of Sail >
      • The Rise and Fall of the Golden Age of Sail in Newport
      • The Mosher Shipyards
      • Sailing Ships, Sugar, and Salt
      • Vessels of the Avon River
      • Shipbuilding Process
      • Shipbuilding Tools
      • Ship Directories
      • Kings Wharf
      • The Hamburg >
        • Obituary Capt. Andrew B. Coldwell
        • The Hamburg and Alice Coalfleet’s Diary
      • Captain George Richard Mounce Sr
      • Annie Armstrong Mounce Correspondence 1875-1892
      • Captain Daniel William Dexter & The Emma Payzant >
        • Captain Daniel William Dexter and Family, Interview with Debbie Siler, July 21st, 2021
        • Diary of Sarah Dexter, 1892-1893
      • The Rotundus
    • Local Home Histories >
      • 28 Chip Hill Road
      • 51 Avondale Road
      • 38 Avondale Road: The Clifford Mosher House
      • 58 Avondale Road
      • 60 Avondale Cross Road
      • 71 Avondale Road: The John A. Harvie House
      • 354 Belmont Road: The Yellow House
      • 603 Belmont Road: Wallace Point
      • 801 Avondale Road
      • The Acadia House
      • The Avondale Church
      • The Avondale Parsonage
      • The Church Farm
      • The Fred Robart House
      • The Henry Lyon House
      • The House Across From The Church
      • The John E.F. Mosher House
      • The Knowles Homestead
      • The Mounce Mansions >
        • Captain George R. Mounce House
        • The Thomas A. Mounce House (Honeymoon House) >
          • Interior of the Honeymoon House
      • The Mrs. Dunham Hotel
      • The Old Newton Mosher House
      • The Old Stone House >
        • The Mystery of the Fieldstone House
      • The Roley Mosher House
      • The W.H. Mosher House
  • Arts & Culture
    • Artists Landing Art Gallery >
      • Paul Edmond Solo Exhibition
    • Avondale Wharf Day
    • Full Circle Festival >
      • Sofa Sundays
      • Solstice Market
    • The Great Little Art Show >
      • Great Little Art Show 2021 - Artists
      • Great Little Art Show 2021 - Artwork
      • Great Little Art Show 2022 - Artists
      • Great Little Art Show 2022 - Artwork
      • Great Little Art Show 2023
      • Great Little Art Show 2024 - Artists
      • Great Little Art Show 2024 - Artwork
      • Great Little Art Show 2025 - Artists
      • Great Little Art Show 2025 - Artwork
    • Honey Harvest Festival
    • Open Studio
  • Events Calendar
  • Planters Sea Chest Gift Shop
  • Lydia & Sally Cafe
  • Venue Rentals
  • Volunteer and Employment Opportunities
    • Summer Employment Opportunities
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    • New Horizons for Seniors
  • How to find us!

The Mosher Shipyards

The Mosher Family known as "The English Moshers" have a long association with maritime history, from the epic journey of Hugh Mosher from England to New England in the early 1630's as part of The Great Migration, to the arrival of James and Lydia Mosher and their children to Nova Scotia in 1760 as part of The New England Planters migration. 

In his book, The Age of Sail, author Stanley Spicer details in Chapter 3, Newport Landing and Avondale Shipbuilders, the rise of shipbuilding and sailing brigs and schooners through the generation of Moshers. The best of all families went to Nova Scotia to make better lives for themselves and strengthened their bonds through the marriage of the children and subsequent generations. 8000 Planters "colonists" came  to Nova Scotia. There were 13 families that arrived at Newport Landing totalling 58 on the Sloops "Lydia" and "Sally", most families being farmers. 

The first vessel according to William C. Moshers 1891 family history account was a Sloop launched in 1807 built by Nicholas Mosher b1766 and sailed by Barzillai his brother, a sea captain.

Stanley Spicer states " The most active shipbuilders in the Mosher family descended from two of Nicholas brothers, Jehu b1755 and George b1771". 
Jehu and Hannah Greeno's son Jehu Jr (1783-1865) and his sons Silas and Nicholas. William Henry Mosher, Silas's son was one of the last shipbuilding Moshers.

George and his wife Margaret Thompson produced sons Ira and Nicholas (known as Nicholas Jr) and their daughter Margaret married Elkanah Trask Harvie. Their son John Andrew Harvie, was a prominent builder with his wife's family. Another daughter of George and Margaret, Lydia (1792-1875) married Richard Mounce, their sons William and Captain George also involved.
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It is thought but not certain that the first Mosher Shipyard may have been operational from 1829 when Nicholas Mosher Jr built Two Sisters and was then joined in operation with his son James and grandson Thomas. The other shipyard was built alongside by John Andrew Harvie and William H Mosher. They launched their brig Caledonia in 1839 followed by the brig Flora MacDonald in 1840.

The shipyards continued with the passing of various owners, Ira in 1848, Nicholas sold his share to his nephew John Andrew Harvie, Silas died in 1865 and his share went to his son William H Mosher and he and Harvie each owned half of what was now the Mosher-Harvie Shipyard. Harvie died in 1882 leaving William H. as the owner and he eventually closed the Shipyard in 1890 following the launch of the ship Angola.


Information courtesy of http://www.mosherinformation.com

mosherinformation.com
A Reunion for Descendants of James and Lydia Mosher is to be held in Avondale, Nova Scotia on the weekend of September 24 & 25, 2022. Expressions of interest and enquiries can be sent to [email protected].

There is a Facebook Group, Descendants of James Mosher and Lydia Allen. https://www.facebook.com/groups/178020422830184

To join the group either or both of the following two questions must be answered. You must be a direct descendant of this line. Your request may be declined if these questions are not answered as a condition of admittance.

If you are connected through the Anthony, Harvie/Harvey/Potter, Allen, Fish families please state that in the answer. 
​
1. What is your line of descendants from James Mosher and Lydia Allen?
2. If you cannot answer the question with some information, Why do you think you may be a descendant of James Mosher and Lydia Allen?
Avon River Heritage Centre, 17 Belmont Road, Avondale/Newport Landing, West Hants, Nova Scotia, B0N 2A0
Email us at [email protected]
Telephone us, May through October, at (902) 757-1718

The Avon River Heritage Society would like to thank the Municipality of West Hants and the Province of Nova Scotia for their generous support.

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