Centre Acadien, Université Sainte-Anne

Benjamin J. Belliveau & Co – A manifest was a document required by the custom houses when the vessel cleared or entered a port. It provided particulars of the voyage, including the details of the cargo, the port of departure, the name of the captain, the consignee of the shipment, and the destination port.

This particular cargo manifest is from the schooner Basile, built in Belliveau Cove in 1906. The cargo, containing 3,982 bushels of salt, was being imported to Meteghan River, N. S., by Benjamin Belliveau & Co. This company, based out of Belliveau's Cove, was founded by Urbain Belliveau in 1840 and continued as a family-owned business until 1970. It consisted of a shipyard, a fleet of schooners, a general store, a sawmill, and an import-export business.

The archives of the Centre Acadien contain a vast collection of documents pertaining to all aspects of the company, providing an unparalleled view of the economic activities of the French Shore from 1896 to 1968. It is a treasure trove for anyone interested in researching details of a shipping firm operating during the last days of sailing ships in Nova Scotia. The collection holds thousands of chronicles, including ships' logs, correspondence between the firm and ship captains, telegrams, invoices, store ledgers, contracts, wages paid, and much more. Of particular interest is a ledger accounting for every item, down to the teapot for the galley, that went into the construction of four separate schooners.

Topic: Commercial Enterprises and other livelihoods

Date: 1906

Reference: Fonds Benjamin J. Belliveau & Co Centre Acadien MG 28, box 17, folder 113

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