PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND'S YEO DYNASTY

James Yeo Sr. was quick to jump into shipbuilding in the 1830s. The ruthless young timber merchant, together with his three sons, soon turned obscure Richmond Bay into a shipbuilding hub in Prince Edward Island.

By 1868, when Yeo Sr. died, the family had built nearly 100 ships. Another 30 were added by his sons, and dozens more by son-in-law, William Richards. The Yeo family not only dominated shipbuilding and the lives of hundreds of workers in Prince Edward Island, they also set up shop in England. Yeo Sr.’s eldest son, sea captain William Yeo, established headquarters in Appledore, North Devon. There he caulked and re-rigged the Yeo-built vessels from Canada, and sold them to English buyers.

Almost all of 200 vessels built by the Yeo dynasty were sold in England. James Peake, another important shipowner based in Charlottetown, also built ships for sale in England. Many other, smaller PEI shipbuilders supplied schooners and barquentines to the sealing and fishing industry in Newfoundland.