William Eldridge

In 1863, William Eldridge was living in Sandy Cove when the man that would be known as Jérôme was located on that shore. William was the eldest son of Squires Eldridge. He was born in 1844. William and his youngest brother Holland were fishermen. Squires, Holland, and Will formed a fishing and boat-building company called Squires Eldridge & Sons. They built a small schooner, the "Little Fanny", 13 tons, in the field beside his home, hauled it to the beach by oxen and launched it in the Bay of Fundy on February 16th, 1877. In 1880, Will (called a Master Mariner) owned 64 shares in the 28-ton "Alert". Later, in 1885, the ship was enlarged at Meteghan and Will, Squires, and Holland owned equal shares. In 1888, Will was a partner in the "M.C. Rowe". In 1886, William moved to Porstmouth, New Hampshire, and a year later, Squires Eldridge and Sons went bankrupt.