Big Barachoix Researched by Leanne O'Keefe

 Big Barachoix (Great Barachoix) is an unincorporated community located on the Cape Shore of Newfoundland approximately 18 km from Placentia. On either side one must first descend a very steep sloping hill surrounded by a dense forest before arriving into this nestled quiet little community. Peaceful and serene this community must be, for there are but a few families living here and the most noise heard is that of the usual traffic to and from other communities or the noise of the waves occasionally beating off the shore. The 1981 census gave a count of 21 residents, but the number has risen slightly today, though not considerably. The town does have a mini grocery store, but residents must travel to Placentia for other services. Today there is no school in Big Barachoix, so students from there are bussed to St. Edward's Elementary and Laval High School in Placentia via a mini bus. Mr. Edward O'Keefe Sr., the last of the older generation who resided in Big Barachoix passed away in 1991 at the age of 94. He occupied his father's house which was built in 1908. This house still stands today and is occupied by his daughter and family.

The community of Big Barachoix is positioned on the landward shores of a large barachois formed by a great single bar which separates the barachois (a shallow, marshy pool) from the sea. The name thus derived from the French term "barachois." The geographic feature of the barachois also gives its name to another settlement in the vicinity, namely Little Barachoix (or Little Barachoix), which is to the north of Big Barachoix. Numerous variations in spelling have occurred in the naming of these settlements including : "Great Barrysway", "Barrisway", "Big Barachoix" and most recently, " Big Barasway."

 The following information on the history of Big Barachoix was told to me by resident Anita O'Keefe. The information has arisen out of her own research, for Anita has spent a great deal of time researching her family tree and the history of Big Barachoix. She has become known locally for her splendid efforts in this regard.

 The name Big Barachoix came from a man named Roger Forstall Sweetmen who came from Ireland in 1836. He was in search of good lumber and farmed foods such as potatoes. When he arrived in Newfoundland he found good lumber in Big Barachoix, so he decided to hire people to cut down the lumber and farm the vegetables. On June 09, 1836 Roger Sweetmen was granted land by William IV. In order for the lumber to be cut a sawmill was built by a man named Bradshaw. A lobster factory was also built by a man named Metcalf. In this factory the lobster would be caught, cooked and packaged, thus providing employment for residents. The main food at the time was potatoes. There was no butter, so women would have to make it themselves. If people wanted to cook salmon they would first have to catch it in Barachoix River.

 The first Roman Catholic school ever built in Big Barachoix was built by two Protestants by the names of Jobe and Bowring. This school, which served grades 1 - 10 also served as a church for the 5 families there and mass would be held once a year in the spring time. The three teachers were Bridget Anne Lannon, Margaret Anne Power and Aggie Miller. In this church there were no baptisms or marriages but one funeral took place. A man by the name of Jack Conway from St.Bride's died, but had to be waked in Barachoix because of a snowstorm. The first Stations of the Cross were brought from Placentia. In this church a statue of St. Theresa was donated by Edward O'Keefe Sr. in memory of his two children Francis and Regina. This church had to be torn down in 1943 because it was rotting. The only item salvaged from the original church was the wooden alter.

 In June 1943 a new school/church was built by Vince McLennon (foreman), Henry O'Keefe (labourer), and Henry Power (labourer). The building of the church was funded by the Placentia Parish. Again it served both as a school and a church and was completed in October 1943. The first mass was held by Father E.P Maher. Mass was held once a month and people in the community were notified in advance by the priest. The name of the new school/church was St. Theresa. In this new church there were 3 baptisms- Reggie O'Keefe, Derm O'Keefe and Ruth O'Keefe and 5 funerals- Elizabeth O'Keefe, Jerry O'Keefe, Laura O'Keefe, Mike O'Keefe and Rose O'Keefe. This school, which serviced grades 1-11, had as some of its teachers Louisa O'Keefe, Gladys O'Keefe, Mary Wise, Mary Tobin and Doreen Coffee. Before the new school opened the children were taught in Henry O'Keefe's house.

 In 1943 a cemetery was built in Big Barachoix. This cemetery, named by Father E.P Maher, was called Mount Calvary. The first person buried in this cemetery was a young boy named Francis O'Keefe who was 9 years, 9 months old. Before this cemetery opened the corpses were sent to either Placentia or Patrick's Cove.

 For a great part of the 1900's the main source of travel for people in Big Barachoix was horse and carriage. In 1942 the first vehicle was purchased by Kevin O'Keefe from Big Barachoix.

 The children of the community would occupy time by doing a number of activities. In the winter they would slide and skate, in the summer they would trout, swim, play house and make dolls out of rags. Back then there was not a lot of time for play for the children would have to be in bed early due to the fact that their fathers would have to fish in the morning.

 Story telling was also a big event, for men and women often gathered together and told stories of years gone by. One story told was the story of a young girl by the name of Ethel Grant who was born on January 19, 1903. On August 05,1905 while playing in her house Ethel was struck by lightening and killed at the age of 2 years. At the time of Ethel's death her mother was pregnant and due to the shock of this incident she went onto labour the next morning, giving birth to a baby boy whom she named Edgar.

Another story told was the story of Michael O'Keefe and Catherine Finn. They had 8 children 7 of whom died of diphtheria in 1862 and 1863. Three of these children died within one hour of each other. At the time of the outbreak there was a shipwreck on the beach of Barachoix. This shipwreck was the blame for the disease because the young children were aboard the boat.

The only survivor of this shipwreck was James O'Keefe, known by everyone as long Jim. Long Jim went on to marry in 1886. He raised a family of five, out of these five children his son Jerry had the largest family (17) in Barachoix. Eventually, with the opening of the U.S. Naval base most people moved out of the community of Barachoix and the house that once held a family of 17 was eventually torn down. To this day the only reminders are the chimney which is still standing and the well which is still used today. (Info in this paragraph supplied by my grandfather, Raymond O'Keefe, Placentia).

Some of the superstitions commonly held in the community at the time included the following:

 To cut an infant's nails would cause it to steal.

 If you went in the woods you had to bring bread along to keep the fairies away.

 If you let a baby see itself in the mirror it could take something called 'fits'

 Only the blood of Roman Catholics contain salt.

 Some of the cures included the following:

A red flannel scarf around your neck cured a sore throat

 Use the snow that falls in May for sore eyes

 If the measles didn't come out on you, get sheep droppings, boil them and drink the water. This would either cure you or kill you.

The following information on Big Barachoix was taken from Mr. Smallwood's Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador.¹

Like other settlements located on the Cape Shore, Big Barachoix was first settled in the early 1800's. According to local tradition the first settlers on the shore were Irish fishing servants brought to Newfoundland by the Sweetmans firm of Waterford, Ireland, which was based at Placentia. The small coastal valleys along the Cape Shore provided good opportunity for small- scale farming, mainly in vegetables and beef, and early census reports of Big Barachoix indicate that its inhabitants were almost wholly engaged in agriculture. The settlement was first reported in the census in 1836 with Little Barachoix, and had a combined population with that settlement of thirty-two. In 1857 the combined population was 23 and in 1874 was 34. The two communities were recorded together in the census until 1891. In 1957 seven people out of a population of twenty- three were reported to be Irish-born. Lovell's Newfoundland Directory (1871) later listed Thomas Doyle, Thomas Foley, and John, Michael and Thomas O'Keefe as resident farmers of "Great and Little Barachoix."
 

Agriculture was the chief means of livelihood in Big Barachoix in the early 1800's. Potatoes, hay, turnip and cattle were the main crops and livestock tended by the residents. In 1869 fishing rooms were listed for the first time in the census for Big Barachoix and by 1890 agriculture had declined as the main occupation in the settlement, largely because of a greater interest in the fishery which then became the primary means of making a living. The small amount of land available for the community and the distance to markets were probably factors in the growing dependance upon the fishery as well.

 The fishery, mainly cod caught by handline, remained the single most important source of income until World War 2, when the building of the Argentia Base created many new jobs for area residents. At that time the majority of Great Barachoix residents were employed in various capacities in the Placentia area.

¹ Smallwood, Joseph R. (1984). Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador. St. John's: Newfoundland Book Publishers.