Physical Description
45 m of textual records

Administrative History
In 1779 Robert Loggie and his family emigrated from Scotland and settled in what is now the village of Loggieville, Northumberland County, New Brunswick. A number of his descendants became successful businessmen in the area and there were several Loggie firms in the Chatham area in the nineteenth century, often consisting of the same people in different partnerships.

His descendant, William Stewart Loggie (1850-1944) was founder of W.S. Loggie Co. Ltd. He married Elspeth B. Kerr, daughter of James Kerr, a farmer in Napan, on November 5, 1874. They had twelve children. W.S. was closely associated with St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Treasurer of the Missionary Society and head of the Sunday School. He was also active in the Temperance Society and the YMCA. In 1901 he was elected Chairman of the Chatham Branch of the Maritime Board of Trade. He served as alderman and Mayor of Chatham, Member of the Legislative Assembly and Member of Parliament.

At the age of fourteen he had begun working as a clerk in the grocery and dry goods store of MacDougall and Snowball. In 1873, he opened his own retail store in Chatham, selling groceries and dry goods. He acquired a tin shop in 1879 that operated in different locations until 1930 and between 1891 and 1900 three brickyards were acquired. In 1894 the business was incorporated, members of the corporation being W.S. Loggie, Francis E. Winslow, Warren C. Winslow, Elspeth Loggie, George M.B. Loggie and J.K. Loggie. Hardware, boot and shoe, furniture, ladies' wear, children's wear, automobile sales and service departments were added over the years. In 1907 the Chatham operation expanded with the purchase of warehouse space on Ritchie Wharf for a Wholesale Department and storage of ishing nets, lumber, etc.

The Company established branches at: Kouchibouquac and Shippegan both ca. 1876, Inkerman, Cape Bateau (Shippegan Island), Lower Caraquet, Tabusintac ca. 1887, Tracadie, Shediac 1902, Hardwicke 1899, Petit Rocher, Dalhousie. The branches often had a store as their centre and engaged in general merchandising and wholesale sales. Gear, goods and equipment were often advanced to fishermen. The first at Kouchibouquac (Logiecroft) may have been typical. It had a small store that supplied fishermen, a large storage facility and an ice house, lobster boats, a cannery, and a refrigeration unit. Salmon was processed here and juniper knees were made for boats, and a farm raised chickens.

Factories, for canning or drying fish and processing blueberries, developed in response to these resources. They were frequently connected with a nearby branch and operated seasonally. Blueberries were canned as early as 1883 by Loggie and later frozen for export to Canadian and American markets. The factories consisted of the processing building, cookhouse and shed, bait shed, etc. and were located in Grande Digue, Point Sapin, Escuminac, Kent County (Chockfish, Little Cape, Cassie Cape), Pokeshaw, Shippegan Island (Point Canoe, Pigeon Hill, Gully Factory, St. Mary's, Island River), Miscou Island (Mal Bay, Goose Lake, Wilson Point), Green Point, Richibucto Cape, Black Point, Spruce Point, Cocagne, Eel River, Herring Cove, and in Quebec (Mille Vache, Les Escoumins) and Prince Edward Island (Alberton, Tignish, North Cape).

Fishing was an early element of the Loggie interests. A smelt packing shed was constructed in Chatham in 1898 and salmon was exported from the earliest days of the company. The company maintained is own fishing fleet and also purchased fish from independent fishermen. They dealt in salmon, lobster, smelt, cod and to a lesser extent, mackerel, clams, crab, eel, gaspereau, shad, and shad roe. Their operations involved harvesting and canning, drying, pickling and freezing. The company used its own schooners as well as hired vessels for shipping their own products and transporting other cargo including coal and molasses.

Woods operations were also associated with the branches, the first mill opening in Pokemouche ca 1898. Products were: lumber, shingles, shooks, pitprops, railway ties, laths. Portable mills were operated on Bathurst Road, Tabusintac and in other locations. Pulpwood was handled from 1920 and was shipped from Millbank, Shippegan and Caraquet.

The firm that began in the retail dry goods business in Chatham at one time owned 43 factories, some short-lived and others that lasted many years. By 1937 Loggie's were doing about one million dollars worth of business a year. For many years Loggie's was the largest exporter of lobster to France. At the height of the fishing season, about 800 people were employed by the Company at the various branches and factories. Branch and factory managers had some autonomy but all major decisions were made by Chatham. Factory managers were directly responsible to the General Manager of the Company at Chatham. Fish and blueberry seasons were short and there was a large overhead and every-changing market that necessitated a close check on the day-to-day operations. Daily, as well as weekly, reports were received at Chatham and responded to. Markets for products were numerous and widespread and the system of advances of credit and supplies to contractors required extensive cash flow management and debt recovery.

James Kerr Loggie (1879-1947), known as Kerr, worked in his father's business from age 15. Like his father, he was also active in temperance causes. He joined the Second Contingent in 1914 and served overseas. He was elected Mayor of Chatham in 1925 and was also Chair of School Board and President of Chatham Branch of the Canadian Legion. He became President of the Company on his father's death and remained its General Manager until his death.

His brother Leigh J. Loggie (1888- ) operated the business when James Kerr Loggie was overseas. He returned home from Peace River, Alberta, where he ran a fur trading and general store business, in 1946 to manage the Company, assuming the position of President and General Manager, when Kerr took ill.

W.R.S. Loggie (1910 - ), son of Dr. W.S. Loggie and grandson of the Company's founder settled in Britain after service overseas during World War II but retuned to Miramichi in 1962 to work as Secretary-Treasurer of W.S. Loggie.

The Loggies took a broad perspective to their many commercial enterprises, becoming involved in many issues that might impact their operations. They were concerned about overfishing, opposed extension of the lobster season, and mounted a fight against high freight rates. The Company adapted over the years with changes in supply and demand, including the introduction of refrigeration that permitted the transport of fresh fish by boat and train to markets in Europe, the United States, Argentina, and the West Indies. They dealt with the interference in shipping of two World Wars, freight rates, duties, licensing arrangements and legislation to control the industry. Factories were relocated or centralized in response to shifting markets and fire was a constant enemy that often led to the closing of operations or a branch. The Company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1973 and wound up business in later years.

Source:
Fraser, James A., A History of the W.S. Loggie Co. Ltd. 1783-1973; Graves Papers, Vol. 11, p. 52; Hamilton, W.D., Dictionary of Miramichi Biography, 1997; Loggie, Reid, A HIstory of the Town of Chatham; McLean, C.H., Prominent People of New Brunswick, 1937

Scope And Content
This fonds documents the business activities of W. S. Loggie Company Ltd. and in particular, the business transactions relating to Inkerman Branch Store, Green Point Factory, Pokemouche Store, Tignish Factory, St. Mary's Factory, Fox Den Factory, and Eel River Factory.

It consists of correspondence, postcards, telegrams, letterbooks, purchase orders, invoices, receipts, credit notes, bills of lading, ledgers, journals,timebooks, cashbooks, daybooks, lumberbooks, stockbooks, orderbooks,tallybooks, warehouse books, inventory books, time sheets, payroll cards,inspection reports, financial statements, and financial reports. It also includes crown land licenses, ration coupons, agreements, pulpwood contracts,log contracts, blueprints of machinery, and cannery labels.

Dates of Creation
1873-1965

Language
English

Related Records
Other fonds with related records to the Loggie operations include MC515 - Loggie and Burr fonds, MC1163 - W.S. Loggie(Kouchibaquac) fonds, MC1532 - A. & R. Loggie fonds, MC1590 - T. G. Loggie fonds.

Restrictions
No restrictions

Finding Aid
An inventory is available.

Inventory