HAWS, JOHN (1825-1889)

HAWS, JOHN, shipbuilder; b. Saint John, 15 Feb 1825, s/o John Haws Sr and Calista Calvert; m. 1848, Caroline Rebecca Carvell, sister of Jedediah S. Carvell; d. Wales, 10 Apr 1889.

A member of a Saint John shipbuilding family, John Haws moved to Newcastle in 1852, where he and his brother-in-law Peter Mitchell formed the shipbuilding firm of Haws & Mitchell. He was the master builder of several of the vessels launched from their yard, including the Anne Wilson (1854), "the finest clipper they ever built."

When his father died in December 1858 Haws inherited the family's Saint John shipyard, but financial difficulties later forced him to sell it. He continued his efforts on the Miramichi, withdrawing from partnership with Mitchell and taking over the former William Abrams shipyard at Rosebank. Between 1862 and 1864 he built at least eight vessels at this yard, including such large ships as the Sea King (1863) and the Forest King (1864). These were "well-modelled, handsome craft, substantially built, principally of hackmatack."

Haws was named a commissioner of the Seamen's Hospital in 1855. He was active in the Masonic order and was worshipful master of Northumberland Lodge in 1857/58. In 1864 he was appointed a captain in the 1st Battalion of militia. In 1865 he was a pro-Confederation candidate for one of the Northumberland County seats in the provincial House of Assembly, placing sixth among seven contenders. He was in financial trouble again at this time and had begun to work as a ship broker rather than a shipbuilder. He assigned in 1866 and soon departed for Liverpool, England, where he continued to work as a ship broker for the rest of his life. He was survived in 1889 by his wife, Caroline R. Carvell, and a number of children.