Joseph Roper
Title
Joseph Roper
Type
Company
Coverage
St John's, NFL
Visit Exhibits
Precision Making in Canada Before 1918. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/instrument-precision/exhibits/show/precision-makers-1857-1918
Begin Date
1893-05-01
Active Until
1915-01-01
Location
1893 - 24 Adelaide St., St John's, Newfoundland
1915 - 238 Water St , St John's, Newfoundland
Product Areas
Surveying
Nautical
Clocks
Activities
Manufacturing
Repairing
Supplying
Importing
Timeline
- 1863, Aug. – Joseph Roper is born, 15th (“Joseph Roper”)
- 1891, Mar – Joseph Roper marries Isabella J. Taylor. (“Married”)
- 1893, May – Active, and only recently so. Evening Telegram: “Joseph Roper Successor to J.A. Whiteford) Watchmaker and Optician,) [sic] Has commenced business at No. 24 Adelaide St. He has in stock a large assortment of American CLOCKS suitable for house, offices and churches… Sextants, Quadrants, Patent Logs, Telescopes and Opera Glasses sold and repaired; Chronometers for sale and hire.” (Evening Herald, May 31, 1893)
- 1893, Oct. – Joseph Roper, “Watchmaker and Optician” advertising that he is about to move properties from Adelaide Street to Water Street. (“Removal”, October 30, 1893)
- ???? – Worked on the Gower Street United clock. “…however, the clock mechanism bears the name Joseph Roper, a St. John’s clockmaker who was also responsible for the tower clock in the St. John’s Courthouse.” (“After decades out of order, Gower Street…”)
- 1902 – Telegram entry: “Mr. Jos. Roper, who was north on lighthouse service, has returned to town. He was at Bonavista on his way south and gave a graphaphone entertainment, by which he realized $19 for the Cathedral restoration fund…” (“For the Cathedral”, July 15, 1902)
- 1903 – Active, employing at least one person: “Mr. Kelley, of Mr. Jos. Roper’s employ, has returned from Trinity where he was putting a clock in the tower of the new courthouse. The Trinity people had a big celebration when it was officially started.” (“Mr. Kelley…”)
- 1905 – Joseph Roper installs/manufactures a clock for the town of Carbonear, NFL. (“Ukranian family restores historic timepiece in Carbonear”)
- 1906 – Active, advertised as “Watchmaker, Jeweler, and Optician, Water Street St. John’s Opp. J. & W. Pitts’” and “Successor to J.A. Whiteford” (Notable Events in the History of Newfoundland, 23)
- 1915 – Active, listed in the McAlpine Directory at “238 Water h 26 Dick's Square”, possibly meaning working at one, living at the latter. Other Ropers listed at 26 Dick’s Square also. (McAlpine Directory 1915)
- 1913 – Mentioned as travelling from New York or Halifax on board the Florizel. (Evening Telegram, Aug 29, 1913: 8)
- 1914 – Son Henry Roper went off to war. Listed as “watchmaker”. ("ROPER, Henry")
- 1915 – Had a clerk called Miss Winnie Taylor (McAlpine Directory, 1915)
- 1921 – Died April 25th, aged 57. (“Joseph Roper”)
- 2023 – A long-broken clock installed/constructed by Roper in Carbonear, NFL, is mended by Ukranian immigrants. (“Ukranian family restores historic timepiece in Carbonear”)
- 1891, Mar – Joseph Roper marries Isabella J. Taylor. (“Married”)
- 1893, May – Active, and only recently so. Evening Telegram: “Joseph Roper Successor to J.A. Whiteford) Watchmaker and Optician,) [sic] Has commenced business at No. 24 Adelaide St. He has in stock a large assortment of American CLOCKS suitable for house, offices and churches… Sextants, Quadrants, Patent Logs, Telescopes and Opera Glasses sold and repaired; Chronometers for sale and hire.” (Evening Herald, May 31, 1893)
- 1893, Oct. – Joseph Roper, “Watchmaker and Optician” advertising that he is about to move properties from Adelaide Street to Water Street. (“Removal”, October 30, 1893)
- ???? – Worked on the Gower Street United clock. “…however, the clock mechanism bears the name Joseph Roper, a St. John’s clockmaker who was also responsible for the tower clock in the St. John’s Courthouse.” (“After decades out of order, Gower Street…”)
- 1902 – Telegram entry: “Mr. Jos. Roper, who was north on lighthouse service, has returned to town. He was at Bonavista on his way south and gave a graphaphone entertainment, by which he realized $19 for the Cathedral restoration fund…” (“For the Cathedral”, July 15, 1902)
- 1903 – Active, employing at least one person: “Mr. Kelley, of Mr. Jos. Roper’s employ, has returned from Trinity where he was putting a clock in the tower of the new courthouse. The Trinity people had a big celebration when it was officially started.” (“Mr. Kelley…”)
- 1905 – Joseph Roper installs/manufactures a clock for the town of Carbonear, NFL. (“Ukranian family restores historic timepiece in Carbonear”)
- 1906 – Active, advertised as “Watchmaker, Jeweler, and Optician, Water Street St. John’s Opp. J. & W. Pitts’” and “Successor to J.A. Whiteford” (Notable Events in the History of Newfoundland, 23)
- 1915 – Active, listed in the McAlpine Directory at “238 Water h 26 Dick's Square”, possibly meaning working at one, living at the latter. Other Ropers listed at 26 Dick’s Square also. (McAlpine Directory 1915)
- 1913 – Mentioned as travelling from New York or Halifax on board the Florizel. (Evening Telegram, Aug 29, 1913: 8)
- 1914 – Son Henry Roper went off to war. Listed as “watchmaker”. ("ROPER, Henry")
- 1915 – Had a clerk called Miss Winnie Taylor (McAlpine Directory, 1915)
- 1921 – Died April 25th, aged 57. (“Joseph Roper”)
- 2023 – A long-broken clock installed/constructed by Roper in Carbonear, NFL, is mended by Ukranian immigrants. (“Ukranian family restores historic timepiece in Carbonear”)
Sources
“After decades out of order, Gower Street United tower clock restored” Saltwire, 15, 2017 (https://www.saltwire.com/newfoundland-labrador/news/after-decades-out-of-order-gower-street-united-tower-clock-restored-128465/) [10-10-23]
“For the Cathedral” The Evening Telegram (St. John’s, NFL), July 15, 1902: 3
“Married” Evening Telegram (St John’s), March 23, 1891: 4
McAlpine Directory 1915 Containing an Alphabetically arranged Directory and Street Directory of the City of St. John's (Royal Print and Litho Ltd., 1915)
“Mr. Kelley…” The Evening Telegram (St. John’s, NFL), Aug. 17, 1903: 4
“Newfoundlanders at Regina” The Evening Telegram, July 2, 1912: 6 “The nephews of Mr. Jos. Roper and sons of Mr. Jno. Roper, of Bonavista, have been living at Regina for several years past. The city was swept by a tornado a couple of days ago and the Messrs. Roper are anxious about these young men, as several were killed, and many injured when the tornado swept over the place.”
Notable Events in the History of Newfoundland Six Thousand Dates of Historical and Social Happenings. (Devine & O’Mara, 1906): 23
“Personal Notes” The Evening Telegram, 14th August, 1905 “Mr. Jos. Roper is taking a round trip on the Portia Wednesday”: 4
“Joseph Roper” Family Search (https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/GC3B-VP2/joseph-roper-1863-1921) [19-08-24]
“Joseph Roper” The Evening Herald (St John’s, NFL), May 31, 1893: 1
Ranawake, Sanuda “Ukranian family restores historic timepiece in Carbonear” Saltwire, December 27, 2023. (https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/news/ukrainian-family-restores-historic-timepiece-in-carbonear-100924129/ [01-16-24]
“Removal” Evening Telegram (St. John’s), October 30, 1893: 1
"ROPER, Henry" The Rooms. (https://www.therooms.ca/roper-henry) [19-08-24]
“For the Cathedral” The Evening Telegram (St. John’s, NFL), July 15, 1902: 3
“Married” Evening Telegram (St John’s), March 23, 1891: 4
McAlpine Directory 1915 Containing an Alphabetically arranged Directory and Street Directory of the City of St. John's (Royal Print and Litho Ltd., 1915)
“Mr. Kelley…” The Evening Telegram (St. John’s, NFL), Aug. 17, 1903: 4
“Newfoundlanders at Regina” The Evening Telegram, July 2, 1912: 6 “The nephews of Mr. Jos. Roper and sons of Mr. Jno. Roper, of Bonavista, have been living at Regina for several years past. The city was swept by a tornado a couple of days ago and the Messrs. Roper are anxious about these young men, as several were killed, and many injured when the tornado swept over the place.”
Notable Events in the History of Newfoundland Six Thousand Dates of Historical and Social Happenings. (Devine & O’Mara, 1906): 23
“Personal Notes” The Evening Telegram, 14th August, 1905 “Mr. Jos. Roper is taking a round trip on the Portia Wednesday”: 4
“Joseph Roper” Family Search (https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/GC3B-VP2/joseph-roper-1863-1921) [19-08-24]
“Joseph Roper” The Evening Herald (St John’s, NFL), May 31, 1893: 1
Ranawake, Sanuda “Ukranian family restores historic timepiece in Carbonear” Saltwire, December 27, 2023. (https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/news/ukrainian-family-restores-historic-timepiece-in-carbonear-100924129/ [01-16-24]
“Removal” Evening Telegram (St. John’s), October 30, 1893: 1
"ROPER, Henry" The Rooms. (https://www.therooms.ca/roper-henry) [19-08-24]
Collection
Citation
“Joseph Roper,” Precision Instrument Culture in Canada, accessed November 18, 2024, http://omeka.uottawa.ca/instrument-precision/items/show/24.
Item Relations
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