Sylvester Joe (unknown – 1839), hunter and explorer, born Baie d'Espoir,

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. Joe, a native

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the nor ...

of Newfoundland, was the noted hunter from the south-west coast of the island of

who was engaged by

William Cormack William Epps Cormack (5 May 1796 – 30 April 1868) was a Scottish explorer, philanthropist, agriculturalist and author, born St. John's, Newfoundland. Cormack was the first person of European descent to journey across the interior of the islan ...

to guide him on his trek across Newfoundland, the first

European Canadian European Canadians, or Euro-Canadians, are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to the continent of Europe. They form the largest panethnic group within Canada. In the 2021 Canadian census, 19,062,115 Canadians self-i ...

to do so. In his writings William Cormack refers to him as Joseph Sylvester, it would appear that he had reversed the name inadvertently, as Joe is a common first name in this area of Newfoundland while Sylvester is unknown as a surname among Newfoundland Mi'kmaq. Joe can be credited for much of the success of Cormack's venture which began at

Smith Sound Smith Sound ( da, Smith Sund; french: Détroit de Smith) is an uninhabited Arctic sea passage between Greenland and Canada's northernmost island, Ellesmere Island. It links Baffin Bay with Kane Basin and forms part of the Nares Strait , othe ...

, Trinity Bay and ended at St. George's Bay on the west coast of the Island. This cross island expedition was undertaken by just Joe and Cormack in search of the declining population of the native

Beothuk The Beothuk ( or ; also spelled Beothuck) were a group of indigenous people who lived on the island of Newfoundland. Beginning around AD 1500, the Beothuk culture formed. This appeared to be the most recent cultural manifestation of peoples w ...

and to also explore the interior of the Island. On September 10, 1822, five days into their journey, Cormack immortalized Joe by naming Mount Sylvester in his honour. When Joe realized the immensity of the task at hand, he suggested to Cormack that they abandon their expedition and head south to his home town of Baie d'Espoir. Cormack convinced him to continue by drawing up a new contract on September 14. The contract reads as follows: :''I promise and agree with Joseph Silvester that if he accompanies me from St. John's to St. George's Bay by land ... besides what I may have already done for him, that after he takes me safe there, that I will on our return, give his mother one barrel of flour, one barrel of pork and anything else that may be found suitable, and further, that he is to go along with me to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

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and stay there as long as I do, or if he likes he may return to St. John's with me next year, or if he likes I will give him passage ... to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

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in order that it might do his health good. If Joe should ever go to

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

I will give him a letter to my friends there to do what they can for him...'' "B.D. Fardy (1985)" Despite the many hardships and their personal conflicts the pair continued the cross island journey and reached their destination on November 4. Joe spent the winter in St. George's. From then on little is known of Sylvester Joe.

References

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joe, Sylvester 1868 deaths 19th-century First Nations people Canadian explorers Mi'kmaq people Newfoundland Colony people People from Newfoundland (island) Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Year of birth missing

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