The Paris Crew were 4 fishermen from Saint John, New Brunswick who won a series of international rowing competitions between 1867 and 1873. Their first international event was the World Amateur Rowing Championship, at the International Exposition held in 1867 in Paris. The Saint John crew, composed of Robert Fulton, George Price, Samuel Hutton and Elijah Ross, with their manager Sheriff James A. Harding, travelled to France with the help of money raised by the citizens of Saint John and a donation from the province

The crew was not treated well by the European press who called them "quaint" and "strange looking". Their boat, described in the European newspapers as "a curious old-fashioned outrigger" outweighed the sleek European boats by more than 100 pounds. The Canadians also had an unconventional rowing style with a foot-guided rudder instead of a coxswain. The crowd was astonished that the Saint John team took the first event with ease and in the second event out-distanced the competition by a full three lengths. News of the Paris Crew's victories spread quickly at home. They were greeted by huge crowd with a 21-gun salute, a reception and a cash prize.

In the summer of 1869 the Paris Crew travelled to Lachine, Quebec, Toronto and Niagara to defend their title. In August 1871, the Paris Crew met the English champions on the Kennebecasis River just outside Saint John. They won but their victory was marred by the sudden death of James Renforth, an English sculler, who collapsed from overexertion. The Paris Crew disbanded in 1876 due to disagreement among the members over the ownership of their training boat. They had engaged in no contest since 1873.

Robert Fulton (1844 -1906) was a boatman and tide waiter with the provincial government. Elijah Ross (1845-1920) was born at Parrsboro, Nova Scotia and came to Saint John as a young child. He was considered one of the finest boatbuilders in Saint John, his work including the yachts, "Maple Leaf" and "British Queen". Samuel Hutton (1845-1894) was a boatman with the Department of Customs. He drowned in a yachting accident. George Price (1841-1909) sailed as a Canada Customs officer on the Saint John-Boston liner of the International Steamship Line after his sporting career was over. He was married to Angeline Christopher and they had 4 sons and 4 daughters.

Sources: Brian Flood, Saint John A Sporting Tradition, 1785-1985

The Saint John Board of Health was established 12 April 1855 by an act of the Provincial Assembly. It consisted of five members, residents of the city and county, appointed by the lieutenant-governor: William Bayard, M.D., chairman; George Nowlin, T.D. Lewin; John McLauchlin and James Flewelling. James Porter was clerk of the Board. and 3 sanitary inspectors were appointed.

The Saint John Board was the first Board of Health established in the province and one of its first acts was to appoint a visiting superintendent and a visiting physician for the Quarantine Station on Partridge Island (located in the Saint John harbour). It was also the first Board to appoint a Medical Health Officer (part-time) with special qualifications in 1911. The Saint John Board of Health was the first municipal health department to hire full-time public health nurses, in 1919 (school and tuberculosis). The first free dental clinics for underprivileged children were established in June 1923. The first compulsory pasteurization of milk occurred on 15 September 1947 in Saint John city and the parish of Lancaster, now west Saint John.

In the mid-1950s, the Saint John Board of Health was a sub-district of a larger Health District in the province. The Board of Health was made up of local citizens, its composition and duties governed by the Health Act. In 1955, the Board of Health consisted of the District Medical Health officer, Dr. Frank Hazen, who was also the ex-officio chairman of the Board, and eight members; Irene Molloy, Thomas MacLeod, Fred McIntyre, William Macaulay, Dr. Percival L. Bonnell, Archie W. Rickard, Dr. R.G. MacDonald and Albert A. Vincent.

In 1955, the Board of Health was divided into 4 divisions. Vital statistics registered all deaths, births, and marriages in the City of Saint John and the parishes of Simonds and Musquash. The infant, preschool, and school division was responsible for various clinics, including those in Children's Aid shelters and orphanages, inoculations and vaccinations in schools, public health nurse, home visits, school visits, hearing rests and free dental clinics for underprivileged children. The food and dairy division regulated dairy farms, pasteurization plants and grocery and butcher shops. The sanitary division approved all plumbing plans, checked on reported cases of notifiable disease and inspected hotels, restaurants, bake shops and other premises for unsanitary conditions.

The Indian Academy at Sussex, New Brunswick, was established under the auspices of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in 1794, with Rev. Oliver Arnold as the first headmaster. The schooling of native children caused problems as their parents had lost the children as workers. Students were apprenticed to settlers: girls were taught dairying and weaving; boys learnt shoemaking and farming. This system was open to abuse, with the children ending up as domestic servants or farm hands. The school closed in 1826 as it was felt it was not improving the Indians as had been hoped. The apprenticed children were still required to work out their terms until 1833.

Source:
The Story of Sussex and Vicinity, 1967

The Canadian Cancer Society was founded in 1937 by the Canadian Medical Association. The New Brunswick division became active from 1945. It was established primarily as a lay education group. Research, welfare and campaign activities followed, with research taking the fore by the 1950s.

The New Brunswick Dental Society is a regulatory body that registers qualified persons to practice dentistry in the province of New Brunswick. It was incorporated in 1890. The society is mandated to pass, repeal or amend and enforce by-laws regulating dental practice including prosecuting unregistered practitioners.

The Sussex and Studholm Agricultural Society #21 was founded in 1841 to promote and improve the state of agriculture in New Brunswick. During the early years, the society tried to establish better agricultural practices and contributed to the improvement of livestock by importing breeding stock and holding weekly livestock auctions.

H.S. Gregory & Sons was a firm of contracting stevedores and tug boat owners, established in 1913 to manage the work of loading and unloading the ships on the docks. Hugh S. Gregory and his sons, Harry Roy, Willard B., Hugh S. and C. Grant, had all been engaged as stevedores for many years previously. This firm was in existance until at least 1965.

Hugh S. or L. Gregory (1852 or 1853) was born in St. David's Parish, Charlotte County, N.B., the son of John Gregory (b. 1815, Ireland - d. ca. 1881, St. David's Parish, Charlotte Co) and Marian or Mary Ann Love (b. 1818 or 1819). Hugh married Jane Boyd on 4 June 1873. Their children were: Harry Roy, Williard B., Hugh S. , C. Grant, Harold or Harlod Nelson, Mary Myrtle and Elizabeth Gibson. Hugh S. Gregory died in 1954.

The Ladies Morning Musical Club was founded 17 November 1925 in Saint John, New Brunswick, and continued until February 1959. The club was created "for the mutual benefit and instructions of its members in vocal and instrumental music, to increase the interest and desire for the best music in the community and to promote sociability. For the giving of concerts and such purposes to engage the services of such professional musicians and artists… as instructors or to assist as instructors in public and private performances."

The club was open to all women who were willing to pay the $5.00 annual fee. It allowed visitors to meetings for $0.50. The musical club had an executive of 16 members and used a small orchestra for its meetings, which were held at one time at the Admiral Beatty Hotel. The club took an interest in promoting young musicians. It held Student Day Performances and was instrumental in the formation of the New Brunswick Festival of Music.

The Saint John Branch of the Women's Art Association of Canada began in the late 1890s in Saint John, New Brunswick. The members decided to form an independent association that included both men and women and as a result, the Saint John Art Club was formed on 12 November 1908. The new club's constitution stated the main object of the club was to be "The general advancement of fine arts and the promotion and facilitating of greater knowledge and love of art on the part of the public generally." It was also to provide art instruction for a fee by lecturers and teachers who would be paid for this work.

From its inception, the Saint John Art Club began acquiring objets d'art and paintings by well known Canadian, British and American artists. The artworks were either purchased with club funds or were donated by members. In 1914, there was a paid-up membership of between 200 and 300 people, many of whom had valuable collections of paintings.

The Saint John Art Club gathered paintings from individuals and societies both in New Brunswick and other provinces to make up exhibitions for their own enjoyment. These were hung at the studio on Peel Street, at the Art Club art school in the City Market building or at the Church of England Institute. They also hung travelling exhibitions from the National Gallery of Canada. The exhibitions were open to members and art students. In 1912, the Saint John Exhibition Association approached the Art Club to assist with creating an Art Department at the annual fall fair in Saint John.

The Art Club held regular monthly meetings and organized public lectures. The Club also was very involved in children's education in art. In 1944 and 1945, the Saint John Art Club advocated creative art as a subject in public schools and the following year, the first of several local children's art exhibitions was held. The Art Club proposed lending some of their pictures to school classes for instructional purposes. Children's art classes were held in the summer in a room at the Saint John Public Library and their work was shown in an exhibit at the local department store in 1955.

In 1949, their exhibition, 'Painters For Fun' for local amateur artists proved to be very popular and brought many new members into the Club. The Saint John Art Club, the oldest continuing art club in Canada, is still in existence. The club operates two galleries, one at Market Square in central Saint John and another in Parkway Mall in the eastern part of the city. The club offers instruction to both children and adults.

T.H. Estabrooks Company was created by Theodore H. Estabrooks (1861-1945) in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1894 to blend, pack and ship tea. They developed the Red Rose brand. In 1931, Estabrooks sold the company to the English firm, Brooke Bond. They continued to produce the Red Rose brand in Saint John until 1984 when Brooke Bond was bought out by Unilever. The factory in Saint John was closed in 1984.