The St. George's Society of Saint John, New Brunswick, was active in 1819 and may have been established as early as 1802. The object of this organization was to foster a spirit of patriotism, promote social intercourse among its members and extend aid as practicable and necessary to Englishmen or Welshmen and their descendents or their widows and orphans. Membership was open to male residents of New Brunswick who were British subjects of English or Welsh birth or descent, over 20 years old. Membership fees were $2.00 annually. Persons living outside the city could be admitted as associate members for an annual fee of $1.00.

Candidates were proposed and seconded by members in good standing. They were then reported upon by the investigating committee and their applications put to a ballot, at which they could be blackballed. A president, 2 vice-presidents, a chaplain, a secretary, an assistant secretary, a treasurer and an historian were elected at the annual meeting. Four regular meetings and an anniversary meeting on St. George's Day were held each year. The Charitable Committee provided relief to persons deemed to be worthy and qualified objects of the Society's charity. The Saint George's Society remained active until at least 1966.

Source: St. George's Society Constitution & By-Laws

The Saint John Dahlia Society formed on 14 March 1925 in Saint John, New Brunswick. The object of the society was the stimulation of the interest in and the promoting of the development and culture of dahlias. The members were interested in helping to establish a standard nomenclature, testing of new varieties, the study of the diseases of the dahlia and the discovery of remedies, the dissemination of information relating to this flower, securing uniformity in awarding prizes at flower shows; and giving exhibitions. The Saint John Dahlia Society participated in the Saint John Flower Show held at the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John from 9 September to 11 September 1933.

This collection was apparently made by one of the descendants of Henry Thomas (ca.1746-1828). He was born in New York and commanded a company of Loyalist during the American Revolution. In 1783 he arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the "Hopewell". He was appointed assistant engineer of the province and magistrate for Queens County. He was an officer of the militia in both Saint John and Queens counties. He was also a member of the first grand jury convened on 1 February 1785. Thomas received a land grant in Parrtown (now central Saint John) in 1784 as well as land on the Kennebecasis River.

Sources: Sharon Dubeau,New Brunswick Loyalists; D.R. Jack, Loyalist Families of New Brunswick, vol. iv, S-Z; Esther Clark Wright, The Loyalists of New Brunswick; Lorenzo Sabine, Biographical Sketches of Loyalists of the American Revolution

In October 1863, a group of citizens of Saint John, New Brunswick, organized the Victoria Skating Rink Company. Shares were sold and season tickets issued. The rink was located on City Road, in Portland. The building was designed by Charles Walker, civil engineer, and built by James Quinton, contractor at a cost of $14,000, which was paid off before the opening on 5 January 1864. The building was circular with a dome and many windows, a platform for a band and galleries for spectators. The rink was managed by the Victoria Skating Club from 1870 and probably before.

By 1907, the Victoria Skating Rink was owned and managed by Robert J. Armstrong (d. 1943). In later years it belonged to F.E. Williams and, upon his death, passed to his son-in-law George Hamm, manager of Blue Ribbon Beverages of Montreal. The beverage company later took over the rink with plans to erect a plant at the site. It is unknown when the rink closed.

Sources: New Brunswick Museum -- Quinton family papers, (S107, box 2, F11) and Colwell collection (S72, box 1, pkt. 4a)

The Saint John Law Society was formed in 1862, then formed anew in 1878 as part of the general community reorganization in the wake of the Great Fire which destroyed much of Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1877. The principal object of the society was legal education. In 1878, the executive members of the Society's council were: William Jack, president; G. Coster, secretary-treasurer; A.I. Palmer; C.W. Weldon; F.E. Barker; J.J. Kaye and George King. The Law Society had rooms in the Ritchie Building at 55 Canterbury Street.

There were 72 members in the Saint John Law Society in 1892, each paying a $10 membership. During that year, the New Brunswick Legislature passed an act to improve the system of examination of students seeking admission as lawyers. Prior to this date, legal education in New Brunswick lacked organization and formal standards. The Barrister's Society of New Brunswick appointed a committee to draft regulations for carrying out the act and the president of the Saint John Law Society agreed to assist the committee. The Saint John Law Society is still in existence in 2002.

The Fundy Dahlia Society was formed in February 1963 in Saint John, New Brunswick, for the purpose of stimulating the planting of more flowers in the Saint John area, creating more gardens and specifically to promote the cultivation of more and better dahlias. The first officers of the Fundy Dahlia Society were: Avard V.F. Duffy, president (d. 1963); Russell B. Reynolds, vice-president; George G. Hatfield, secretary; and Allen Nelson, treasurer. There were also 3 directors: Murray T. Hughes, a post office employee, L.L. Mabey, and Harold Cail. The society had 20 members in 1963. The Fundy Dahlia Society was a member of the American Dahlia Society. In 1967 the Fundy Dahlia Society won a gold medal presented by the American Dahlia Society.

The first meeting of the Saint John Naturalists Club was held at the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John on 9 May 1962. David Christie acted as chairman while Jane Hazen served as acting secretary. There were 22 people present. Several projects were proposed, including the Red Head Marsh area. Further meetings were planned and then a talk on spring warblers, accompanied by a slide show, was given by Austin Squires.

At the 12 September 1962 meeting, the executive were elected: David Christie, president; Mrs. Watters, vice-president; and Jane Hazen, secretary-treasurer. David Christie and Austin Squires were to act as co-field secretaries. Mrs. Watters was appointed to the refreshment committee. Fees were $1.25 per person or married couple and that fee would be in effect until the end of 1963. It was decided that meetings would be on the second Wednesday of each month at the New Brunswick Museum at 8:00 pm.

Monthly meetings consisted of the reading of minutes, business, and a programme which usually consisted of a speaker and slides or a movie on some aspect of natural science followed by refreshments. The Saint John Naturalists Club took part in the annual bird count held each December.

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 "Peruvian Congress" was built in 1869 at Saint John, New Brunswick. at John Fisher's (1783-1882) shipyard at the foot of Charlotte Street. The "Peruvian Congress", in which Fisher was the largest shareholder, set sail from Calcutta, India, in June 1882 bound for Boston, Massachusetts, with a full cargo of general merchandise including shellac, saltpetre, hides, cotton rags, and turmeric. The ship was damaged by a severe storm and despite several days of pumping, water in the hold made the ship unmanageable. She was abandoned 100 miles southwest of Diamond Island, India in July 1882. While transferring to one of the ship's boats, her master, Herbert Edgett was drowned. The rest of the crew was picked up by the "Falls of Clyde", a Glasgow vessel. The first mate and five other crewmen then proceeded to Rangoon, Burma where they reported the loss.

Sources:

Esther Clark Wright "Saint John Ships and Their Builders"

Moran, Galloway & Co. was a shipbuilding and ship owning company in Liverpool, England. James Hamilton Moran (b. 1816) built 24 square rigged vessels for the company in St. Martins, New Brunswick. His brother Robert become the head of the firm. They both had a percentage of ownership of the ships in the Moran, Galloway & Co. fleet.