Garrett’s Cove is located about two miles by boat from the entrance to upper Deer Harbour, Trinity Bay. No one knows exactly how it got its name, but it was probably named for a man whose surname was Garrett who fished out of there in the early days.
The earliest record of any settlement there was that of the family of Stephen Seward (b. 1860 in Gooseberry Cove) and his wife, Leah. Stephen married Leah Janes (b. 1863) of Hant’s Harbour at the school in Long Beach in 1883. It is likely that Stephen’s father, Richard (b.1818 in New Perlican) fished out of Garrett’s Cove during the summers.
Stephen and Leah moved there around 1884 and set up their family home. Their first child, Hezekiah, was born there in 1886, and the infant died there the following year. Seven more of their children were born there; Samuel, Amelia Ann, Mary Victoria, Charles, William George, Robert and Simeon Wilson. Their fifth child, Mahala, was born in 1893 at the nearest settled community, St. Jones Without. Their last child, Rosanna, was born in New Perlican in 1907. Around 1905 Stephen moved his family to New Perlican, the birthplace of his father. Stephen and his wife, Leah lived out their days in New Perlican.
Stephen and Leah appear to be the first permanent settlers to live at Garrett’s Cove. Prior to their stay, fishermen had used it as a base for their summer fishery. By 1895 Stephen and Leah were joined by Richard and Emma Ethridge and their family from New Perlican. By this time, Richard and Emma had four children; Honora, James, Sarah and Priscilla. The following year Richard’s four and a half year old daughter, Priscilla died at Garrett’s Cove on April 3, 1897. Also, in 1895 the Sewards were joined by a father and son, Aubrey and Corbett Legge and their families from Heart’s Delight. On November 18, 1895, Aubrey’s daughter, Charity married Herbert George of St. Jones Without. Sadly, two years later Herbert passed away in St. Jones Without at the age of 25 years.
In 1898 Stephen’s widowed father, Richard moved to Garrett’s Cove to live with his son. By 1904, Aubrey Legge’s elderly father, James had also moved to Garrett’s Cove. There is no record of anyone living at Garrett’s Cove after 1905.
There was no school or church at Garrett’s Cove. The closest school and church would have been at Gooseberry Cove and later St. Jones Without. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that any of the children attended school. The Church of England clergy would visit on a regular basis for services and to conduct baptisms and burials, when required. Marriages were usually conducted at the church in Gooseberry Cove.
Around the 1950’s -1960’s, Bill Jacobs and Walt Stacey of Little Heart’s Ease built cabins, fish stages and smokers at Garrett’s Cove and used the place for their summer fishery. In the early 1960’s Earnest and Jane Seward of Gooseberry Cove built a cabin and fishing stage there. As of 2018 that cabin still stands and there are two other cabins there. Garrett’s Cove is accessible only by boat in the summer and now by snowmobile in the winter.
Note: This article is subject to further correction and revision.