- My husband and I visited Newfoundland for about 3 weeks two years ago for two reasons; to try to find my BATT ancestors, and to do some fishing and sight seeing. The people were wonderfully friendly and very helpful, and the scenery all across the province was magnificent. Didn. t get a salmon though.

- Some of the information we found while researching the records in St.John's led us to head north from Gander to try and find Starve Harbor. After a while we spotted an iceberg and headed toward it to try and get some photos of it. We unexpectedly came to a little harbor community where we found both an old and a new cemetery, the new one behind the church. The church and cemeteries would be on the right/starboard shore if you were entering through the harbor mouth, but you would first have to pass the house up on the bluff belonging to a Mr. Watkins. We spoke at length with him, and he confirmed that we were at Starve Harbor, and told us quite a bit of the history of the place and about the fishery. Mr. Watkins also suggested where we might find the descendants of the BATT's who were buried there. In the large old cemetery, which is located across the road from the church. We took several photos of stones with the BATT name on them, and we copied the wording of those just in case the photos didn't turn out, and also copied the wording of some of the stones that couldn't be photographed because of position or condition.

- The wording on a headstone for Charlotte BATT and James BATT that I couldn't photograph in the old Cemetery in Starve Harbor: "Sacred to the memory of/ Charlotte, daughter of/ James and Sarah Batt/ who departed this life/ April 5, 1813/ aged 2 years./ May each like her depart in peace/ to be a glorious guest,/ where the wicked cease from troubling,/ and the weary are all at rest." Also on the same stone: "James Batt , 1817 aged 10 years."

- On Thomas BATT's headstone found in the old Cemetery in Starve Harbor: "In loving memory/ of/ Thomas,/ beloved husband of/ Rachel Batt/ died/ March 20 1904/ age 66 years./ We have no abiding city here,/ this may distress the worldly mind./ They shall not cost the saints a tear,/ who hopes a better rest to find. "I took a photo of this stone. It is a thin white stone, about twice as tall as it is wide. The stone was found lying supine on the ground. It had been broken off at the base. Above the wording is a decorative area about 1/4 the height of the main wording section. This decorative section is composed of a semi-crescent leaf scroll, and within the scroll is a right hand pointing the index finger toward what appears the be a stylized rose. The stone is printed in large and small capital letters.

- The wording of Benjamin BATT's headstone at Starve Harbor. The stone reads: "Benjamin, Beloved husband of Dinah Batt/ aged 56 years 7 mos/ May 17 1926"

- Photo taken of Oliver "Mary BATT's headstone at Starve Harbor. The modern looking speckled gray [granite?] stone, almost twice as long as it is high, has a cross in each top corner surrounded by a halo with two flowers with leaves at the base of the cross. There is a line almost joining the two crosses in an arc parallel to the slight arc of the top of the stone. Below that in large letters is the name "BATT." Below the name on the left side is carved: "Oliver H./ Sept. 21, 1895/ Mar. 20, 1961." On the right is carved: "Mary Elizabeth/ Mar. 1, 1899/ May 14, 1987." Below these is carved: "EVER REMEMBERED EVER LOVED"

- Photo taken of Percy BATT's white marble headstone at Starve Harbor. The very legible stone is as follows: It is topped by a cap which has a triangle on which is carved the word fidelity. The stone is on a base on which is carved the name "BATT" in huge letters, and the inscription in the middle reads: "Erected/ by his wife/ Lillian/ in loving/ memory of/ my dear husband/ Percy James/ Batt/ who fell asleep/ Aug. 2, 1928/ Aged 30 years" - Photo taken of the dark gray-streaked black marble rectangular stone of Elsie Marie BATT and Gerald BATT. They are buried at Starve Harbor. In the upper left corner there is a lamb facing right in profile. In the upper right in front of the lamb is carved: "In loving memory of/ Elsie Marie/ Died Nov. 10, 1932/ Aged 7 days." Centered below that is carved: "Gerald Allen/ Died Aug 6, 1937/ Aged 3 days/ Beloved children of/ Garnet & Loretta Batt/ / Safe in the arms of Jesus"

- Photo taken of Carrie BATT's headstone. She was buried at Starve Harbor. The broken cross-shaped white marble stone reads: "Carrie/ Darling/ child of/ Rob &/ Jane Batt/ Jan 19, 1904/ aged 3 months"

- I was concerned that the local people might take offense if we rooted around too much, so I just cleared off the ones that could be cleared with a little whisk broom. Some were face down or almost fully overgrown, and quite a few were toppled and broken and impossible to read at that time.

- I was told by a person in Corner Brook, after I'd stated that I was concerned that I hadn't been able to see the writing on all the stones and expressed my worry that unless someone does some work both on the cemetery and on recording the information the legacy will be lost, that he believed that there is a record of all the headstones in the Herring Neck Cemetery, and other cemeteries in the area, in a building in Twillingate. I wrote many letters, but got no answer from any Twillingate or Herring Neck address.

- I have reason to believe that my ancestors lived in Newfoundland at one time, possibly in Starve Harbor. My Family Tree is complete back to Ann ( ? ) 1791 - Aug29, 1871, possibly CE or Meth., of Newfoundland until about 1861, who died in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Her obituary from several newspapers reads: "At the residence of her son, Mr. Samuel Batt, of this city on Tuesday last, Mrs. Ann Batt formerly of Newfoundland, aged 80 years." - Islander, Sept 1, 1871, etc. The Archives 1917 list her cemetery stone in Charlottetown as follows: Ann, wife of _______ ATT d. ____________ 1871 (gothic slab,lettering almost completely gone.) Ann is my great-great-great-grandmother, and she had at least one son, Samuel BATT circa 1805-1881Dec13, and possibly three daughters. Our family is descended from Samuel BATT. In a PEI Census, Samuel (Lemuel) BATT gave his place of birth as Newfoundland. So far, we are unable to discover either Ann's maiden name or the given name of her husband. My thanks in advance for passing this email along. I'd appreciate any help or information you or anyone else can give me that might assist me in my quest. Please feel free to post any or all of this email to the net, and you may post these inscriptions and descriptions to the Starve Harbor site when you start one.