Peter Johnson - Voyages of Hope: The Saga of the Bride-Ships

PETER JOHNSON's interest in British Columbia's history led to his first book, Glyphs and Gallows, an absorbing work that connects aboriginal rock art, the wreck of the ship John Bright and a case of colonial injustice. Another element of the colonial era then caught Peter's attention: the four bride-ships which were sent out from England to the west coast in the 1860s and '70s. His enthusiastic research and imaginative writing have produced Voyages of Hope, the first book-length account of this important but neglected topic in BC's past.

Peter Johnson was born in England and has lived in Canada for many years. An avid outdoorsman, he has bicycled, canoed, hiked and sailed in most parts of his adopted country. He has graduate degrees from the University of Manitoba and the University of British Columbia, and now teaches English at a high school in Vancouver, BC.

Re-creating the narrative of the bride-ships saga through its twists and turns of time and place is akin to putting together a jig-saw puzzle in a dark room with half the pieces missing. Some sections, such as the outline of the story, are readily accessible and appear in several historical or scholarly sources. However, the details of the inner, more esoteric pieces were often due to dedicated public archivists and librarians, who guided me toward clues and interpretations from the most amazing sources.

Rachel Grant, Archivist and Librarian at the Vancouver Maritime Museum, was a treasure. She and Curator Emeritus, Leonard McCann, never flinched at my endless questions and directed me toward bits of information that became beacons of light in a sea of darkness. Doreen Stephens, Archivist for the Anglican Synod of British Columbia, provided me with useful history of the Columbia Mission Society, as did Bob Stewart, Archivist for the United Church of Canada. Thanks too to Joan Seidl of the Vancouver Museum, Vancouver, BC, Bill Quackenbush of the Barkerville Museum, Barkerville, BC, and Elsie Thorstvedt of the Norsk Siofartsmuseum, Oslo. Tony Cavanagh of Deakin University, Geelong, Australia, and Terry Berry of the Oldham Archives, Lancashire, England, were especially helpful. Ruth Greenbaum of the Manchester Art Gallery, Lynn Wright of the Maritime Museum of British Columbia (Victoria), David Mattison of the British Columbia Archives, Patrick Dunn of the University of British Columbia, Karen Cordiner, Louise Lavoie, Katie Gusola and Dick and Vivian Bevis all played a role.

Friends Rodger and Pat Touchie of Heritage House Publishing were always enthusiastic and kept me moving, as did Darlene Nickull. Editor Marlyn Horsdal of TouchWood Editions was ever patient with my scratchings, and more than any other, helped me be clear.

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Unpublished Sources

Askew, Isabel. Letters. MS 2879, Box 6 File 10. British Columbia Archives.

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