On New Year’s Day 2020 the last ferry boat left Little Bay Islands, Newfoundland for the Newfoundland mainland. After years of debate, the Canadian government completed its plans to terminate government services to the island, in accordance with a series of referendums in which the residents, in the end, agreed to be bought out.
Only two people remain on the island, living off the grid and documenting the final days of the village as well as its early days of eerie isolation. Mike and Georgina Parsons send reports and photographs to their Facebook page with thousands of followers.
The Washington Post reported on this story in late 2019.
Little Bay Islands is an important location in the genealogy of the Hynes and now the Sandford families. Historical records are hard to come by from early Newfoundland—it didn’t even become part of Canada until 1949. Indeed, of the eight great grandparents, the ancestry of James Louis Hynes is by far the most shrouded in mystery. But due to some amazing circumstances and luck (to be discussed in future posts), we do have some knowledge of the Hynes family line from the north shore of the island.
Our 4th Great Grandparents are believed to be Richard Hynes and Ann, but there is no further information on dates or places.
Our third great grandparents William Hynes & Phoeby Wiseman, and second great grandparents Matthew Hynes & Hannah Cobb lived on Little Bay Islands in the mid 19th century, amid unimaginably difficult conditions.
By the time great grandfather James Louis Hynes was born they had moved over to the Newfoundland ‘mainland’ to the town of Little Bay. Matthew, James and family emigrated to Newburgh New York around 1890.
For now, Mike and Georgina Parsons have too many Facebook followers to respond to specific questions, but maybe after their fame dies down in a year or two I can get them to prowl the cemeteries in the now-deserted town to look for Hynes gravestones.
Bridging the Silences 
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