The first merchant on Woody Island (as far as we can determine) was Robert Barrett, the immigrant from England. His business is thought to have been situated on Barrett's Point and it was a barter system with fish being the main commodity used in bartering. Robert Barrett, besides being a businessman, owned a lot of land and kept cattle and servants. He owned two small boats, which he used to fish for cod and herring. Once when a young John Williams owed him money but could not repay him Mr. Barrett took John's land from him and gave the land to his daughter Sarah and her husband, Philip Stacey. John Williams then left and went to Pools Cove, Fortune Bay.

Soon after Robert Barrett died, another businessman came on the scene, James Williams. Jimmy's business was based on the same system, the barter system. He handled cod, lobster and herring. A little later around 1905-1907, two other businessmen came on the scene. One of these was Tom Williams (no relation to Jimmy) who had a store for Tommy Wakely, who was located on Haystack, another Island about twelve miles from Woody Island. The other man was Dave Kelly, a jew from Syran, who was located a Old Cove, on the Eastern end of the Island. He too was called a barter businessman, with cod being the main commodity.

1910 was considered a good year. If you had one quintal of fish, you could buy one barrel of flour, one gallon of molasses, and one pound of tea. At this time raisons, pork and beef were all seven cents a pound, while kerosene was eighteen cents a gallon. At this time all cod that was caught was dried. The fishermen had a credit account with the merchant and in the fall of the year all his fish were turned in on the account. If there was a profit, it was taken up in goods from the merchants store. Cash itself was very rare.

In 1912, Robert Williams started a business. This business had formerly been located at Tack's Beach. It had been run by a man named Brown for G.C. Fern in St. John's. When Brown died, Robert Williams took over the business for Fern and brought it to Woody Island. Fern stocked the store on commission. The commission was six cents to the dollar. The store carried just about every kind of supply that was needed, but only in small quantities. Cod, lobster and herring were then caught and exchanged by the fishermen. When G.C. Fern died, Robert Williams started selling for Dave Kelly on commission.

In the late 1920's Kelly's store was burned and he left the Island. Robert then started selling for Walter Beck who has a large business on Sound Island. When Walter Beck's business burned in the early 30's Robert Williams started selling for E.H. Beck. This agreement lasted until 1939 when Robert's son, Bert took over the business. Bert did not have his business on commission, but was independent. This store carried just about everything to meet the peoples needs, such as clothing , footwear, hardware, groceries, etc. This local store situated on the Western end of Woody Island was known as a court room, a Sunday School, a gossip centre, etc. Where some were praised, others were cursed, with teachers and clergy not escaping comment. People stayed in the store sometimes to gossip, other times it was for more serious reasons. There was sympathy expressed and people felt and shared the other fellows burdens and joys. The businessmen very often took part in the conversations, it was sometimes impossible not to. Bert Williams was lay-reader, church board chairman, member of the School Board, acted as advisor for people in conflict, wrote letters, settled disputes and forgave debtors. This business lasted until centralization forced Bert Williams to move from the Island in 1969.

Mr. Williams also played an important part in transportation of Wood Island. He owned a passenger boat, the Kevin. In 1962 the Kevin was replaced by the Thunderbird, a boat built in Boston and bought form some businessman in Spencers Cove. This passenger boat was running from Swift Current to Woody Island. The fee for the trip varied. If a person went to Swift Current and came back the same day, his fee would be four dollars. If he went to Swift Current and remained there, he paid four dollars. If a man had a big family, his fare was usually cut from four dollars to some amount. The fee was collected from the passengers in an informal way.

Wilson Williams and Alec Lockyer also operated passenger boats and a business on the opposite end of the Island, known as Old Cove. Wilson Williams's business was similar to Burt Williams, he also sold some dry goods and footwear as well as groceries. He operated this business for approximately forty years. He was still maintaining a good business when resettlement began. In 1990 at about sixty five years old the wooden structure of his store still remains on Woody Island. He lost his boat the Maggie Loretta, in 1966 when it caught fire and burned. At one time when bringing passengers from Swift Current he noticed water running out underneath the bathroom door, to discover that one of his passengers sat on the cover of the toilet seat instead of rising it up.

Alec Lockyer started a business after he returned home, having joined the British Navy in 1940, he served in the Second World War. In 1946 he joined the merchant marine. The last trip he made was to sail around the world on the Island Side, owned be Atlantic Shipping, it took exactly nine months. They left Halifax January 5/46, arrived in the Middle East through the Suez Canal, to the Red Sea, Gulf of Aiden, India, Philippians, China, back to Vancouver through the Panama Canal, to the Caribbeans, across the Atlantic to Germany. From Germany, to London, then new Jersey Arriving at Montreal October 5/46. He returned home in 1949, bought a boat called the Galtire. He started a wholesale and distributer business for beverage sales. In 1953, he started a retail and wholesale business on Woody Island, that consisted of groceries, hardware, and fishing supplies, which expanded to other communities in Placentia Bay. This business was still in operation on Woody Island in 1978, ten years following the resettlement program for the few families that remained behind, and the many that came back in the Spring, Summer, and Fall to fish.

The "James & Lucy", also owned by Alec Lockyer, was loved and enjoyed by family and friends and well known in most communities around Placentia bay. The James & Lucy delivered the mail to thirteen post offices in Placentia Bay twice a week including Woody Island. This was known as the Arnold's Cove and Isle Valen water service. It was a year-round service so they had to face the rough water and icy chill of the winter days, as well as the sun and rain of the summer. One winters day in spite of fifty-mile winds and sub zero temperatures, which covered his boat with inches of ice, he got the mail through.

Most men on Woody Island were not businessmen, but fishermen. All of the early settlers grew potatoes, cabbage, and a few other vegetables, as well as fishing for a living. The land and sea provided food. Birds, rabbits, trout, caribou and berries supplemented the diet. They also raised horses, hens, and lambs. The hens not only supplied eggs, but also feathers for pillows and mattresses.

Sheep were also very important as their wool was used to make clothing. They also raised cows and goats. The goats very often got in someone's garden and ate the cabbage. When the first radio was had on Woody Island, one old lady not knowing what a radio was said, "I spose that's somethin else to get in the garden and eat the cabbage."

Religion played a large part in the lives of people on Woody Island. According to the Newfoundland census, most of the people on the Island were Protestants with a few Catholics. In 1935 there were eighteen Roman Catholics on Woody Island.

The Roman Catholics consisted of the Mulroony, Country and Grunter families. However, when the Grunters moved away in 1935 very few if any Catholics were left on Woody Island. In the 1930's Penticostalism became popular and a Penticostal church was built in 1935. Many of the people who were not favourable to this new denomination destroyed the "rafters" of this church when it was being built. However, when the church was completed and the congregation settled in, no major disagreements broke out.

Almost everyone went to church on Woody Island. Some people, especially the elderly had special pews that they considered theirs. At one time an elderly man named Richard Allen looked after the church on Sunday. He was sometimes called Rick or Dick. So the saying went, "He was Rick or Dick all week and Mr. Allen on Sunday."

The first Public Health Nurse on Woody Island was Ethel Williams. She was born and grew up on Woody Island. She served forty years as a Public Health Nurse, providing medical services to people living in isolated settlements around Placentia Bay. She delivered babies, extracted teeth, treated wounds and prescribed medications. She had a clinic set up in the basement of her house. Her clinic looked like a Doctor's Office, Treatment Room, Drug Store and Clinic combined. In her role as a nurse she put in many long hours. When she arrived home one Christmas Eve at 2:00 a.m. in the morning having delivered two babies her husband met her with these words, "This is it you're not going any more this day, I don't care who comes for you, you're not going!" Before they finished breakfast that morning, Christmas Day, a knock came on the door. It was a man from Bar Haven, "My wife is dieing can you please come?" Her husband thought for a moment and then without hesitation he jumped up and said, "When duty calls or danger be never wanting there, pack your bags and go."

Edgar Williams was the first Mayor of Woody Island, with councillors being Beaton Williams, Cecil Oliver, Alec Lockyer, James Lockyer and Wilson Williams. Their meetings were held in the basement of Alec Lockyer's home. He played a major role in forming the Community Council, which was welcomed by many but opposed by few, with the formation of the Community Council came better roads, garbage collection, electricity, and jobs for many of the residents. Everything seemed to be improving even the transportation and communication system, as more people were having telephones installed, but little did the people of Woody Island know that with each improvement they were coming closer to the day they would be forced to leave. One of the reasons I say forced to leave is because, I will never forget, one day as a teenager when I was at home alone two men came into our house and took the telephone off the wall. When I asked them why they were doing it, the answer was, "Someday the cable may break and it would cost a lot to repair it!" I thought well at least they could have waited until the cable broke.

However, Woody Island is still a joyful place to be found in the summertime, as many people flock back there to their cabins, summer homes and a tourist home owned and operated by Island Rendezvous.