Statue of Shanawdithit, at the Boyd's Cove Beothuk Site, Newfoundland.

Shanawdithit (1801 – June 6, 1829), also referred to as Nancy April, is believed to have been the last surviving member of the Beothuk people. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (424x640, 336 KB) Shanawdithit statue from the Boyds Cove Beothuk Site, Newfoundland. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (424x640, 336 KB) Shanawdithit statue from the Boyds Cove Beothuk Site, Newfoundland. ... Boyds Cove, also known as Boyds Harbour, is a small rural fishing, lumbering and farming town near Lewisporte in Newfoundland, Canada. ... Beothuk The Beothuks were the native inhabitants of the island of Newfoundland at the time of European contact in the 15th and 16th centuries. ... Newfoundland —   (stress on final syllable; for mispronunciations, see Newfoundland travel guide from Wikitravel)— (French: , Irish: ) is a large island off the east coast of North America, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ... The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining // 1508 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year truce and cede several territories to Venice 1513... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Beothuk The Beothuks were the native inhabitants of the island of Newfoundland at the time of European contact in the 15th and 16th centuries. ...

She is thought to have been born in 1801. After the capture of Shanawdithit's aunt, Demasduwit, also Mary March in 1819, the few remaining Beothuk people had fled. In the spring of 1823 her father had died when he fell through the ice while trying to escape from a group of hunters. Hungry and without protection Shanawdithit, her mother and sister felt they had no choice but to go to the nearest settler, a trapper named William Cull, and beg for mercy. The three women were taken to St. John's, where Shanawdithit's mother and sister died of tuberculosis. Portrait of Demasduwit (Mary March), Library and Archives Canada Demasduwit (c. ... Nickname: The City of Legends Motto: Avancez (Go forward) Coordinates: Country Canada Province Newfoundland and Labrador Established August 5, 1583 by Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I City Mayor Andy Wells Governing body St. ... Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for Tubercle Bacillus) is a common and deadly infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can also affect the central nervous system, lymphatic system, circulatory system, genitourinary system, bones and joints. ...

Shanawdithit, renamed Nancy, was then taken to Exploits Island and worked as a servant in the household of John Peyton Jr. In September 1828, she was taken back to St. John's by William Cormack, who was able to write down much of what she told him about her people. Shawnadithit remained in Cormack's care until his departure from Newfoundland early in 1829; she was then transferred to the care of the attorney general, James Simms where she spent the remaining nine months of her life. John Peyton (born July 28, 1965) is a politician of the Republican Party, serving as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida since July 1, 2003. ... RickK 05:37, May 23, 2005 (UTC) Categories: Possible copyright violations ... James Simms (1828 – September 4, 1915) was a British instrument maker. ...

Her health, precarious for a number of years, continued to deteriorate, and she was seen a good deal during this period by William Carson, who tended her in her last illness. She died in a St. John's hospital of tuberculosis in 1829. William Carson (baptised 4 June 1770 – 26 February 1843), often called The Great Reformer, was an important early settler of the Newfoundland area. ... Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for Tubercle Bacillus) is a common and deadly infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can also affect the central nervous system, lymphatic system, circulatory system, genitourinary system, bones and joints. ...

When she died, her skull was presented to the Royal College of Physicians in London for study. In 1938, they turned it over to the Royal College of Surgeons; subsequently it was destroyed during the Blitz of World War II. The rest of her remains had been buried in the old graveyard on the south side of the city. College building by Denys Lasdun The Royal College of Physicians of London is the oldest medical institution in England (the oldest medical institution in the UK being the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh), and among the most active of all medical professional organisations. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients. ... One of the defining characteristics of what is commonly known as Blitzkrieg is close co-operation between infantry and tanks. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead...

The graveyard was dismantled for railway construction in 1903. There is a monument on the site which reads: "This monument marks the site of the Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin during the period 1859 - 1963. Fishermen and sailors from many ports found a spiritual haven within its hallowed walls. Near this spot is the burying place of Nancy Shanawdithit, very probably the last of the Beothuks who died on June 6, 1829."

Shanawdithit is well known to Newfoundlanders; in 1851, the local paper the Newfoundlander called her a princess of Terra Nova. In 1999, The Telegram readers voted her the most notable Aboriginal person of the past 1,000 years; she captured 57% of the total votes. The Telegram is a daily newspaper published in St. ...

See also

• List of people of Newfoundland and Labrador

List of people of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. ...

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• Drawings by Shanawdithit
• Shanawdithit, Last of the Beothuks
• Bishop John Inglis Interview with Shanawdithit'