William Gough lived his whole live in St. Joseph's, St. Mary's Bay. He was a general Dealer at Gough Brothers General Store until he retired. Mr. Willie, as he is known, has a wonderful memory and can tell great stories.

THE RING

A cousin of the Gough family who lived in Trepassey lost his mother at an early age. His grandmother took him to Colinet Island to live with her until he grew up. He became a fisherman and went fishing in Boston in the US during the late 20s. He had to be hospitalized for some reason, and when my two uncles were visiting him his nurse came into the ward. After she left he told them this story.

He had a ring on his little finger and every time his nurse came to do something for him she was always looking at the ring. One day he said to her, "Is there something about this ring that attracts your attention?" She said, "Yes, my mother had a ring my father gave her that looked very much like the ring you have on your finger." She then told him the story of the ring.

Gough homestead, August 1985

When she was about eleven years old, her mother had taken her to England on a trip and was returning to America on the Titanic. Her mother was drowned when the Titanic sank but the little girl was saved. He said to her, "Is there any inscription on the ring that could identify it as the original ring your father gave your mother?" She said, "Yes, my mother's name was inscribed on the inside of the ring." He let her take the ring from his finger and sure enough there was her mother's name on the inside of the ring. With tears streaming down her face, the nurse whispered, "that's the ring." My cousin said, "Take it my dear. I am only too glad for you to have it." She was overjoyed to have the ring back after all those years. My cousin never did say how he got the ring, but he was so happy to be able to give it to the rightful owner. This is a true story.