Continuing to look at some of the more historical houses in the Town of Newcastle, one is that of Dr. Ferdinand Loreck Pedolin, who was born in Fredericton in 1849 and whose parents had immigrated from Holland. He received his early education in Fredericton and eventually attended Harvard Medical School, where he graduated with a medical degree in 1869. His original medical practice was set up in Doaktown and he travelled around the province and eventually settled in Newcastle.
Dr. Pedolin was very much an entrepreneur as well as a medical doctor. After a short stay in Newcastle he purchased a share in the Chatham Electric Light and Miramichi Telephone Exchange, ran a wire to Newcastle and set the switch board up in his Pleasant Street residence, bringing the telephone to Newcastle for the first time.
This very energetic and talented man then moved with partner Allen Davidson to secure the franchise to deliver telephone service to Newcastle Parish (Derby, Blackville, North Esk) which he then continued to run for almost 18 years.
The telephone service, with its main switchboard, was always run out of his house. One would think that this would be a real conflict with his medical practice, but he engaged the services of Lilly Fowler, his sister-in-law to look after day to day services. Later, as the business grew, his two daughters played a very active role in the operation of the system.
Around 1906 he sold the telephone business to the New Brunswick Telephone Company, and he was kept on as the general manager for a few years, but it was said that being of the family doctor type, and “not bothering to collect his own accounts, he found it rather hard to collect the Company’s.”
Dr. Pedolin was known to have a great love for the Miramichi and its people, and with his great talents he certainly contributed to the quality of life of the community. He proved to be a very talented musician, contributing to the city band. He also served as the surgeon major for the Field Battery in Newcastle and stayed in that position for a number of years. He also provided a leadership role to the community, serving as a town councilor for three years, one of which he spent as the mayor. He seemed always to be looking to build and provide a better community. Above all he maintained his medical practice for the people of the Miramichi right up until his sudden death in 1913.
My understanding is that Dr. Pedolin’s house was on Pleasant Street and would be found somewhere along from Russell’s Cleaners and the Sobeys building. So hopefully this article will remind people as they reach for the cell phone and all the communication we have today that the first telephone system was brought to Newcastle by Dr. Ferdinand Lorek Pedolin.
Looking at the last edition of Leader, I reviewed the high school awards for Miramichi Valley High School and James M. Hill High School. I hope people took the time to review that list — there are some very talented students in this community and I am sure somebody will be writing articles about the academic and athletic accomplishments of those kids in the future.
Tags: blackville, brunswick telephone, doaktown, family, Family Doctor, field battery, fowler, harvard medical school, medical degree, medical practice, miramichi, new brunswick, parents, rth, short stay, sister in law, switch board, switchboard, talented man, talented musician, telephone exchange