Foundation, Capital Structure and Control of the Company 1840–80

Samuel Cunard, founder of the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., (subsequently known as The Cunard Steam Ship Co. Ltd) was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 21 November 1787. As this book is concerned primarily with the business activities of the Company in various stages of development, it is not proposed to enter into an examination of the genealogical controversy surrounding the origins of the Cunard family1 It is sufficient to know, as a starting point for this history, that Samuel was the son of Abraham Cunard who, after the War of American Independence, had emigrated to Halifax where he had established himself in his trade as a master carpenter. In this capacity, Abraham had found employment in the dockyard at Halifax and from this relatively humble beginning had laid the foundation of a prosperous business and the background to future enterprise.