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Daniel Woodley Prowse

Canadian writer (1834-1914)

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionApr 2, 2026
Entity authorityQ5219121
Source-derived summary

Daniel Woodley Prowse, (September 12, 1834 – January 27, 1914) was a lawyer, politician, judge, historian, essayist, and office holder.

Born in Port de Grave, Newfoundland (now Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada), he was the fourth of the seven children of Robert Prowse and Jane Woodley. Prowse is the author of A History of Newfoundland which is considered one of the most complete and meticulous colonial history books in existence.

Educated in St. John's and Collegiate School in Liverpool, England, Prowse went to Spain to learn the family business before he returned to Newfoundland where he studied law and articled with Bryan Robinson and eventually was called to the bar in 1858. On March 19, 1860, in a bet, D. W. Prowse won a $6 hat from Mr. Moore by wearing his rifle dress down Water St.

Prowse also was an elected member of the Colony's House of Assembly for Burgeo-La Poile. In 1867 he was a proponent of the pro-confederated movement under Ambrose Shea. In 1869 he was appointed a judge of the Central District Court, an appointment he held until his retirement in 1898.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Daniel Woodley Prowse” as canadian writer (1834-1914). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1834, 1914, 1858, 1860—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1834-09-12. The account is most persuasive where Daniel, Woodley and Prowse can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as canadian writer (1834-1914). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5219121. VIAF identifies the subject as 70509909. The Library of Congress control number is n88638132. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1834, 1914, 1858 and 1860.

Critical limits

Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
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Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Daniel Woodley Prowse”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Daniel Woodley Prowse primary sources, Daniel Woodley Prowse archive and Daniel research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Daniel Woodley Prowse”?
  2. Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
  3. Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Daniel Woodley Prowse” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.