Thomas Youngclaus and the City Market Clothing Hall

By Connor DeMerchant - 13 August 2026

Among the first businesses to establish itself in the new City Market building was the City Market Clothing Hall, operated by Thomas Youngclaus (1837–1907). By the summer of 1876, Youngclaus had taken possession of "No. 4" in the Charlotte Street tower.[1]

The son of Scottish immigrants from the Shetland Islands, Thomas Youngclaus began his working life as a farmer and carpenter in rural Petersville.[2] After moving to Saint John as a young man, Youngclaus found work as a ship's carpenter. An accident in 1863 likely left him unable to continue in the trade, prompting him to take up tailoring.[3] By his late thirties he had become a successful clothing merchant.

The City Market Clothing Hall was a great success from the start. His success was reflected in contracts to supply uniforms for the City Cornet Band in 1877 and thirty-two overcoats for the City Police Force the following year.[4] What set Youngclaus apart from most tailors in the city was that in addition to traditional tailoring services, his business also sold a large selection of ready-made clothing. To maintain a steady supply of merchandise, Youngclaus frequently travelled to buy stock, including to the British Isles, Europe, and throughout North America.[5]

Youngclaus's fortunes received an unexpected boost during the Great Fire of 1877. Unlike many Uptown merchants whose businesses were destroyed, his Clothing Hall survived the blaze, which came perilously close to the City Market. His family home on Castle Street was also spared. In the aftermath of the disaster, Youngclaus sold clothing at cost to residents left homeless by the fire.[6] His generosity is especially notable because, although both his business and family home survived, he still suffered significant financial losses when a building he owned on Acadia Street was destroyed.[7]

The prosperity of the 1870s and 1880s allowed Youngclaus to build a substantial family home on the corner of Waterloo and Castle Streets. By the 1890s, however, he was experiencing financial difficulties. In the winter of 1893, his application to the City for a reduction in rent on his Market premises was rejected.[8] Newspaper accounts describe meetings of his creditors and arrangements for the repayment of his debts. By the end of the decade, Youngclaus had retired from the clothing business. He died in 1907.[9] Although Youngclaus's City Market business had closed by the turn of the century, the family name remained synonymous with tailoring in Saint John for decades. His brother William and several nephews continued the trade, ensuring that the Youngclaus name remained familiar to generations of local customers.

[1] “City Market Clothing Hall.” The Daily Telegraph. 29 August 1876, Pg. 2.  

[2] 1861 Census of Canada (Petersville, Queens Co, NB)

[3] The Morning Freeman. 25 August 1863, np. 

[4] “The City Cornet Band.” The Daily Telegraph. 15 May 1877, Pg. 4.  

“Coats for the City Police.” The Daily Telegraph. 21 January 1878, Pg. 3. 

[5] “Personal Intelligence.” The Daily Telegraph. 6 July 1881, Pg. 7.

[6] The Daily Telegraph. 21 August 1877, Pg. 4. 

[7] George Stewart. The Great Fire in St. John, NB, June 20^th, 1877. (Toronto: Belford Brothers, 1877), np. 

[8] “Corporation Tenants.” The Daily Telegraph. 27 January 1893, Pg. 3. 

[9] “Thomas Youngclaus, Former Merchant, Dead.” The Daily Telegraph. 21 October 1907, Pg. 8. 

Photo: Courtesy of Jeff James