Brock University Library
Holdings in Genealogy and Family History
By John Burtniak, M.L.S. Head, Special Collections,
Brock University Library*, St. Catharines, Ontario
Printed Genealogies and Family Histories - approximately
60 separately
published/ printed/ photocopied volumes (books or pamphlets) for the following families: Beadle; Baumann; Brock; Comfort; Crysler; DeCou; Griffin; Hansel; Macklem; Howell; Kelly; Lampman; Craig; Ferguson; Mills; Gage; Pell;
Phelps; Thompson; Spafford; Chase; Gordon; Osborn; Gadsby; Woodcock;
Beamer; Bessey; Brennan; Buchner; Climo; Cohoe; Corwin; Silverthorn;
Crumb; Dell; Green; Harvie; Hatch; Bowes; Brown; Culp; Dean; High; Johnson; Merritt; Montross; Speice; Travis; Haw; Huntsman; Jackson; Misener;
Moore; Moyer; Near; Nunamaker; Olmsted; Aikman; Pillow; Rice; Roadhouse;
Terrell; Sauer; Servos; Singer; Slough; Smith; Somerville; VanEvery; Wardell;
Ware; Warner; Wedge; Wismer; Honsberger; Woodruff.
(These are the principal surnames as appear in the titles of the books - in fact
the books include thousands of names of allied families contained therein.)
These are part of the "Niagara Peninsula Collection" in the Library's Special
Collections. The "Niagara Peninsula Collection" contains approximately 2500
items relating to all aspects of the Niagara Peninsula (Lincoln, Welland and
Haldimand Counties, portions of neighbouring Wentworth County, the Niagara River and Falls, the American side of the Niagara River, the Great Lakes).
The Collection is particularly strong in histories of local communities, churches,
institutions, etc., in military history (War of 1812), etc.
This collection is complemented by the general library collection of reference,
government publications, books and periodicals totalling 400,000 volumes.
Some other specific useful sources:
Niagara Historical Society. Publications, 44 vols.
United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada. Annual Transactions, 8
vols.
Grimsby Historical Society. Annals of the Forty, 10 vols.
The Head-of-the-Lake
Historical Society. Wentworth Bygones, 12 vols.
Wentworth
Historical Society. Journal and Transactions/ Papers and
Records, 11 vols.
WeIland County Historical Society. Papers and Records, 5 vols.
Ontario Register, vols. 1-4 (1968 to date).
Families (and predecessor, Ontario Genealogical Society. Bulletin)
Ontario Historical Society. Papers and Records and Ontario History,
complete.
Great Lakes Historical Society. Inland Seas, v.l (1945) to date.
Su bscri be to journals of Historical Societies of States surrounding the Great
Lakes.
*Speciai Collections,
Brock University Library, Decew Campus,
L2S 3AI - Open: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Monday to Friday).
(416) 688-5550, Ext. 264.
St. Catharines,
Contact: John
Ontario,
Burtniak
239
Buffalo Historical Society. Publications, 35 vols.
Champlain Society. Publications, 50 vols., complete.
Marriage Notices of Ontario (W.D. Reid, 1980).
Death Notices of Ontario (W.D. Reid, 1980).
-The Loyalists in Ontario (W.D. Reid, 1973).
All Ontario County Atlases (in original or reprint), including Lincoln &
WeIland, Haldimand, Wentworth Counties.
City and County Directories of Niagara Peninsula, incl uding eight pre-1900
(1863-1895), and various provincial directories and gazetteers.
Fire insurance plans or atlases, for various communities in the Niagara
Peninsula.
New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, 1869-1910 (41 vols.,
microfiche).
Niagara Peninsula Newspapers, 1799-1890's. Newspapers from Niagara-onthe- Lake, St. Catharines, etc.
Ontario Archives Computerized Land Records Index (microfiche).
Public Archives of Canada, Census, 1842, 1851, 1861, 1871 (microfilm).
Printed Genealogies and Family Histories*
Samuel Beadle Family (W.J. Beadle, 1970)
Baumann/ Bowman Family of the Mohawk, Susquehanna & Niagara Rivers
(M.B. Penrose 1977)
Comfort Families of America (C.c. Botting, 1971)
Crysler and Chrysler History and Family Trees (H.C. Hilliker, 1974,
supplements)
-- The Genealogy of the DeCou Family (S.E. Def.ou, 1926)
Ancestors and Descendants of Richard Griffin, of Smithville, Ont. (J .A.
Griffin, 1924)
Hans and Mary Hansel and their Descendants in the United States and
Canada (C.c. Hansler, 1973)
The Macklems of Chip paw a (A.W. Roebuck, 1969)
The Ancestral Lines of Chester Everts Howell, 1867-1949 (J. Finch, 1965)
Imprints on the Sands of Time Left by Certain Kelly's, Lampman's, Craig's,
Ferguson's (H.R. Kelly, 1972)
A Search for "Polly" (K.L. Marsalis, 1971)
Genealogical and Historical Records of the Mills and Gage Families, 17761926 (S. Mills, 1926)
Pelliana (Pell of Pelham) (1943)
In Memoriam: Orson Phelps, Esq. (O.S. Phelps, 1870)
Genealogy of Thompson-Spafford;
Chase-Gordon;
Osborn-Gadsby;
Gadsby-Woodcock,
(J.H. Thompson, 1930)
Uncle Abram, a Very Singular Moote (E. Mawson, 1979)
Beamer Lore (N.J. Beamer, 1928)
- The Bessey Family, United Empire Loyalists (R.K. Bessey, 1978)
- My Ancestral Tree (A.M.B. Regher, 1980)
- Sources in Buckner-Boughner
Genealogy (W. Yaeger, O.B. Hanley, 1977)
"'Separately
University,
240
published/ printed/ photocopied/
St. Catharines, Ontario
books and pamphlets
in Special Collections,
Families, Vol. 20, No.4
Brock
(1981)
-
-
-
-
-
Mabinogi an Clem (T.H.B. Climo, 1975)
Andrew Cohoe and Descendants (K.W. Totten, 1971)
A Corwin-Silverthorn
Saga (1. H. Jenkinson, 1975)
Partial Record of the Crumb Family (G.A. Nunamaker, 1979)
History of that Branch of the Crysler Family Who Settled in the Township of
Niagara (1. M. Crysler, 1936)
Dell Family of New Jersey & Upper Canada (G.A. Nunamaker, 1979)
About our Ancestors, Greens (F.M. Smith, 1919)
Climbing the Green Tree and Some Other Branches (W. Kirkconnell, 1976)
The Harvies (F.W. Harvie, 1977)
William Hatch of Bay ham Township, Ontario, with Notes on Related Families: Bowes, Brown, Culp, Dean, High, Johnson, Merritt, Montross, Speice
and Travis (D.G. Lane, 1972)
The Genealogy of John Haw, 1821-1916 (P.L. Climo, 1962)
Descendants of Robert Huntsman, Niagara Pioneer (C.M. Huntsman, 1964)
Descendants of Robert Huntsman, Niagara Pioneer (S.M. Huntsman, 1933)
Jackson Kith & Kin, 1776-1974 (A.J. Bromley, 1974)
Hexes and Heather (G.R.J. Stoner, 1975)
The Johnson Family, 1833-1978 (D.E. Johnson, 1978)
Misener Family History (1973)
The History and Family of Cornelius Moore of Hunterdon County, New
Jersey (1920)
A Record of the Ancestors and Descendants of Isaac Moyer and Wife Esther
Weber (A.M. Buehler, 1970)
Our Canadian Nears and Early Kin (M.N. Frashuer, 1973)
A Collection of Records and Documents Pertaining to Private John Jacob
Nunamaker. U.E. (G.A. Nunamaker, 1979)
A History of the Families of Olmstead, Aikman, and Pillow (M. Burkholder,
1949)
Genealogy of Othniel Phelps, Esq. (O.S. Phelps)
Thomas Rice and His Descendants of the Family Headed by Thomas Rice,
Jr. and Abigail Deuvis (A.B. Rice, 1941)
Records of the Descendants of Samuel Roadhouse and Sarah Terrell (O.B.
Briggs, 1953)
Family Record of William Henry Sauer and Mary Schaup Sauer (Y.M.
Marble, 1973)
The Servos Family (W. Kirby, 1891)
The Descendants of Revolutionary Soldier John Singer (J.E. Singer, 1978)
To My Great Great Grandparents George and Eliza G. Slough of Fenwick,
Ont. (E. W. Thomas, 1945)
Silas Smith, U.E.L. and His Descendants (R.J. Powell, 1960)
Joseph Smith, U.E.L., 1762-1835 (G.M. Oakes, 1964)
Brock University Holdings in Genealogy and Family History
241
History and Genealogy of the William Somerville Family in Canada, 18351979 (H.L. Nolan, 1979)
The Records of the Van Every Family, 1653-1947 (M.B. Piersol, 1947)
A Brief History of the Wardell Family: 1734-1910 (G.P. Smith, 1910)
History of the Charles Taylor Ware Family (E.S. Turner, 1968)
Christian Warner, The Warner Church, The Warner Burying Ground (R.!.
Brown, M.W. Brown, 1979)
Incomplete Records of Four Wedge Families of Wentworth County, Ont.
(G.A. Nunamaker, 1979)
Descendants of John Wismer and His Wife Agnes Honsberger of Lincoln
County (O.M. Smith, 1974)
A Woodruff Genealogy (N.C. Woodruff, 1959)
Niagara Peninsula
Newspapers*
Niagara-on-the- Lake
Canadian Constellation, 1794-1800
Echo of Niagara, 1884
Argus, 1844-46
Chronicle, 1838-54
Fountain, 1847
Gleaner, 1818-37
Herald, 1801-86
Mail, 1843-70
News, 1871
Reporter, 1833-42
Spectator, 1816-20
Telegraph, 1836
Spirit of the Times, 1830
Times, 1895-98
Upper Canada Guardian, 1808-10
* Available
on microfilm
in Brock University
St. Catharines
Constitutional,
1852-71
Journal, 1835-61
Merchants Herald, 1871
News, 1872-73
Times, 1872-75
Welland Advocate & Review, 1852
British American Journal, 1834-35
Farmers Journal, 1826-33
Standard, 1896 to date
Other
Grand River Sachem (Caledonia),
1866-68
Library,
St. Catharines,
Ontario
Plan Now To Attend
Seminar··'82
The 21st Annual O.G.S. Conference on Family and Local History
MAY 14, 15, 16, 1982
University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario
Featuring
Scottish Settlement
& Resources of the Area
For further information, write The Ontario Genealogical
Box 66, Station Q, Toronto, Ontario, M4T 2L7
242
Society,
Families, Vol. 20, No.4 (1981)
Brock University Holdings in Genealogy and Family History
243
The Scottish Connection:
Genealogy in the Scottish Collection
at the University of Guelph Library
By Nancy Sadek, B.L.S. and John A. Moldenhauer,
University of Guelph Library
M.L.S.
When the new Library at the University of Guelph was opened in 1968 it was
named in honour of R. S. McLaughlin, a maj or benefactor of the University in
general and the Library in particular. It was not imagined at that time that this
proud Scottish surname would be particularly appropriate for the Library of the
University of Guelph. However, only ten years down the road Dr. Stanford Reid
was able to describe McLaughlin Library as having "the finest collection of
Scottish research materials on this continent."
N ow Professor Emeritus, Dr. Reid was the first chairman of the University's
Department of History and devoted much of his boundless energy towards the
creation of a unique graduate program in Scottish Studies and the building up of
the research collection. It is part of the collections policy of the Library to
attempt to acquire all important Scottish historical materials as they become
available in the market. In addition, Collections Librarian John A. Moldenhauer has made two trips to Great Britain in search of more Scottish treasures,
often found tucked away on the dusty back shelves of some out-of-the-way
antiquarian dealers.
Initially the collection was designed to complement the Scottish Studies
program with its emphasis on historical and sociological research. There was no
conscious attempt to obtain genealogical literature as such. Indeed it could be
said that the Library was somewhat wary of emphasizing this aspect of the
collection, possibly envisaging hordes of ancestor-seekers
descending upon
hapless librarians ill qualified in background or time available to deal with such
requests. However, it soon became apparent that the student of genealogy is
frequently led into historical by-paths and finds himself in need of consulting
reference works valuable to the historian as well as himself. As HamiltonEdwards remarks in the introduction to his invaluable source book In Search of
Scottish Ancestry: "It is always advantageous for the genealogist to have some
knowledge of a country's history, especially her social and economic history.
This is particularly desirable in Scottish research."
One of the maj or tools for historians and genealogists alike is The Statistical
Account of Scotland by Sir John Sinclair known as the "Old Statistical
Account" as there are two later series. All three sets are held by McLaughlin
Library (the third series is still being issued) but it is the early Account that is the
most valuable as it includes descriptions of all the parishes in the Kingdom in
1790. Almost all accounts were written by the resident clergyman and vary
considerably in length and quality. Most give a physical description, comment
on the population, numbers of births, marriages and burials, economic conditions, wages, etc. For example, the Reverend Michael Tod, commenting on his
flock in the Parish of Dreghorn, County ofAyr, concludes they are "in general
sober, attentive, and industrious. There are at present 3 ale-houses in the village,
Opposite - McLaughlin Library, University oj Guelph.
245
and one in another part of the Parish; but the business they have is very
inconsiderable, the principal part of it arising from travellers."
Another rich source of genealogical information is the various Society publications. The Library has a good proportion of these including the Scottish
Record Society, the Bannatyne Club, the Maitland Club, the Spalding Club of
Aberdeen, the Society of Antiquaries and the Book of the Old Edinburgh Club
to name but a few. There is also one of the few complete sets in North America of
all the publications of the Scottish History Society. Reference to the 1909
Catalogue of the Publications of Scottish Historical and Kindred Clubs and
Societies by Charles Sanford Terry and its continuation by Cyril Matheson will
aid in selection of titles useful for genealogical research. Besides a chronological
listing of publications under each Society there is a subject index which pulls
together volumes relating to "Genealogy and family history."
There is a growing collection of family and clan monographs in the Library
including a rare set of the works of Sir William Fraser. These lavishly produced
works abound with illustrations of family portraits, seals and facsimiles of old
documents. It should be kept in mind that these sumptuous volumes were
published at the behest of surviving family members and tend, thus, to be
laudatory more often than critical. Nevertheless, they are a rich source of
genealogical information.
Recent rare family histories acquired during last
summer's book buying trip, include Account of the families of Birnie and
Hamilton of Broomhill, Or and Sable: a book of the Graemes and Grahams, The
Genealogy of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Drummond, The Buchanan
Book and A Family Memoir of the Macdonalds of Keppoch.
Government documents are frequently a source which the genealogist must
tap in his search for information. The vast collection of government publications
at McLaughlin Library contain much material appropriate for those in search of
Scottish ancestry. A set of the twelve large volumes of the Acts of Parliament of
Scotland up to the Union of 1707 is held by the Library. These indexed volumes
were reprinted in 1844 and include many private acts referring to individuals or
their property. An immense work entitled the Irish University Press 1000volume Series of British Parliamentary Papers is another well indexed source of
government publications of the nineteenth century. Initially grouped in broad
subject areas such as Agriculture, Colonies, Education, Industrial relations, etc.
the Population series includes census reports. For example, the 1871 Census of
Scotland gives information on counties and parishes showing the acreage, the
number of families, of houses inhabited, total population and of each sex,
number of children from 5 to 13 years of age and even the number of rooms with
windows.
Those of noble lineage would do well to begin by making use of the Library's 9
volume set of The Scots Peerage and for sons of the manse the Library has some
volumes of the Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae which details the families of the
Church of Scotland from 1560 to 1929. Considerable holdings of the Scottish
Record Society include invaluable indexes to registers such as The Register of
Marriages for the Parish of Edinburgh, 1701-1750 and 1751-1800, The Register
of Edinburgh Apprentices, 1666-1700 and 1701-1755, and several other parish
registers, commissariot registers of wills and the Index to Register of Deeds.
Land registration is found in the indexes to the sasines registers and the notaries'
protocol books many of which are to be found in McLaughlin Library.
246
Families, Vol. 20, No.4 (1981)
For those in search of out-of-the way place names the 6 volume Ordnance
Gazeteer of Scotland is excellent in including many names not listed in modern
gazeteers and frequently giving lengthy articles with detailed descriptions of past
history and late nineteenth century conditions. The Scottish map collection
includes a tartan map and one showing ancient territories of Scottish clans and
notable families with arms of their chiefs or heads. There are also some facsimile
reprints of seventeenth century maps of various regions.
Not to be overlooked are the runs of several Scottish newspapers and periodicals which have been assembled over the years. Among the newspapers there is a
rare file of the Glasgow Argus (1833-47) and the Library has the longest run in
existence (from 1774 to 1814) of the Edinburgh Advertiser, in its day Scotland's
most influential newspaper. Of particular interest to genealogists would be the
Library's valuable set of the Scots Magazine (1739-1826) as it contains many
notices of birth, marriage and death.
Finally must be mentioned the Archival Collections, a treasure trove indeed
should one's roots chance to overlap with any of this specialized material. The
Scottish manuscripts include papers of the Campbells of Monzie which contain
the oldest item in the Collections. This is a letter, dated December 11, 1416, by
Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, appointing David Menzies, an ancestor of the
Campbells of Monzie, as tutor testamentary to his heirs.
The largest manuscript collection is the Ewen-Grahame papers, 1723-1892
which include letters, legal and business papers of John Ewen (1741-1821), a
merchant of Aberdeen, his daughter Elizabeth who married James Grahame, his
grandson Baron Grahame and other member of the Grahame family. The bulk
of the collection has been indexed in the finding aid by correspondent
so if
Ewens & Grahames are not of interest it might still be possible to trace an
Aberdonian ancestor as one of Ewen's associates.
The Urquhart-Campbell-Sutherland
papers, 1770-1859, would also be of
interest to sons of the manse as they detail the lives of three generations of
Scottish ministers related by marriage. Rev. Alexander Urquart and his son-inlaw the Rev. James Campbell both served in Sutherland shire while the Rev.
Murdoch Sutherland, Campbell's son-in-law, went with the Free Church to the
Maritimes.
These are some of the genealogical sources to be found in McLaughlin
Library. Certainly it is worth while for the serious genealogist with Scottish
blood in his veins to make the trip to Guelph.
Should you find yourselves on our doorstep it might be useful to arrive armed
with some idea of how to go about locating your material.
The McLaughlin Library is basically a subject divisional library. This means
that each floor is assigned a broad subject area, (e.g. sciences, humanities etc.)
where the materials are housed in open stacks. Much of the information of
interest to genealogical researchers will be found in the Humanities and Social
Science Division located on the third, fourth and fifth floors of the library. The
Library of Congress classification system is used. In addition to the open stacks
on the subject floors, or Divisions as they are called, there are other areas of the
library which hold materials on any subject which are so placed because of their
format, their publisher or other reasons. I will deal with each of these areas,
describing the kind of materials held which may prove useful to the researcher
involved in genealogical research.
Genealogy in the Scottish Collection, Guelph University
ƒ7
The open stacks are located on floors two through five and house the bulk of
the library's holdings. Current monographs and those dating back to about 1870
will be found on the open stacks as well as current periodicals and, in most cases,
back runs of journals. If earlier issues of journal titles are held in microform,
these will also be in the open stacks adjacent to the current issues of the same title
if these exist.
Most of the general monographs dealing with Scottish history as well as
similar periodicals are in the open stacks of the Social Sciences Section. There is
a surprising number of earlier books (ca 1890-1910) on these open stacks dealing
with such related areas as Scottish music, tartans, family history, and Scottish
travel accounts.
Obviously, all these books are not Scottish history per se but are nonetheless
valuable sources for historical research. Many practical books published around
the turn of the century were exceptionally well illustrated, a fact which should
not be overlooked by the historian. Others carried a section of advertisements at
the rear of the book which, although difficult to access in any organized manner,
may contain information not published elsewhere.
Each subject division has a specialized reference collection containing periodical indexes, abstracts, dictionaries, directories and other subject related reference materials. The diligent researcher should not overlook these reference
collections for here are to be found basic tools such as the Dictionary of National
Biography.
Adjacent to the open stacks on the third floor the Library has a collection of
over 50,000 maps. Topographical,
political and numerous special maps are
included, many of which will be useful for historical study. The Library's
holdings of atlases and gazetteers are located adjacent to the map cabinets on the
third floor. There are a number of specialized atlases which provide historical
data. Economics atlases may contain substantial information
on historical
subjects and still other specialized atlases will furnish demographic information
on such topics as settlement patterns for rural areas.
The map collection itself has reasonable world coverage with particular
emphasis on Canadian maps. Holdings are complete for the National Topographical Series maps. There is also good strength in provincial series maps,
particularly those prod uced by the province of Ontario. In addition to the maps,
atlases and gazetters, there are special light tables available for tracing and other
special equipment for using maps.
The restricted collection is a sort of "limbo" between the open stacks and the
rare book collection. The materials located in the restricted area are there
because of their format, value, size or for other reasons. In other words, subject
is not a determining factor for an item being placed in the restricted collection.
Portfolios, oversize books and very expensive items which do not meet the
criteria for location in the rare book room are found in the restricted area.
Certain multi-media "learning kits" are also found in restricted. All items in the
restricted collection are catalogued and can be accessed via the card catalogue or
the on-line system. Some items housed in the restricted area do not normally
circulate and must be consulted in the users' area which comprises part of the
Macdonald Stewart Room found in the basement of the library.
The Documentation
and Media Resource Centre or Doc. Centre is located in
248
Families, Vol. 20, No.4
(1981)
the basement of the library. It is a very large collection of rather diverse material,
much of which will be of interest to those studying Scottish history or genealogy.
Essentially all government publications are found in the Doc. Centre stacks.
Such documents may be published at the federal, provincial or municipal level.
Special reports, Royal Commission reports, and departmental or ministry publications are included in the collection.
Many other publications not so directly related to government are also to be
found in the Doc. Centre. Annual reports of private companies and public
institutions are included as are many research reports which have been funded
indirectly by government. Most United Nations publications and U.N. sponsored documents are also part of the Doc. Centre holdings.
McLaughlin Library's newspaper collection consists of approximately
125
newspaper titles including both currently received and defunct papers. Newspapers are an important source of information for most aspects of historical
research. Our newspaper collection is strongest in Canadian titles, but some
major American and British papers are also represented.
As well as large internationally known dailies, there are a number of smaller
local weekly papers from various areas of Ontario which often provide an
interesting contrast as well as local coverage. Included among these are such
items as the Perth Courier (1834-1873), the Canadian Freeman (Chatham,
1825-34, 1862-1873), and Ottawa Valley Journal (1900-1917, continued as
Ottawa Farm Journal, 1918-1946). All newspapers, now housed in the Documentation and Media Resources Centre, are to be relocated on the first floor of
the Library.
As well as government documents the Documentation
Centre is the home of
the Library's film collection. There are about one thousand, five hundred 16
mm. films in the collection. These range from black and white silent to colour
sound. For several years, the University Library has been a deposit centre for
National Film Board archival films and over one half of our film collection is
early N.F.B. material. Some of these films are unique, and the interest and
potential for historical studies is obvious.
Many researchers seem to forget the Documentation
and Media Resource
Centre in their search for source materials. Others appear terrified because they
don't understand the method of arranging the documents on the shelves, even
though the system used is much simpler and more logical than the Library of
Congress classification. The Doc. Centre has over three hundred and fifty
thousand documents. It has full deposit status for Canadian federal documents
and Ontario provincial documents. It has also received full deposit status for the
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (F.A.O.) publications.
The Rare Book Collection is not particularly large, being composed of about
12,000 volumes. Nevertheless, it is especially strong in Scottish books and many
may discover unexpected treasures in the rare book collection. Books are placed
in the Rare Book room because of their age, scarcity or value and not because of
their subject matter. Most preconfederation Canadian imprints are located here.
A series of "cut-off' dates has been established to help identify those titles which
should be located in the rare book room. These dates will vary with the place of
the imprint itself.
Many family histories, Scottish or otherwise, were privately published in
Genealogy
in the Scottish
Collection,
Guelph University
249
limited editions. Because of the rarity resulting from such publishing practices
many of these titles are located in the Rare Book Collection regardless of imprint
date.
All books in the Rare Book Collection are represented by cards in the card
catalogue. Rare books do not circulate and must be used in a controlled use area.
A number of other restrictions apply to their use and you would be advised to
make prior arrangements
before coming to Guelph to use the Rare Book
Collection.
The archival area is one of the newer developments of the library's overall
collection. The Archival Collections consist essentially of two basic sections.
The first is university records. These are the official materials and correspondence which document the history, activity and growth of the University of
Guelph and its founding colleges. The second section is the manuscript collections. These are collections of private (i.e. non university) manuscript material
which relate to the teaching and research goals of the university.
Of particular interest to those involved in Scottish genealogy are the collections of Scottish manuscripts already mentioned and the Regional history
collections.
Author, title and call number access to books, audio-visual materials and
circulating government publications is available using the public enquiry terminals found throughout the Library. For subject access to books and audio-visual
materials, it is necessary to refer to the card catalogue on the first floor of the
Library.
The card catalogue is an alphabetically arranged card file, which constitutes
the primary index to the Library collection of books, films, audio- and videotapes, and some microform material. It should be noted that the subject catalogue is a separate file from the author-title catalogue. The card catalogue in the
McLaughlin Library indexes both its own collection, and that held in the
Veterinary Science Section, Main Building, O.V.c. The card catalogue in the
Veterinary Science Section indexes only the collection held in that Section.
Some materials are not listed in the CARD CATALOGUE,
but in other catalogues located nearby, for example:
1) Government publications, technical, research, and annual reports, and University of Guelph Theses are listed in the microfiche Documentation
Centre
catalogues located throughout the library.
2) Periodical holdings are recorded in the Serials List, also on microfiche.
3) Some indexes to Microform Collections. Ask at the Information Desk.
4) The computer-produced
Map Catalogues on microfiche give access to the
library's Map Collection.
The Serials Lists are listings of periodicals (journals and magazines), newspapers, and some reports and series held by the University of Guelph Library.
Two lists must be consulted for total serial access - the list of catalogued serials
and the list of serials in the Documentation
Centre collections.
Access to the serials collections is provided by two sets of microfiche. These
are located in green-edged-taped
holders on metal stands beside the microfiche
readers in the reference area in each division of the McLaughlin Library, and in
the Veterinary Science Section of the Science Division, main building, O.V.c.
The Library's search services have been expanded to cover many more subject
250
Families, Vol. 20, No.4 (1981)
areas than were previously available. The Library now has access to over 150
computerized data-bases. These contain citations to journal literature in the
sciences, the social sciences, and now even some areas of the humanities. A
computerized literature search makes it possible for you to use a computer to
look up and list references (or citations) to journal articles. Previously, this
information was available only through printed indexes and abstracts which had
to be searched by hand. The computerized literature search service is available at
cost to anyone who wishes to use it.
The University Library is open to the public, and special borrower's privileges
can be arranged. The hours of service vary considerably with the time of year,
and access to some areas of the collection such as Rare Books, Archival Collections and the restricted collection is normally available only during office hours
on weekdays. A wide range of services is available including automated literature searches. A telephone call or a letter beforehand would be appreciated and
might avoid disappointment.
HISTORY OF THE
HIGHLAND CLEARANCES
Alexander Mackenzie
560pp, Paper, ISBN 0950588474.
$12.50
Introduced by John Prebble. Many of the
books which have appeared
subsequently dealing with the
Clearances have obtained much of their
background material from this classic.
Letters and eye-witness accounts give in
graphic and often distressing detail the
terrible experiences crofters underwent
in the name of progress. It is a period of
our history no Scot should ignore,
particularly as the repercussions remain
clearly evident to this day.
THE MELVEN PRESS
In Stock for Immediate
Shipment
Order From:
Canadian Heritage Publications
P.O. Box 3794, Station C
Ottawa, Canada KIY 4J8
MACKIE'S SHORT
HISTORY OF SCOTLAND
320 pp 29 pp of plates. Revised and ed.
by Professor Gordon Donaldson.
ISBN 090182454,2,
Paper, $10.50
A re-issue of one of the best known and
most accurate short histories of Scotland.
THE MERCAT
252
PRESS
Please include 75~ per book to cover
postage and handling. Prepayment
required,
institutions
included,
on
orders under $15.00.
Families,
Vol. 20, No.4
(1981)
Paleography
-
English Handwriting
By David H. Pratt
I. Introduction - Basically, the story of handwriting concerns man's search
for a speedier way of writing, thus we have evolved various forms of
printing and cursive scripts. One should be able to read English scripts
back to 1700 without too much difficulty.
II. Two basic hands - Before that time, it is necessary to master the different
ways of forming some of the letters in the (1) Court hand, the everyday way
of writing from approximately
1200-1500 and used as the formal or legal
hand up to 1600; and (2) Secretary hand, used as early as 1350, the
common hand between 1500-1700, and a formal style used as late as 1750.
III. Practice - Form the equivalents for the following letters for the secretary
hand.
F -
rr
9 -
h p r -
s -
u or
71
V--7\6~~-7\6~~---------------------------------------
w -
x y -
253
IV.
Further problems - Reading will also be complicated by the author's
personal style, writing surface, and type of pen and ink available. English
was a phonetic language before the late 18th century. Be alert for a lack of
punctuation,
what you would consider correct spellings, and abbreviations. It would be better to read the documents and listen for the sound of
words rather than looking for familiar usages in spelling. Latin may also
be used before 1733, and particularly before 1500 in all formal documents.
~~~~~r::;:"'~
"~,q",.,~~:,f',;'"",,,:~:>,~,
(
254
Families, Vol. 20, No.4
(1981)
Paleography
-
English Handwriting
255
.,
~
i
j
1 I
256
Families, Vol. 20, No.4
(1981)
The Norfolk Historical Society Archives
By William Yeager, B.A. Curator
Eva Brook Donly Museum, 109 Norfolk St. S., Simcoe, Ontario N3Y 2W3
Museums and archives in the older pioneer settlements of Ontario have a
special responsibility to preserve and to promote their history and their relics,
not only for their own citizenry but also for outside historians and genealogists
as well. Descendants of the pioneers of old Norfolk County often moved on to
help populate inland and western regions of Canada and the United States, and
present-day family history searchers are understandably
eager to seek out any
and all surviving records that a local historical archives can unearth.
Established as a county in 1792, Norfolk soon afterwards welcomed the first
trickle of settlers from such regions as the Niagara Peninsula, New Brunswick,
the United States, the British Isles and even from continental Europe. Genealogists expect to find Norfolk County records listed under a variety of geographic
and administrative place names, for until 1850 county divisions served mainly
for purposes of parliamentary
and militia organization.
Local government
functions were principally handled by the larger District governments - in this
case, the London District, 1800-1837, and the Talbot District, 1837-1850. From
1850 onward, Norfolk County was the senior division of local government, with
the secondary level of municipal governments at the township and town level.
The traditional structure of local government changed once again in 1974 with
the creation of the Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk,
in which two
counties merged together and most town and township governments disappeared into larger units. Researchers frequently see the region referred to early in
the 19th century as "the Long Point Settlement", from the distinctive long spit of
sandy land that juts far out into Lake Erie.
Several positive steps towards the preservation and fostering of local history
occurred near the turn of the 20th century. One of the most significant was the
appearance ofE.A. Owen's Pioneer Sketches of Long Point Settlement' in 1898,
a thick volume of almost 600 pages of local history, oral tradition and hundreds
of pioneer genealogies. Soon after, another volume, L.H. Tasker's The United
Empire Loyalist Settlement at Long Point, Lake Erie>, covered much of the
same ground in somewhat lesser detail. After an informal attempt at a beginning
in 1897, the Norfolk Historical Society was founded in 1900 to present programmes in local history, record and mark historical sites and collect historical
documents. Almost from the beginning the foundation of an archives collection
was laid through the donation of the large group of Walsh-Welch Papers to the
Society by the heirs of a family of prominent early registrars and surveyors.
These documents, along with many other similar groups of papers and records
added in years to follow, created one of Ontario's best small collections of
fascinating historical documents of every sort: legal papers, survey books,
'Owen, Egbert A., Pioneer Sketches of Long Point Settlement,
Toronto,
Wm. Briggs, 1898.
Facsimile reprint, Mika Publishing Co., Belleville, 1972
-Tasker, L.H., "The United Empire Loyalist Settlement at Long Point, Lake Erie", Ontario
Historical Society Papers & Records, vol. II, 1900.
257
diaries, letters, wills, marriage records, newspapers, and a great variety of other
public and personal papers that are characterized by much greater variety and
personality than the historical records one finds in many another cache of old
documents.
As pioneer and Victorian relics began to accumulate later on, a temporary
museum was established in part of the Simcoe Public Library, soon followed by
the bequest of the historic 1840's Georgian-style Mulkins home for a permanent
museum building by local artist, Mrs. Eva Brook Donly, in 1941. An extension
was added in 1967, with the incorporation of a vault and a reading room for the
Society'S archival collections. Today, the Eva Brook Donly Museum in Simcoe
is eagerly awaiting a planned expansion in 1982 that will add additional modern
galleries in back to double the present floor space of the Museum, including
larger space, safer climatic controls and more comfortable research facilities for
the Norfolk Historical Society Archives there.
Genealogists find the Society'S Archives particularly useful and comprehensive because of the tens of thousands of extensively catalogued and indexed
records that speed research immeasurably.
After several decades of reliance
upon the dedicated cataloguing efforts of volunteer Curators and an Archives
Committee, government-sponsored
work programmes of the early 1970's and
full-time professional Museum staffing allowed the process of archives expansion to considerably accelerate. Tens of thousands of documents were sorted and
catalogued, all 100 or so local cemeteries were transcribed, and thousands of
hidden records were searched out and indexed for instant accessibility. A steady
programme of publishing added hundreds of pages of genealogical and historical data each year to the growing body of organized, indexed Norfolk County
resources. Volunteer assistance in indexing local histories, newspapers and
marriages has continued, and generous donations from dozens of members and
local businesses has helped fund the various programmes to expand the Museum's activities and the Archives' collections.
Major progress has been made in indexing thousands of documents, some 100
local cemeteries, newspapers ca. 1840-1900, wills, scrapbook collections, the
1851 census, 350 historical-theme paintings by former Curator W.E. Cantelon,
and dozens of other smaller resources. Many other categories of material such as
business directories, voters' lists and vital statistics have been organized for
ready accessibility and efficiency. A master card index provides quick information on hundreds of local surnames, with the references ranging from published
genealogies to photocopied family bible pages to surname charts submitted by
visiting researchers. Researchers are advised that the best means of contacting
other genealogists across the continent is by sending in one or more pages of
genealogical data for a surname, with the researcher's name and address added
to the material.
Particular efforts have been made to expand the N.H.S. Archives collections
by energetically seeking out hidden and under-used local resources both in the
N. H. S. Archives files themselves and also in the collections of a variety of local
and distant libraries, archives, churches and government agencies. Rare early
19th century assessments, militia rolls and voters' lists were extracted from
relatively unrecognized files in the Museum in Simcoe, while exceptionally
useful district marriage registers, district will books, early newspapers, court
258
Families, Vol. 20, No.4
(1981)
records, land abstracts and many other major categories of local records were
acquired through purchase of microfilms from national and provincial archives,
government agencies, church archives, university libraries and neighbouring
historical societies. In other instances, family bibles and business directories in
local private hands were photocopied for the N.H.S. Archives.
One of the largest of such undertakings was the huge effort to transcribe,
index and publish most of the surviving Norfolk County marriage records of the
1795-1870 era from dozens of major and minor sources scattered across
Southwestern Ontario. In addition to the better known microfilmed reels of
district and county marriage registers, the book drew upon newspaper vital
statistics, church and ministers' records, miscellaneous records, and even several
hundreds of hidden Norfolk marriages entered in the registers and newspapers
of the counties surrounding Norfolk, for a total approaching 8,000 marriages.
Earlier, a similar effort had compiled over 200 pages of hidden and obscure
newspaper records (vital statistics, news items, & advertisements) from widely
scattered local, out-of-town
and church newspapers for the period ca.
1800-1860.
A published finding aid entitled Searching for your Ancestors in Norfolk
County has been periodically revised to provide researchers with very detailed
descriptions and suggestions for research in the N.H.S. Archives. Other finding
aids give excellent descriptions of other parts of the genealogical collections.
Over two dozen large and small booklets of genealogical resources such as
marriages, wills, newspapers, census records and much more have been published, and a current price list from the Eva Brook Donly Museum, 109 Norfolk
St. S., Simcoe, Ontario, N3Y 2W3, will prove helpful to many searchers.
Museum staff has been very smallgenerally only one full-time Curator plus a
very limited amount of part-time assistance - and assistance to correspondents
is generally impossible because of the hectic schedule of Museum supervision,
cataloguing, school tours, meetings and many other demands.
A popular innovation of recent years has been the expansion of the N.H.S.
Archives' genealogical collections to include modest but highly useful sections
on early Ontario, Canadian and American genealogy. Emphasis here is placed
upon those areas-where large numbers of pioneering Norfolk settlers came from
as well as the neighbouring counties of Ontario where Norfolk families moved
on to help populate.
Early records of all kinds have been sought through books, microfilms and
photocopied material for the neighbouring counties of Southwestern Ontario
where so many links with Norfolk families existed. In addition, there has been a
concerted effort to assemble classic references for the whole province of Ontario,
such as the 1851 census, reprints of the county atlases, local history books with
strong genealogical content, microfilmed marriage registers and various other
genealogical records. Resources for New Brunswick and the Maritimes are also
growing slowly. The small but discriminating B.T. Holmes American Collection
emphasizes the old Thirteen Colonies north of Maryland, with dozens of classic
volumes for marriages, land records, wills, passenger lists, church records,
newspaper transcripts and county histories for pre-1800 America. New Jersey,
Pennsylvania and New York are the strongest areas here, reflecting the most
common sites of origin of Norfolk pioneers.
The Norfolk Historical Society Archives
259
The N.H.S. Archives welcomes offers of single donations and larger genealogicallibrary accumulations from authors, publishers and researchers faced with
lack of space - providing books and journals related to our stated collecting
policies. Perhaps a future goal might be to try to establish the start of a library of
genealogical resources for the British Isles as well! The Norfolk Historical
Society is also able to provide charitable income tax receipts for financial
contributions
made to build upon this momentum to create an important
genealogical library in Southwestern Ontario.
Museum staff have continuously experimented with a variety of programmes
to further improve and expand the N.H.S. Archives' role in the community
besides simple expansion of the collections. In recent years the monthly
Museum-Society newsletter has added a special supplement, "The Long Point
Genealogist," which focusses upon archives news, queries and genealogical
information. A Genealogical Committee of the Society has branched out to
stage its own monthly meetings as well. The active publishing programme was
initially lauched by the appearance of detailed family history booklets (0f75 to
325 pages) for several of the largest of the old pioneer families, with special
family reunion days staged to bring together distant descendants and local
relatives. Several hundred pages of published (mimeographed) records for local
Norfolk genealogy are printed each year, adding huge amounts of typed and
indexed reference sources to the ever growing body of local historical lore. One
of the most popular innovations has been the annual Long Point Genealogy Fair
that brings several hundred local and far-off genealogists in to the Museum for a
hectic but enjoyably informal fall Saturday of displays, lectures and sales booths
from an excellent range of genealogical societies, museums, publishers and
archives.
Even readers without roots in "Glorious Old Norfolk" are invited to stop by
the Eva Brook Donly Museum in Simcoe to enjoy the hundreds of pioneer relics,
Indian artifacts, Victorian antiques and Canadian nature exhibits on view. Here
one can see Dr. John Troyer's "witchtrap", the "Heroine of Long Point's" gold
medal, and a lovely set of blue and white Chinese export porcelain among
dozens of exhibits small and large. The Museum and Archives are open yearround Wednesday to Sunday afternoons, 1:00-5:00 P.M., with extended weekday hours during the June to September summer season (write for details).
Whistling Swan
, "::_:~:'-:"~~
Many collections of unusual stuffed
~ ,~ 'i,6~'C; , \ :.:,,~\
bi:ds ~ave bee.n donated to the N orfolk
{f~\;
Historical SOCIety over the yea~s. Now
",'(f,ljl(
protected from hunters by law IS
~..------~ - ""',("~
this example of a beautiful
V ~/_::;:
It f
whistling swan.
/;:.;:"~. - .
fa \~'."
""""'~
.~l"~,'
ii,~~m,
"
More than any other
bird, this one symbolizes the fauna of Long
Point. That amazing peninsula is a major resting place
for thousands
of wildfowl
each year, and the annual March
migration brings flocks of white
swans for a week's stopover.
260
Families, 1701.20,No.4 (1981)