Ainsworth, J.C., b.1882
J.C. Ainsworth fonds. - 1877-1892.
1.5 cm of textual records.

J.C. Ainsworth was born in Springboro, Ohio. He came to Victoria, B.C. as a miner and became an investor and businessman. Ainsworth Hot Springs was named for him.

The fonds consists of a typed transcript of Ainsworth's autobiography written between 1877 and 1892.

Alcuin Society
Alcuin Society fonds. - 1965-1979.
5.07 m of textual records and other material.

The Alcuin Society was established by Vancouver bookmen as a limited editions book venture to interest book collectors and increase appreciation of fine books. The books were primarily to contain Canadiana, while the actual production of the books would employ local craftsmen. Other objectives of the Society included the promotion of cultural activities, publishing and the encouragement of book construction skills.

The fonds consists of financial records (1965-1979), annual reports (1966-1967) and minutes of meetings (1965-1977).

Inventory [PDF] available.

Alexander, Ben
Ben Alexander fonds. - 1931-1970.
6 cm of textual records.

Ben Alexander was probably band leader of the Nesconlith Indian Reserve, Shuswap, B.C.

The fonds consists of correspondence and legal documentation sent between Ben Alexander and the office of Indian Agent, later the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. The fonds reflects official business such as land claims, financial transactions, and grievances and also deals with Alexander's personal business with the tribe.

Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists
Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists fonds. - 1949-1985.
4.5 m of textual records.

In the 1940s the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada chartered groups of writers and performers in Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver called the Association of Canadian Radio Artists. Local 24498 of the Association was located in Vancouver. In 1963 the organization's name was changed to the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists (A.C.T.R.A.). All records were centralized, and a national office was established in Toronto. The B.C. Branch of A.C.T.R.A. was founded in 1963. The organization assumed its present name in 1983.

The fonds consists of minutes (1949-1983), subject files (1952-1984), agreements (1960-1985), constitutions and by laws (1963-1985), membership cards and applications (1963-1984). Also included are records of the Writers' Guild (B.C. Branch) which consist of correspondence (1977-1985), minutes of the B.C. Branch (1980-1984), minutes of the A.C.T.R.A. Writers' Guild national meetings (1977-1985), papers and reports (1979/80) and a Writers Directory (1981).

Inventory [PDF] available.

Alvey, A. Alexis. 1904 - 1996.
A. Alexis Alvey fonds. - 1940-1988.
4.3 m of textual records.
1,370 photographs.

A. Alexis Alvey was born in Seattle, Washington and later attended McMaster University in Hamilton (1932/33). She was employed as a special technician in charge of photography at the University of Toronto's School of Medicine. Alvey helped organize the business women's company of the Toronto Red Cross Transport Corps and commanded it for two years. She was chosen as one of the first class of the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service which began training in August 1942 in Ottawa. After a distinguished career with W.R.C.N.S., Alvey returned to her civilian position at the University of Toronto.

The fonds consists of scrapbooks, correspondence, logs, photographs and subject files relating to her career in particular, and to the activities of the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service in general. She created contemporary files on the stations and on women officers in the W.R.C.N.S. ("WRENS") and also gathered subsequent information about them, usually from reunions. Much of the war correspondence pertains to the life and activities of the WRENS. The fonds also includes the scrapbooks of Grace Brodie (a fellow WREN) and letters written to her.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union. Local 178
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union fonds. - 1898-1978; predominant 1960-1978.
26 cm of textual records.

Local 178 of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union received its original charter from the Journeymen Tailors' Union in 1876. In 1936 Local 178 became part of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers' Union and formed the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union.

The fonds consists of a framed charter for the Journeymen Tailors' Union of America, Local 178 (1898) and printed material relating to the Clothing and Textile Workers' Union from the 1960s and 1970s.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Amalgamated Transit Union. Division 101-134
Amalgamated Transit Union fonds. - 1898-1979.
17.9 m of textual records.

The Amalgamated Association of Street, Electrical Railway and Motor Coach Employees of America was established in 1893. Division 101 received its charter for related workers in the Vancouver area in 1899. In 1901 Division 134 was established in New Westminster and given its charter. Divisions 101 and 134 were amalgamated in 1968 and from this date, correspondence and other records have been maintained in the files of Division 101. The Independent Canadian Transit Union successfully raided this division of A.T.U. and currently represents city bus drivers in Vancouver and Victoria. The A.T.U continues to represent the Motor Coach drivers of Vancouver and Victoria.

The fonds includes minutes of regular meetings (1898-1976), executive committee minutes (1907-1974), membership and dues ledgers (1901-1966), records books [working conditions affecting members of Division 134] (1931-1947), and Sick Benefit Association (1913-1919, 1950-1954). The fonds also contains office subject files such as general correspondence (1908-1970), correspondence with B.C. Hydro and Power Authority (1962), meeting attendance records (1957-1961), political education committee records (1957-1961), and minute books, correspondence and attendance books relating to Pacific Stage Lines (1935-1979).

Inventory [PDF] available.

Anderson, Peter B., b. 1866
Peter Anderson fonds. - 1885-1958.
1 cm of textual records.
108 photographs.

Peter Anderson was born in Onsjo, Sweden. He emigrated to the United States in 1885, settling in Minnesota. After working as a farmer, he joined Weyerhaeuser Timber Company in Wisconsin as a logger. In 1888 Anderson moved to Tacoma, Washington where he became a partner in a small shingle mill. After the mill closed, Anderson went to the Klondike in 1897. While there he earned enough money to open a sawmill back in Washington State. He then moved north to British Columbia where, after contracting to log for Hastings Mill, he and his sons began a new company at Knox Bay and then Grassy Bay.

The fonds consists of photographs of early logging in British Columbia including the Knox Bay Camp (1890s-1929) and Anderson's reminiscences about his life.

Andrew family
Andrew family fonds. - 1952-1971.
1 cm of textual records.

Geoffrey Andrew was Dean and Deputy President of the University of British Columbia from 1947 until leaving to become Executive Director of the A.U.C.C. in Ottawa. Margaret Andrew was a graduate of economics, social work and librarianship. The Andrews were close friends of Ethel Wilson.

The fonds consists of letters from Ethel Wilson to Margaret and Geoffrey Andrew.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Angeli, Helen Rossetti, collector
Angeli-Dennis collection. - 1826-1964.
4 m of textual records.

Helen Rossetti Angeli and Imogene Dennis maintained a collection of records of the Rossetti family and of other noted artists. William Michael Rossetti (1829-1919) was a pre-Raphaelite writer and an art critic. Rossetti also edited the works of his brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882), and of his sister, Christina Rossetti (1830-1894). William Michael Rossetti also held duties as a civil servant with the Excise Branch of the British government.

The Angeli-Dennis collection contains the diaries (1855-1913), manuscripts, financial records and correspondence of William Michael Rossetti. Also included are the manuscripts, correspondence and financial records of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1842-1882), Christina Georgina Rossetti (1853-1894), Ford Madox Brown (1852-1993), Gabriele Rossetti and other members of the Rossetti family. In addition, the collection includes materials of Robert Browning, Thomas Landseer, William North, Algernon Swinburne and James Thomson.

Title based on the names of the collectors.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Anglo-British Columbia Packing Company
Anglo-British Columbia Packing Company fonds. - 1891-1968.
40 m of textual records.

Henry Ogle Bell-Irving founded the Anglo-British Columbia Packing Company in 1890. By 1891, the company had purchased seven Fraser River canneries and two on the Skeena River and it accounted for more than one quarter of British Columbia's total salmon pack. In 1901 Henry Bell-Irving and Company Ltd. was incorporated as Canadian agent for the A.B.C. Packing Company which had been registered in Britain. The company remained with the Bell-Irving family for three generations. The Company announced in 1969 that it would close out its British Columbia operations to concentrate on the east coast herring fishery.

The fonds consists of general ledgers, Payroll ledgers, invoices, vouchers, fish registers and financial statements generated by Anglo-British Columbia Packing Comapny and its affiliated canneries. In addition to records created at the company's head office, records also originated with the following canneries - Alert Bay Plant (1947-1968), Boswell Cannery (1924-1934), Caledonia Cannery (1928-1959), Good Hope Cannery (1895-1968), Knight Inlet Cannery (1924-1961), McTavish Cannery (1923-1939), North Pacific Cannery (1937-1958), Phoenix Cannery (1915-1967), and Seymour Cannery (1911-1913) - as well as Britannia Shipyards.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Apsey, T.M., collector
Mike Apsey research collection. - 1938-1998.
28.5 m of textual records.

T.M. (Mike) Apsey graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1961 with a degree in forestry. After holding various positions in the private sector, he became Deputy Minister of Forests for British Columbia in 1978. After six years, he became President and Chief Executive Officer for the Council of Forest Industries, 1984-1998. In 2002, Mike was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.

The research collection consists of reports, briefs, correspondence, printed material and other items relating to Canada-United States lumber trade issues with specific reference to softwood lumber export and tariffs.

Title based on the name of the collector.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Archaeological Society of British Columbia
Archaeological Society of British Columbia fonds. - 1966-1985.
93 cm of textual records.

The Archaeological Society of B.C. developed out of an archaeology course offered by the Extension Department at the University of British Columbia in 1966. The Society has offered regular lectures by authorities in archaeology, carried out field trips to places of interest to members and it arranges "digs" for members. The Society undertakes surveys and records sites, and also draws the attention of the proper authorities to cases where sites have been, or are about to be, destroyed through road construction, damming, subdivision development or by vandalism.

The fonds consists of minutes, membership lists, financial records, correspondence and printed material generated by the Archaeological Society of British Columbia between 1966 and 1985. The fonds also includes a run of the Society's newsletter The Midden and a scrapbook illustrating the activities of the organization from 1966 to 1972.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Archibald, Harry Patten, 1876-1972
Harry Archibald fonds. - 1910-1916.
13 cm of textual records.
1 photograph.

Harry Archibald was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He graduated from McGill University with a B.A.Sc. in electrical engineering in 1898. In 1904 Archibald and his colleague Henry A. Bayfield came west to Vancouver and established an engineering firm. Archibald continued with the company until 1972. He was an active member of the Vancouver Rowing Club and Y.M.C.A. and displayed a great interest in amateur athletics in general.

The fonds consists of records from the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada (1910-1916), the British Columbia Amateur Athletic Union (1911-1914), and the British Columbia Amateur Swimming Association (1913), together with programs for athletic events (1912-1915), clippings (1913-1915), and a photograph and printed material.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Archives Collective, collector
Archives Collective collection. - 1975-1985.
53 cm of textual records.

The Archives Collective serves as an umbrella organization for the collection of material relating to the gay community.

The collection is primarily composed of printed material and publications generated by various gay organizations in Vancouver with some references to Victoria.

Title based on the contents of the collection.

Arnason, Stefan, 1882-1956
Stefan Arnason fonds. - 1889-1956.
25 cm of textual records.

Stefan Arnason, son of Arni Jonatansson and Gudrun Jonsdottir, was born August 17, 1882 at Fagriskogur in Eyja Fjordur, Iceland. The eldest of 12 children, he was educated at the Gagnfraedaskoli at Mofurvollum in 1900. He immigrated to Canada in 1904 and spent time in Tantallon, Saskatchewan and Winnipeg, Manitoba, before homesteading in Pine Valley (Piney), Manitoba in 1908. He married Gudrun “Sigurbjorg” Einarsdottir (born 1889, Hallson, North Dakota) in 1911, who had settled in the Pine Valley area with her parents.

The Arnasons took over Sigurbjorg’s father’s farm at Piney and had 12 children. Amongst the first settlers in the area, they were active in the community, helping build the first high school and hall. Stefan Arnason was on the school board, and worked for the municipality. The Arnason family were forced to move to the Vancouver area during the depression due to lack of employment opportunities. They moved thirteen family members (the eldest daughter stayed in the Piney area for 2 more years) in a one and a half ton Dodge truck to Burnaby, in April-May 1937. Stefan Arnason passed away in 1956.

Fonds consists of personal documents created and kept by Stefan Arnason, mostly in the form of diaries which document his family’s life from 1936 until his death in 1956. Some earlier diary entries, from 1906-1912, document Arnason’s life before his marriage, in Winnipeg and Piney. Diary entries pay particular attention to employment, family occasions and important events, and the weather. Fonds also contains some loose correspondence and notes, and several notebooks which appear to have been used during Arnason’s school days (including one “Nokkur sönglög,” containing Icelandic songs).

Inventory [PDF] available.

Arsenal Pulp Press
Arsenal Pulp Press fonds. - 1967-2001.
30.55 m of textual records and other material

Established in 1971 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Scriveners’ Pulp Press Limited was one of several ventures in alternative arts and literature of the early 1970s. In addition to fiction, poetry and drama titles, Scriveners' issued a twice-monthly literary magazine, Three-Cent Pulp, from 1972 to 1978. In 1981 Scriveners' initiated a subscription library service, the Arsenal Collaborative Library, to serve as a central distribution point for readers, writers and publishers. Following the sale of its typesetting and printing operations in 1982, the company changed its name to Arsenal Pulp Press. Although still a literary press, Arsenal gradually began to publish literary non-fiction titles, and it continued to maintain a tradition of commitment to publications about British Columbia. In the fall of 2001, Arsenal Pulp Press celebrated its 30th anniversary.

The fonds consists of correspondence, manuscripts, proofs, reviews, catalogues, broadsheets, advertisements, flyers, clippings concerning Arsenal publications and the Press, artwork, financial and sales records, ledgers, legal records, minutes and other organizational material.

Title based on the contents of the fonds.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Art, Historical and Scientific Association of Vancouver
Art, Historical and Scientific Association of Vancouver fonds. - 1908-1959.
6.5 cm of textual records.

Concern about the preservation of British Columbia history resulted in the formation of the Art Association in 1887. Five years later the mandate of the organization was expanded to include history and literature and the name was changed to the Art, History and Scientific Association. The Association was incorporated in 1901. The Association regarded the preservation of native Indian relics of primary importance. Its collection was housed and displayed in various locations until 1904, when it was moved to the Carnegie Building. The organization eventually became the Vancouver Museum Association.

The fonds consists of curators' reports (1925-1937), presidential addresses (1932-1958) and assorted publications and printed material.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Ashcroft Water, Electric and Improvement Company
Ashcroft Water, Electric and Improvement Company fonds. - 1899-1960.
80 cm of textual records and other material.

The Ashcroft Water, Electric and Improvement Company was incorporated in 1899 to supply Ashcroft, B.C. and the surrounding area with power, water and light for domestic, mining and manufacturing purposes. The company was sold to Henry Robert Budd around 1934, and then again in 1953 to the British Columbia Electric Railway Company. Ashcroft Irrigated Lands Ltd. was established in 1952 with Budd as the major shareholder.

The fonds consists of financial records (1934-1953), stock certificates (1899-1901) and correspondence relating to financial matters. It also includes financial records of Ashcroft Irrigated Lands Ltd. (1952-1960), stock certificates (1953-1961) and correspondence relating to the development of East Branch Irrigation (1952-1956), as well as a 1918 report which includes photographs and plans. There are also drawings pertaining to a power house and dam (1949-1953).

Includes: 1 map, 8 photographs, 15 plans and 10 drawings.

Association in Canada Serving Organizations for Human Settlement
Association in Canada Serving Organizations for Human Settlement fonds. - 1974-1976.
5.2 m of textual records.

The Association in Canada Serving Organizations for Human Settlements (A.C.S.O.H.), a special non-governmental organization, was established in Vancouver in 1974. The organization served to stimulate, facilitate and coordinate the activities of non-governmental organizations for HABITAT: United Nations Conference on Human Settlements.

The fonds consists of background records relating to the formation and operation of A.C.S.O.H. as well as material generated by the HABITAT conference itself.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia
Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia fonds. - 1972-2004.
7.68 m of textual records; 64 photographs: colour; 211 computer discs (floppy).

The Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia was formed in 1974 under the original name of the British Columbia Publishers Group. In 1978 the present name was adopted. Their membership stood at 45 in 1989. The ABPBC aims to assist and promote book publishing in B.C. through liaison activities with the public, government, and business. It is an affiliate of the Association of Canadian Publishers. The three types of memberships, Active, Associate, and Supporting, are based upon the number of books published.

The fonds consists of minutes, correspondence, financial records, and reports dealing with the administration and special projects of the ABPBC. The project files include materials on promotion, professional development, publishing opportunities, business opportunities, and marketing and distribution. Photographs relate to BC Book Week, 1999, the Prized Authors, 1996, and Poetry in Transit from Word on the Street, 2000. An accrual received in August 2006 contains records up to the year 2004, including 211 floppy computer discs.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Association of Records Managers and Administrators. Vancouver Chapter
A.R.M.A. Vancouver Chapter fonds. - 1970-1984.
1.7 m of textual records.

The first meeting of the Vancouver Chapter of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators was held in 1970. Since that time, this non-profit, professional organization has undertaken to promote and advance records and information administration and management through study, education and research.

The fonds consists of a history of the Vancouver Chapter, annual reports (1970-1984), financial records (1972-1983), minutes (1970-1983), correspondence (1970-1983), printed and published material and clippings.

Inventory [PDF] available.

Association of University and College Employees. Local 1
Association of University and College Employees, Local 1 fonds. - 1973-1981.
1.9 m of textual records.

The Association of University and College Employees, Local 1 was established in 1973 to represent library workers and the support staff at the University of British Columbia. The union disbanded in 1985 and its members are now represented by C.U.P.E.

The fonds consists of minutes of executive meetings (1973-1981) and general meetings (1973-1979), correspondence (1978-1979) and records of the Grievance Committee (1974-1979).

RESTRICTIONS: Some restrictions apply.

Inventory [PDF] available.

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