Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Haxthow family fonds
General material designation
- textual record
- graphic material
- moving images
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- Source of title proper: Title based on contents
Level of description
Fonds
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Statement of scale (cartographic)
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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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1915- (Creation)
- Creator
- Haxthow family
Physical description area
Physical description
3 albums (905 b&w photographs); 7 cm of textual records; 1 VHS tape
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
The Haxthow family consisted of Norwegian-born Eilif Haxthow (1905-1965), his wife Vancouver-born Helen Mae Haxthow (nee Taylor) (1910-1976), and their four children. From the 1920s to the 1960s, the family moved around Canada and lived in areas of BC and eastern Ontario before settling in Duncan, BC.
Eilif Haxthow moved to Canada from Oslo, Norway in 1923 when he was 18 years old. He originally landed in eastern Canada and gradually worked his way west. Eilif settled on the north-shore alpine area of Hollyburn (now a part of Cypress) and, with some other Scandinavian newcomers, began the Hollyburn Ski Lodge. During off season at the lodge, Eilif moved around all of Canada to look for work and even went as far east as Saskatchewan. Eventually he left the ski lodge behind to work as a hard rock miner for Boyles Bros Diamond Drilling Company. This enabled him to travel to Central America for work.
Eilif would return to Hollyburn Ski Lodge every so often and it was there that he met the Vancouver hairdresser Helen Taylor. Eilif and Helen were married on April 18, 1934, and in 1935 had their first daughter, Grace.
Eilif’s employment at the mining company brought the Haxthow family to Ontario and various other parts of Canada. The family first spent time in Kirkland Lake and then moved on to Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay) for Eilif to work as a manager of the Boyles Bros Thunder Bay Office. Two more of Eilif and Helen’s children were born in Ontario: Peggy in Kirkland in 1939 and Rolf in Port Arthur in 1948. When Eilif retired in 1950, the family moved back to BC to live in Duncan at the Stoker Hill House and the Haxthow family had their fourth child, Sally, in 1951.
Helen Haxthow (nee Taylor) was a traditional matriarch of an early 20th century household. She left hairdressing after she was married and spent most of her time at home looking after the children and the house.
After retiring, Eilif Haxthow used his time for fishing, painting, and spending time with his family.
Eilif passed away in 1965 and Helen passed away a little over a decade later in 1976.
Custodial history
The Haxthow family records remained in possession of the family until they were donated by a family member in 2016.
Scope and content
Fonds contains 3 photo albums (1923-1933; 1933-1938; 1938-1952), an illustrated journal kept by Eilif Haxthow written in Norwegian (includes a transcribed translation), Eilif's personal records such as sketches and travel documents, and a VHS from the Hollyburn Heritage Society covering the years 1924-1940.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Donation from Peggy Massey (nee Haxthow) and Melvin Massey
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General note
Accession Number: 2016.161