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Papers of J.S. Helmcken and members of his family, including correspondence, 1848-1920, account books, 1871-1903, deeds, contracts, certificates, 1825-1890, medical notebooks, case books and account books, 1845-1890, notes and papers concerning the Beacon Hill Park Bowling Club, 1898-1914, rough notes and drafts for articles in newspapers, speeches, and reminiscences. Account books pertaining to the estate of Arthur Thomas Bushby, 1875-1901. Papers of Harry Dallas Helmcken, 1866-1894, and William Ralph Higgins, 1890-1903. J.S. Helmcken's confederation diary and reminiscences are also on microfilm. John Sebastian Helmcken was born in Spitalfields, London on 5 June 1824, the fourth child and eldest son of Claus Helmcken and Catherine Mittler. After attending St. George's German and English school from 1828 to 1839 Helmcken apprenticed himself to Dr. W.H. Graves as a chemist and druggist. On 2 October 1844, Helmcken registered as a student at Guy's Hospital, London, and in March 1848 was admitted as a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons. Two months later he was serving as surgeon aboard the Malacca until, on 12 October 1849, he received an appointment from the Hudson's Bay Company as surgeon and clerk for a five year term. Helmcken arrived at Esquimalt on 24 March 1850 and was first posted to Fort Rupert before being ordered to return to Fort Victoria in December 1850. On 27 December 1852 he married Cecilia Douglas, eldest daughter of Governor James Douglas. In 1856 Helmcken was elected to represent Esquimalt and Victoria District in the Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island and served as Speaker of the Assembly until union with British Columbia in 1866. Governor Musgrave appointed Helmcken to the Executive Council of British Columbia in December 1869 while he was also serving as a member of the Legislative Council of B.C., and in the summer of 1870 he travelled to Ottawa as one of three confederation delegates from the colony. With the entry of British Columbia into Confederation in 1871, Helmcken retired from active politics. Helmcken also served as president of the Board of Directors of the Royal Hospital, remained physician to Victoria's jail until 1910, and contributed numerous articles on the early history of Vancouver Island in his later life. Dr. Helmcken died on 1 September 1920. The records include the papers of J.S. Helmcken and members of his family: correspondence, 1848-1920, account books, 1871-1903, deeds, contracts, certificates, 1825-1890, medical notebooks, casebooks and account books, 1845-1890, notes and papers concerning the Beacon Hill Park Bowling Club, 1898-1914, rough notes and drafts for articles in newspapers, speeches and reminiscences. There are also account books pertaining to the estate of Arthur Thomas Bushby, 1875-1901, and papers of Harry Dallas Helmcken, 1866-1894, and William Ralph Higgins, 1890-1903. J.S. Helmcken's Confederation diary and reminiscences are also on microfilm [A00810]. An index to the records is available as part of the hard copy finding aid kept in the reference room.

The Royal Lethington "Pat" Maitland family papers are composed of Maitland's personal correspondence, speeches and addresses, Logs of the House (Legislative Assembly of British Columbia), scrapbooks, etc. Also includes correspondence, notes, etc. of Maitland's wife, Ruth Hildred Mills, as well as correspondence of their children Robert Reid, Elizabeth Ruth, William John and Norah Kathleen.

Series consists of three private account books showing personal investments held, sold, and planned, including real estate, shares, and other financial records, in British Columbia, America, Mexico, and Great Britain.

The fonds consists of private and official correspondence and papers, notebooks of facts and figures on B.C., financial statistics, insurance policies and miscellaneous papers and photographs relating to honours and appointments. Fonds also includes clipping books, photograph albums, wallets and diaries, railway passes, a souvenir autograph booklet, a welcome home certificate signed by the officials of the Municipality of Coquitlam [MS-0347 also available on microfilm], and two oversized certificates commemorating his advancement to third degree masonry with the Free and Accepted Masons of B.C and upon the opening of Lord Selkirk School from the Municipality of South Vancouver.

The fonds consists of the records of Herbert Anscomb, who had one of the longest and most important political careers in the history of British Columbia. They document his activities as Reeve of Oak Bay, B.C., Mayor of Victoria, opposition member in the B.C. legislative assembly, cabinet minister in the B.C. government in numerous portfolios, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of British Columbia, and member of the federal Royal Commission on Transportation from 1959 to 1962. Predominantly, the records relate to his political career which began with his election to Oak Bay council in 1924 and ended with his defeat in the provincial election of 1952. The fonds also consists of a relatively small number of records concerning his personal life, family, and his involvement in the wine and brewing industry.

The documentary forms most significant in number include correspondence, photographs, and speeches (in public, in the legislature, and for radio broadcast). In smaller numbers the documentary forms include handwritten notes which were passed from MLAs to Anscomb during sittings in the legislature, magazine articles, and political campaign literature such as brochures, posters and pamphlets. The fonds also includes collected editorial cartoons, caricature drawings and other art work, certificates, reports, guest and visitors books, and ephemera.

The records reflect a wide range of subjects; these include: government, politics and economic policy during the depression and World War II, the province’s coalition government, infrastructure building, political competition against the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF party), the single transferable vote electoral system, the process of appointment to government jobs, hospital insurance, and the history of the Conservative Party in B.C. and its relationship with the federal party.

The fonds consists of six series, as follows:
• Provincial political records
• Municipal political records
• Personal records
• Royal Commission on Transportation records
• Photograph album
• Newspaper clippings scrapbooks

Records of particular note include detailed diaries which Anscomb kept as Minister of Mines, Minister of Trade and Industry, Minister of Public Works, and Minister of Municipal Affairs in the early to mid-1940s. The fonds also consists of a rich collection of photographs which document in particular his career as mayor of Victoria and as a B.C. government cabinet minister.

The fonds also consists of a series of 12 volumes of newspaper clippings dating from 1924 to 1978. These scrapbooks cover Anscomb’s entire political career; subjects include all aspects of government and politics in Oak Bay, Victoria and the province of B.C., and not just articles pertaining to Anscomb himself. The fonds includes a manuscript of an unpublished autobiography Anscomb began in 1953.

Where possible the archivist has arranged records chronologically. Where files clearly had been used together as a group by their creator, that order was maintained.

Series consists of correspondence, 1926, 1935-1937, 1952-1962; notes; speeches; printed materials; and newspaper clipping books containing reports of legislative sessions, 1936, 1943, 1945, 1956-1959.

Item consists of a mount of one photograph on card of one unidentified woman [Mary Ellen Smith?] and numerous men posed on the front steps of the B.C. Parliament Buildings.

Smith was a Member of the B.C. Legislative Assembly from 1918-1928 and President of the B.C. Liberal Party from 1928 until her death in 1933. Her likely inclusion within the photograph dates the image from the late 1920s to 1933.

Item consists of a mount of one group portrait of unidentified men and women from the October 3-4, 1932 convention of the British Columbia Liberal Party in Vancouver, B.C.

SUMMARY: SIDE 1 & 2: Speech asking voters to support Liberal candidates in federal general election. Outline of B.C. government policies and achievements. Broadcast from Vancovuer Hotel over a network of B.C;. radio stations through the facilities of CKWX.;

SUMMARY: SIDE 1 & 2: Comments on federal Liberal victory, upcoming by-elections in B.C., newspaper criticism, up-coming federal-provincial conference.;

SUMMARY: R.C. MacDonald was the "Conservative/Coalition" candidate for the Dewdney riding in the provincial election of 1941, and the Coalition candidate in the elections of 1945 and 1949, and was elected thre;e times. This recording is assumed to be from one of those election campaigns; however, no date is available.;

Series consists of parliamentary scrapbooks; 1942-1946, 1948-1949, and 1952.