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Correspondence relating mainly to Simon Fraser and an atlas produced by Denton; notes and a typed manuscript relating to Simon Fraser, plus several copies of Fraser's 1806 and 1808 journals and letters 1806-1807. There are notes on the fur trade, early Vancouver Island, the Cariboo gold rush, Sir James Douglas, confederation and the Canadian Pacific Railway; and on Louis Riel and the Metis rebellions.

Correspondence outward (1864, 1868) and inward (1861-1871) of Robert Ker, Colonial Auditor for Vancouver Island, with some of his commissions (1864, 1865, 1868), an indenture (1844), miscellaneous notes; correspondence of R.H.B. Ker and David Russell Kerr with General Crerar, 1944 (two letters), and of D.R. Ker with General Currie, 1917, and H. Joly de Lotbiniere, 1903 (two letters); clippings and photographs which have been transferred to Visual Records accession 198210-007. The Ker family lived in Victoria, B.C. Robert Henry Brackman Ker was an executive with a number of British Columbia business firms, including Ker and Stephenson Ltd. and Brackman-Ker Milling Company. He served on Victoria City Council, as President of the Victoria Chamber of Commerce, and as Aide-de-Camp to the Lieutenant-Governor of B.C. The records include correspondence inward and outward, miscellaneous notes, clippings and photographs. Photographs transferred to Visual Records accession 198210-007. Related records in MS-0793 and Visual Records accession 198208-038, 22 albums. Additional records are also available at the City of Victoria Archives, PR 48. Biographical sketch taken from BCAUL. Source: MS Finding Aids Presented by R.H.B Ker, Victoria, 1971. Finding aid: file list.

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 file consists of an indenture drawn up between James Douglas, Montague William Tyrwhitt Drake, William A.G. Young, Charles Good and Alice Good regarding the marriage settlement of property to Alice Good nee Douglas. The original indenture is dated 1862 and has various attachments and modifications that go up to 1900.

SUMMARY: "The Bush and the Salon" was a series that recreates early Canadian life from letters, diaries and other sources. "The Old Doctor" comprises two one-hour programs based on the memoirs of Dr. John Seba;stian Helmcken, who was for many years the Hudson's Bay Company doctor at Fort Victoria. The programs trace the growth of Victoria from an HBC fort to a city, and describe what life was like during t;hat period. "The Old Doctor" is a CBC Vancouver production, written and researched by Peter Haworth (who is heard as Dr. Helmcken), and produced by Imbert Orchard. The actors include: Peter Haworth, Barbara Tremain, Pat Williams, Yvonne Adelian, Roy Brinson, Sam Payne, Robert Clothier, Roger Norman, John White, and Betty Phillips.;

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1962-03 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Laundy speaks about his grandfather; Reverend Edward Cridge, and grandmother Mary, and their journey to Victoria in 1855. Mr. Laundy recalls parties at his grandparents' home, "Marifield"; musical evenings; the ecclesiastical controversy between Reverend Cridge and Bishop Hills; Rev. William Duncan; Reverend Cridge and Mrs. Cridge and his parishioners; Sir James Douglas; the Church of Our Lord; church affairs; his grandfather's interest in music and modern inventions; his writings and his death in 1913. [TRACK 2: blank.]

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1962-05-16 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mrs. Robertson recalls the James Bay area in the 1870s and 1880s; the causeway; the chain gang; her father, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Wolfenden; his arrival with the Royal Engineers; his work as King's Printer; his rifle shooting awards; the family home in James Bay; the founding of the Fifth Regiment; her first husband, Charlie Innes; her first home in Esquimalt and her later life. She talks about her early life; living conditions; black residents; Sir James Douglas and his family; Judge Crease; Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie; the Chinese; the Royal Navy and a childhood incident. TRACK 2: Mrs. Robertson continues with her recollections of the Carr family; Emily Carr's character; and childhood incidents.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1962-03-27 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Smith talks about his father's Victoria hardtack business; May 24 celebrations in Esquimalt; visit of the Lord Dufferin; his father's bakery supplies for the Royal Navy and the Hudson's B;ay Company; his father's sealing schooner, the "Kate"; Victoria then and now; his father's early life in the Cariboo and Victoria; MacDonald's Bank; Hamilton Smith's biscuit factory in Vancouver; Mooney's Biscuit Co.; impressions of Amor De Cosmos; the Douglas family; Mayor Harris; Cariboo miners in Victoria; and his father's creation of special dog biscuits for the Klondike gold rush. [TRACK 2: ;blank.]

SUMMARY: "Saturday Evening" was a series of 1.5-hour programs that were broadcast from 8:30 to 10:00 PM. Usually in two parts, the programs featured plays, classical music concerts, documentaries, and talks. The series ran from October 1962 to the spring of 1967. This episode, "The Fort and the City", is about Victoria the city in the days of Victoria the Queen. The first section, "The Fort", is based on letters and written memoirs from the era of Fort Victoria. The second part, "The City", is compiled from the spoken memoirs of people who lived there during the latter part of the 19th century. The latter material is drawn from oral history interviews recorded by Imbert Orchard for the earlier series, "Living Memory".

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1962-03-26 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Pattie Alexander Haslam, nee Cox, recalls her first impressions of the Cape Beale Lighthouse; her schooling in Victoria; and a trip back to the lighthouse by Indian canoe. She describes her; life at the lighthouse; her mother and father; Indians; potlatches; costumes; Indian whaling techniques; Captain Spring; and sealing schooners. TRACK 2: She recalls local shipwrecks. She talks abo;ut her life in Victoria while she was at school; Sir James Douglas; Lady Douglas; Bishop Cridge, and the Cridge family. She recalls her life in Alberni; her work in the telegraph office; and her reports for the CPR from Cape Beale. She talks about cougars, and hunting at Cape Beale.