Showing 84 results

The McKenzie Family collection consists of the business and personal papers of Kenneth McKenzie (1811-1874), his ancestors and descendants, including correspondence, notebooks, diaries, and other papers. It documents over one hundred and fifty years of family history. The collection is divided into those records relating to Vancouver Island (Boxes 1-19) and those relating to Scotland (Boxes 20-25). The Vancouver Island papers contain correspondence and documents pertaining to Lakehill Farm, the settlement of estates, official appointments, and other family matters. They also chronicle the organization and operation of Craigflower Farm and, to a lesser extent, the other farms operated by the Puget's Sound Agricultural Company on Vancouver Island. The Scottish papers document family events, relationships and property from 1779 to 1852. Included is an extensive record of the protracted settlement of the estate of William Blair (Boxes 22-23). William Blair was the father of Janet McKenzie (Blair).

Born in Edinburgh October 5, 1811, the son of Dr. Kenneth McKenzie (1786-1844) and Janet Blair (1784-1820), Kenneth McKenzie was raised and educated in the same city. Later he moved to his father's estate of Rentonhall, Haddingtonshire, East Lothian where he managed the operations. The estate was sold in 1851 and McKenzie, his wife Agnes Russell (1823-1897) and their six children emigrated to Vancouver Island in 1853. McKenzie had been hired by the Puget's Sound Agricultural Company to oversee the establishment and operation of Craigflower Farm near Victoria. In 1866 the family, now with eight children, moved to Lakehill Farm just north of Victoria. Kenneth McKenzie died there April 10, 1874. A comprehensive biography of Kenneth McKenzie by William R. Sampson is in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, X, pp.477-479. A rough genealogy of the McKenzie Family is provided in the hardcopy version of the finding aid.

Numbers appearing at the upper left corner of documents are references to the old catalogue system and should not be used for citation.

Boxes 1-4: Kenneth McKenzie (1811-1874) and family: correspondence inward
Box 5: McKenzie, Kenneth (1846-1906): correspondence inward
Box 6: Kenneth McKenzie (1811-1874) and Kenneth McKenzie (1846-1906): correspondence outward
Box 7: Kenneth McKenzie (1811-1874): notebooks and personal papers
Box 8: McKenzie Family: notebooks, diaries, correspondence and personal papers
Box 9: McKenzie Family: material relating to Lakehill property
Boxes 10-18: Craigflower Farm
Box 19: Puget's Sound Agricultural Company
Boxes 20-25: McKenzie family: material relating to Scotland. N.B. See also box 25 for further material relating to the estate of William Blair, d.1800

The series consists of correspondence, letterbooks, diaries, commissions, notes and memoranda relating to his work with the Hudson's Bay Company and the Puget Sound Agricultural Company at Fort Nisqually, and later, Victoria. Some published materials from the library of the Tolmie family not related to the history of the northwest have been included in the collection.

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.

The series consists of the diaries of C.F. Cornwall, kept May 1862 - July 1864, November 1866 - June 1869, July 1869 - December 1871, and 1872 - 15 July 1873 (in diary for 1865) recording life at Ashcroft Manor, a sojourn at Wild Horse Creek in the summer of 1865, and in Ottawa as a senator in the spring of 1872. Also includes "The story of the coyote hounds", 1868-1888.

The series consists of transcript and microfilm copies of H.P. Cornwall's diary, from December 10, 1864 to June 13 1865 describing life on the farm at Ashcroft Manor.

This series consists of records of the Department of Lands and Forests, Lands Service, primarily relating to leases of Crown land for various purposes. Records include cancelled or expired leases for oyster beds (including leases by the Government of Canada), hay meadow, summer resort, stone quarry, mill, coal mining, grazing, agriculture, cattle ranching, and pastoral purposes. This series also includes final agreements for sale and purchase under Soldier's Better Housing Scheme for City of Victoria lots (includes rebate applications and discharge certificates) and licences of occupation.

This series contains registers of brands (for both cattle and horses) kept by district recording offices prior to 1914. Registers pertain to brands registered in Cariboo, Similkameen, Okanagan, and Nanaimo districts. This series may be used in conjunction with other district brands registers (GR-0409 - GR-0412) and with post-1914 brands registers (GR-1488). A regulated system of branding or marking livestock in British Columbia began with the Cattle Ordinance of 1869 (32 Vic., No. 114) which established a procedure whereby cattle brands and other distinctive markings could be registered with district magistrates for a fee of 25¢. The system developed further with the Cattle Marking Act, 1875 (BCS 38 Vic. c.14) which defined "cattle" to include "horses, mares, fillies, foals, geldings, colts, bulls, bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, calves, sheep, hogs, mules and asses." Recording officers were appointed by cabinet for each electoral district and were authorized to keep a register of brands and markings; local justices of the peace were empowered to ensure that brands were not duplicated, obliterated, or defaced and penalties were set for infractions. In 1881 the registration fee was raised to 50 ¢ (Cattle Brands Act, 44 Vic. c.4) and in 1888 provisions were made for regional cattle districts, whose boundaries were not necessarily identical to those of electoral districts. A distinction was also made in 1888 between the Mainland and Vancouver Island: in Mainland districts, brands were to be registered by an "authorized recording officer" usually the local Government Agent while on the Island brands were to be recorded by district magistrates. These distinctions were abolished in 1894 by the Cattle Act Amendment Act which confirmed Government Agents as "authorized recording officers" throughout the province. The procedure of registering brands was streamlined and centralized by the Brand Act of 1914 (4 Geo. 5 c.9). With this act, provision was made for a Recorder of Brands (responsible to the Minister of Agriculture) and a three man Board of Brand Commissioners. After 1 July 1914 all applications for brand registers or transfers were made through the Recorder's office in Victoria. The fee for brand registration was increased to $1.00 and henceforth all brands were to be renewed annually at a cost of 50 ¢. GR 1487 consists of brands registers and indexes kept prior to 1914. In most cases, the registers show the name and address of brand owners, the date and certificate number of the brand registration, and a description of registered brands and markings. Registers pertain to both cattle and horses. Since the districts covered by the registers were not rigidly defined, researchers may have to consult more than one volume to locate specific brands or brand owners. This series may be used in conjunction with GR 0409 GR 0412 (Registers for Cariboo, Lillooet, and New Westminster, 18701913) and with GR 1488 (post1914 brands registers and indexes).

This series consists of indexes to records relating to dyking and drainage held by the Inspector Office, Surrey, B.C. Records include subject file lists of correspondence regarding dyking districts and general administration, 1871-1881; index of maps, plans, topographical maps, etc. regarding dykes and dyking rights-of-way; index of engineers' drawings, Fraser Valley Dyking Board. These file lists and indexes were created between 1974 and 1981, but they make reference to records dating from 1871 to 1981.

The series consists of copies of correspondence, chiefly from Alexander Begg (b.1825) [British Columbia Emigration Commissioner] to the Marquis of Lothian [Secretary of State for Scotland], concerning proposed Crofter settlement on Vancouver Island. There is additional correspondence from J.H. Turner [B.C. Minister of Finance] to Chancellor of the Exchequer, along with appeals from Highland crofters interested in the settlement. The series also includes documents from the government of British Columbia and the United Kingdom re financing the settlement, British Columbia government emigration pamphlets, and tracts from the British Columbia Development Company and the Vancouver Island Development Syndicate.

There are also documents and provincial government bills dealing with the establishment of deep sea fisheries, plus newspaper clippings, parliamentary reports, and Pacific Coast Steamship Company brochures.

Harry Moffat was a Cariboo pioneer and farmer at Alexandria, B.C. He died in 1947. The records diaries and farm account books of Harry Henry Moffat, Cariboo pioneer, and his descendants (12 volumes).

The series consists of family and business records created by the Richter and Tweddle family, created between ca. 1890 and 1962. It includes records relating to the ranch and orchard business, family and general correspondence as well as correspondence of Richter's daughter, Florence Elizabeth Pendleton, regarding the disposal of the Richter Estate, 1959-1962. Among the business records are two account books, annotated cancelled cheques, packing company receipts and statements for fruit and beef, mail order correspondence, brochures, catalogues, etc., and various legal documents. In addition there are 86 black and white photographs of the Richter and Tweddle family along with friends and local scenery. There are also six published books owned by the Richter family.

Accounts, ledgers, memoranda, and correspondence pertaining to Lord Aberdeen's Guisachan ranch (Kelowna, British Columbia) and Coldstream Ranch (Vernon, British Columbia). Includes newspaper cuttings, sketches, and architectural drawings of Coldstream ranch buildings.

This series consists of records of the Department of Agriculture Board of Horticulture. Records include minute books, 1893-1914; correspondence, 1907; and treasurer's letterbooks 1908-1913.

This series contains official correspondence, reports, and related papers of Premier John H. Turner. Records include correspondence pertaining to provincial railway charters (1893-1897), agriculture, and mining; also includes B.C. Agent-General's Report (1895), applications for employment, and miscellaneous letters.

Papers in this series are those of the Honourable John Herbert Turner (1833-1923), premier of British Columbia from 4 March 1895 to 8 August 1898. Since Turner's administration was characterized by rapid industrial development (notably in railways, mining, and agriculture), and by no little political controversy, his official papers are especially valuable.

Most of the reports and correspondence in GR-1197 originated while Turner was the province's chief minister and, as such, they have been included in the archive's collection of Premier's Papers. As will be seen, though, some of the papers pertain to Turner's tenure as Minister of Finance and Agriculture, a portfolio he held from 1887 to 1898.

GR-1197 may be regarded as a supplement to GR-0441 (British Columbia - Premier: 1883-1933), Series II, volumes 2-13, which also contains official correspondence of Premier Turner. Researchers may find that Volume 354 of GR-0441 (Index to Official Correspondence, 1895-1897) will assist them in locating other related records.

This series consists of records of the Dairy Branch. Records include minute books, 1894-1910, correspondence, reports, account books, receipts and subscriptions of the Dairymen's Association of British Columbia, and Dairymen's and Live Stock Association of British Columbia.

Correspondence, general files and accounts files relating to dyking and drainage districts, improvement districts, flood control and agricultural development in the Fraser Valley, 1917-1974. Minute books of dyking districts; Pitt Meadows, 1895; Nicomen, 1912-1930; South Westminster Dyking District, 1920, 1923, 1928.

Inspector of Fruit Pests correspondence inward.

Tax assessment rolls for South Westminster, Sumas, Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Matsqui, Chilliwack, Nicomen Island, and Nicomen Dyking Districts, 1898-1976; general expenditure journals, voucher records, receipts, and financial statements, 1917-1974.

The series consists of 214 photographs, mostly glass lantern slides and glass negatives, created or collected by the Dept. of Agriculture sometime between 1900 and 1915.

The lantern slides contain images of fruit trees, orchards, farms, packing boxes, greenhouses, crops and other agricultural activity. A few have descriptive labels which indicate that they were taken in Victoria, Kelowna, Nanaimo and Summerland, and some have photographers identified (D.J. Dwyer, J. Howard A. Chapman and Edgar Fleming). These photographs may have been used for a variety of purposes including public lectures and as illustrations for reports. Some of the slides have been hand coloured. These slides are from accession 198012-018.

The glass negatives from this accession consist of two files. The first file contains 13 negatives identified as being from Atkinson's mushrooms; images of mushrooms and fungi from book on same and appear to have been photographed directly from George F. Atkinson's 1901 books called "Studies of American Fungi". The second file consists of 24 negatives identified as Morris Middleton pruning lecture. Middleton was an assistant horticulturalist for the Dept. of Agriculture and gave pruning workshops and lectures.

The 27 glass negatives from accession 198410-027 show farms and farm buildings, fruit and berry growing as well as fruit packing and pruning classes in Creston, B.C. in 1914 (F.B. Turner photographer) and photos of apple growing medals presented to the Government of British Columbia in 1909.

This series contains a brands register (interim or working copy) covering the years 1916-1918. Other records in this series include minutes, correspondence, and reports of B.C. Stock Breeders' Association from 1906-1918 as well as minutes of B.C. Brands Commissioners from 1930-1959.

36 page letter book from the Inspector of Fruit Pests, 1908-1909.

This series consists of the records of the Commission to Investigate the Affairs of the Fruit and Produce Exchange of British Columbia Ltd., 1909. Records include a supplementary report, correspondence, transcripts of evidence presented at proceedings and exhibits, and some Fruit and Produce Exchange records.

Letters written by Captain and Mrs. J. N. Phillips, Wilmer, to Mrs. Phillips' mother and sister, Mrs. Oxley and Freda Oxley, of Windsor, England; the letters describe the Phillips experiences settling on land obtained from Columbia Valley Irrigated Fruit Lands, Ltd. Ink sketch of interior of house.

Presented by R. Cole, Harris, Dept., of Geography, University of British Columbia, 1977, who obtained them from Miss Elizabeth Phillips (daughter of Captain and Mrs. Phillips), London, England.

This series consists of records of the Commission on Agriculture from 1912-1914, including, proceedings, record books, transcripts of evidence, tabulated evidence, statistical data, and returns by the assessors of the Province, showing persons assessed as owners of real property amounting to 5,000 acres or more.

This series consists of records of the Dairy Branch, 1912-1947. Records include statistics, reports and miscellaneous data regarding cream, butter and milk production.

The series consists of general office files created by the Provincial Horticulturalist between 1912 and 1922. The files contain correspondence and reports on horticultural matters of provincial significance.

The series consists of a report collected by the Dept. of Agriculture in 1915. The report was written by Agricultural Surveyor W.H. Cartwright and contains information on the physical features, soil conditions and agricultural possibilities of an area just north of the Peace River Block, recorded between April 1913 and October 1914. The report is illustrated with 22 black and white photographs and is accompanied by meteorological readings and some correspondence between Cartwright and the Deputy Minister of Agriculture.

Series consists of notes and correspondence re: history of B.C. agriculture, collected by Dr. John J. Woods, Director, Saanichton Research and Plant Quarantine Station; manuscript histories of early B.C. nurseries; also histories of provincial Department of Agriculture and B.C. Fairs Association.

Several letters from Vancouver archivist, Major J.S. Matthews included in general history files.

Diaries, 1917-1939 (11 volumes), also contains loose material; correspondence, 1913-1968, literary manuscripts; newspaper and magazine articles; reminiscences, 1915-1929 (preliminary and final drafts). Numerous photographs removed to Visual Records. Microfilm of diaries, 1917-1929 [Reel A00232], microfilm of reminiscences (final draft), omitting chapters 1-3 [Reel A00233].

Gift of Mrs. F.W. Hodson, Shawnigan Lake, 1967 and 1974.

Finding aid: reel/file list.

This series contains registers of cattle brands and horse brands, 1914-1947. Includes Brand Owners' Index [Horses] 1914-1930, and "Old Brands" Register [i.e. alphabetical listing of all brands registered in British Columbia between 1871 and 1914]. This unit may be used in conjunction with GR-0409 - GR-0412 and GR-1488 (registers of cattle brands, by district).
A regulated system of branding or marking livestock in British Columbia began with the Cattle Ordinance of 1869 (32 Vic., No. 114) which established a procedure whereby cattle brands and other distinctive markings could be registered with district magistrates for a fee of 25 cents. The system developed further with the Cattle Marking Act, 1875 (BCS 38 Vic. c.14) which defined "cattle" to include "horses, mares, fillies, foals, geldings, colts, bulls, bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, calves, sheep, hogs, mules and asses." Recording officers were appointed for each electoral district and were authorized to keep a register of brands and markings; local justices of the peace were empowered to ensure that brands were not duplicated, obliterated, or defaced and penalties were set for infractions. In 1881 the registration fee was raised to 50 cents (Cattle Brands Act, 44 Vic. c.4) and in 1888 provisions were made for regional cattle districts, whose boundaries were not necessarily identical to those of electoral districts. A distinction was also made in 1888 between the Mainland and Vancouver Island: in Mainland districts, brands were to be registered by an "authorized recording officer" usually the local Government Agent while on the Island brands were to be recorded by district magistrates. These distinctions were abolished in 1894 by the Cattle Act Amendment Act which confirmed Government Agents as "authorized recording officers" throughout the province. The procedure of registering brands was streamlined and centralized by the Brand Act of 1914 (4 Geo. 5 c.9). With this act, provision was made for a Recorder of Brands (responsible to the Minister of Agriculture) and a three man Board of Brand Commissioners. After 1 July 1914 all applications for brand registers or transfers were made through the Recorder's office in Victoria. The fee for brand registration was increased to $1.00 and henceforth all brands were to be renewed annually at a cost of 50 cents.
GR-1488 consists of brands registers and indexes compiled after the passing of the Brand Act of 1914. Volume I of this unit, the "Old Brands" Register, was one of the first records created by the new Recorder of Brands. This volume consists of an alphabetical listing of all brands (cattle and horses) registered in the province between 1871 and July of 1914. The volume was based on older, regional registers [catalogued in BCARS as GR-0409, GR-0410, GR-0411, GR-0412 and GR-1487]. The remaining volumes in this unit (vols. 216) were compiled over the years by staff at Recorder's office from applications received by stockmen throughout the province. Volumes 2 to 12 record brands registered between 1914 and 1930, while volumes 13 to 16 pertain mainly to the period 1930-1947. The Brands Registers in GR-1488 provide the names and addresses of brand owners, brand certificate numbers and dates of allotment, and a detailed description of the various brands and markings. The registers also show when brands were transferred from one owner to another, as well as the status of the brands (i.e. in current use, reissued, or lapsed).