Ray Bailey was born in Brandon Manitoba in 1922. A Bachelor of Science degree from Brandon College in 1944 completed his education there. Following a short stint as a Chemist he entered the University of Manitoba. There, in 1946, he earned a Diploma in Education. Subsequent study brought a Master of Education degree in 1966. In 1973, he was awareded a Canada Council grant for additional studies.
He began his teaching career at Killarney, MB in March 1946, teaching science. Later he held teaching and adminitrative positions in Melita, Morris and Seven Oaks School Divisions. He retired as Principal of Arthur E. Wright Elementary School in 1986. Bailey was active in the Manitoba Teachers Society and the Manitoba Library Trustees Association. In 1973, the city of Winnipeg gave him a community service award. In 2005, he was a recipient of the Brandon University Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Award.
He married Joan Pettipher in 1949. They had four children, Ronald, Ann, Mary and Robert. Joan Bailey died in 1988. Raymond Bailey lived in Winnipeg with his wife Barbara until his death on July 23, 2015.
Custodial History
Book was acquired at a book launch sponsored by Pennywise Books, Brandon, Manitoba in January 2006. The Brandon College documents were probably collected by Bailey during his time as a student in the early 1940s. He donated them to the McKee Archives in November 1994. The yearbooks were delivered to the Archives by Gerald Brown for Bailey in April 2008.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of an autographed copy of Bailey's book "tadpole to Little Frong (in a big pond)." It also includes three Brandon Collegiate Institute yearbooks the New Era for 1938-40, one file of Brandon College records, including eligibility lists for the Students' Association, a Physics IV test, a letter to Bailey excusing him from non-combat duty due to his work as an assistant in the Chemistry Department, a dance program for the Valentine Formal (1943), a freshman reception list and a program/invitation to a musical evening at the home of Martin Johns, Professor in the Physics Department.
Notes
History/Bio information taken from the author description in Bailey's book. Description by Christy Henry.
These records consist of notes that Lady Sticks have written regarding functions during their term in office. The records contain suggestions for future Lady Sticks on how to deal with certain aspects of the job.
Storage Location
RG 1 Brandon College fonds
Series 8: Brandon College Students Association
Thomas Hector MacDonald McLeod (Tommy) was born in Weyburn, Saskatchewan in August 1918. During his youth in Weyburn, McLeod was a member of Tommy Douglas' Baptist congretation; it was Douglas who encouraged McLeod to attend Brandon College. McLeod attended Brandon College from 1937 to 1940. While there, he received scholarships in Bible, Economics, and General Efficiency, as well as receiving the Medal in Sociology during his final year. Following graduation in 1940, McLeod studied economics at the University of Indiana, receiving his M.A. in 1941. Later that year he returned to Brandon College to teach economics and sociology. From 1941 until 1944, he also acted as the Resident Master. He remained at Brandon College for three years. McLeod married Beryl (Pentland) Thompson c. 1943 and together they had five children: Beth, Ellen, Ian, Brian and Morna.
Following the election of Tommy Douglas as Premier of Saskatchewan, McLeod was employed in a variety of senior positions in the Saskatchewan civil service. In 1952, McLeod was named the Dean of Commerce at the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus.
In 1961, he served as the Chief Consultant (Ford Foundation) to the Turkish Government. In 1962, McLeod was the supervisor of an eight man team advising the Iranian government on Economic Planning Activities. He has also served as a Special Advisor in Public Administration and Higher Education for the Canadian Development Agency.
In 1963, he became the chairman of the Saskatchewan Royal Commission on Taxation. McLeod accepted the position of Dean of the College of Arts and Science, Regina Campus at the University of Saskatchewan on May 15, 1964. In May 1965, he became Vice-Principal of the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus.
McLeod had a Ph.D. in Government and Economics from Harvard. As well, he was a past recipient of the Vanier Medal (1971) for outstanding contribution to public administration in Canada. In 1987, McLeod wrote a book entitled "Tommy Douglas: the Road to Jerusalem." Also in 1987, McLeod was awarded an honorary degree from Brandon University. In 2003, McLeod was awarded the Order of Canada.
Thomas Hector MacDonald McLeod died on January 1, 2008 in Victoria, BC.
Custodial History
McLeod donated a copy of the paper, subsequently published in Manitoba History, to the McKee Archives c. 1995.
Scope and Content
Thomas McLeod’s records consist of a paper written in 1995, entitled "S.J. McKee of Brandon College: A Biographical Note on a Man and an Institution." This paper is a brief history of Brandon College and S.J. McKee’s role in the formation of it. Beginning with the foundation of the short-lived Canada Baptist College, as well as the foundation of the Canadian Literary Institute, McLeod traces the history of Baptists and higher education. The paper is a fairly good guide to researchers wanting to know a bit of the background behind Brandon College. The bibliography in the back also gives researchers several ideas on where to look for additional information.
Notes
Obituary is in the January 5, 2008 Globe and Mail. H. Clare Pentland and Tommy McLeod studied economics together at Brandon College under W.T. Easterbrook, who later taught at the University of Toronto.
MG 1 Brandon College Teaching and Administration
1.6 Thomas Hector McLeod
Related Material
W. T. Easterbrook, “Clare Pentland-Brandon College, 1937-1940,” Canadian Journal of Political and Social Theory, vol. 3, no. 2 (Spring-Summer 1979), p. 101.
The Westman Oral History collection was a project of the Westman Oral History Association and ran from 1980-84. The Westman Oral History Association was created on August 12, 1980, by a steering committee of the Assiniboine Historical Society. The Oral History Association undertook a project called "Voices of Yesteryear." The project was created in order to record and preserve the lives and experiences of early settlers to the Westman area. Work began in 1981, and included interviews conducted with approximately seventy senior citizens from over twenty communities in western Manitoba. The Association held a training session for committee members on April 11, 1981, where 125 participants learned how to conduct an effective interview and how to operate the recorders used in the interviews. The chairman of the Westman Oral History Association was Effie McPhail, the coordinator was Sally Cunningham, and the secretary was Bob Coates. Some of the interviews recorded were used in the early months of 1982 on a local radio station, CKLQ, as part of a program called "Centennial Memories." The project resulted in the creation of the Westman Oral History Collection.
Custodial History
This collection was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. The original tapes from the Westman Oral History project were deposited in the Brandon Public Library. Copies of these originals were made by Margaret Pollex of the Brandon University Language Lab at the request of Eileen McFadden, University Archivist in the early 1990s. These copies compose the collection held in the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
The collection includes the audiotapes used to record the interviews, as well as corresponding files for each interview subject. The files contain facts about the interviewees, including date and place of birth, occupations, and marital status. The files also include a summary of the interview heard on each tape.
The interviews were done with men and women pioneers from the Westman area of Manitoba, and describe the daily lives of common people during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. The topics covered in the interviews include the following: Agriculture, Associations and Clubs, Churches and Church Life, Cultural Events, Early Politics, Education, Health Services, Immigration, Local Businesses, Native-White Relations, Pioneer Settlements, Pioneer Way of Life, Social Life, Sports, Transportation, and War Brides. This collection includes interviews with residents from the following communities: Brandon, Boissevain, Brookdale, Carberry, Deloraine, Douglas, Elkhorn, Erickson, Forrest, Glenboro, Hamiota, Hartney, Justice, Kenton, Killarney, Melita, Minnedosa, Neepawa, Ninette, Oak Lake, Rapid City, Reston, Rivers, Shoal Lake, Sioux Valley Reserve, Souris, Strathclair, Virden, and Wawanesa. The interviews also disclose the unique experiences of pioneer women in rural areas. Many of the interviewees provide brief family histories during their interviews.
Notes
Some of the files include photocopied pictures of the interviewees. Description written by Robyn Mitchell (2001).
Gabriel Richard Rowe was born in Coleman, P.E.I. in 1897. In 1918, he enlisted in the Canadian Army. After the Great War, he moved to Viscount, Saskatchewan were he was principal of a high school. In 1924, Rowe moved to Brandon where he served as principal for various schools until his retirement in 1964. G.R. Rowe attended the University of Manitoba graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1935, a Bachelor of Education 1952, and a Master of Education degree in 1957. Rowe also studied at the University of Minnesota, Harvard, and the University of British Columbia. Rowe served as President of the Manitoba Teachers' Scoiety from 1948 to 1949. He served as a member of the International School Master Association, the Brandon's Citizens' Committee of the Arts, and the Brandon General Hospital Board. He died in Brandon on January 6th, 1968.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned in 1997 by the McKee Archives. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds includes photographs, certificates and diplomas, career resumes, testimonials, draft obituaries, and correspondence, relating to G.R. Rowe's professional teaching career, and in small part to his personal life.
William Wallace was born in Scotland around 1859. In 1881, when William was twenty-two, he emigrated to Canada with his father and brother. Once here they settled near what is today Forrest, Manitoba. The following spring they moved to the northwest margin of settlement in Manitoba, homesteading in the Shellmouth area. Wallace remained a resident of the region for the rest of his life. William Wallace was active in community affairs. He was appointed to the post of Secretary-Treasurer of the Shellmouth Municipality in 1887, and he held the position until 1904. In 1909, Wallace was injured in a railway accident, and he had to give up farming. He moved to Shellmouth and took up the position of postmaster, which he held for twenty-seven years. He died in 1945, and is buried at Shellmouth cemetery, Manitoba.
Custodial History
The letters contained in the fonds remained in the possession of Margaret Wallace, who was the original recipient of the correspondence. She emigrated to Canada in 1904. At some point the letters passed to William Wallace who kept them in his possession in Shellmouth. In 1941, William contacted Professor E. J. Westcott of Brandon College regarding the fonds. He offered it to the College for safekeeping. Westcott accepted the letters. Westcott passed the letters on to various officers and staff at Brandon College and then Brandon University. Since 1982, the collection has resided in the S. J. McKee Archives at Brandon University.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of hundreds of letters that William Wallace and his brother, Andrew, wrote to their sister, Maggie, from 1881 until 1904. The first letter, dated 22 March 1881, was written by both William and Andrew aboard the S.S. Prussia as they sailed to North America from Scotland. The last letter was written on 4 January 1904 by William. It was written to inform Maggie and her husband that William had reserved a homestead in their name. This letter marks the end of the fonds. Later that spring Maggie and John emigrated to Canada to be with her family.
William was keenly interested in everything going on around him; his letters and Andrew's reveal what life was like for inexperienced settlers on the Canadian agricultural frontier in the last years of the ninteenth century. Fonds touches on a variety of social, political and economic themes.
Notes
CAIN No. 202641. A partial accession of the Wallace collection was completed in 1992 by Eileen McFadden.
Joseph Henry Hughes was born in London, Ontario on April 14, 1857, son of Joseph C. Hughes and Jane McAndless. His family farmed in Middlesex County until they retired to Brandon, MB. Huges received his education in Middlesex County then went on to attend the Toronto Normal School in 1874. He tuaght for only a short time in 1875 before going into business as a general merchant in Iderton, Ontario.
Hughes moved to Brandon, MB in 1882 and from 1882 to 1906 was engaged in the lumber business with yards in Rat Portage and Brandon and later with mils on Rainy River. His buisness partner was T.H. Patrick from 1882-1896. T.T. Atkinson was a partner in the business from 1882 until early 1888, running the company's lumber camp in the Rainy River Valley. Atkinson was replaced by a Mr. Kennedy in 1888. After disposing of the mills in 1901, Hughes & Company operated as a lumber dealer until 1908 when the lumber business was sold to Rat Portage Lumber Co., whose operations in Brandon were located on 10th Street between Rosser and Princess Avenues.
Thereafter, Hughes & Company focused on real estate, owning most of the property between 10th and 11th Streets, Rosser and Princess Avenues. The company built rental property and residences in Brandon, including the Strathcona Block on 10th Street and Hughes (Lorne) Terrace on Lorne Avenue. During this period Hughes & Company was also involved in insurance and farming, buying farmland in south eastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba for lease and sale.
Hughes was a city alderman for four years, dedicating himself mostly towards improvements to the city pertaining to electrical generation, water supply and the development of the streetcar franchise. In 1911, he resigned from City Council to stand as a successful candidate for mayor. He held this position for only one year, 1913-1914. During this period Hughes, along with other prominent citizens, set up the Patriotic Fund to help look after the dependents of those going off to fight in World War I. Hughes served as chairman of the project until his death in late 1917.
In addition to his role as a prominent city businessman, Hughes was also deeply involved in the First Methodist Church, and a member of the Independent Order of OddFellows (I.O.O.F.) and the Masonic Lodge.
Joseph Henry Hughes was survived by his wife Anna Maria Hughes, whom he married in 1993, and their daughters: Alma and May (Mrs. Wilfred C. Hughes and Mrs. Charles Leemnnis) and Ruth, and their sons Percy and Harley.
Upon J.H. Hughes' death in 1917, management of the company was taken over by Willard C. Hughes, who died in 1964. Following his death the company was administered on behalf of Alma Hughes by Barry Hughes, a Winnipeg lawyer and distant relative. The company remained active in real estate and property managment, as well as farming and oil, until the early 1990s when following the death of Alma Hughes and her daughter Anna, the company was liquidated.
Custodial History
The records in the Joseph H. Hughes fonds were held in two locations prior to their donation to the McKee Archives. Family related records, including paintings by Anna Hughes, music scores, photographs and various parchments, were stored at the family residence, Lorne Terrace (133-137 Lorne Avenue Brandon, MB). The balance of the records, being the records of Hughes & Co. as the firm came to be known, were stored on the fourth floor of the Alexander Block, also known as the Hughes Block, on the west side of 10th Street just south of Princess Avenue. In the early 1990s a decision was taken by Barry Hughes, who had succeeded Willard Hughes as the President of the company, to sell Hughes & Co. Hughes directed Joe Perry, the Brandon manager of Hughes & Co. to donate the records of the Hughes family and Hughes & Co. to Brandon Univeristy. Perry supervised the transfer of the records from Lorne Terrace and the Alexander Block to Brandon University. Initially the records were located in the Physical Plant H-Hut, they were then transfered to the Brandon University Steam Plant. The family records were transfered to the Archives in 1997, while the company records remained in the Steam Plant until January 2007 when some of the records were transfered to the Archives. The remaineder of the records were moved to a storage facility on 20th Street.
Scope and Content
The Joseph H. Hughes collection is divided into three series, including: (1) Photographs; (2) Edwardian music sheets; and (3) Hughes & Co. business records.
Notes
CAIN No. 202617. The Brandon Sun, August 6th, 1917 contains a report on the death of J.H. Hughes.
The Bertha School District, located south of Brandon in the Rural Municipality of Oakland, was established in 1896. It was integrated into the School Distict of Nesbitt in 1961. Subsequently, it became part of the Souris Valley School Division.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of annual registers (1910-1961), minute books (1896-1962), account books (1896-1911, 1924-1956), an award of a Board of Arbitration (1961), a petition for consolidation with the School District of Nesbitt (1961), a financial report (1961), a map of the Souris Valley School Division showing rural school districts, and one debenture certificate (1896).
Harry "Hap" Fraser was born in Brandon, Manitoba on January 15, 1919. On February 12, 1945, he married Muriel Coleman of Virden. Fraser served in the RCAF during World War II, returning to Brandon in 1946. Harry Fraser was employed by Coca-Cola, Nutty Cup Candy Company and the Codville Company. Following a brief stint as manager of the North Hill IGA, Harry Fraser built an IGA grocery store on Victoria Avenue West. He operated this store until his retirement in 1972. Harry Fraser was a member of the Brandon Lion's Club from 1952 until his death. He also served a term on Brandon City Council. He passed away at his home in Brandon on April 2, 1991.
Custodial History
This fonds came into the possession of Fred McGuinness, a Brandon writer and acquaintance of Hap Fraser's, after Fraser's death. McGuinness donated it to the McKee Archives in 1998.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of a single scrapbook containing articles and pictures of various personalities and events from the world of sports during the 1920s and 1930s. Hockey, baseball, basketball, wrestling, boxing, body building, bike racing, boat racing, track and field, swimming, diving, football, rugby, rifle shooting, tennis, bowling, horse racing, golf, soccer, and fishing are all featured in the scrapbook. The articles and pictures feature both local and internationally known sports figures. Fonds also contains pictures of celebrities, royalty, prominent military figures, inventors, and beauty queens from the same era.
The Fairfax/Elgin United Church was formed in 1921, combining the Methodist (founded in 1889), and Presbyterian (founded in 1887) congregations in these communities. In 1968, the Elgin and Souris congregations joined and, in 1969, the original Elgin United Church was sold to the Fairfax Community Club.
Custodial History
The fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains minute books (1922-1968), account books (1953-1970), account statements (1966-68), one annual report (1967), and documents of insurance and property transfer (1960-1970) concerning the Fairfax/Elgin United Church.
The name Berbank was created by combining the names of two local districts: Riverbank and Bertha. Both were located south of Brandon in the Rural Municipality of Oakland. The Berbank Church was built in 1919. Its construction grew out of the work of the Berbank Red Cross founded in 1917. The Berbank Church was a "union" church, constructed in anticipation of the formation of the United Church of Canada. In 1966, the Berbank congregation joined with the Nesbitt congregation to operate out of the Nesbitt United Church. The final service at the Berbank United Church was held in 1966.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains a document titled "Berbank Church History." This document is partially in a printed format with a portion handwritten. Fonds also contains minute books and legal documents pertaining to the ownership of the land upon which the Church was constructed.
2 mm (1 two-page letter -- 1 letter with envelope)
History / Biographical
David Sommerville Charleson was born January 14th, 1884, in Brandon, Manitoba. The Charleson's settled in the GlenSouris area south of Brandon, Manitoba in 1882. David Charleson enlisted on 24 September 1914. He served as a lieutenant in the 6th Infantry Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Later, he transferred to the 8th Battalion. In Belgium, Charleson was a victim of an enemy gas attack early in the war, following which he returned to Canada incapacitated. Miss Estella Cullen, a trained nurse, cared for him following his return to Canada. David Sommerville Charleson died on May 12, 1925 a victim of war-time injuries. He is buried in the GlenSouris Cemetery just south of Brandon.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of one letter written by Charleson from Belgium in early 1915 to Miss Estella Cullen in Rounthwaite, Manitoba. In the letter, Charleson describes the circumstances facing the Canadian troops in the trenches during the Great War and provides an account of the German trenches facing him. This is an evocative and reflective letter. Philatelists may find the condition of the stamps on the letter envelope of interest.
Mildred (Mollie) Norton Kellet was born April 5, 1914, in Birmingham, England to Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Travers. At the age of 18, she joined the Cadbury Brothers Co. as a contometer. In 1942, she married George Crawford Kellet Jr. Mollie and George Kellet had two children together: Patricia (b. 1944) and Ian (b. 1949). In February of 1944, Mollie and her husband relocated to Manchester where George Kellet worked as an accountant.
Following World War II, the Kellets emigrated to Winnipeg, Canada. Mollie remained a mother and homekeeper until 1954, when she was hired as a secretary for Mitchell, Green, and Menouk Lawyers. She was also employed by The Bay and in the securities department of Montreal Trust Co, where she was the manager until 1966. She retired at age 65, but was recalled by the company to work until 1984, when she was 70 years old. In 1990, Mollie moved to Brandon to be closer to her daughter, Pat Alvested. Due to complications from surgery and a weak heart, Mollie Kellet passed away on January 31, 1999.
George Crawford Kellet Jr. was born to George Crawford Kellet Sr. and Lizzie Auld Halliday Kellet on July 16, 1911, in Glasgow, Scotland. An only child, he attended private school, and in 1933, at the age of 21, he was the youngest Chartered Accountant graduate in Britain. At some point between 1933 and his marriage to Mildred (Mollie) Norton in 1942, George joined the British army; while with the army his job was to receive the orders concerning army accounting and process them for soldiers in the field.
George left the army after the war and sailed with his wife and daughter on the Mauretania for Canada. Upon settling in Winnipeg he worked for Family Fair. In 1956 and 1957, he continued to work while setting up his own accounting firm, Kellet & Co. He was also diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1956. In 1971, George's health forced him to retire. Mollie continued to work at this time. Five years later she was unable to care for him adequately and he moved to a nursing home. In 1985, at age 74, George Kellet passed away.
Custodial History
In January 2000, Pat Alvestad, the Kellets' daughter, donated this fonds to the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
The records contained within the Mollie Kellet fonds are contributions from both Mollie and her husband George. Included are: a collection of handwritten recollections by Mollie Kellet concerning her experiences during the Second World War (Mollie had been living in London and experienced life under German bombing); a document from WWI, presumably from her father, who was a veteran of this war; and records acquired by George Kellet during his service in the Second World War concerning the practical arrangements made to support troops following the 1944 D-day invasion of Nazi Europe. Marked "top secret," these records set out procedures for paying and provisioning the invading army.
60 photographs (b/w) and 18 negatives; 3 cm textual records
History / Biographical
Rubina Isabella Miles (née McGregor) was born October 9th, 1909, in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, the only child of Kate (née Rowe) and William McGregor. Her father, William Thom McGregor was a native of Scotland who, before coming to Canada, travelled to Australia and New Zealand, and served in the Boer War. Ruby Miles and her parents migrated to Australia in 1921. In 1925, the family moved to Papua New Guinea where Mr. McGregor was employed as Head Stockman on the Giligili Estate, part of the Commonwealth Copra Company. The family returned to Canada in 1929. In 1940, Ruby married Leonard "Len" Miles, a native of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Following the Second World War, they settled in Brandon, Manitoba. Ruby spent her adult life as a homemaker. She died in April 2003.
Custodial History
The records came into Ruby Miles' possession through her husband (correspondence while he was overseas) and through the death of various family members. Following the death of Ruby Miles, the collection was donated to the S.J. McKee Archives by Errol Black, the executor of her estate.
Scope and Content
Collection includes c. 15 letters from Kate McGregor, to her parents Mr. and Mrs. A.A. Rowe of Brandon, Manitoba. The letters were written in the years 1925-1929, when Mrs. McGregor and her family were living in Papua New Guinea. Collection also includes photographs and photographic negatives containing images of the Giligili Estate in New Guinea. Collection contains correspondence with Len Miles during his service overseas in the Second World War, as well as Len Miles' service record, death certificate and various memorabilia from his time in military service. Finally, the collection includes various news clippings, documents and correspondence received or retained by Ruby Miles.
The Berbank Red Cross was founded in November 1917, as a local feature of the Great War. The name Berbank was created by combining the names of the two local districts, Riverbank and Bertha, located south of Brandon in the Rural Municipality of Oakland. The Berbank Red Cross sent supplies of various kinds to local soldiers serving in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Europe. The organization also organized social gatherings in the Berbank area. With the end of the war most rural Red Cross organizations were disbanded, but the Berbank group agreed to remain intact to assist with the construction of a church. (See accession 28-1997 Berbank Church fonds)
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned in 1997 by the McKee Archives. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds includes a minute book, which provides a complete record of every meeting held by the Berbank Red Cross, from its creation in 1917 to 1919, when it became the Berbank Ladies Aid. Fonds also includes a roll call, financial records, and meeting minutes.
The first Women's Institute in Canada was created by Mrs. Adelaide Hunter Hoodless in Stoney Creek, Ontario, on February 19, 1897. The Women's Institute was created to unite rural women with the hopes that this would help women improve their homes and communities. The motto of the Women's Institute became, "a nation could not rise above the level of its homes." The group was to be non-partisan and non-sectarian to allow for maximum participation. The Women's Institute became one of the very few ways for rural women to meet and share ideas and problems with others. The Women's Institute spread throughout Canada and reached Manitoba in 1910, when Morris and Valley River, Manitoba, formed Women's Institute branches. The Women's Institute branches in Manitoba were known as Home Economics Societies until 1919, when they became branches of the Manitoba Women's Institute. The Home Economics Societies specialized in community service work. At first, the groups concentrated on home management and child care, and eventually they became involved with social and political issues. In addition to community work, the Women's Institute branches also invited many guest speakers to their meetings and promoted education and the dissemination of information to rural women on subjects such as canning, growing fruits and vegetables, dental hygiene and rural electrification. The Manitoba Women's Institute continues its work today.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned in 2002 by the McKee Archives. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
This collection has been artificially created and consists of miscellaneous newspaper and magazine clippings, handbooks, newsletters, photos and song sheets collected by various unknown Manitoba Women's Institute branches. Some newletters included in the collection are "Institute News" from the Manitoba Women's Institute, "National Farm Forum Guide", "Federated News" from the Federated Women's Institute of Canada and "The Country Woman" from Associated Women of the World. The newspaper clippings in the collection relate to Women's Institute branches around Manitoba and the rest of Canada.
Related women's institute collections in the McKee Archives include:
Manitoba Women's Institute; Minnedosa Women's Institute; Cordova Women's Institute; Clanwilliam Women's Institute; Rathwell Women's Institute; Strathclair Women's Institute; Crocus Women's Institute; Southwest A Region - Manitoba Women's Institute; Douglas Women's Institute
The first Manitoba Women's Institute was formed in 1910, in Morris, Manitoba. In 1919, existing institutes joined to form the Federated Women's Institutes of Canada at Winnipeg. In 1929, the Associated Country Women of the World was formed with it headquarters in London England; the Canadian Women's Institute affiliated with this organization. As of 2001, the Manitoba Women's Institute still exists, with its headquarters in Winnipeg.
Custodial History
This fonds was donated to the McKee archives by Wilma Bell of Harding, Manitoba in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains minutes, attendance records, financial records, and annual reports of the various women's institutes in the Southwest A region of Manitoba.
Related women's institute collections in the McKee Archives include:
Manitoba Women's Institute; Minnedosa Women's Institute; Cordova Women's Institute; Clanwilliam Women's Institute; Rathwell Women's Institute; Strathclair Women's Institute; Crocus Women's Institute; Southwest A Region - Manitoba Women's Institute; Douglas Women's Institute
The Minnedosa Women's Institute was one of the first Women's Institutes in Manitoba. The group was created on November 11, 1910, and was called the Home Economics Society until 1919, when all Home Economics Societies in Manitoba became branches of the Manitoba Women's Institute. The first president of the Minnedosa Women's Institute was Mrs. Andrew Boyd. Some early projects of the group included building a rest room and the maintenance of a country women's ward in the Minnedosa Hospital. The group also worked for the war effort during both world wars, including sewing and knitting, as well as sending clothing and food overseas. During the 1920's, the Institute held a number of baby clinics, and during the 1930's, opened a lending library. The Institute also participated with other community projects and groups such as 4-H and the film council. The Minnedosa branch is no longer active, however the Basswood Women's Institute is active in the Minnedosa area.
Custodial History
Fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 2002. Previous custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds includes many records from the Minnedosa Women's Institute, such as the group's constitution, and the meeting minutes from 1914-1981. The fonds also contains financial records from 1932-1955. There are two scrapbooks about the Minnedosa Women's Institute, with the first running from 1910-60 and the second running from 1960-80. The scrapbooks contain pictures, clippings, and stories. There is also a scrapbook dedicated to Minnedosa Village History, which covers the years 1878-1956. Finally, this fonds includes the Certificate of Organization for the Minnedosa Women's Institute, which is dated October 20, 1922, althought the group was established in 1910.
Related women's institute collections in the McKee Archives include:
Manitoba Women's Institute; Minnedosa Women's Institute; Cordova Women's Institute; Clanwilliam Women's Institute; Rathwell Women's Institute; Strathclair Women's Institute; Crocus Women's Institute; Southwest A Region - Manitoba Women's Institute; Douglas Women's Institute
Martin Wesley Johns was born to missionary parents Alfred and Myrtle Johns in Chengtu, West China on March 23, 1913. The family returned to Canada in 1925. Johns attended high schools in Tacoma, Washington; Vancouver, BC; Brandon, Manitoba; and Exeter, Ontario. He studied at Brandon College from 1928-1931 before obtaining his B.A. (1932) and M.A. (1934) from McMaster University and his Ph.D. From the University of Toronto (1938). From 1937-1946, he taught physics at Brandon College. In 1972, Brandon University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Science degree.
Johns served in the Canadian Officers Training Corps (C.O.T.C.) in 1940-1941 doing research concerned with neutron physics at Chalk River. In 1947, he joined the Physics Department at McMaster University, where he remained for the remainder of his career.
Johns married Margaret Mary Hilborn on July 15, 1939. Together they have four children: Robert, Elizabeth, Kenneth and Kathryn. Following Margaret's death c. 1979, Johns was married to Elsie North for twenty years. At the age of 90, Johns fell in love with his sweetheart Marian Thompson.
Martin Wesley Johns died on September 18, 2008 at McMaster Hospital.
Custodial History
The notebooks in accession 17-2007 were in the possession of Wesley Wong, former member of the Physics Department at Brandon College, who mailed them to Martin Johns in 2002. Wong suggested Johns donate them to the McKee Archives, which he did on January 28, 2004. The photographs in accession 8-2009 were sent to Carla Eisler, Alumni Relations Officer, Brandon University by Ken Johns (Martin Johns' son) following Martin's death. Eisler transfered them to the Archives in February 2009.
Scope and Content
Accession 17-2007 contains two lab record notebooks used by Martin Johns while he was a member of Brandon College's Department of Physics. The notebooks record class lists, grades, absences, and seating charts for courses Johns taught, as well as regulations for lab reports and major assignments.
Accession 8-2009 contains twenty-one black and white photographs dealing with Brandon College students, faculty and buildings. There a a few photographs of Brandon, as well as one of the Queen Mother from her visit to Brandon in 1939.
Notes
History/Bio information taken from the Martin W. Johns bio file in the Archives reading room.
Margaret Menzies was born on July 30th, 1920, at a family farm located in Oakburn, Manitoba. She grew up on the family farm and attended school in both Oakburn and Shoal Lake. She married Donald Menzies on June 4th, 1941. Together they had four children. In 1959, the family moved to Brandon, Manitoba, where they lived for the rest of their lives.
Margaret Menzies was a longtime and active member of the International Toastmistress Club (ITC), and was also involved in the Consumers Association of Canada, Seniors for Seniors, as well as being a member of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Central United Church. Menzies did not graduate from high school in her early years, but managed to continue her education and receive a bachelor of arts degree from Brandon University at the age of 70.
Margaret Menzies passed away on June 9th, 2012.
Custodial History
Records in the collection were brought to the S.J McKee Archives on July 13, 2012, by Gerald Brown, on behalf of the family of Margaret Menzies.
Scope and Content
Collection contains of two scrapbooks created by Margaret Menzies. The scrapbooks contain various cards, itinerary's, and other documents associated with Menzies' membership in the International Toastmistress Club. The items in the scrapbooks date from the mid 1980's to the late 1990's.
Also included in the collection are four local history books. The first is a 100 year history of the town of Oakburn, Manitoba, from 1870 to 1970, published during celebrations of Manitoba's centenniary in 1970. Next is a book about the history of the town of Shoal Lake, Manitoba, which was published in 1959 on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the town of Shoal Lake in 1909. The last two books are the first and second volumes of Ripples on the Lake, which cover the history of the Shoal Lake municipality from 1884. The first volume covers the first 100 years of the history of the Shoal Lake region, being published in 1984. The second volume was published in 2007, covering the history of Shoal Lake since 1984, as well as including new information that was not published in the 1984 version of the book.
Finally, the collection contains one photograph of Margaret Menzies receiving her bachelor of arts degree from Peter Hordern, dean of arts of Brandon University.
Notes
Biographical information provided by obituary entry in the Brandon Sun, June 16, 2012. Description by Tyler Warren (October 2012).
