You guys work fast, this all looks great.
Unfortunately for me however, the stress of the last couple of weeks has caught up with me and I was left with a nasty cold and a migraine for most of the afternoon. I did manage to get a lot done on the site though, but also ran into some unforeseen technical difficulties in the right-left split. I'm quite certain they can be worked out, but I want to find the solution before I create all the pages and have to finish them all. So once I get one the rest should come pretty easy.
I didn't upload any changes to the online version, as many of the changes weren't visible. I'll let you know as soon as I do.
-d
Saturday, March 31, 2007
A very long post with all my Irvines material
Ok folks, here we go. First off, here is the text for the left window - text in square brackets shows what to link the nearby underlined text to (so please delete that once they're done); endnotes are conventional sources for the 'pop-up source windows' - the numbers are no longer in superscript, so I bolded them. Also please note I think you may lose some italicization when you copy this out, so double-check that if you could once it's in the page (or I will and let you know what to change).
THE INDEPENDENT FARMER:
John Irvine Sr. from servant to landowner
John Irvine and his family came from the Orkney Islands, near the north coast of Scotland. When he boarded the steamer to London to join there the Hudson's Bay Company barque Tory [LINK TO IMAGE OF TORY AND PASSENGER LIST], John and his wife Jessie - and maybe even their son Robert, aged 5 or 6 - may have been dreaming of owning their own piece of the new world. It was to be about eleven years before, half a world away, the Irvine family, by then consisting of John and Jessie and their six children (with one more still to come) were settled at what they named Rose Bank Farm.
In November 1850, John inked his first contract with the HBC, signing his labour over to them for a five-year term, to be served out at Fort Victoria on Vancouver Island. The approximately 18,020 kilometre voyage from London to Fort Victoria took the Irvines from November 9, 1850 to May 10, 1851. This time was spent aboard a sailing ship just of just 130 feet in length and 25 in beam and carrying between 120 and 140 passengers.1
Details on the Irvines' early days in Victoria are somewhat uncertain, but it seems that John and his family worked and lived just outside Fort Victoria and at the nearby Church Hill and Gonzales farms. In September of 1851 their second son, William [LINK TO PICTURE OF WILLIAM IRVINE], was born - he was the first child of European parents to be born on Vancouver Island. In 1852, they played a crucial role in the establishment of Craigflower farm, thus obtaining their place on this website. John worked as grain miller at the farm and, in the early days, no doubt helped with general construction and other work. Much of the year 1852 was spent preparing the site of Craigflower for the arrival of its manager (or 'bailiff') Kenneth McKenzie [LINK TO THE MCKENZIE PAGE? JUST AN IDEA - AT YOUR DISCRETION, DAN] in January 1853.2
It seems clear, however, that the Irvines were always looking towards their dream of owning their own farm. John was paid a salary of 20 pounds per year by the Hudson's Bay Company, and he saved as much as he could towards the purchase of land. In 1855, with not enough collected to achieve this goal, John signed on for another five year term of servitude with the HBC and continued to work at Craigflower farm. By 1857, however, the Irvines had saved enough to make the first payment on about 130 acres in the area north of Victoria known as Cedar Plains [LINK TO SAANICH ARCHIVES RECORD OF INITIAL PURCHASE - RETYPED BY SCOTT], along the route of Cedar Hill Road between Mount Douglas (Cedar Hill) and Fort Victoria. There was so much work to be done making the place liveable, it seems, that they may not have been able to move there until five years later in 1862. This may not be so surprising when we consider that John (likely with the help of son Robert, 12 years old in 1857) was still working 6 long days each week at Craigflower.3
Presumably John had continued to work at Craigflower on a non-contract basis since his third five-year term would have lasted until 1865 had it been signed as the first two had. As it actually happened, the family moved to their own farm long before that; it is unclear exactly when they first moved in - perhaps the process was gradual - but it seems to have been sometime between 1860 and spring 1862 [LINK TO SCOTT'S TEXT ON UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THEIR MOVE-IN DATE]. Jessie named it Rose Bank for the many wild roses growing around their home site.4 The place was wooded and rocky and remote, but it must have suited the Irvines - perhaps reminding them of home in the distant Orkney islands - because John and Jessie lived there for the rest of their lives (until 1906 and 1907 respectively). Eventually, they owned over 300 acres.
The Irvines' kitchen was the first home to the Anglican congregation of the area (despite the Irvines being Presbyterians) before it moved into St. Luke's church, whose modern incarnation rests at the corner of Cedar Hill and Cedar Hill Cross roads.
Life at Rose Bank was not easy. John Irvine Jr. (known as 'Long Gun' Jack) [LINK TO SELECTIONS FROM LONG GUN'S BOOK, PICTURES OF LONG GUN, AND IMAGE OF HIS BOOK COVER], born in October of 1861, records that by the time he was nine, he had a full roster of chores on the farm and was expected to "be a man." At that age, he caught his hand in a piece of equipment and had to be taken to the doctor with two of his fingers "like sausage meat." Long Gun also mentions the family having cows and sheep at this time, and we know that 34 of their sheep were killed by wildlife one night in 1868 [LINK TO SCOTT'S TRANSCRIPTION OF COLONIST ARTICLE] - which shows how truly wild the area was at that time. Similarly, Long Gun discusses his great skill at hunting with a flintlock rifle when he was 12 years old; he brought home many varieties of birds and sometimes one of the wild pigs which so aggravated the area's farmers. John Jr. also spent much of his childhood playing with local First Nations children, and writes that he "could talk Chinook like [he] belonged to the tribe."
We do know, however, that basic education for the children in the area was established fairly quickly, at first in the kitchen of the neighbouring King family, and by 1872, in the new official provincial Cedar Hill school. Christina Irvine's workbook provides a glimpse into the world of a child of 1875 [LINK TO TRANSCRIPTIONS AND IMAGES OF NOTEBOOK] - and reveals that in the mind of a child, that world was not so different from our own after all.
The Irvine family [LINK TO PAGE WITH TWO PICTURES OF IRVINES - PORTRAIT WITH THE ANNOYING FREDDY TOD AND THE ONE IN THE FIELD] established itself firmly as one of Victoria's key pioneering clans. A family reunion in the city in 1992 saw about 150 attendees.5 The Irvines, like the others on this website, represent a fundamental aspect of the British empire. Theirs is perhaps the essential dream behind not only empire, with all its promises, its dark sides, and its long echoes down through history, but behind many human lives throughout time: the dream of owning one's own piece of land with which to do what you please and live out your life in peace and prosperity. Through hard work with the HBC, one of the great organs of the British Empire, the Irvine family became a small but important part of the diaspora of European peoples across the globe which have resulted in the creation of what we know as the western world. By striking out on their own, they and many others like them played a key role in expanding the territory available for European settlement.
Notes:
1 William John Irvine et al., Irvines in Victoria BC since 1851 (Victoria: William John Irvine, 1996), 9-10 and British Columbia Archives, Irvine Family Fonds, MSS-322, Early Victoria, Jack 'Long Gun' Irvine, 1.
2 W.J. Irvine, Irvines in Victoria BC since 1851, 20 and 33-34.
3 W.J. Irvine, Irvines in Victoria BC since 1851, 35-37.
4 W.J. Irvine, Irvines in Victoria BC since 1851, 37-38.
5 Patrick Murphy, "Great clan grows in Victoria from Scottish family of three" Victoria Times Colonist, 22 July 1992, C9.
__________________________________________
Here is the list of stuff for the right window - lists images where applicable by filename (I will post these as well) and text where applicable.
When page first opens, picture in right-hand window is: irvine.gif
Link #1:
- image - tory.jpg
- text - Source: William John Irvine et al., Irvines in Victoria BC since 1851 (Victoria: William John Irvine, 1996), 32.
- image - torypaxlist.jpg
- text - The passenger list of the Tory indicates only the male family heads and not the women and children who were also on board. The most recognizable name on the list is John Work (not to be confused with the curiously similar John Wark, also apparently on board - we suspect that this may be the same person), a prominent farmer and legislator. Also aboard was Martha Cheney, whose diary is an excellent source on early Victoria.
Source: W.J. Irvine, Irvines in Victoria BC since 1851, 11 and 22.
#2:
- image - williamirvine.gif
- text - actually don't think we need any since the citation is right on the image...
#3:
- text of initial land purchase in a format something like the following (you can play with it to make it look better as you may think necessary):
Land District: Victoria
Section: 41
Original Owner: John Irving [a common misspelling which appears often in various records - not changed to Irvine in these land records until 1900]
Number of acres: 130.54
Price: 579.46 dollars, or 120*8*4 pounds
Date of Purchase: April 20, 1857
Date of Final Payment: December 2, 1861
Source: Saanich Archives [Dan - I may get in touch with Caroline to see if there's a better citation for this!]
#4:
- text:
There is some confusion over exactly when the Irvines moved to Rose Bank from Craigflower; we are positing that it may have been a gradual process. The issue arises because Bill Irvine, the family's current pseudo-official historian, notes that the move was planned for 1861, but a harsh winter forced a delay until spring 1862. However, many other sources refer to events at Rose Bank taking place before 1862, particularly in reference to the Anglican congregation using the Irvines' buildings for services. Danda Humphreys, in her popular Times Colonist column "On the street where you live" writes that the first Sunday service was held at Rose Bank in 1860, and on subsequent Sundays had to move to the barn from the kitchen due to overcrowding. On the St. Luke's parish website, Geoffrey Castle writes that the first church was constructed in 1862 after a total of 29 services at the Irvine property. One possible explanation is that as John Irvine was preparing his farm (recall he acquired the land in 1857) for his family to move in, he allowed the empty buildings to be used for services by his soon-to-be neighbours, but that he and Jessie decided that their new home was not quite fit to move their young family in yet.
Sources: W.J. Irvine, Irvines in Victoria BC since 1851, 37; Danda Humphreys, "The house where Long Gun Jack lived" Victoria Times Colonist, 26 April 1998, Islander 3; Geoffrey Castle, St. Luke's Built When Saanich Was For Missionaries <http://www.stlukesvictoria.ca/history.html>(2003).
#5:
- image - longguncover.jpg
- image - longgunpage.jpg
- text - The cover and first page of Jack "Long Gun" Irvine's charming memoir of his life in pioneer Victoria. Source: British Columbia Archives (hereafter BCA), Irvine Family Fonds, MSS-322, Early Victoria, Jack 'Long Gun' Irvine.
#6:
text:
Victoria Colonist – FORTY YEARS AGO
"The British Colonist, Monday, March 30, 1868
Wholesale Slaughter – On Saturday morning Mr. Irvine, a farmer in Victoria district, found 34 heal of his sheep lying dead in the field. The bodies bore evidence of having been torn by Panthers. A hunt will be organized. Where are the paper hunters?" [ The authors would appreciate any insight on what this last phrase might mean!]
Source: "Forty Years Ago" Victoria Colonist, 29 March 1908.
#7:
- image - cnotebook2.jpg
- image - cnotebook1.jpg
- text - Christina Irvine's notebook. The inside cover reads: "Christina Irvine. Jan 1875. Cedar Hill. This book is my private property and I defy any person to prove otherwise."
Source: BCA, Irvine Family Fonds, MSS-322.
#8:
- image - irvinesgarden.gif
- text - The Irvines in 1892. From left to right: Ethel Irvine, her father Jack Irvine, and his niece Irene Alice; Margaret Isabelle; John Irvine Sr.; Alice Irvine and daughter Mabel; Marie White; Margaret Irvine; Mary Ann Laing (nee Irvine); Jessie Irvine; Freddy Tod (a neighbour). Thanks to W.J. Irvine, Irvines in Victoria BC since 1851, 45 for identification.
- image - 1892irvines.gif
- text - Perhaps from the same day; the Irvines in front of part of Rose Bank
______________________
And finally, the images:
That's all for now, folks. Call me at 216-7489 if you have any troubles...will have Verney stuff (probably not as complete as this) tonight or tomorrow morning. Cheers!
Scott
THE INDEPENDENT FARMER:
John Irvine Sr. from servant to landowner
John Irvine and his family came from the Orkney Islands, near the north coast of Scotland. When he boarded the steamer to London to join there the Hudson's Bay Company barque Tory [LINK TO IMAGE OF TORY AND PASSENGER LIST], John and his wife Jessie - and maybe even their son Robert, aged 5 or 6 - may have been dreaming of owning their own piece of the new world. It was to be about eleven years before, half a world away, the Irvine family, by then consisting of John and Jessie and their six children (with one more still to come) were settled at what they named Rose Bank Farm.
In November 1850, John inked his first contract with the HBC, signing his labour over to them for a five-year term, to be served out at Fort Victoria on Vancouver Island. The approximately 18,020 kilometre voyage from London to Fort Victoria took the Irvines from November 9, 1850 to May 10, 1851. This time was spent aboard a sailing ship just of just 130 feet in length and 25 in beam and carrying between 120 and 140 passengers.1
Details on the Irvines' early days in Victoria are somewhat uncertain, but it seems that John and his family worked and lived just outside Fort Victoria and at the nearby Church Hill and Gonzales farms. In September of 1851 their second son, William [LINK TO PICTURE OF WILLIAM IRVINE], was born - he was the first child of European parents to be born on Vancouver Island. In 1852, they played a crucial role in the establishment of Craigflower farm, thus obtaining their place on this website. John worked as grain miller at the farm and, in the early days, no doubt helped with general construction and other work. Much of the year 1852 was spent preparing the site of Craigflower for the arrival of its manager (or 'bailiff') Kenneth McKenzie [LINK TO THE MCKENZIE PAGE? JUST AN IDEA - AT YOUR DISCRETION, DAN] in January 1853.2
It seems clear, however, that the Irvines were always looking towards their dream of owning their own farm. John was paid a salary of 20 pounds per year by the Hudson's Bay Company, and he saved as much as he could towards the purchase of land. In 1855, with not enough collected to achieve this goal, John signed on for another five year term of servitude with the HBC and continued to work at Craigflower farm. By 1857, however, the Irvines had saved enough to make the first payment on about 130 acres in the area north of Victoria known as Cedar Plains [LINK TO SAANICH ARCHIVES RECORD OF INITIAL PURCHASE - RETYPED BY SCOTT], along the route of Cedar Hill Road between Mount Douglas (Cedar Hill) and Fort Victoria. There was so much work to be done making the place liveable, it seems, that they may not have been able to move there until five years later in 1862. This may not be so surprising when we consider that John (likely with the help of son Robert, 12 years old in 1857) was still working 6 long days each week at Craigflower.3
Presumably John had continued to work at Craigflower on a non-contract basis since his third five-year term would have lasted until 1865 had it been signed as the first two had. As it actually happened, the family moved to their own farm long before that; it is unclear exactly when they first moved in - perhaps the process was gradual - but it seems to have been sometime between 1860 and spring 1862 [LINK TO SCOTT'S TEXT ON UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THEIR MOVE-IN DATE]. Jessie named it Rose Bank for the many wild roses growing around their home site.4 The place was wooded and rocky and remote, but it must have suited the Irvines - perhaps reminding them of home in the distant Orkney islands - because John and Jessie lived there for the rest of their lives (until 1906 and 1907 respectively). Eventually, they owned over 300 acres.
The Irvines' kitchen was the first home to the Anglican congregation of the area (despite the Irvines being Presbyterians) before it moved into St. Luke's church, whose modern incarnation rests at the corner of Cedar Hill and Cedar Hill Cross roads.
Life at Rose Bank was not easy. John Irvine Jr. (known as 'Long Gun' Jack) [LINK TO SELECTIONS FROM LONG GUN'S BOOK, PICTURES OF LONG GUN, AND IMAGE OF HIS BOOK COVER], born in October of 1861, records that by the time he was nine, he had a full roster of chores on the farm and was expected to "be a man." At that age, he caught his hand in a piece of equipment and had to be taken to the doctor with two of his fingers "like sausage meat." Long Gun also mentions the family having cows and sheep at this time, and we know that 34 of their sheep were killed by wildlife one night in 1868 [LINK TO SCOTT'S TRANSCRIPTION OF COLONIST ARTICLE] - which shows how truly wild the area was at that time. Similarly, Long Gun discusses his great skill at hunting with a flintlock rifle when he was 12 years old; he brought home many varieties of birds and sometimes one of the wild pigs which so aggravated the area's farmers. John Jr. also spent much of his childhood playing with local First Nations children, and writes that he "could talk Chinook like [he] belonged to the tribe."
We do know, however, that basic education for the children in the area was established fairly quickly, at first in the kitchen of the neighbouring King family, and by 1872, in the new official provincial Cedar Hill school. Christina Irvine's workbook provides a glimpse into the world of a child of 1875 [LINK TO TRANSCRIPTIONS AND IMAGES OF NOTEBOOK] - and reveals that in the mind of a child, that world was not so different from our own after all.
The Irvine family [LINK TO PAGE WITH TWO PICTURES OF IRVINES - PORTRAIT WITH THE ANNOYING FREDDY TOD AND THE ONE IN THE FIELD] established itself firmly as one of Victoria's key pioneering clans. A family reunion in the city in 1992 saw about 150 attendees.5 The Irvines, like the others on this website, represent a fundamental aspect of the British empire. Theirs is perhaps the essential dream behind not only empire, with all its promises, its dark sides, and its long echoes down through history, but behind many human lives throughout time: the dream of owning one's own piece of land with which to do what you please and live out your life in peace and prosperity. Through hard work with the HBC, one of the great organs of the British Empire, the Irvine family became a small but important part of the diaspora of European peoples across the globe which have resulted in the creation of what we know as the western world. By striking out on their own, they and many others like them played a key role in expanding the territory available for European settlement.
Notes:
1 William John Irvine et al., Irvines in Victoria BC since 1851 (Victoria: William John Irvine, 1996), 9-10 and British Columbia Archives, Irvine Family Fonds, MSS-322, Early Victoria, Jack 'Long Gun' Irvine, 1.
2 W.J. Irvine, Irvines in Victoria BC since 1851, 20 and 33-34.
3 W.J. Irvine, Irvines in Victoria BC since 1851, 35-37.
4 W.J. Irvine, Irvines in Victoria BC since 1851, 37-38.
5 Patrick Murphy, "Great clan grows in Victoria from Scottish family of three" Victoria Times Colonist, 22 July 1992, C9.
__________________________________________
Here is the list of stuff for the right window - lists images where applicable by filename (I will post these as well) and text where applicable.
When page first opens, picture in right-hand window is: irvine.gif
Link #1:
- image - tory.jpg
- text - Source: William John Irvine et al., Irvines in Victoria BC since 1851 (Victoria: William John Irvine, 1996), 32.
- image - torypaxlist.jpg
- text - The passenger list of the Tory indicates only the male family heads and not the women and children who were also on board. The most recognizable name on the list is John Work (not to be confused with the curiously similar John Wark, also apparently on board - we suspect that this may be the same person), a prominent farmer and legislator. Also aboard was Martha Cheney, whose diary is an excellent source on early Victoria.
Source: W.J. Irvine, Irvines in Victoria BC since 1851, 11 and 22.
#2:
- image - williamirvine.gif
- text - actually don't think we need any since the citation is right on the image...
#3:
- text of initial land purchase in a format something like the following (you can play with it to make it look better as you may think necessary):
Land District: Victoria
Section: 41
Original Owner: John Irving [a common misspelling which appears often in various records - not changed to Irvine in these land records until 1900]
Number of acres: 130.54
Price: 579.46 dollars, or 120*8*4 pounds
Date of Purchase: April 20, 1857
Date of Final Payment: December 2, 1861
Source: Saanich Archives [Dan - I may get in touch with Caroline to see if there's a better citation for this!]
#4:
- text:
There is some confusion over exactly when the Irvines moved to Rose Bank from Craigflower; we are positing that it may have been a gradual process. The issue arises because Bill Irvine, the family's current pseudo-official historian, notes that the move was planned for 1861, but a harsh winter forced a delay until spring 1862. However, many other sources refer to events at Rose Bank taking place before 1862, particularly in reference to the Anglican congregation using the Irvines' buildings for services. Danda Humphreys, in her popular Times Colonist column "On the street where you live" writes that the first Sunday service was held at Rose Bank in 1860, and on subsequent Sundays had to move to the barn from the kitchen due to overcrowding. On the St. Luke's parish website, Geoffrey Castle writes that the first church was constructed in 1862 after a total of 29 services at the Irvine property. One possible explanation is that as John Irvine was preparing his farm (recall he acquired the land in 1857) for his family to move in, he allowed the empty buildings to be used for services by his soon-to-be neighbours, but that he and Jessie decided that their new home was not quite fit to move their young family in yet.
Sources: W.J. Irvine, Irvines in Victoria BC since 1851, 37; Danda Humphreys, "The house where Long Gun Jack lived" Victoria Times Colonist, 26 April 1998, Islander 3; Geoffrey Castle, St. Luke's Built When Saanich Was For Missionaries <http://www.stlukesvictoria.ca/history.html>
#5:
- image - longguncover.jpg
- image - longgunpage.jpg
- text - The cover and first page of Jack "Long Gun" Irvine's charming memoir of his life in pioneer Victoria. Source: British Columbia Archives (hereafter BCA), Irvine Family Fonds, MSS-322, Early Victoria, Jack 'Long Gun' Irvine.
#6:
text:
Victoria Colonist – FORTY YEARS AGO
"The British Colonist, Monday, March 30, 1868
Wholesale Slaughter – On Saturday morning Mr. Irvine, a farmer in Victoria district, found 34 heal of his sheep lying dead in the field. The bodies bore evidence of having been torn by Panthers. A hunt will be organized. Where are the paper hunters?" [ The authors would appreciate any insight on what this last phrase might mean!]
Source: "Forty Years Ago" Victoria Colonist, 29 March 1908.
#7:
- image - cnotebook2.jpg
- image - cnotebook1.jpg
- text - Christina Irvine's notebook. The inside cover reads: "Christina Irvine. Jan 1875. Cedar Hill. This book is my private property and I defy any person to prove otherwise."
Source: BCA, Irvine Family Fonds, MSS-322.
#8:
- image - irvinesgarden.gif
- text - The Irvines in 1892. From left to right: Ethel Irvine, her father Jack Irvine, and his niece Irene Alice; Margaret Isabelle; John Irvine Sr.; Alice Irvine and daughter Mabel; Marie White; Margaret Irvine; Mary Ann Laing (nee Irvine); Jessie Irvine; Freddy Tod (a neighbour). Thanks to W.J. Irvine, Irvines in Victoria BC since 1851, 45 for identification.
- image - 1892irvines.gif
- text - Perhaps from the same day; the Irvines in front of part of Rose Bank
______________________
And finally, the images:
That's all for now, folks. Call me at 216-7489 if you have any troubles...will have Verney stuff (probably not as complete as this) tonight or tomorrow morning. Cheers!
Scott
Labour Agreement
Here's a scan of the labour agreement. I hope it comes out ok...I was having trouble with both of my scanners, and spent 40 minutes trying to get it to scan successfully. I've also added the passenger list, in case we need it.
Hi guys,
Just a couple of things and then I need to do some stuff, but will be post some things later.
Scott - I emailed John about the image mark-up to see if we could just do individual assignments. I'm waiting to hear back from him. You've already done one of your own, right? If he says it's ok, it won't give you any more work to do....? (I hope!)
Dan - the site looks really good. I'll get you some stuff before Sunday night (I'll work on it today and post it as I get it done). It probably won't be the complete text in some cases, but there will be something to post and I'll flesh it out next week.
Re: larger images - do you need them even larger than the images that come up when you click the thumbnails in the blog? If so, I'll email John about that today.
Dan - my scanner was doing weird things last night and I was in the midst of working on another history paper. I'll scan the labour agreement tonight and post it.
Although this isn't that helpful, I found it kind of interesting - I found Robert Melrose and family in the 1841 and 1851 Scottish censuses. He seems to have been the eldest of a family of labourers. Peter Bartleman showed up in the 1851 Scottish census, and was living with his mother *I think*. He was a blacksmith, but I don't imagine they were very well off, as his possibly widowed mother was listed as an agricultural labourer! Edmund Verney also showed up as young child in the 1841 English census and appears to have been living the life of Riley in Buckinghamshire!
Talk to you soon!
Taryn
EDIT: I'll have my cell on all day (884-3083) but if for some reason I don't answer, call me at home (386-3083) I should be at home all day working. I'll also be checking the blog and my UVic address, so feel free to email me or post, and I should see it.
Just a couple of things and then I need to do some stuff, but will be post some things later.
Scott - I emailed John about the image mark-up to see if we could just do individual assignments. I'm waiting to hear back from him. You've already done one of your own, right? If he says it's ok, it won't give you any more work to do....? (I hope!)
Dan - the site looks really good. I'll get you some stuff before Sunday night (I'll work on it today and post it as I get it done). It probably won't be the complete text in some cases, but there will be something to post and I'll flesh it out next week.
Re: larger images - do you need them even larger than the images that come up when you click the thumbnails in the blog? If so, I'll email John about that today.
Dan - my scanner was doing weird things last night and I was in the midst of working on another history paper. I'll scan the labour agreement tonight and post it.
Although this isn't that helpful, I found it kind of interesting - I found Robert Melrose and family in the 1841 and 1851 Scottish censuses. He seems to have been the eldest of a family of labourers. Peter Bartleman showed up in the 1851 Scottish census, and was living with his mother *I think*. He was a blacksmith, but I don't imagine they were very well off, as his possibly widowed mother was listed as an agricultural labourer! Edmund Verney also showed up as young child in the 1841 English census and appears to have been living the life of Riley in Buckinghamshire!
Talk to you soon!
Taryn
EDIT: I'll have my cell on all day (884-3083) but if for some reason I don't answer, call me at home (386-3083) I should be at home all day working. I'll also be checking the blog and my UVic address, so feel free to email me or post, and I should see it.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Things to read
Hi guys,
Dan - the site looks great. One small thing: I wouldn't describe Irvine as an entrepreneur - perhaps we can just go with 'The Independent Farmer'?
Also, a couple things from my last post that I haven't had any response from you guys on:
- my latest/final proposal for a title: "Craigflower Connections: Everyday Empire in Victoria"
- image mark-up also being due Monday - any thoughts on this?
Text, sources, and images for Irvines to come to Dan soon...just trying to figure out how to organize it all. I may just do the sourcing on the left side (i.e. the stuff that doesn't have any specific visual or detail component on the right) as footnotes, and then maybe you could copy and paste those into the appropriate pop-ups? The right-hand stuff I'll just send separately with an indication of which text on the left I think it should be linked to. Sound good?
SM
Dan - the site looks great. One small thing: I wouldn't describe Irvine as an entrepreneur - perhaps we can just go with 'The Independent Farmer'?
Also, a couple things from my last post that I haven't had any response from you guys on:
- my latest/final proposal for a title: "Craigflower Connections: Everyday Empire in Victoria"
- image mark-up also being due Monday - any thoughts on this?
Text, sources, and images for Irvines to come to Dan soon...just trying to figure out how to organize it all. I may just do the sourcing on the left side (i.e. the stuff that doesn't have any specific visual or detail component on the right) as footnotes, and then maybe you could copy and paste those into the appropriate pop-ups? The right-hand stuff I'll just send separately with an indication of which text on the left I think it should be linked to. Sound good?
SM
Progress!
Ok, so I made some more progress on the site, still at http://web.uvic.ca/~dbaart/cf/
The sitemap is now up, and complete unless it needs to be changed (of course). I found a picture of an unidentified worker on the archive site that I thought would work well to represent Bartleman. The map seems to work perfectly as it should--though I would still like it to close automatically and I am still working on that.
The links at the bottom all work as well, and Scott, you might notice that we now have a 'Home' page as well as a 'farm' page. Taryn and I thought we might need something more of a basic introduction and page to link some methodological stuff, and info about us, and have a separate article for the farm itself. If we decide that this is unworkable, or prefer the original idea this won't be too hard to change.
Also the issue of the banner/title needs to be finalized. And since I don't think any of the photos from the archives will help in my research or presentation, I'm going to leave it to you guys to get the larger images, and if you want to email them to me for placing on the site that'd be fine, i think I can receive pretty large attachments.
Earlier today I had a lot more things running through my head but they were either resolved with our talk, or I've been working too hard on other projects and forgot them... Either way, I'll sleep well :)
Good luck guys, I think this is going to be great when it starts coming together. If you want to reach me this weekend don't hesitate to call me at 208-4675, as I might be slow on responding to email.
-Dan
The sitemap is now up, and complete unless it needs to be changed (of course). I found a picture of an unidentified worker on the archive site that I thought would work well to represent Bartleman. The map seems to work perfectly as it should--though I would still like it to close automatically and I am still working on that.
The links at the bottom all work as well, and Scott, you might notice that we now have a 'Home' page as well as a 'farm' page. Taryn and I thought we might need something more of a basic introduction and page to link some methodological stuff, and info about us, and have a separate article for the farm itself. If we decide that this is unworkable, or prefer the original idea this won't be too hard to change.
Also the issue of the banner/title needs to be finalized. And since I don't think any of the photos from the archives will help in my research or presentation, I'm going to leave it to you guys to get the larger images, and if you want to email them to me for placing on the site that'd be fine, i think I can receive pretty large attachments.
Earlier today I had a lot more things running through my head but they were either resolved with our talk, or I've been working too hard on other projects and forgot them... Either way, I'll sleep well :)
Good luck guys, I think this is going to be great when it starts coming together. If you want to reach me this weekend don't hesitate to call me at 208-4675, as I might be slow on responding to email.
-Dan
Thursday, March 29, 2007
We have photos!
Hi guys
Quick update and then I have to run to class - John sent me the photos and they turned out quite well. Most of the stuff is actually legible, which is nice. There's a couple of photos of things that I don't recognize, but I think John did them before we got there - the land grant, a rough map, etc. I'm just about to go to class, but will post the photos in a couple of hours.
T.
Quick update and then I have to run to class - John sent me the photos and they turned out quite well. Most of the stuff is actually legible, which is nice. There's a couple of photos of things that I don't recognize, but I think John did them before we got there - the land grant, a rough map, etc. I'm just about to go to class, but will post the photos in a couple of hours.
T.
Hi guys
Just a quick post before I have to get out of here and go to class - the photos haven't shown up yet, but my email site is doing maintenance on the server and I can't get to my messages right now (I'm sure that could have been more technical, but I'm half-asleep). They weren't there as of 10:30 last night, though. I'll check later today and post them when I get them.
Talk to you later,
T
Just a quick post before I have to get out of here and go to class - the photos haven't shown up yet, but my email site is doing maintenance on the server and I can't get to my messages right now (I'm sure that could have been more technical, but I'm half-asleep). They weren't there as of 10:30 last night, though. I'll check later today and post them when I get them.
Talk to you later,
T
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Various Items of Interest
The site is looking awesome - I love the navigation pop-up concept and think it will work very well. I actually think we should leave the Bartleman picture as is, perhaps with an attached explanation of the unreliable nature of photographic technology in the mid 19th century. Which page does the "Craiglower Farm" tab lead to - the home/intro page? And are we going to have some basic info on the farm on that page? Taryn - any sign of the pics from Dr. Lutz? I am pumped to see them. Also, may I propose another title idea: "Craigflower Connections: The Everyday Empire in Victoria (or VI)" (or..the Empire of Everyday...?). I think it's very catchy...my only reservation is that it may be too much alliteration (if such a condition is possible). Anyway, if you guys think it's a reasonable proposal, that's going to be my final idea submission for a title. In regard to a Friday meeting...definitely possible, although I have a pretty busy day...singing at a funeral in the morning and working in the afternoon. What time were you guys thinking? Don't forget also that our image mark-up is due on Monday along with our presentation. I know you guys are both busy these days so I'm happy to do the lion's share of the work on that (also I am a lion so it would be appropriate). Can you guys think of a good image to do it with?
SM
SM
More...stuff.
Hey guys, sorry to hear about the trouble at the archives, hope it was worth it.
I've uploaded some more stuff to the layout, tried some new elements and started putting it all together. I also suggest another title, but since we're still unsure of the banner graphic it's entirely temporary of course. I also added my idea for the new site map, which is no longer linked but as soon as we get the images and people sorted out I can put the links in. The link to the map itself needs some work too.
I also added text to the bottom of the page to show where I think the redirect links should be, but I think something of a subtle line-divider is needed.
Let me know what you guys think, it's still at
http://web.uvic.ca/~dbaart/cf/
-Dan
PS--- Any decision on a Friday meeting?
I've uploaded some more stuff to the layout, tried some new elements and started putting it all together. I also suggest another title, but since we're still unsure of the banner graphic it's entirely temporary of course. I also added my idea for the new site map, which is no longer linked but as soon as we get the images and people sorted out I can put the links in. The link to the map itself needs some work too.
I also added text to the bottom of the page to show where I think the redirect links should be, but I think something of a subtle line-divider is needed.
Let me know what you guys think, it's still at
http://web.uvic.ca/~dbaart/cf/
-Dan
PS--- Any decision on a Friday meeting?
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Nice work Dan-O. Yeah I actually called the archives twice today and had some stuff put on the hold shelf and another thing put in a locker...this might be confusing. Anyway, better to have lots of stuff than not enough, and I'm sure we'll be able to sort it out. Taryn, what time did J-Lutz say to be there for us - 3:00?? I'll probably wander over at 2:30 to try and get things squared away. See you there.
What I know.
Ok team, I got quite a bit done at the archives today. I originally arranged to have the materials needed put into the box that Scott called in to request, but it turns out the staff member that's going to be assisting us has it all set aside apart from that. So Scott, don't be concerned if you see a bunch of request slips with your name on them. It seems we're the only group that made prior document requests, so I have a feeling the archivist might have quite a headache in dealing with the other groups. Again, we're awesome.
Unfortunately, however, I got there with only 5 minutes to spare before the cut off time for requests for partial service days (which is at 2:30) so all I had time to do was request the information that we had already found. So I didn't get a chance to look for any primary documents to get images from for either McKenzie.
Here's what I put aside:
-James Deans fonds (5/B/D34): the so-called "Rustic Rhymes of a Rural Rhymester"
-"Poems, Recipes, Pamphlets, etc" (McKenzie fonds, MS-2431 box 7/17) => this is the steam engine (please get both images if possible, the men working and the cover of the manual) and the music by SIR Edmund Verney (I'm not so sure this is E.H. Verney, as it's printed, and I'm not sure our Verney was ever knighted. I have some leads though)
-Agreements with employees (Melrose agreement in particular) (MS-2431, 19/1)
-Craigflower ration book (Just added in last minute haste to try to find something before the deadline
-Promissory Notes to the Royal Navy (MS-2431, 18/1) - I looked afterwards and these were not what I had hoped they were, and I can't remember what it was that I saw.
I think you guys know what we want from here, but if you see anything else in the boxes in question that might be interesting, or related to the McKenzies directly, please take a shot of it.
Oh, and before I forget... I knew there was a reason why I thought Goodie McKenzie would be a good choice of personality: it seems that her and Verney had something of a thing, I have a telegram from Verney arriving in Salt Lake City directly to her, and also found a letter from Verney to the McKenzie family in general that is quite interesting, it appears written from England after he has left VI for good.
Good luck getting this stuff tomorrow, and remember to call me if there are any problems... I think I got everything.
-Dan
Unfortunately, however, I got there with only 5 minutes to spare before the cut off time for requests for partial service days (which is at 2:30) so all I had time to do was request the information that we had already found. So I didn't get a chance to look for any primary documents to get images from for either McKenzie.
Here's what I put aside:
-James Deans fonds (5/B/D34): the so-called "Rustic Rhymes of a Rural Rhymester"
-"Poems, Recipes, Pamphlets, etc" (McKenzie fonds, MS-2431 box 7/17) => this is the steam engine (please get both images if possible, the men working and the cover of the manual) and the music by SIR Edmund Verney (I'm not so sure this is E.H. Verney, as it's printed, and I'm not sure our Verney was ever knighted. I have some leads though)
-Agreements with employees (Melrose agreement in particular) (MS-2431, 19/1)
-Craigflower ration book (Just added in last minute haste to try to find something before the deadline
-Promissory Notes to the Royal Navy (MS-2431, 18/1) - I looked afterwards and these were not what I had hoped they were, and I can't remember what it was that I saw.
I think you guys know what we want from here, but if you see anything else in the boxes in question that might be interesting, or related to the McKenzies directly, please take a shot of it.
Oh, and before I forget... I knew there was a reason why I thought Goodie McKenzie would be a good choice of personality: it seems that her and Verney had something of a thing, I have a telegram from Verney arriving in Salt Lake City directly to her, and also found a letter from Verney to the McKenzie family in general that is quite interesting, it appears written from England after he has left VI for good.
Good luck getting this stuff tomorrow, and remember to call me if there are any problems... I think I got everything.
-Dan
Monday, March 26, 2007
Grappler
Finally found a beautiful painting of Verney's Grappler during her glory (i.e. pre-tugboat) days. Have a look!
Irvine 'left' page draft text
Here you go guys - I'm still working on tightening it up and crafting more of a story out of it, but let me know what you think in terms of where I'm heading with it.
Scott
THE INDEPENDENT FARMER:
John Irvine Sr. from servant to landowner
John Irvine and his family came from the Orkney Islands, near the north coast of Scotland. When he boarded the steamer to London to join there the Hudson's Bay Company barque Tory, John and his wife Jessie - and maybe even their son Robert, aged 5 or 6 - may have been dreaming of owning their own piece of the new world. It was to be about eleven long years before, half a world away, the Irvine family, by then consisting of John and Jessie and their six children (with one more still to come) were settled at what they named Rose Bank Farm.
In November 1850, John inked his first contract with the HBC, signing his labour over to them for a five-year term, to be served out at Fort Victoria on Vancouver Island. The approximately 18,020 kilometre voyage from London to Fort Victoria took the Irvines from November 9, 1850 to May 10, 1851. This time was spent aboard a sailing ship just of just 130 feet in length and 25 in beam and carrying between 120 and 140 passengers.
Details on the Irvines' early days in Victoria are somewhat uncertain, but it seems that John and his family worked and lived just outside Fort Victoria and at the nearby Church Hill and Gonzales farms. In September of 1851 their second son, William, was born - he was the first child of European parents to be born on Vancouver Island. In 1852, they played a crucial role in the establishment of Craigflower farm, thus obtaining their place on this website. John worked as grain miller at the farm and, in the early days, no doubt helped with general construction and other work. Much of the year 1852 was spent preparing the site of Craigflower for the arrival of its manager (or 'bailiff') Kenneth McKenzie in January 1853.
It seems clear, however, that the Irvines were always looking towards their dream of owning their own farm. John was paid a salary of 20 pounds per year by the Hudson's Bay Company, and he saved as much as he could towards the purchase of land. In 1855, with not enough collected to achieve this goal, John signed on for another five year term of servitude with the HBC and continued to work at Craigflower farm. By 1857, however, the Irvines had saved enough to make the first payment on about 130 acres in the area north of Victoria known as Cedar Plains, along the route of Cedar Hill Road between Mount Douglas (Cedar Hill) and Fort Victoria. There was so much work to be done making the place liveable, it seems, that they may not have been able to move there until five years later in 1862. This may not be so surprising when we consider that John (likely with the help of son Robert, 12 years old in 1857) was still working 6 long days each week at Craigflower.
Presumably John had continued to work at Craigflower on a non-contract basis since his third five-year term would have lasted until 1865 had it been signed as the first two had. As it actually happened, the family moved to their own farm long before that; it is unclear exactly when they first moved in - perhaps the process was gradual - but it seems to have been sometime between 1860 and spring 1862.. Jessie named it Rose Bank for the many wild roses growing around their home site. The place was wooded and rocky and remote, but it must have suited the Irvines - perhaps reminding them of home in the distant Orkney islands - because John and Jessie lived there for the rest of their lives (until 1906 and 1907 respectively). Eventually, they owned over 300 acres.
The Irvines' kitchen was the first home to the Anglican congregation of the area (despite the Irvines being Presbyterians) before it moved into St. Luke's church, whose modern incarnation rests at the corner of Cedar Hill and Cedar Hill Cross roads, proudly displaying it's founding in 1860 on its large sign.
Life at Rose Bank was not easy. John Irvine Jr. (known as 'Long Gun' Jack), born in October of 1861, records that by the time he was nine, he had a full roster of chores on the farm and was expected to "be a man." At that age, he caught his hand in a piece of equipment and had to be taken to the doctor with two of his fingers "like sausage meat." Long Gun also mentions the family having cows and sheep at this time, and we know that 34 of their sheep were killed by wildlife one night in 1868 - which shows how truly wild the area still was at that time. Similarly, Long Gun discusses his great skill at hunting with a flintlock rifle when he was 12 years old; he brought home many varieties of birds and sometimes one of the wild pigs which so aggravated the area's farmers. John Jr. also spent much of his childhood playing with local First Nations children, and writes that he "could talk Chinook like [he] belonged to the tribe."
The Irvine family established itself firmly as one of Victoria's key pioneering clans. A family reunion in the city in 1992 saw about 150 attendees. The Irvines, like the others on this website, represent a fundamental aspect of the British empire. Theirs is perhaps the essential dream behind not only empire, with all its promises, its dark sides, and its long echoes down through history, but behind many human lives throughout time: the dream of owning one's own piece of land with which to do what you please and live out your life in peace and prosperity. Through hard work with the HBC, one of the great organs of the British Empire, the Irvine family was a small but important part of the diaspora of European peoples across the globe which have resulted in the creation of what we know as the western world.
Scott
THE INDEPENDENT FARMER:
John Irvine Sr. from servant to landowner
John Irvine and his family came from the Orkney Islands, near the north coast of Scotland. When he boarded the steamer to London to join there the Hudson's Bay Company barque Tory, John and his wife Jessie - and maybe even their son Robert, aged 5 or 6 - may have been dreaming of owning their own piece of the new world. It was to be about eleven long years before, half a world away, the Irvine family, by then consisting of John and Jessie and their six children (with one more still to come) were settled at what they named Rose Bank Farm.
In November 1850, John inked his first contract with the HBC, signing his labour over to them for a five-year term, to be served out at Fort Victoria on Vancouver Island. The approximately 18,020 kilometre voyage from London to Fort Victoria took the Irvines from November 9, 1850 to May 10, 1851. This time was spent aboard a sailing ship just of just 130 feet in length and 25 in beam and carrying between 120 and 140 passengers.
Details on the Irvines' early days in Victoria are somewhat uncertain, but it seems that John and his family worked and lived just outside Fort Victoria and at the nearby Church Hill and Gonzales farms. In September of 1851 their second son, William, was born - he was the first child of European parents to be born on Vancouver Island. In 1852, they played a crucial role in the establishment of Craigflower farm, thus obtaining their place on this website. John worked as grain miller at the farm and, in the early days, no doubt helped with general construction and other work. Much of the year 1852 was spent preparing the site of Craigflower for the arrival of its manager (or 'bailiff') Kenneth McKenzie in January 1853.
It seems clear, however, that the Irvines were always looking towards their dream of owning their own farm. John was paid a salary of 20 pounds per year by the Hudson's Bay Company, and he saved as much as he could towards the purchase of land. In 1855, with not enough collected to achieve this goal, John signed on for another five year term of servitude with the HBC and continued to work at Craigflower farm. By 1857, however, the Irvines had saved enough to make the first payment on about 130 acres in the area north of Victoria known as Cedar Plains, along the route of Cedar Hill Road between Mount Douglas (Cedar Hill) and Fort Victoria. There was so much work to be done making the place liveable, it seems, that they may not have been able to move there until five years later in 1862. This may not be so surprising when we consider that John (likely with the help of son Robert, 12 years old in 1857) was still working 6 long days each week at Craigflower.
Presumably John had continued to work at Craigflower on a non-contract basis since his third five-year term would have lasted until 1865 had it been signed as the first two had. As it actually happened, the family moved to their own farm long before that; it is unclear exactly when they first moved in - perhaps the process was gradual - but it seems to have been sometime between 1860 and spring 1862.. Jessie named it Rose Bank for the many wild roses growing around their home site. The place was wooded and rocky and remote, but it must have suited the Irvines - perhaps reminding them of home in the distant Orkney islands - because John and Jessie lived there for the rest of their lives (until 1906 and 1907 respectively). Eventually, they owned over 300 acres.
The Irvines' kitchen was the first home to the Anglican congregation of the area (despite the Irvines being Presbyterians) before it moved into St. Luke's church, whose modern incarnation rests at the corner of Cedar Hill and Cedar Hill Cross roads, proudly displaying it's founding in 1860 on its large sign.
Life at Rose Bank was not easy. John Irvine Jr. (known as 'Long Gun' Jack), born in October of 1861, records that by the time he was nine, he had a full roster of chores on the farm and was expected to "be a man." At that age, he caught his hand in a piece of equipment and had to be taken to the doctor with two of his fingers "like sausage meat." Long Gun also mentions the family having cows and sheep at this time, and we know that 34 of their sheep were killed by wildlife one night in 1868 - which shows how truly wild the area still was at that time. Similarly, Long Gun discusses his great skill at hunting with a flintlock rifle when he was 12 years old; he brought home many varieties of birds and sometimes one of the wild pigs which so aggravated the area's farmers. John Jr. also spent much of his childhood playing with local First Nations children, and writes that he "could talk Chinook like [he] belonged to the tribe."
The Irvine family established itself firmly as one of Victoria's key pioneering clans. A family reunion in the city in 1992 saw about 150 attendees. The Irvines, like the others on this website, represent a fundamental aspect of the British empire. Theirs is perhaps the essential dream behind not only empire, with all its promises, its dark sides, and its long echoes down through history, but behind many human lives throughout time: the dream of owning one's own piece of land with which to do what you please and live out your life in peace and prosperity. Through hard work with the HBC, one of the great organs of the British Empire, the Irvine family was a small but important part of the diaspora of European peoples across the globe which have resulted in the creation of what we know as the western world.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
Hey guys,
Just thought I would let you know that I hit the jackpot at the library this afternoon - it was indeed the book by Bill Irvine and it's about 250 pages of material on the Irvines on VI from 1851 to present day. Turns out John Irvine Sr. was a miller and they lived/worked at Viewfield and Gonzales farms briefly before heading up to Craigflower. They got there even before McKenzie. They stayed there for about ten years and then moved over to Rose Bank in I think 1862 after John worked in his spare time to get it built (not sure when he had spare time - Sunday afternoons I guess since he worked 6 days a week for the PSAC). Lots and lots of other info about that sketchy early period too - turns out they definitely did have a kid with them when they came over. The ship they came on (there's a passenger list in the book) only had one other name I recognized, and that's John Work. Anyway, the special collections closes at 4:30 so I'll have to go back Wednesday to take more notes and maybe do some copying. There are some great family pictures though, probably including the one Dan was mentioning.
SM
Just thought I would let you know that I hit the jackpot at the library this afternoon - it was indeed the book by Bill Irvine and it's about 250 pages of material on the Irvines on VI from 1851 to present day. Turns out John Irvine Sr. was a miller and they lived/worked at Viewfield and Gonzales farms briefly before heading up to Craigflower. They got there even before McKenzie. They stayed there for about ten years and then moved over to Rose Bank in I think 1862 after John worked in his spare time to get it built (not sure when he had spare time - Sunday afternoons I guess since he worked 6 days a week for the PSAC). Lots and lots of other info about that sketchy early period too - turns out they definitely did have a kid with them when they came over. The ship they came on (there's a passenger list in the book) only had one other name I recognized, and that's John Work. Anyway, the special collections closes at 4:30 so I'll have to go back Wednesday to take more notes and maybe do some copying. There are some great family pictures though, probably including the one Dan was mentioning.
SM
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Hey guys,
In regard to the meeting tomorrow (pending our release from the city archives), I'm happy to meet at the university if that works better for you guys. I want to go by special collections - looks like there is a book of materials on the Irvines there. Many of the sources disagree about what exactly they were up to during their early period here, including when they lived in the fort, when they were at Craigflower (some even say it was elsewhere or just say Portage Inlet), so I would like to try to solidify some of that.
SM
In regard to the meeting tomorrow (pending our release from the city archives), I'm happy to meet at the university if that works better for you guys. I want to go by special collections - looks like there is a book of materials on the Irvines there. Many of the sources disagree about what exactly they were up to during their early period here, including when they lived in the fort, when they were at Craigflower (some even say it was elsewhere or just say Portage Inlet), so I would like to try to solidify some of that.
SM
Hey guys
If we don't hear back from John tonight, I'll go see him tomorrow during his office hours and email you about his response. I'm usually at UVic between 9:30 and 10:00 in the morning on Mondays. If we can meet elsewhere, do you want to maybe meet at the cafe again for a team meeting and then go to the Archives to get some work done?
Dan - sounds good about the site!!
Scott - in reply to your question re: scanners, yes, I do have one.
Dan - I'll read the thesis tonight and get back to you tomorrow about it.
-re: the photo that you posted - I haven't seen that one...not sure how I missed it.
Ok, I think I've covered everything that I wanted to,
Talk to you tomorrow,
Taryn
If we don't hear back from John tonight, I'll go see him tomorrow during his office hours and email you about his response. I'm usually at UVic between 9:30 and 10:00 in the morning on Mondays. If we can meet elsewhere, do you want to maybe meet at the cafe again for a team meeting and then go to the Archives to get some work done?
Dan - sounds good about the site!!
Scott - in reply to your question re: scanners, yes, I do have one.
Dan - I'll read the thesis tonight and get back to you tomorrow about it.
-re: the photo that you posted - I haven't seen that one...not sure how I missed it.
Ok, I think I've covered everything that I wanted to,
Talk to you tomorrow,
Taryn
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Stuff
I'm not sure if Monday is required or not, so we should probably email John when we figure out what we're going to do.
I have the basic layout of the site ready, except for the colour/style schemes, which we should be able to put together quite quickly. I had a bit of trouble with some of the javascripting, so progress was slow, but it should be all downhill from here. I will try to get a copy uploaded before Monday so we can take a look at it together.
Scott - is there anyway you could email me the Porcher painting ASAP? I'd like to try using it in the banner image, so the bigger you can scan and email it the better.
-Dan
I have the basic layout of the site ready, except for the colour/style schemes, which we should be able to put together quite quickly. I had a bit of trouble with some of the javascripting, so progress was slow, but it should be all downhill from here. I will try to get a copy uploaded before Monday so we can take a look at it together.
Scott - is there anyway you could email me the Porcher painting ASAP? I'd like to try using it in the banner image, so the bigger you can scan and email it the better.
-Dan
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Hi Guys,
Sure, let's have our own meeting on Monday. Does John consider the city archives meeting optional? I also have a feeling we wouldn't find anything really useful there. Should we email John and let him know we're not coming?
Did he give us a deadline for a list of documents for the photo session the week after next? I think he said Monday, so we would have to email that to him.
Great work finding those pictures - how many of them are online? I know John said the class budget will pay for up to 5 photos if we do need to get them printed at the $10 rate. If the ones you guys found are not online, we will have to try and decide on the five most valuable to have printed.
I'll scan the painting - I do have a scanner so no problem - so we can see how it might look for an entry page or background for something. Do you guys have scanners? If not I'm happy to scan anything we find from places other than the archives.
Still no sign of the Verney book, so I'm just working my way through the Irvine stuff for now. I'll post my draft of the text and structure (in terms of the windows) of that page when it's done.
Is webmail acting weird for you guys? It's been funky for me all week.
Where do you want to meet on Monday if we're not going to the C. Archives? I'm easy.
Scott
Sure, let's have our own meeting on Monday. Does John consider the city archives meeting optional? I also have a feeling we wouldn't find anything really useful there. Should we email John and let him know we're not coming?
Did he give us a deadline for a list of documents for the photo session the week after next? I think he said Monday, so we would have to email that to him.
Great work finding those pictures - how many of them are online? I know John said the class budget will pay for up to 5 photos if we do need to get them printed at the $10 rate. If the ones you guys found are not online, we will have to try and decide on the five most valuable to have printed.
I'll scan the painting - I do have a scanner so no problem - so we can see how it might look for an entry page or background for something. Do you guys have scanners? If not I'm happy to scan anything we find from places other than the archives.
Still no sign of the Verney book, so I'm just working my way through the Irvine stuff for now. I'll post my draft of the text and structure (in terms of the windows) of that page when it's done.
Is webmail acting weird for you guys? It's been funky for me all week.
Where do you want to meet on Monday if we're not going to the C. Archives? I'm easy.
Scott
Archive visit and Monday...?
I was also at the archives this afternoon and found some good stuff and talked to some of the archivists. Apparently all the McKenzie documents are on site and we can request them, but the woman I talked to didn't really know about taking photos of them or what the rules were. John should be able to help us with that, so perhaps we should start thinking about the stuff we want to get photos of, particularly the contracts. I like the look of the Royal Navy papers too.
Most of my time was spent looking for images in the collections, and I found some great ones, in particular a great one of Verney that I believe is online (he's in his full uniform, with glorious mutton chops). I also found that familiar image of the picnic party on the Craigflower bridge, and I have a suspicion that Verney might be one of the mentioned "naval officers" from the caption, it looks like him, but the year isn't cited. Nonetheless, it's a great picture showing the farm int he background.
There is also a good candidate image for a mark-up, if we chose to do one. It's taken from across the water, showing nearly all the buildings very clearly, and goes well with McKenzie's sketch of the place of the buildings. Unfortunately the sketch is somewhat lacking in details, but I think we could pull it off if we have to. I still tend to think it might seem tacked-on though.
There is also a dearth of portraits of the McKenzies. I mentioned before that I thought we might want to include one of the McKenzie children on the site, and Agnes seems like a good pick. There are a lot of letters and other papers from her, quite a few pictures of her at different ages, and I think it will lend insight into the children and the school, which we probably otherwise can't get into too much.
There were also some great images of the Irvin(e)/(g) family, particularly a really good one showing the family at Rose Bank. There weren't any of the labourers, but I think Taryn might have found some. Is this the Melrose we're looking for? http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/www2i/.visual/img_med/dir_137/f_07393.gif
Taryn; I checked the steam engine manual and the note along with it says 1852. So it's looking good.
I'm sure there's more but I can't think of it now...
And Scott, I was talking to Taryn today and we were questioning whether or not we have any purpose at the City Archives on Monday. Perhaps we could just meet for a team meeting instead. What do you guys think?
I'm working on the framework of the website now, I'll hopefully ahve something we can look over soon. And if you guys have any ideas on a title, or colour scheme, or design elements, or find any photos, etc, please remember to bring them up, as right now I'm just putting in place-holders for images.
We need to get that painting scanned ASAP. I asked the archivist about getting larger images or ones that weren't online but she didn't seem to know that either. All she kept saying was they were $10 apiece. No way!
-Dan
Most of my time was spent looking for images in the collections, and I found some great ones, in particular a great one of Verney that I believe is online (he's in his full uniform, with glorious mutton chops). I also found that familiar image of the picnic party on the Craigflower bridge, and I have a suspicion that Verney might be one of the mentioned "naval officers" from the caption, it looks like him, but the year isn't cited. Nonetheless, it's a great picture showing the farm int he background.
There is also a good candidate image for a mark-up, if we chose to do one. It's taken from across the water, showing nearly all the buildings very clearly, and goes well with McKenzie's sketch of the place of the buildings. Unfortunately the sketch is somewhat lacking in details, but I think we could pull it off if we have to. I still tend to think it might seem tacked-on though.
There is also a dearth of portraits of the McKenzies. I mentioned before that I thought we might want to include one of the McKenzie children on the site, and Agnes seems like a good pick. There are a lot of letters and other papers from her, quite a few pictures of her at different ages, and I think it will lend insight into the children and the school, which we probably otherwise can't get into too much.
There were also some great images of the Irvin(e)/(g) family, particularly a really good one showing the family at Rose Bank. There weren't any of the labourers, but I think Taryn might have found some. Is this the Melrose we're looking for? http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/www2i/.visual/img_med/dir_137/f_07393.gif
Taryn; I checked the steam engine manual and the note along with it says 1852. So it's looking good.
I'm sure there's more but I can't think of it now...
And Scott, I was talking to Taryn today and we were questioning whether or not we have any purpose at the City Archives on Monday. Perhaps we could just meet for a team meeting instead. What do you guys think?
I'm working on the framework of the website now, I'll hopefully ahve something we can look over soon. And if you guys have any ideas on a title, or colour scheme, or design elements, or find any photos, etc, please remember to bring them up, as right now I'm just putting in place-holders for images.
We need to get that painting scanned ASAP. I asked the archivist about getting larger images or ones that weren't online but she didn't seem to know that either. All she kept saying was they were $10 apiece. No way!
-Dan
Photos
Hey GA
There's a list in the McKenzie fonds of the people who originally came over with McKenzie in 1852. I've searched on the BCA site for images, and didn't find much. I did, however, find a photo of a guy called Robert Weir of Metchosin. There was a Robert Weir, greive, who came over with McKenzie. I think it's a safe guess to say that it's the same guy, as the photo was taken in the 1860s. How many Robert Weirs could there have been at that time?
There's also a couple of photos of Craigflower showing James Stewart's house (he was also a greive).
I'll keep looking and let you know if I find anything that looks promising.
T.
There's a list in the McKenzie fonds of the people who originally came over with McKenzie in 1852. I've searched on the BCA site for images, and didn't find much. I did, however, find a photo of a guy called Robert Weir of Metchosin. There was a Robert Weir, greive, who came over with McKenzie. I think it's a safe guess to say that it's the same guy, as the photo was taken in the 1860s. How many Robert Weirs could there have been at that time?
There's also a couple of photos of Craigflower showing James Stewart's house (he was also a greive).
I'll keep looking and let you know if I find anything that looks promising.
T.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Comments on comments...
Sorry I didn't get around to commenting on this sooner....I also agree with Dan in that we should be able to explain our reasoning and what considerations will inform our decisions.
I also think that we should talk about the entry page, just to show that yes, we've thought about it and that we have an idea in mind.
Scott - yes, I thought that we'd decided that the homepage would basically have the same layout as the rest of the site.
The graphic looks good, and, like Dan, I'm glad that you have the program!
I'll give it some thought tonight.
See you guys tomorrow,
T.
I also think that we should talk about the entry page, just to show that yes, we've thought about it and that we have an idea in mind.
Scott - yes, I thought that we'd decided that the homepage would basically have the same layout as the rest of the site.
The graphic looks good, and, like Dan, I'm glad that you have the program!
I'll give it some thought tonight.
See you guys tomorrow,
T.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
I agree with Dan - there is lots to be said that can't be represented graphically. In regard to the menu, what I could do is do up a second version that we can have that has the 'people/themes' or 'people/settings' so we can indicate that we are thinking about that way of doing it as well. I think the organization will depend on just how much evidence we can find for links among the various people/organizations/settings. I didn't do a separate graphic for an entry page simply because that seems more of a purely aesthetic decision which can probably be made later; in regard to the home page - didn't we decide that we would have that essentially in the same format as the rest of the pages? For the writing style, we can talk about our concept of the two boxes and how that combines the pyramid style of writing (within the left frame) and the heading-based approach (with the left frame essentially acting as headings for material in the right frame). Let's just keep adding any more thoughts we have on here and hopefully we'll have enough to make a go of it on Monday.
Comments on storyboard
Hey Scott, that looks good; I'm glad you had that program.
My only concern is the menu. I know we didn't really finalize anything in the meeting, and the agreement seems to be that we're going to wait and see where the research takes us, but do you guys think that's sufficient for the presentation? I think we can leave the graphic as-is, but we should probably be ready to explain our reasoning, and what sort of considerations are going to inform our final decisions, particularly those regarding the interactions between people/places/organizations and themes, and possible cross-referencing of these.
I thought we also had some good ideas on the writing style and the inclusion of a title or homepage. What do you guys think, is this something to include in a presentation of a 'storyboard'? Surely John is trying to get us to present more than simply the graphic layout or design of the site.
We're probably all pressed for time to get anything done as a group before Monday afternoon, so perhaps we should take the same approach as the last few presentations, and hopefully we'll get a few minutes to put our thoughts together beforehand. But otherwise I think we really got a lot done on Wednesday and we're all on the same page, so it shouldn't be too tough.
Have a good weekend Team Awesome.
-dan
My only concern is the menu. I know we didn't really finalize anything in the meeting, and the agreement seems to be that we're going to wait and see where the research takes us, but do you guys think that's sufficient for the presentation? I think we can leave the graphic as-is, but we should probably be ready to explain our reasoning, and what sort of considerations are going to inform our final decisions, particularly those regarding the interactions between people/places/organizations and themes, and possible cross-referencing of these.
I thought we also had some good ideas on the writing style and the inclusion of a title or homepage. What do you guys think, is this something to include in a presentation of a 'storyboard'? Surely John is trying to get us to present more than simply the graphic layout or design of the site.
We're probably all pressed for time to get anything done as a group before Monday afternoon, so perhaps we should take the same approach as the last few presentations, and hopefully we'll get a few minutes to put our thoughts together beforehand. But otherwise I think we really got a lot done on Wednesday and we're all on the same page, so it shouldn't be too tough.
Have a good weekend Team Awesome.
-dan
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Monday, March 5, 2007
Hey group,
I went through the diary of Melrose and found some references to Craigflower and the McKenzies, which I've included below. There were also some interesting footnotes that the editor added in the 1940s. Unless someone else really wants to, I'll take a look at some of the Colonial Correspondence this week and see if I can turn up something a bit more useful.
Here's some of the stuff from Melrose that might be useful. There was actually more than I thought. Melrose included lots of info about slaughtering animals, etc, which I haven't included here but you can see later.
(from footnote) Kenneth McKenzie had been engaged as Bailiff on behalf of the PSAC, to take charge of one of their farms in the neighbourhood of Victoria. Upon his arrival, he was assigned to the tract of land which soon became famous as the Craigflower Farm. James Stewart and Robert Weir had been engaged as land stewards by McKenzie.
(From footnote) At this time, travel between Victoria and Craigflower was by water, up an down Victoria Arm.
Monday, January 17, 1853 - English people went ashore, with McKenzie, WEir, Stewart and Fort Victoria.
Tuesday, January 18, 1853 - Scotch do. also do.
Saturday, January 22, 1853 - went up and saw our new abode (pen note in journal says <-- not Craigflower)
Wednesday, Feb. 2, 1853 - James Downie and James Whyte removed to the farm. Ship wreck in the rapids going home.
Tuesday, March 1, 1853 - Mr. McKenzie's Steam Engine taken up to the Farm.
Thursday, March 17, 1853 - Mr. McKenzie's store house finished.
Monday, March 21, 1853 - scough load of Provisions taken up to the farm.
Tuesday, March 29, 1853 - scough load of Provisions taken up to the farm.
Friday, April 1, 1853 - Mr. McKenzie, Wife and Family removed to the Farm.
Thursday, April 7, 1853 - Mr McKenzie's steam engine set agoing.
Thursday, May 5, 1853 - garden seeds sown.
Tuesday, May 10, 1853 - commenced to plough a piece of ground for potatoes.
Saturday, May 14, 1853 - one dwelling house finished. One dwelling house finished. [sic]
Monday, May 16, 1853 - William Veitch, James Liddle, James Wilson and The Author all removed to the farm.
Thursday, May 19, 1853 - Horses and Cows brough up to the farm. John Russel removed to the Fort.
Tuesday, May 31, 1853 - Field potatoes all planted.
Monday, June 6, 1853 - one dwelling house finished. One sow pigged.
Tuesday, June 7, 1853 - James Tait removed to the Farm. John Bell started to work.
Thursday, June 9, 1853 - four cows brought up to the farm. Slight showers.
Tuesday, June 14, 1853 - 7 cows brought up to the farm.
Thursday, June 16, 1853 - W Veitch, J Wilson, A Hume, J Liddle, J Tait and The Author got a cow each.
Friday, June 17, 1853 - James Downie got a cow.
Friday, July 1, 1853 - James Stewart removed to the farm. Wilson and The Author got a gun each.
Thursday, July 14, 1853 - attempt to make [take?] Robert Weir a farmer at Fort Victoria.
Monday, August 15, 1853 - one Indian died, that was working with Mr. McKenzie here.
Wed, Dec 7, 1853 - Mr. McKenzie got the Brig "Vancouver"'s Boat.
Monday, Jan 9, 1854 - John Russel removed to the Farm. Rain.
Wednesday, Jan 25, 1854 - J Hall removed to the Fort. J Downie removed to Hall's house. P Bartleman removed to the Farm.
Saturday, Feb 11, 1854 - Canadians put up a bught [?] for catching cattle.
Wednesday, Feb 15, 1854 -Canadians commenced to fence a field.
Tuesday, March, 7, 1854 - More Indians started to work. Commenced to plough.
Friday, March 10, 1854 - one field fenced in. Canadians dropped work. One Sow ferryed.
Monday, March 20, 1854 - commenced to plant in the gardens.
[entries for Apr and May are missing in the original]
Monday, June 12, 1854 - John Crittle and wife removed to Mr. Skinner's. Mail came in. - footnote: That is, to one of the other farms of the PSAC, of which Skinner was bailiff.
Friday, June 23 - turnips sown.
Saturday, July 1, 1854 - public sale of horses at View Field Farm. Mail came in.
Monday, July 31, 1854 - turnips thinned.
Saturday, September 23, 1854 - school house frame erected, whole company in general notoriously drunk. Footnote: The Craigflower school is meant.
Thursday, November 16, 1854 - school vents finished.
Friday, December 8, 1854 - schoolmaster got a house. Footnote: Charles Clarke, who arrived in the Princess Royal to be master of the new school at Craigflower.
Tuesday, December 12, 1854 - Mr. McKenzie whole d. [I think he means "whole drunk"]
Friday, February 23, 1855 - school and school-house finished. Pine field fenced in.
Tuesday, March 27 1855 - Mr. McKenzie laid seige to Peter Bartleman's castle and destroyed it. Footnote: The meaning of this entry is not clear [!!!].
Tuesday, May 1, 1855 - Mrs Clarke gave birth to a female child. Mr McKenzie and J Downie trying a wrestle.
Saturday, June 2, 1855 - James Downie, wife and family removed to Mr Skinner's farm.
Wednesday, July 18, 1855 - Mr McKenzie bought the Schooner, "Black Duck".
Saturday, August 18, 1855- Mr McKenzie and Mr Barr breaking the peace.
Saturday, September 22, 1855 - John Vine engaged with Mr McKenzie.
Thursday, November, 1, 1855 - Mr. Longford's men completed their five years engagement. Frosty. Footnote: Langford is meant.
Thursday, Feb 7, 1856 - Cap. Wishart gained a law-plea over And. Hume. Mr McKenzie one over W Millingto[n].
Wednesday, March 19, 1856 - Schooner "Jessie" sailed along with Mr McKenzie for potatoes.
Wednesday, March 26, 1856 - Great Ball held at Victoria, riff-raff exculded [ok, so this has nothing to do with farming....it made me laugh].
Saturday, March 30, 1856 - Mr McKenzie gave a great dinner in opposition to Mr Clark.
Thursday, May 1, 1856 - Mr McKenzie removed into his new house. Heavy showers. Footnote: this dwelling, now known as the Old Craigflower Farmhouse, is still standing and in good repair. It was sold to private owners by the HBC only a few years ago.
Friday, December 26, 1856 - Mrs McKenzie gave birth to a male child.
Saturday, February 14, 1857 - Mr Clark received a respectable round from Mr McK[enz]ie. Rain.
Sunday, March 22, 1857 - Mrs McKenzie, Mrs Veitch, Mrs Whyte and Mrs Hume's chldren baptised by the Revd E Cridge.
Monday, April 20, 1857 - Mr McKenzie gained a law-plea over Mr Clark
I went through the diary of Melrose and found some references to Craigflower and the McKenzies, which I've included below. There were also some interesting footnotes that the editor added in the 1940s. Unless someone else really wants to, I'll take a look at some of the Colonial Correspondence this week and see if I can turn up something a bit more useful.
Here's some of the stuff from Melrose that might be useful. There was actually more than I thought. Melrose included lots of info about slaughtering animals, etc, which I haven't included here but you can see later.
(from footnote) Kenneth McKenzie had been engaged as Bailiff on behalf of the PSAC, to take charge of one of their farms in the neighbourhood of Victoria. Upon his arrival, he was assigned to the tract of land which soon became famous as the Craigflower Farm. James Stewart and Robert Weir had been engaged as land stewards by McKenzie.
(From footnote) At this time, travel between Victoria and Craigflower was by water, up an down Victoria Arm.
Monday, January 17, 1853 - English people went ashore, with McKenzie, WEir, Stewart and Fort Victoria.
Tuesday, January 18, 1853 - Scotch do. also do.
Saturday, January 22, 1853 - went up and saw our new abode (pen note in journal says <-- not Craigflower)
Wednesday, Feb. 2, 1853 - James Downie and James Whyte removed to the farm. Ship wreck in the rapids going home.
Tuesday, March 1, 1853 - Mr. McKenzie's Steam Engine taken up to the Farm.
Thursday, March 17, 1853 - Mr. McKenzie's store house finished.
Monday, March 21, 1853 - scough load of Provisions taken up to the farm.
Tuesday, March 29, 1853 - scough load of Provisions taken up to the farm.
Friday, April 1, 1853 - Mr. McKenzie, Wife and Family removed to the Farm.
Thursday, April 7, 1853 - Mr McKenzie's steam engine set agoing.
Thursday, May 5, 1853 - garden seeds sown.
Tuesday, May 10, 1853 - commenced to plough a piece of ground for potatoes.
Saturday, May 14, 1853 - one dwelling house finished. One dwelling house finished. [sic]
Monday, May 16, 1853 - William Veitch, James Liddle, James Wilson and The Author all removed to the farm.
Thursday, May 19, 1853 - Horses and Cows brough up to the farm. John Russel removed to the Fort.
Tuesday, May 31, 1853 - Field potatoes all planted.
Monday, June 6, 1853 - one dwelling house finished. One sow pigged.
Tuesday, June 7, 1853 - James Tait removed to the Farm. John Bell started to work.
Thursday, June 9, 1853 - four cows brought up to the farm. Slight showers.
Tuesday, June 14, 1853 - 7 cows brought up to the farm.
Thursday, June 16, 1853 - W Veitch, J Wilson, A Hume, J Liddle, J Tait and The Author got a cow each.
Friday, June 17, 1853 - James Downie got a cow.
Friday, July 1, 1853 - James Stewart removed to the farm. Wilson and The Author got a gun each.
Thursday, July 14, 1853 - attempt to make [take?] Robert Weir a farmer at Fort Victoria.
Monday, August 15, 1853 - one Indian died, that was working with Mr. McKenzie here.
Wed, Dec 7, 1853 - Mr. McKenzie got the Brig "Vancouver"'s Boat.
Monday, Jan 9, 1854 - John Russel removed to the Farm. Rain.
Wednesday, Jan 25, 1854 - J Hall removed to the Fort. J Downie removed to Hall's house. P Bartleman removed to the Farm.
Saturday, Feb 11, 1854 - Canadians put up a bught [?] for catching cattle.
Wednesday, Feb 15, 1854 -Canadians commenced to fence a field.
Tuesday, March, 7, 1854 - More Indians started to work. Commenced to plough.
Friday, March 10, 1854 - one field fenced in. Canadians dropped work. One Sow ferryed.
Monday, March 20, 1854 - commenced to plant in the gardens.
[entries for Apr and May are missing in the original]
Monday, June 12, 1854 - John Crittle and wife removed to Mr. Skinner's. Mail came in. - footnote: That is, to one of the other farms of the PSAC, of which Skinner was bailiff.
Friday, June 23 - turnips sown.
Saturday, July 1, 1854 - public sale of horses at View Field Farm. Mail came in.
Monday, July 31, 1854 - turnips thinned.
Saturday, September 23, 1854 - school house frame erected, whole company in general notoriously drunk. Footnote: The Craigflower school is meant.
Thursday, November 16, 1854 - school vents finished.
Friday, December 8, 1854 - schoolmaster got a house. Footnote: Charles Clarke, who arrived in the Princess Royal to be master of the new school at Craigflower.
Tuesday, December 12, 1854 - Mr. McKenzie whole d. [I think he means "whole drunk"]
Friday, February 23, 1855 - school and school-house finished. Pine field fenced in.
Tuesday, March 27 1855 - Mr. McKenzie laid seige to Peter Bartleman's castle and destroyed it. Footnote: The meaning of this entry is not clear [!!!].
Tuesday, May 1, 1855 - Mrs Clarke gave birth to a female child. Mr McKenzie and J Downie trying a wrestle.
Saturday, June 2, 1855 - James Downie, wife and family removed to Mr Skinner's farm.
Wednesday, July 18, 1855 - Mr McKenzie bought the Schooner, "Black Duck".
Saturday, August 18, 1855- Mr McKenzie and Mr Barr breaking the peace.
Saturday, September 22, 1855 - John Vine engaged with Mr McKenzie.
Thursday, November, 1, 1855 - Mr. Longford's men completed their five years engagement. Frosty. Footnote: Langford is meant.
Thursday, Feb 7, 1856 - Cap. Wishart gained a law-plea over And. Hume. Mr McKenzie one over W Millingto[n].
Wednesday, March 19, 1856 - Schooner "Jessie" sailed along with Mr McKenzie for potatoes.
Wednesday, March 26, 1856 - Great Ball held at Victoria, riff-raff exculded [ok, so this has nothing to do with farming....it made me laugh].
Saturday, March 30, 1856 - Mr McKenzie gave a great dinner in opposition to Mr Clark.
Thursday, May 1, 1856 - Mr McKenzie removed into his new house. Heavy showers. Footnote: this dwelling, now known as the Old Craigflower Farmhouse, is still standing and in good repair. It was sold to private owners by the HBC only a few years ago.
Friday, December 26, 1856 - Mrs McKenzie gave birth to a male child.
Saturday, February 14, 1857 - Mr Clark received a respectable round from Mr McK[enz]ie. Rain.
Sunday, March 22, 1857 - Mrs McKenzie, Mrs Veitch, Mrs Whyte and Mrs Hume's chldren baptised by the Revd E Cridge.
Monday, April 20, 1857 - Mr McKenzie gained a law-plea over Mr Clark
Saturday, March 3, 2007
McKenzie fonds
I had a chance on Friday to look through some of the more interesting pieces listed in the finding aids and found a whole bunch of useful stuff about the Craigflower farm, including
It looks very microhistorical. Awesome.
-Dan
- A list of those accompanying the McKenzie's from Scotland to the Craigflower farm, with occupations and family members
- Daily labour books, like time-sheets, listing what each individual on the farm did each day; spans at least a few years and different seasons -> Names include many of those from the first list, probably that of Melrose too, which could be interesting
- At least 3-4 employee agreements with the PSAC/HBC - I showed these to Taryn - and we agreed that this is the sort of thing we might want to put a copy of on the site; I didn't have a chance to do a thorough examination of the documents, but they seem to be something like indenture agreements, with addendum written as agreements between McKenzie and the individual employee
- An illustration and part of a manual for the first steam powered thresher acquired by the farm, but I'll have to double check the year
- And countless inventories of farm equipment and stores, promissory notes, contracts with the Royal Navy, other accounting documents, etc - Many of these are difficult to read, and questionable in their usefulness, but the numbers might prove useful to flesh out details
- a rather interesting ration book stating how much of each food item (pork, tea, sugar, beans, tobacco, etc) was allowed to each family (McKenzie, Lidgate, etc) at different time
It looks very microhistorical. Awesome.
-Dan
Friday, March 2, 2007
melrose diary
That's hilarious - looks like the kind of March we're going to be having too! Thanks for having a look, Taryn.
Hey guys
I copied Robert Melrose's diary yesterday, and took a quick preliminary look at it. Quite honestly, I don't know how helpful it's going to be, and I'm not sure why "no student of history should be without it." For example, the entries for one month (March 1855??) consist of "rain" every day, and that's it. I'll read through it tonight and let you know if there is actually anything of use in it.
I copied Robert Melrose's diary yesterday, and took a quick preliminary look at it. Quite honestly, I don't know how helpful it's going to be, and I'm not sure why "no student of history should be without it." For example, the entries for one month (March 1855??) consist of "rain" every day, and that's it. I'll read through it tonight and let you know if there is actually anything of use in it.
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