Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
George Cobb tapes
General material designation
- Textual record
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Fonds
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
1962-1967 (Creation)
- Creator
- Cobb, George
Physical description area
Physical description
78 audio reels.
8 audio cassettes (plus copy audio cassettes).
Most of the tapes are 7" reel to reel which run at a speed of 3 3/4 ips, unless otherwise noted in the finding aid.
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
George Cobb ( - 2003) was a local historian, who in 1966 was commissioned by Trent University to begin an experimental program in oral history. The tapes in this fonds are the results of his efforts.
Custodial history
This fonds was created by George Cobb. Some of the tapes were in his custody at the time of donation to the Trent University Archives while some of the other tapes were in the custody of Professor Kenneth Kidd of the Anthropology Department.
Scope and content
This fonds consists of oral history tapes made by George Cobb. Topics covered on the tapes include: Trent Canal, lumbering, early medicine and dentistry in Peterborough County, native studies, mills and so forth.
Notes area
Physical condition
Some of the tapes in this collection are off-gasing and cannot be used. Cassette copies of some tapes have been made for research use in the reading room.
Immediate source of acquisition
The fonds was donated by George Cobb.
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Tapes may not be copied. Copyright permissions not acquired.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Associated materials
For related records see: 82-003
Accruals
General note
Some transcriptions are available online. Scroll down to Tapes 9, 21 and 42-47. Transcripts are provided for personal research only. All questions of copyright are the responsibility of the researcher.
FINDING AID
The following tapes will be made available only if a cassette copy has been made.
Box 1
Tape 1: Choate, Hal: 30 December 1965, 60 Minutes, 3 3/4 ips. Grandson of founder of Warsaw, Ont. Story of medicine man's business from log cabin to factory to bankruptcy. A medicine show with a tapeworm; village store drugs.
Tape has been copied on 1 audio cassette February, 2002.
Tape 2: Clements, Hilliard: 15 February 1964, 90 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. Also includes interviews of Allan Uriah Payne, 7 March 1964 (track 4), and Mr. and Mrs. Jim Hawthorne, 18 April 1964.
Tape has been copied on 3 audio cassettes February, 2002.
Tape 3: Copperthwaite, Doug: 6 May 1966, 60 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. One of the last river-boat engineers, who also worked on lake tankers. Boat building on Rice Lake. Description of photos in father's album.
Tape has been copied on 1 audio cassette February, 2002.
Tape 4: Fleming, David: 20 August 1966, 60 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. Accountant with the Dickson Lumber Co. Company history, conditions in lumber camps. Age 96 at time of interview.
Tape has been copied on 1 audio cassette February, 2002
Tape 5: Fowler, Daisy: 30 September 1965, 45 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. Daughter of John Duncan, last operator of oatmeal mill at Lang (Allendale). Description of the mill, out-buildings, store dressing, family history and the log house. Born in Peterborough on 16 April 1876, she lived at Lang from age 9 to 18. Not copied. Use tape 6.
Tape 6: Fowler, Daisy: 5" duplicate of tape 5, edited to 30 minutes, 3 3/4 ips.
Tape has been copied on 1 audio cassette February, 2002.
Tape 7: Garvey, John: 23 September 1965, 45 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. Born 29 November 1877 and died in 1966 at age 88. Lumbering, logging, shanty life. Dug foundation for Quaker Oats with scraper and team. One verse of logging song.
Tape has been copied on 1 audio cassette (minus the logging song) February, 2002.
Tape 8: Geale, Leah: June 1964, 30 minutes, 3 3/4 ips (5" tape). Track 1. Daughter of R.B. Rogers, designer and engineer of Peterborough Liftlocks.
Hurtubise, Gene: 14 July 1964, 20 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. track 1. He was in charge of the cement hoist for over 2 years during the construction of the liftlocks.
Holmes, Fred: 30 October, 1964, 45 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. track 1 side 2. Regarding Senator George A. Cox. Dangers of work at the cordage company; sweated labour and old Peterborough.
Tape has been copied on 1 audio cassette February, 2002.
Tape 9: Marsden, Moses: 20 June 1965, 60 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. Born at Roseneath or Alderville 15 June 1870, age 95 at time of interview. A native river-driver who lived in shanties and was a Seventh-Day Adventist. Trent University Archives is grateful to Judy Jamieson-Mitton, Mae Whetung-Derrick, and others of Curve Lake First Nation and elsewhere for making a transcription of this tape in 2017. Transcript.
Tape has been copied on 1 audio cassette February, 2002.
Tape 10: McMahon, Matthew: 20 May 1965, 60 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. Age 91 at time of interview - died 20 November 1969. Worked with horses for a dealer, lumbering and cadging; information re R.B. Rogers and the Peterborough Lift Lock.
Tape has been copied on 2 audio cassettes February, 2002. Audio cassettes copied to a CD in July 2014.
Tape 11: Milburn, Eunice: 27 July 1966, 20 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. Granddaughter of Thos. Milburn who came to Peterborough with Adam Scott. Early settlement, floating bridge on Chemong Lake and maple sugaring. Age 90 at time of interview.
Tape has been copied on 1 audio cassette February, 2002.
Tape 12: Mowry, Chester: 24 June 1964, 60 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. track 1. Grandfather ran foundry in Peterborough. Talks of George Street stores. Hall's Glen cheese factory and cheese-making process. Cobbs voice inaudible on Mowry portion.
Tivy, Captain: 24 June 1964, 45 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. track 4. Vivid description of rounding Cape Horn in a fully-rigged ship. Hurricanes, roaring forties, ship life, dangerous fog and nature of fear. (Taped at Anson House, Peterborough.)
Tape has been copied on 2 audio cassettes February, 2002.
Box 2
Tape 13: Noyes, George. Tape destroyed - vinegar syndrome. See tape 15 which is a duplicate.
Damaged - not copied
Tape 14: Noyes, George: 9 November 1968, 80 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. tracks 1 and 4. Lumbering, sleighs and ice roads, lumber mills, working conditions, cutting roads and trails, work accidents.
Tape has been copied on 1 audio cassette February, 2002.
Tape 15: Noyes, George: 60 minutes, 2 3/4 ips. "Cleaned-up version" of tape 13. Age 87 at time of interview. Born 30 April 1879, died 23 August 1969. Come to Canada from Chester, England in 1882 and settled with family in Lakefield. Log jams, Otonabee River before building on Liftlocks. Saw Mrs. Traill. Buildings and lumbering sidelights. Full description of first dredging of Trent Canal.
Tape has been copied on 1 audio cassette February, 2002. Introduction to Noyes is on Side "A" 10 minutes into the recording.
Tape 16: Damaged - not copied
Tape 17: Damaged - not copied
Tape 18: Damaged - not copied
Tape 19: Damaged - not copied
Tape 20: Smooker, Wm.: 8 September 1968, 50 minutes, 3 3/4 ips, tracks 1 and 4. Hand bootmaker, discussing the industry; World War I.
Tape has been copied on 1 audio cassette, 2002
White, Bob: 14 September 1968, 30 minutes, 3 3/4 ips, track 2. Herdsman for Mossom Boyd at Bobcaygeon. Buffalo-beef cattle cross-breeding; cattle drives.
Tape has been copied on 1 audio cassette, 2002
Tape 21: Telford, William: 23 March 1968, 60 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. Born in 1878, son of Smith Township poet. Stage coaches, lime kilns, Chemong Lake floating bridge, weaving in Bridgenorth and hotels. Transcript Available. [Correspondence "Cobb"] Transcript
Not copied.
Tape 22: Not copied.
Tape 23: Not copied.
Tape 24: Not copied.
Box 3
Tape 25: Not copied
Tape 26: Not copied.
Tape 27: Not copied.
Tape 28: Not copied
Tape 29: Not copied
Tape 30: Not copied
Box 4
Tape 31: The Liftlock Story: 60 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. track 1. Extracts from tapes 8 and 10.
Logging in the 1890's: 60 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. track 4. Extracts from tapes 7, 9, 10 and 22.
A copy of this tape is in the Ontario Archives.
Tape has been copied on 1 audio cassette February, 2002. Logging portion of the tape was not on the reel-to-reel.
Tape 32: The Liftlock Story (Part 2) and the Otonabee River: 3 3/4 ips. Extracts from tapes 3, 13 and 14. See also tape 56.
Tape has been copied on 1 audio tape February, 2002.
Tape 33: Not copied.
Tape 34: Not copied.
Tape 35: Not copied.
Tape 36: Not copied.
Tape 37: Not copied.
Tape 38: Not copied.
Tape 39: Not copied.
Tape 40: Not copied.
Tape 41: Not copied.
Tapes 42 to 48 were made at Curve Lake First Nation. Digitized transcriptions are available for #42, 43, 44, 45, 46, & 47 (see links below); these (except for #45) were typed from hardcopy transcriptions which are available in the Professor Kenneth Kidd fonds (93-011 Box 1: Irons, Taylor, Johnston, McCue [McKue], Taylor, and Taylor). The transcription for #45 (William Taylor the Third) was made in 2016 by Judy Jamieson-Mitton with the assistance of Mae Whetung-Derrick and others.
Tape 42: Mary Johnson (age 96) and Dow Taylor: 3 3/4 ips. (4" tape). Transcript.
Tape has been copied onto 1 audio tape cassette and also 2 cds.
Tape 43: Herb Irons: 2 July 1966, 90 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. tracks 1 and 3 (5" tape). Transcript.
Tape has been copied onto 2 audio cassette tapes and also 3 cds labelled "43 A" (2 cds) and "43 B" (1 cd) .
Tape 44: Christopher McCue [McKue]: 19 June 1966, 20 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. (5" tape). Transcript.
Tape has been copied onto 1 audio tape cassette and also 1 cd.
Tape 45: Bill Taylor: 7 August 1966, 45 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. (5" tape). Indian names of lakes etc. Trent University Archives is grateful to Judy Jamieson-Mitton, Mae Whetung-Derrick, Jack Hoggarth, and others of Curve Lake First Nation and elsewhere for making a transcription of this tape in 2016. Transcript.
Tape has been copied onto 1 audio tape cassette and also 1 cd.
Tape 46: Dow Taylor: 2 and 16 July 1966, 60 minutes, 3 3/4 ips. (5" tape). Hunting, baskets, black ash tree, sweet grass. Transcript.
Tape has been copied onto 1 audio tape cassette and also 1 cd.
Tape 47: Short Tom Taylor: 29 May 1966, 3 3/4 ips. (5" tape). Age 87 at time of interview. Trapping, food preservation, schools. Transcript.
Tape has been copied onto 1 audio tape cassette and also 1 cd.
Tape 48: Short Tom Taylor: 5 June 1966, 3 3/4 ips. (5" tape). Age 87 at time of interview. Working on farm, first boots, Native stories, trapping, lumbering. (No transcript available)
Tape has been copied onto 1 audio tape cassette and also 1 cd.
- Also, one transcript for which no tape is available: Tall Tom Taylor: 12 June 1966. Transcript.
Tape 49: Not copied.
Tape 50: Not copied.
Tape 51: Not copied.
Tape 52: Not copied.
Tape 53: Not copied.
Tape 54: Not copied.
Tape 55: Not copied.
Tape 56: Not copied.
Tapes 57-77 are recordings made of a variety of events from radio, television and also from sound discs. Not copied.
Box 5
Tapes 78-86 are recordings made of a variety of events from radio, television and also from sound discs. Not copied.