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Norman Arthur Townsend was born in England 14 October 1940. He attended public school in England and received his undergraduate B.Sc. degree from the London School of Economics in 1962. In 1962 he moved to Africa, where his family was, and attended Makerere University in Uganda. From this institution he received his Postgraduate Diploma in Education.

Townsend came to Canada and obtained his Master's degree at McMaster University in Hamilton and his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. He doctoral thesis was written about "The social riverine agriculture of the Pokomo of north-east Kenya". He lived in a mud hut for two years and learned the language of the people he lived with. During his time at the universities he had work as a teaching assistant. He taught four years of high school in Kenya. He received a number of grants from various sources for research. He published "Lineage and generation in Pokomo Kinship" (1972), "A Note on Pokomo Beekeeping" (1972), and "Biased Symbiosis on Tana River" (1973). His Ph.D. thesis was finished in 1973. He started teaching Anthropology in 1977 at Trent University. He could read French and he could read and speak Swahili with a high degree of proficiency. He was married in 1969 to a Canadian and they had two children. Norman Arthur Townsend died unexpectedly on 30 August 1979.

Emmett F. Sheehy was a Barrister-at-law in Peterborough, Ontario during the 1930's.

Vernon B. Wadsworth was born in 1844 and at the age of sixteen became an articled pupil of John S. Dennis, Provincial Land Surveyor, upon passing his preliminary surveying examination in Toronto in April 1860. Wadswoth assisted Dennison in the surveying of several colonization roads in the Muskoka, Parry Sound and Nipissing Districts. Wadsworth passed his final examination and became a licensed surveyor in 1864 and he continued to do surveys in the previously mentioned Districts. When John S. Dennis retired from his surveying practice and entered the Government Service as Surveyor General of Canada, Wadsworth arranged a partnership with Dennis' former partner B.W. Gossage and established a surveying office on Adelaide Street in Toronto. This partnership only lasted a few years. In 1868, Gossage gave up the surveying business, due to lack of business. In the same year, Wadsworth approached Charles Unwin, a successful and politically connected Toronto land surveyor, and the two formed the partnership of Wadsworth and Unwin. At the same time, the surveying business in Toronto and the Province took a turn for the better and Wadsworth and Unwin were able to develop a large practice. They received commissions from the Dominion and Ontario Governments, Railway Corporations and the City of Toronto. They were also employed as City Surveyors by the Corporation of Toronto and in 1872, they published the Wadsworth and Unwin's map of the City of Toronto which proved to be an invaluable resource to lawyers and those engaged in the real estate business. In February of 1875 Wadsworth married Laura Ridout. On 1 December 1876, Wadsworth entered the service of the London and Canadian Loan Agency Company as Chief Inspector. He also retained his name in his surveying firm. In 1899 he was made the General Manager of the company. On 1 April 1921, after 44 years of service, V.B. Wadsworth retired from the service of the London and Canadian Loan and Agency Company. He died in 1942 at the age of 98.

George Savigny emigrated to Upper Canada from Scotland. He was a farmer and resided on Lot 15, Concession 17, Otonabee, Peterborough County, Upper Canada in the mid-1850's.

Katherine E. Wallis was born in 1860 in Peterborough, Ontario. She studied art as a copyist at the National Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland and later at the Royal College of Art in London, England. In London she discovered sculpting as her medium of expression and won the College's bronze medal and the Modellers' Free Scholarship for her work. After two years of study in London, she went to Paris to study under noted sculptor Oscar Waldmann and was soon invited to exhibit at the Exposition Universelle where she won honourable mention. In subsequent years, she exhibited frequently in the Spring Salon of the Artists Francais and later in the Societe Nationale des Beaux Arts, as well as at numerous exhibits in London and elsewhere in the British Isles. Katherine E. Wallis' career was interrupted by World War I while she served as a nurse in the Canadian Hospital in Paris, France. For her services she was decorated by the French and British governments. At the end of the war, Miss Wallis spent several years in Canada exhibiting her work and visiting her sister in Peterborough, Ontario. Later she returned to Paris, and in 1929, she received her highest recognition as an artist when she was the first Canadian to be elected Societaire of the Societe Nationale des Beaux Arts for her sculpture titled "La Lutte pour la Vie." She was forced to flee from France at the beginning of World War II and took up residence in Santa Cruz, California, where she lived until her death, 14 December 1957. Examples of the photographs are reproduced here.

Judge Joseph Wearing was born 20 August 1879 in Liverpool, England. He practised law in Peterborough from 1913 until 1930 when he was appointed Senior County Court Judge in London, Ontario. In addition to the practise of law, he wrote and gave addresses on many topics, mostly in the area of international relations, law, and imperialism. Judge Wearing died in London, Ontario, 29 March 1947.

Edwin Zimmerman Yerex was born on September 23, 1856, in Port Hoover, Victoria County. He lived in Little Britain, Ontario with his wife, Mary Henrietta Ashton (Ettie, 1866-1953). They had two sons, Orville (1884-1916; married in 1904 to Beatrice (1888-1962); had 3 children – Mary, b. 1904, Walter, b. 1907, and Helen, b. 1908) and Elba (1885-1951); married to Ida Webster (1890-1889); had 2 children, Clifford and Marion (1916-1979). Photograph of Elba and his family is courtesy of Joan McKenzie, Elba's granddaughter. Marion Yerex was her mother). E. Z. Y.’s parents were Henry Travis Yerex (d. 18 Nov. 1914 ) and Mary Ann Hoover (d. 11 March 1902 ). Henry Yerex owned and operated a small store in Little Britain in the 1860s. Edwin Yerex ran a larger operation also in Little Britain. He was active in the business, social, and church life of Little Britain and was a village trustee in 1905. He owned a summer home at Port Hoover and often hosted social and church events there. Yerex died on August 17th, 1926 . He seems to have been a notary public and his home was used as a surgery and nursing home. He was also postmaster with the post office located in his store.

Aileen Young is a descendant of the Young's Point pioneers and has a keen interest in the local history of Peterborough and its surrounds.

Professor Mary F. Williamson was born in Toronto in 1933 and earned her M.A. at University of Toronto. Her area of research is early literature of Canadian art, early printmaking in Canada, and art librarianship, teaching the latter at graduate schools in North America. Williamson has written articles for the Dictionary of Canadian Biography and The Canadian Encyclopaedia, has published articles relating to art librarianship, and is co-author of Art and Architecture in Canada and The Art and Pictorial Press.

Bernice Loft Winslow's Mohawk name was "Dawendine". She was raised as an Anglican and was also familiar with the Longhouse religious traditions of her Mohawk ancestors. Her schooling was on the Six Nations Reserve and the high school in neighbouring Caledonia. After high school, she taught school for a number of years and began to speak to groups interested in native culture.

Douglas Sadler was born in London, England in 1916. He served in the 7th Armoured Division (Desert Rats) during World War II and with the Queen's Royal Regiment in Holland. He spent six months imprisoned in Oflag 79, Germany. It was during the World War II that Sadler met his future wife, Joan, in England. They were married in 1942. After the War, he served as a Captain in the Army and one of his tours took him to Singapore in 1947. He came to Canada in 1950 to work on Governor-General Vincent Massey's farm near Port Hope, Ontario and later worked for the Port Hope Evening Guide in advertising. This was the beginning of his newspaper career which ultimately led him to the Peterborough Examiner and the City of Peterborough in 1953. Part of his work at the Examiner included writing his now famous outdoor column, "Come Quietly With Me," which he wrote for more than 30 years. Douglas has written close to 1500 columns on every conceivable aspect of the environment. Late in his life, Douglas decided to return to school. He attended the old Peterborough Teacher's College, and upon graduation, began teaching with the Northumberland Board of Education. He later became the vice-principal of Warkworth School in 1969 and worked there for twelve years before taking a job as an outdoor education consultant. He then moved to the Peterborough County Board of Education. When the outdoor education program was cancelled in 1975, Douglas continued teaching at the Bailieboro School. At about the same time, Douglas became a member of the Peterborough Field Naturalists. After two years, he joined the Ontario Federation of Field Naturalists and was a member for sixteen years, two of which were spent as the Federation's president. Douglas has won the Frank Kortright Award twice and is an honorary life member of the Peterborough Field Naturalists. He earned a degree in geography in 1978 from Trent University and, in 1988, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the same university. In 1987 he authored the book "Reading Natures Clues."

Professor S.G. Denis Smith was born in 1932 in Edmonton. In 1953 he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Honours, from McGill University. At McGill he received the J.W. McConnell Scholarship and an I.O.D.E. post-graduate scholarship for Oxford University in England. From 1953 to 1956 Denis attended Oxford University and obtained his Master's Degree and a Bachelor of Literature. While in Oxford he received an Exhibition Scholarship and a grant from the Bryce Fund to travel and study in Poland.

In 1956 he returned to Canada and by 1962 had written a number of papers and reviews on political material. Denis Smith has held a number of university positions throughout his career. He was with the Department of Political Economy at the University of Toronto, 1956 to 1957; Department of Political Science, York University, 1960 to 1961 and was the first Registrar of that University.

He held the Vice-President's position at Trent University from 1964 to 1967. He was Master of Champlain College from 1969 to 1971 and a professor in the Department of Political Studies to 1983 when he left to teach and become Dean of Social Sciences at the University of Western Ontario. At Trent he was Chairman of the Politics Department from 1967 to 1968.

He was editor of the Journal of Canadian Studies from 1966 to 1975; editor of the Canadian Forum from 1975 to 1979 and President of the Canadian Periodical Publishers Association from 1975 to 1977. He has written several books including: Bleeding Hearts, Bleeding Country, 1971; Gentle Patriot, 1973; Diplomacy of Fear, 1988; Rogue Tory, 1995; Prisoners of Cabrera, 2001; Ignatieff's World: A Liberal Leader for the 21st Century?, 2006; Ignatieff's World Updated: Iggy goes to Ottawa, 2009; General Miranda’s Wars: Turmoil and Revolt in Spanish America, 1750-1816, 2013; and, A Dissenting Voice: Essays, Addresses, Polemics, Diversions, 1959 - 2015, 2017.

C.J. Townsend was an artist's agent who lived in London, England.

Brenda Brownlee was a student at Trent University, class of 1966. She graduated in 1970 from the Bachelor of Arts program and continued her education through the Anthropology honors program and later entered graduate school in Toronto. As a student at Trent University, she was also a prompter for the Dramatis Personae productions of Gilbert and Sullivan’s, “Patience,” (1964) and “The Mikado” (1970). Additionally, Brenda was hired as a student to complete an inventory collection of Inuit art at Lady Eaton College.

Ruth Catherine Allen was born in 1918 in Cramahe Township, the daughter of Durwood and Beatrice Allen (nee Hennessey). The Durwood Allen family lived on a farm in the Castleton, Ontario area. Ruth attended Peterborough Normal School in 1938 attaining her Teachers Certificate. During the course of her teaching career she taught in Morganston, Frankford, Napanee and South Cramahe Public Schools.

Ruth and Kenneth married 30 June 1947 in Brighton, Ontario. They had two daughters, Mary Margaret and Kathryn Ann, and lived in the community of Salem. Ruth died in a car accident on June 29, 1979. After her death, Ken married Joyce Blakley. Joyce died in 1985 and Ken in 2007.

(Taken from information supplied by the donor).

Adele Ebbs was born in Toronto in 1909, the daughter of Ethel Mary Page and Taylor Statten, founder of The Taylor Statten Camps. In 1935, Adele married Harry Ebbs, who was a counsellor at one of her father's camps. Throughout their lives, the Ebbs were involved in organized camping in Canada and the United States, as well as in India. Both were honorary life members of the Canadian Camping Association and Dr. Harry Ebbs was a governor of Trent University, where the Ebbs Camping Archives were established in 1979 to honor the Ebbs' contributions to the children's camping movement in Canada.

William John Eccles was born in Yorkshire, England in 1917 and came to Canada in 1928. He served overseas in the RCAF during World War II before studying at McGill University and the Sorbonne. A well-known historian and former faculty member of the Universities of Manitoba and Alberta, he is presently with the History Department, University of Toronto. He has written several articles and books on Canadian history, with a emphasis on the social history of New France. "With the true historian's determination to test even the most widely accepted truths, with an instinct for ferreting out fresh evidence, with a bold lack of respect for time-tested "facts," he has successfully challenged established doctrine at a number of points in Canadian history." (Taken from Ray Allen Billington's foreword in "The Canadian Frontier 1534-1760", revised edition, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1969).

Alex Edmison was born in Cheltenham, Ontario in 1903. His ancestors were among the first settlers in Peterborough County. Edmison attended Queen's University and McGill Law School, graduating from the bar in Quebec in 1932. He was an alderman in Montreal and chief legal council for the Montreal Prisoner's Aid and Welfare Association until being commissioned with the Black Watch, Royal Highland Unit, in 1940. From 1946-1959, Edmison was a director of the John Howard Society, and from 1950-1959, Assistant to the Principal at Queen's University. Edmison served on the National Parole Board in Ottawa until his retirement in 1971. He was named a member of the Order of Canada in 1976 for his contributions in the field of criminology. Edmison was appointed to the first board of governors at Trent University in 1964 and remained an active, honorary member until his death in 1979.

Greg Doran is a descendant of Irish settlers who emigrated to Peterborough with Peter Robinson in 1825. He was born near the end of the 1960s, the youngest of six children. Greg attended St. Alphonsus Elementary School from 1975-1983, the same school each of his siblings attended. When he graduated, he attended St. Peter’s High School from 1983-1988, when it was located on Reid Street. He graduated from his Ontario Academic Credit (OAC) year (formerly Grade 13), and moved on to Trent University. Between the years of 1988-1992, he completed a joint major, receiving his Honours Degree in Environmental & Resource Studies and Political Studies. It is notable that each of Greg’s siblings also attended Trent, and earned a degree there. Greg worked for the Township of Cavan and NHB Industries in Peterborough, before moving to eastern Canada where he began working as an Environment, Health and Safety Coordinator with an international pipe manufacturing company in 2003. This position provided him with the opportunity to become a certified Canadian Registered Safety Professional in 2007. Greg has continued working in this field with various companies on the eastern coast of Canada.