This fonds consists of typescript copies of correspondence of G.M. Roche, October 1859 from Fenelon Falls, and Lindsay, Canada West, relating to the death of his brother John K. Roche, Provincial Land Surveyor, while surveying the Bobcaygeon Road. Also included are extracts from the diary of William Bell, chief chairman of John Roche's party from July 1859 to April 1860. The survey was completed by Mr. Brady, Provincial Land Surveyor, in 1860.

This item is a photocopy of a typescript of a letter from J.B. McWilliams to Dean B.E. Fernow at the University of Toronto giving a very detailed account of timber licences in the Trent Valley (first licences, abandoned or cancelled licences) and of the amount of lumber taken out in 1872-1873 as opposed to 1912. His concerns were conservation and failing that, reforestation of the area. He also describes the Trent system of forest conservation. The letter is dated December 16, 1912.

This addition to the fonds consists of photocopies of the field notes, diary and report of the survey of the Bobcaygeon Road (Township of Bobcaygeon) from Somerville to Bell's Line, 1858 by land surveyor Michael Deane. Includes comments on timber and soil with diagrams and a typescript of a letter to the Commissioner of Crown Lands dated September 7, 1858.

The microfilms are copies of assessment and census rolls, 1803-1850, voter's lists, 1854, and poll books, 1816, 1820, 1824 for the Newcastle District. Area covered includes various townships in the present-day counties of Peterborough, Northumberland, Durham and Victoria. The townships of Hamilton and Haldimand were not filmed.

This fonds consists of correspondence, reports, notes and other records relating to the provincial election of 1937, federal election of 1940, Progressive Conservative party conventions of 1938 and 1942, Port Hope conference of 1942, meetings of the Dominion Conservative party in 1944 and 1946. It also includes material regarding the murder trial of John Schell, 1923-25 (C.G. Frost most important early case) and to municipal and school board affairs, Lindsay, 1936-47.

The collection consists of photocopies, originals and typescripts, brought together by Howard Pammett, of newspaper articles and unpublished articles on a variety of subjects such as Mossom Boyd, lumbering in the Kawarthas, Katherine Wallis, Peterborough Canoe Company, Trent Valley Navigation Company, and steamboats on the Trent-Severn system. The newspaper articles are from the "Progress of Peterborough" series by Pammett (Peterborough Examiner, 1950-51). The unpublished articles are "A Survey of Kawartha Lumbering 1815-1965" by Pammett and "The Peterborough Canoe" by Donald Cameron. There is also correspondence of Katherine Wallis, Mossom Boyd, and the Trent Valley Navigation Company.

This fonds consists of photocopies of the diaries of Hugh Lumsden, from 1901 to 1928. The early diaries show some evidence of surveying activity while the later ones are mainly of a personal nature. Yearly cash accounts are included.

This item is an account book of Gabriel Switzer showing expenses and money received from 1883 to 1884. Also included is a list of officers and directors of the Emily Branch Agricultural Society, 1876.

The fonds consists of an account book of the general store of G.A. Gibson, Kent Street in Lindsay, Ontario for the period of May 1888 to December 1888; four diaries, May 1898 to July 1906, in which Gibson records the chores performed daily by himself and his family as well as money received (for the sale of produce) and money spent. The fonds also contains one additional diary, January 1910 to April 1914, which records chores and events on the farm. It is possible that the diary was written by Gibson's wife, Alice, but written as if Gibson had written it himself.

The fonds consists of photocopies of the following memoirs of settlement in the Bobcaygeon Area. a) Reminiscence of Mossom Boyd, written down by M.M. Boyd, 1875-1877, typescript copy, 5 pages. b) Manuscript copy of J.W. Bicks "Reminiscences and Memorandum on Coming to Canada in 1837 and Dunsford family in 1838;" gathered 1891 (January 9) 5 pages. c) George Dunsford Reminiscences, taken down by H.J. Wickham, 1894 in Miss Boyd's hand.

This item is a photocopy of the last will and testament of Mossom Boyd, written May 7, 1880 and probated August 27, 1883.

This addition to the fonds consists of photocopies of the records of Christ Church, Bobcaygeon, giving an outline history of the beginnings of the congregation and church construction, treasurer's accounts (Building Committee), Font Account (Reverend C.W. Paterson), Bazaar Account, and Liabilities Account (Building Committee). The records photocopied range from 1869 to 1881.

This item is a petition of freeholders of Emily Township to John Huston, Surveyor of Highways, paying for alterations in roads, especially along the Emily/Ennismore boundary.

The fonds consists of microfilm of typescript and manuscript forms of "The Aboriginal Remains of Victoria County" by Colonel George E. Laidlaw from June, 1912.

The fonds consists of a collection of deeds, bonds, land grants, indentures, mortgages, writs and conveyances from the following townships and municipalities: Ops, Cavan, Manvers, Mariposa, Emily, Eldon, Cambray, Fenelon, Lindsay, Toronto, Monaghan, Somerville.

The fonds consists of family and related papers of Henry Fowlds and his family including James S. Fowlds and H.M. Fowlds. It also includes business correspondence, invoices, some journals and cashbooks, mortgages as well as deeds regarding the business of Henry Fowlds, Jas. S. Fowlds and Bros. and H.M. Fowlds. In December 2001, Trent University Archives launched an online exhibit which depicts Helen Fowld's experiences in World War I. All her letters and diaries are transcribed and are found at the following site: [Nursing Sister Helen L. Fowlds: A Canadian Nurse in World War I.]: http://digitalcollections.trentu.ca/exhibits/fowlds/

The fonds consists mostly of Helen Marryat's (nee Helen Fowlds) personal experiences as a nurse in World War I, and her activities as a local historian. There are clippings of her articles in local newspapers, historical maps (drawn by Gerald Marryat) and other materials relating to settlement of Hastings and district such as education and nursing. Also included are the correspondence and photograph collections of her brothers, Donald and Eric (mostly from World War I), and material on Frederick Marryat (1792-1848), navy captain and novelist. In December 2001, Trent University Archives launched an online exhibit which depicts Helen Fowld's experiences in World War I. All her letters and diaries are transcribed and are found at the following site: http://digitalcollections.trentu.ca/exhibits/fowlds/ffowldswelcome.htm

Fonds consists of research materials and notes, modern correspondence, photocopies of historical documentation, and genealogical resources for the Need family as well as other people living in both England and Newcastle District. The historical documentation includes wills, gravesite information, lot and concession records, military records, correspondence. As well as the Need family, there is also biographical information on other families, including the Dunsfords, Langtons, Campbells, and Sawers.

These research materials were accumulated by Dawn Bell Logan and used to write books, articles, and biographical entries about Thomas Need, including Thomas Need : settler in the backwoods of Upper Canada (self published, 2022), and the Dictionary of Canadian Biography entry for Thomas Need (V. 12). Photographs are of some sites in Lincolnshire, U.K, Peterborough, Canada, the Trent Severn Waterway, Thomas Need’s descendants, and gravestones of Need family members.

Fonds is organized into four series: Thomas Need journals and correspondence; Research materials and manuscripts; Dawn Logan correspondence; and Files on Dawn Logan’s publications.

Thomas Need Biography

Thomas Need (1808-1895) emigrated from Nottingham, England to Upper Canada in May 1832 and settled in Verulam Township in Victoria County in 1833 around Sturgeon Lake. He had graduated from University College, London, in 1830 and rejected the idea of becoming a member of the clergy. This contributed to his decision to leave England.

While in Upper Canada, Need was a member of the government commission that oversaw the construction of what became the first lock of the Trent-Severn Waterway, founded the Village of Bobcaygeon in 1834, and served as a magistrate for the Court of Requests from 1835 to 1837.

Need anonymously published his book Six years in the bush or extracts from the journal of a settler in Upper Canada (London, 1838) on his experiences in Upper Canada. The book was based on his journal entries he made in his personal journal which he called the “Woodhouse Journal.” Need returned to Nottingham, England permanently in 1847 and died in 1895. His authorship was confirmed with the publication of John Langton’s letters in 1926 and he was subsequently recognized as a contributor to early Canadian literature.

Source: Biography – NEED, THOMAS – Volume XII (1891-1900) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography. http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/need_thomas_12E.html. Accessed 11 Jan. 2024.

Fonds pertains to the Cairnduff family and McWilliams family of Nogie’s Creek, Ontario. Items include two photo albums, two Bibles, and a handwritten music book for violin. Also included are two envelopes, one containing postcards pertaining to Buckhorn and the surrounding area with postmarks dating from 1907 to 1949, collected by Clayton Grant, the other containing a newspaper clipping, photograph, and colour scripture book. Also included are two books: My Bookhouse Through Fairy Halls, and The Standard Horse and Stock Book.

Fonds pertains to the life of Theodore Thorne Hamilton (1890-1959) and his extended family. The documents, comprised of original letters, vital statistic certificates, photographs, and postcards, are interleaved with detailed biographical information compiled by the donor, Mr. Jim Hamilton, a second cousin (twice removed) of Theodore Thorne Hamilton. Included are approximately 100 photographs pertaining to the Skeena River flood of 1936, approximately 30 early 20th-century Bobcaygeon area postcards, and two Bibles.

Collection consists of nine Boyd family photograph albums, 14 glass plate negatives, and several strip negatives. The images depict the lives and activities of the Boyd family of Bobcaygeon, Ontario, and include lumbering scenes, Trent Canal steamboats, buffalo/Hereford animals, and travel excursions. Also included are three "Gypsy" photographs (Peterborough, 1909), and photographs of winter sporting activities. Several photographs depict family members; many are unidentified. Also included in this collection are copies of the wills of WT.C. Boyd and Mossom Boyd.

Fonds consists of Harley Cummings' research material for Early Days in Haliburton, published in 1963. Included are original wage lists, letters, receipts, accounting records, and agreements of the Ottawa logging company, Bronsons and Weston, with several documents relating to their York Branch operation. Documents relating to business transactions with the Boyd lumbering company of Bobcaygeon, and with individuals along the Peterson Road and Bobcaygeon Road who provided supplies and lodging for the workers comprise a part of the holdings. Mentioned are the Egan Farm in Dungannon Township, Hastings County, and the Bruton Farm on the Peterson Road in Haliburton County. There are references, too, to the operation of cadges between locations (commercial carriers which transported supplies by horses and sleigh/buggy). Also included are copy maps; photographs; notes; handwritten transcriptions of diaries of Alexander Niven and of Mrs. C.R. Stewart; and photographs of Lillian de Grassi Boyd, the Blomfield [Blumfield] family of Lakefield, and the Strickland homestead in Lakefield.

Collection consists of a photograph album containing 188 photographs and newspaper clippings of soldiers from Bobcaygeon, Ontario who served in WWII. Also included is a booklet entitled "The Royal Canadian Legion, Bobcaygeon Branch 239, 1932-1992.

Item is a rolled family tree with the title "Pedigree of the family of Dunsford." It was compiled in 1886 by George Lichigaray Dunsford of Exeter. The earliest information is dated 1631 and the latest 1884.

Fonds consists of the wills of W.T.C. Boyd and Ida Lillian Boyd, with attached deed of Laurence Chadwick Boyd. Also included are several Boyd family photographs and one portrait. One of the albums has a photograph of Anne Langton, pioneer artist and teacher who settled in the Sturgeon Lake area, and whose journals have been published.