This fonds consists of the personal and business records of the Geale, Hamilton, Peck, Barker and Rogers families. There are letters relating to World War I written by Beresford and Robert Hamilton and Heber and Harry Rogers; letters, diaries, journals of Richard Birdsall Rogers (superintending engineer of the Peterborough Lift Lock); the records of Hon. Robert Hamilton, a factor at the Hudson's Bay Company stationed at Fort Edmonton. The fonds also contains stereographs, approximately 1000 photographs, and a C.E. Goad fire insurance plan for the city of Peterborough, 1882. Items of interest include a group of photographs of the Trent Valley area and the building of the canal; Rogers family pictures of the Stoney Lake area and the Juniper Island Regatta; photos of early aircraft and the Curtiss Aviation School; photos of hydraulic lift lock at Peterborough; and one letter from Catharine Parr Traill to Robert Miles Hamilton.

This collection of family papers, correspondence, journals, photographs, newspaper clippings and published works spans the years 1834 to 1966 and measures approximately 3 1/2 linear metres. The papers were deposited in Trent University Archives through the courtesy of members of the Geale and Rogers families in 1983.

The papers are divided into two series:

Series A, the Geale family papers, consists of records pertaining to the descendants of the Hon. Robert Hamilton, a factor of the Hudson's Bay Company stationed at Fort Edmonton in northern Manitoba. Robert Hamilton married Annie Seabourne. One of their sons was Robert Miles Hamilton (1864-1939). He married Alice May Barker and resided at "Auburn" in Peterborough, Ontario. Their children were Miles Beresford Hamilton, Robert Barker Hamilton, (Alice) Seabourne Hamilton, and S.R. Hamilton (son). Alice Seabourne Hamilton married Charles Norman Geale. Papers of the Barker family (the Hon. Samuel Barker was Mrs. Robert Miles Hamilton's father) are included in this series as are the papers of the Peck family. Edward Armour Peck was the natural son of Arthur Henry Peck and the adoptive father of Charles Norman Geale. He married Kitty Revell. Both Miles Beresford Hamilton and Robert Barker Hamilton served overseas in the First World War and their correspondence is included in this series.

Series B of this collection consists of the Rogers Papers. Richard Birdsall Rogers was born at Ashburnham in 1857. He lived there until 1916 and then moved to "Beechwood Farm" in Douro Township. He was a land surveyor and was appointed superintendent engineer of the Trent Valley Canal in 1884. Richard married Clara Mina Calcutt of Peterborough in 1881. They had seven children. One daughter, Leah, married Herbert Geale, brother of Charles Norman Geale. Two sons, Heber and Harry served overseas in World War I. Their correspondence is included. R.B. Rogers designed and supervised the building of the hydraulic lift locks at Peterborough and Kirkfield. These papers included several files of plans and specifications for the locks, correspondence and documents accrued during the scandal preceding Rogers' resignation in 1906, the Holgate Report which condemned Rogers and the Keefer investigation which completely vindicated his work as Chief Engineer. We have created a major on-line exhibit focusing on the life and times of Richard Rogers and the Peterborough Lift Lock: http://digitalcollections.trentu.ca/exhibits/birdsall-rogers/zrptboll.htm

This collection consists of 18 volumes of photocopied documents relating to Indigenous-settler land relations in North America. Used as court evidence in the Bear Island (Temagami) court case. Divided into 13 categories as follows: Documents relating to: 1. New France 1540-1763; 2. B.N.A. until 1763; 3. Evolution of Proclamation 1763; 4&5. Early application 1763; 6. Native title 1763-1774; 7. Native title 1774-1791 (Quebec); 8. Native title 1791-1840 (U.C.); 9. Native title 1840-1866 (C.W.); 10.Native title Ontario 1867-1979; 11&12. Records of European Traders; 13. Non-surrender of N. Daki-Inenan.

This fonds consists of township records, by-laws, legal correspondence, records of the Queen's Bench and General Quarter Sessions of the Peace for the United Counties of Northumberland and Durham. Records include indictments, convictions and inquests and case records (which are effectively a continuation of the inquests, convictions and indictments series).

The fonds is arranged into 9 series:

1. Township business with bylaws, oaths of coroner's and coroner's commissions and jail surgeons
2. Voter's lists and books including militia rolls
3. Juries and jurors
4. Convictions and return of convictions
5. Inquests
6. Indictments
7. Magistrates returns
8. Justice of the Peace Commissions
9. Criminal and Civil Procedures and Correspondence and Case Records which reflect a change in the organization of records by the County Clerk's office after 1914 and which contain inquest, conviction and indictment documents.
10. Correspondence and miscellaneous

This fonds consists of indentures, accounts, ledgers, will and probates of wills, mortgages, and other records created by the legal firm of Howell Fleming and its predecessors of Peterborough, Ontario. The series in the fonds include the Daniel Mahoney series; the D.W. Dumble series; the R.W. Thompson series; the Charles McCaffrey series; the Mary Violette Dover diploma series; the Zacheus Burnham estate series; the Francis Dean Kerr series; the Pearse family series; the Flora E. Deuston financial series; the James Edward and Harriet E. McIlmoyle estate series; the William H. Cluxton estate series; the Dennistoun series; the Robert Dennistoun series; the Charles W. Morton series; the Joseph Buller series; the Fife estate series; the Albert Hall, Wm. Comstock series and the St. John's Church document series.

This collection consists of two legal documents which belonged to Mrs. Friedman's sister. One is an indenture between James Holden and Thomas Westaby of Lincolnshire, dated February 20, 1686. The other is a land grant to Henry Smith, of 200 acres in Garafraxa township, Halton County, dated December 2, 1824 and December 27, 1825.

This collection consists of two legal documents. One is written on parchment, dated 6 May 1647 and written in German. The second document is dated 11 December 1806 and appoints 16 men as Justices of the Peace for the District of Newcastle. It is signed by Francis Gore, Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada at York.

This item is a broadside containing information about the By-Laws of the Municipality of Haldimand for the information of pound keepers: "Extracts from the statutes of Canada and the by-Laws of the Municipality of Halidmand..."

This fonds consists of legal documents which are mostly protests against Alexander McIntosh for promissory notes that were not honoured. The protesters are local Peterborough businesses and banks. There are also by-laws and other documents of a legal nature from North Monaghan township including some information on School Sections Nos. 1-4 and a class list for School Section No. 3.

This fonds consists of records relating to the Bateson family of Cavan Township in the County of Durham. A large portion of the records are debentures showing sale of land to William Bateson and other people. There are three wills; one for Isaac Bateson, one for Ellen Bateson (parents of William Bateson) and one for William Bateson. The fonds also includes some earlier, apparently unrelated records regarding other properties. This fonds is an excellent source of history on the Bateson family.

This fonds consists of correspondence concerning the estate of Mary Blake of Cornwall, England. The records were in the possession of George M. Furby Esq., manager of The Midland Loan and Savings Company in Port Hope, Ontario, who helped to settle her estate.

This item is a contract between Thomas Watson, teacher, and the Trustees of the Joint Board Grammar and Common School, Port Hope. The contract is for 1 year at a salary of one hundred and twenty pounds.

This fonds consists of correspondence and 75 shares in the Peterborough Gas Company; correspondence from the Ontario Bank and by-law no. 8 from the Ontario Ladies' College at Whitby, Ontario.

This item is the marriage license of Thomas Snarr and Anna Webster of Hastings and East Whitby, Ontario.

This fonds consists of 4 original documents pertaining to the land on which Victoria College, Cobourg, was situated. One document is the declaration of Rev. S.D. Rice verifying the signatures of the Attorney General (John A. Macdonald) and the Deputy Registrar (Thomas Mayor) on the other three documents.

This fonds consists of fur trading licences issued to traders by the North West Company.

This fonds consists of 575 bound volumes of Victoria County administrative and financial records and court records. It includes 228 local business journals, day books, ledgers, County council material, criminal justice accounts and court documents.

This fonds consists of draft manuscripts and research notes for the book "From County Trust To National Trust" published in 1988 by Roy Russell Merifield; annual reports for Victoria and Grey Trust and affiliated merged trust companies; company and media biographical sketches of company officers and directors; correspondence to and from company president Walter Harris 1968 to 1971; photocopies of press clippings relating to the collapse of the Atlantic Acceptance/British Mortgage and Trust Company and the Hughes Royal Commission.

This fonds consists of minutes and by-laws of the Proceedings of the Municipal Council of the United Counties of Peterborough & Victoria.

This fonds consists of two execution books from 1851 to 1852 in the County of Ontario. One is an account book referring to fees paid and the costs covered. The other is an account of summons sent and received. Places mentioned include Brock, Beaverton, Darlington, Mariposa, Millbrook, and London. There are accounts of L. Fairbanks, up to 1858 in the books as well.

This fonds consists of documents, from 1869 to 1902, including sale of timber receipts, deeds of land and quit claims of John E. Proctor of Brighton, Ontario.

This fonds consists of records from the law firm and practice of Hall, Gillespie, from its beginnings with Robert Dennistoun, to its termination with John Gillespie. This fonds consists of land search books, case files, estate records from probates of wills and succession of duty papers to surety bonds, and lists of assets and debts. It also consists of correspondence, the firm's written history, maps, deeds and associated papers, mortgages, debentures, bills of sale and other legal records. The records in this fonds deal primarily with people and places in the City and County of Peterborough as well as its surrounding area.

This addition to the fonds consists of correspondence between Scott Medd and his sister Miss Mary Medd of Peterborough, Ontario. The correspondence is from the later period of their lives. There are also photographs of the Medd and Daniels families.

This fonds consists of the bench books of Judge G.L. Murdoch from the court sittings of a circuit court covering Peterborough, Cobourg and Lindsay areas. The books note the defendant and prosecution names, the case number, exhibit numbers and short comments on the cases as the witnesses testify. The books comprise an "aide-memoire" for the judge as he listened to the various cases. Twenty-five of the books were the bench books of Judge Harry R. Deyman (1912-1975).

These documents consist of two stapled mimeographed books. The first, dated March 1946 and entitled "The Union of Saskatchewan Indians: The Record of the Establishment of Indian Unity in Saskatchewan" records the minutes of meetings held in Regina, Duck Lake and Saskatoon, and provides names of the Constitution Committee. It also contains reprints of Treaties No.3 and 4. The second book, dated July 1946 and entitled "The Treaties Between Her Majesty, Queen Victoria and The Indians of British North America" contains reprints of Treaties No. 3,4,5,6,7, and 8.

This collection consists of miscellaneous ledgers and legal documents of businesses, doctors, etc. in Peterborough, surrounding counties and areas in southern Ontario.