Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society
Index of Business and Labour Holdings


List of Fonds, D-N




B 4

Hudson's Bay Company fonds

1823-1971

6 cm of textual records

Administrative history
Fort William was constructed as a post of the North West Company in the years between 1800 and 1804 and was originally named New Fort. In 1807 it was renamed Fort William in honour of William MacGillivray, a prominent member of the company. In 1821 the North West and Hudson's Bay Companies were amalgamated and Fort William became a Hudson's Bay fort. Trade at Fort William began rapidly to decline until the post was finally closed in 1881.
Persons prominent in the records below include:
Thomas Richards, who was a steward of the company and responsible for turning the key in the buildings when the fort was closed. (See B 4/2/3).
John McIntyre, an important figure at Fort William. He was born in Scotland and by 1841 was an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company at Lachine. He was in charge of the post at New Brunswick (Missanabie) until 1855 when he was transferred to Fort William. He remained a clerk in the company until he became a factor in 1872 and after his retirement he became Indian Agent for the Savanne District in 1880. He was also a companion to Governor Simpson on his around the world tour. (See B 4/4/1- 41).
John MacKenzie, born in Scotland and an apprentice clerk after 1830. He had become a Chief Trader by the time he took control of Fort William in the mid 1840s. He later moved to Michipicoten where he became a Chief Factor in 1854 just before he moved to Moose Factory. He retired to Lennoxville, Lower Canada in 1866. (See B 4/5/1-19).
P.W. Bell, a Chief Factor by the late 1870s, called the "great man" of the Lake Superior fur trade. He was transferred to Esquimaux in 1879, but there are references to him at Michipicoten as late as 1882. (See B 4/6/1-3).
George Keith, a Nor'wester who had become a Chief Factor in the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821. He was in charge of Michipicoten from 1830- 35, and was the ranking official in the Lake Superior District. He retired in 1846 and returned to his native Scotland and died there in 1859. (See B 4/6/4).
William Aitken, a Hudson's Bay Company agent in Montizambert, Ontario. (See B 4/1/1).

Scope and Content
Letterbooks, journals, invoices, inventories, daybooks, letters and papers that refer to the daily events, affairs, business, and correspondence of the Hudson's Bay Company and Fort William.
Series B 4/1/1. - Letterbook, 1897-1898
A bound letterbook of outgoing correspondence of William Aitken concerning the trade and affairs of the fur trading post at Montizambert. It begins 23 Jan. 1897 and ends 8 Nov. 1898. There are 180 folios, handwritten on copying paper. Folio one is missing and several folios are torn from the back of the volume. Transcripts have been made.
Series B 4/2/1-3. - Journals, 1823-1876
Three journals recording daily events at Fort William post.
1) Journal recording the daily events at Fort William from 18 Oct. 1823 to 15 Sept. 1824.
2) Journal recording the daily events at Fort William from 6 Sept. 1835 to 29 May 1837. Photocopies may be found in the research file.
3) Journal of Fort William kept by Thomas Richards from Feb. 1875 to 27 May 1876, recording events at the fort and the accounts of the Indian traders. 248 fol. (previously numbered B 4/7/1 and is listed as such on the microfilm copy).
Series B 4/3/1-8. - Invoices, inventories, daybooks, 12 fol (B4/3/8 has 169 p.), 1827-1836.
There are eight documents in this series dealing with the business aspects of the Fort William post of the Hudson's Bay Company.
1) Framed statement of goods to be forwarded to three posts from Fort William, 3 Aug. 1827.
2) Invoice of goods supplied from Fort William to Michipicoten, 1828.
3) Packing account of sundry orders from Michipicoten to Fort William and sundries for the outfit, July 1828.
4) List of goods required from Fort William for Moose Factory, 1828.
5) A list of sales to commissioned gentlemen and servants at Fort William. It is a list of articles and quantities, listed under each man's name. Six men, no date.
6) A statement of servants accounts belonging to Fort William post, 1834. It includes debits and credits of 1 June1834, wages, debts owed to Moose Factory and Michipicoten and expenses at auctions for each man, as well as personal notes on certain men.
7) An inventory of articles in use at Fort William 1 June 1836. It includes the number of each article and what kind of condition they were in (ie. good, half worn, much used, etc.).
8) Daybook number 2 which the Red River settlement soldiers kept at Fort William in 1816-17, when these troops under Lord Selkirk occupied the Fort.
Series B 4/4/1-41. - Letters and papers of J.McIntyre, 92 fol, 1855-1943. (#34, 35, 39, 40, and 41 are originals, the rest are photocopies).
1) Letter from D. Smith, 1870 (4 fol).
2) Letter from D. Smith, 1870 (2 fol).
3) Letter from D. Smith, 1870 (3 fol).
4) Letter from D. Smith, 1872 (1 fol).
5) Letter from D. Smith, 1874 (2 fol).
6) Letter from D. Smith, 1876 (2 fol).
7) Letter from D. Smith, 1877 (2 fol).
8) Letter from D. Smith, 1877 (2 fol).
9) Letter from D. Smith, 1877 (2 fol).
10) Letter from D. Smith, 1874 (3 fol).
11) Letter from D. Smith, 1890 (1 fol).
12) Letter from D. Smith, 1891 (1 fol).
13) Letter from G. Wolseley, 1870 (2 fol).
14) Letter to Wolseley, 1870 (2 fol).
15) Letter from Wolseley, nd.(1 fol ).
16) Letter from Wolseley, nd.(2 fol ).
17) Letter from Wolseley to war office, 1870 (1 fol); Letter from Military secretary to the Governor General, 1870 (1 fol).
18) Letter from E.M. Hopkins, 1869 (2 fol).
19) Letter from E.M. Hopkins, 1869 (3 fol).
20) Letter from E.M. Hopkins, 1870 (2 fol).
21) Letter from J. Bissett, 1874 (2 fol).
22) Letter from J. Bissett, 1876 (3 fol).
23) Letter from Sir Sanford Fleming, 1884 (2 fol).
24) Letter from the Earl of Dunraven, 1872 (2 fol).
25) Letter from R. Burnett, 1873 (2 fol).
26) Letter from Cumberland, 1874 (1 fol).
27) Letter from Sir Alex Cambell regarding appointment as Indian Agent, 1880 (2 fol).
28) Letter from O'Brien, 1881 (2 fol).
29) Telegram from S.J. Dawson, first to be sent from Prince Arthur's Landing to Fort William, 1876 (1 fol).
30) Letter from(?), in Lachine, 1855 (4 fol).
31) Commission to J.M. McIntyre appointing him Preventive Officer, 1857 (2 fol).
32) Commission to J.M. McIntyre and P.W. Bell, appointing the Commissioners of the Peace, 1866 (2 fol).
33) Commission to J.M. McIntyre appointing him as a Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company, 1873 (1 fol).
34) Letter from N. MacDougall, F. Kirkpatrick, A. Armik, E. Deacon, 1878 (2 fol).
35) Letter to Nell? From J. McIntyre, 1876 (2 fol).
36) Minutes of a meeting called by the Chief Commissioner of the Hudson's Bay Company. 1875 (10 fol).
37) List of commissioned Officers of the Hudson's Bay Company, 1874 (2 fol).
38) Transcript of the Narrative of the Canadian Red River Exploring Expedition of 1875, Chapter II, (6 fol).
39) Letter from D.E. McIntyre to Carson Piper of the Thunder Bay Historical Society regarding photocopies of J. McIntyre's letters and papers. 1943, (1 fol).
40) Letter from Carson Piper to D.E. McIntyre regarding letters and papers of J. McIntyre, 1943, (1 fol).
41) Letter from ? to J. McIntyre, 1859, (2 fol).
Series B 4/5/1-19. - Letters, 24 fol. - 1846-47 (originals).
1-3) Letters to J. MacKenzie from Thomas C. Child, 1846 (3 fol).
4-12) Letters to J. MacKenzie from Thomas C. Child, 1847 (11 fol).
13-17) Letters to J. MacKenzie from Forrest Sheppard, 1846 (2 fol).
18) Letter to J. MacKenzie from M.N. Macleod, 1846 (2 fol).
19) Letter to J. MacKenzie from H.P. Edwards, 1847 (2 fol).
Series B 4/6/1-5. - Letters, 8 fol. - 1834-1882.
1) Letter to P.W. Bell from E.M. Hopkins, 1869 (1 fol).
2) Letter to P.W. Bell from E. Deacon, 1881, (2 fol). T.S. in research file.
3) Letter to P.W. Bell from Henry de LaRonde?, 1882, (2 fol).
4) Letter to George Keith from?, 1834. (1 fol).
5) Letter to E. Estandson?, I. Anderson and H. MacKenzie from John Swanston, 1844 (2 fol).
Series B 4/7/3-6. - Miscellaneous, 25 fol. - 1828-1971. (B 4/7/1-2 have been renumbered B 4/2/3 and A 50/1/1 respectively).
3) One commission appointing John Edward Harrisson, a Chief Trader in the Hudson's Bay Company, February 18, 1829. (1 fol)
4) Minutes of a Council Meeting held at Michipicoten, May 14, 1828 (13 fol).
5) Two booklets produced by the Hudson's Bay Company concerning the history of the voyage of the Nonsuch and the rebuilding of it in 1969. 1971 (11 fol).
6) Agreement for employment (contract) between Patrick Small and George Simpson, agent for the Hudson's Bay Company, 1826.

Notes
Custodial History
B 4/7/6 was donated by Adelaide Taylor. Formerly catalogued into the museum collection, 983.63.1; 972.129.24-28, 30-39,,40,42; 972.122.200- 201, 1a, 2, 125, 6, 5, 208, 203, 204, 245-279, 4a+b, 202; 972.270.1; 972.85.13; 972.2.425; 973.53.1; 972.102.111; 976.1.19a+b; 973.111.5; 972.224.8a; 975.91.6,4,3;
Copy/Repository
The originals to B 4/3/8 were destroyed by fire in 1941. The photocopy of this transcription is located at National Archives of Canada, Mg 19 E 1 [1] Volume 33 [Selkirk Papers]. B 4/4/1-33, and B 4/4/36-38 are photocopies, the originals to which are located at National Archives of Canada. B 4/7/4 is a photocopy, the location of the original is unknown.
Restrictions
The original copy of B 4/3/8 is located at the National Archives of Canada and can be reproduced only with the permission of NAC.

B 6

North West Company fonds

1806-1809
105 p of textual records

Administrative History
Lac la Pluie Depot of the North West Company was located two miles east of the present site of Fort Frances. It supplied the brigades that travelled to the remote Athabaska region.

Scope and Content
Series B 6/1/1. - Bills of Lading. - 30 July 1806-31 July 1809
One bound volume containing the bills of lading for the canoes which were loaded at the Lac la Pluie Depot. The volume originally contained 107 pages and 99 entries, two of which have been removed, and the last eight pages are blank. Each page is divided into four columns listing the North West Company mark, contents and quantity of pieces loaded into the canoe, the provisions, as well as the names and positions of the crew of the canoe.

Notes
Formerly catalogued into the museum collection, 972.76.13.

B 9

J.V. Welch Company fonds

1897-1983
54 cm of textual records

Administrative history
J.V. Welch Company Limited were railroad contractors. The company was founded by Vincenzo and Giovanni Veltri, emigrants to North America in the early 1800s from Grimaldi, Italy. They worked as railroad navvies in the northwest United States in the mid 1880s, then moved to British Columbia in 1895 where they set up a small construction company. Then they moved to Port Arthur in 1898 where their company prospered and is still operating today in Thunder Bay.

Scope and Content
A collection of journals, ledgers, time books, notebooks, correspondence, contracts, agreements, records, estimates, reports, blueprints, and memoirs regarding the employees, business, and legal affairs of the J.V. Welch Company.
Series B 9/1/1-9. - Journals. - 13 cm. - 1905-1931
A series of journals from the J.V. Welch Company. 1) Daily cash book, Aug. 1911 to June 1912.
2a+b) Welch company store account (in two pieces) 1897-1901.
3) Notebook of store accounts-1898.
4-8) Five notebooks recording various personal expenditures by company personnel. 4) 1905-1906. 5) 1922. 6) 1931. 7-8) no date.
9) A Bound volume of the Purchase Journal, Mar. 1913 to Dec. 1913.
Series B 9/2/1-3. - Ledgers. - 12 cm. - 1907-1913
Three bound volumes of the J.V. Welch Company Limited ledgers.
1) General ledgers: May 1906 to Aug. 1907.
2) General ledgers: Aug. 1919 to Mar. 1919.
3) A volume of a purchase ledger. 28 Mar. 1913 to Dec. 1913.
Series B 9/3/1-9. - Time books. - 4 cm. - 1897-1927
10 monthly time books for field employees of the J.V. Welch Company Limited. The timebooks are in notebook form except for #10.
1) Nov. 1897 and June 1898.
2) Dec.1899 to Jan. 1900.
3) Mar. to Sept. 1901.
4) Apr. to May 1900
5) Jan. to Mar. 1910.
6) Apr. to May 1911.
7) Aug. to Sept. 1914.
8) Nov. 1923 to Aug. 1924.
9) May to Aug. 1927.
10) Loose time sheets of various contracts.
Series B 9/4/1-13. - Miscellaneous Notebooks. - 11 cm. - ca. 1897-1910
A series of 12 notebooks used by Field Foremen of the J.V. Welch Company including address books, pocket diaries and notebooks which record expenditures and work progress reports. 1-10 are miscellaneous notebooks. 11) Cheque book. 12-13) Notebooks.
Series B 9/5/1-2. - Correspondence. - 2 cm. - 1901-1936
1) One envelope containing various correspondences to John Welch, primarily concerning the business of the J.V. Welch Company Limited. Arranged chronologically form 1901 to 1936.
2) One envelope of miscellaneous correspondence.
Series B 9/6/1. - Legal agreements and contracts. - 3 cm. - 1901-1919
One envelope containing various legal agreements and contracts made between the J.V. Welch Company and other companies pertaining to the subcontracting of construction work, also including personal agreements of John Welch dealing with partnerships, land deals and other legal matters. Arranged chronologically from 1901 to 1919. Also there is one envelope containing miscellaneous agreements primarily dealing with mines and mining contracts from the 1890s.
Series B9/7/1-4. - Financial records. - 3 cm. - 1915-25
Three envelopes containing various financial records and material of the Welch Company and John Welch.
1) Bank statements of the Welch Company from Aug. 1924 to May 1925.
2) Receipts, invoices, tax statements from 1907 to 1926.
3) Three bundles of cancelled cheques of John Welch from 1915 to 1925.
4) Miscellaneous receipts and statements.
Series B 9/8/1. - Work estimates and progress reports. - 1 cm. - 1908-10
One envelope containing various work estimates and progress reports filed by the J.V. Welch Company
Series B 9/9/1. - Blueprints. - 1912-1915
One envelope containing blueprints which were used for various projects which were undertaken by the Welch Company, primarily dealing with the J.D. MacArthur contract, 1912.
Series B 9/10/1. - Report. - 1 cm. - 1926
One envelope containing a report written by Vincenzo Veltri to the Italian Consulate in Ottawa dealing with the conditions of Italian immigrants in the Port Arthur area. The finished report and the questionnaire are included as well as two letters to Veltri from Ottawa concerning the report.
Series B 9/11/1. - Memoirs. - 2 cm. - 1983
A photocopy of the translated version of the memoirs of Giovanni Veltri, translated and annotated by John Potestio. The original is in possession of John Potestio.
Series B 9/12/1-8. - Miscellaneous. - 2 cm. - ca. 1910-1930
1) Two insurance policies taken out by the Welch Company to insure tools and miscellaneous supplies used on work sites. 22 May 1910.
2) Lawyers notes citing legal case precedents probably to be used in a case involving the Welch Company. No date.
3) One typewritten paper outlining land boundaries of a mineral claim made by the Welch Company in Manitoba. No date.
4) Two written pages listing various shares held probably by John Welch. No date.
5) Two copies of a will written by Giovanni Veltri in Italian (one is a rough copy). No date.
6) Records regarding legal dispute of Welch versus McArthur, 1915 and Welch versus Carboni and Fero, 1912. As well there are miscellaneous papers regarding employees and railway contracts.
7) Series of letterheads of the Welch Company. No date.
8) Envelope of mining papers including assays from various mines worked by Welch, descriptions of plots, miner's certificates and claims, ca. 1890s-1920.

B 21

Fort William Brick and Tile Company fonds

1892-1984
19 cm of textual records

Administrative history
The Fort William Brick and Tile Company was founded in 1892 by W.S. Piper who owned one half of the company. Louis Walsh and James Murphy each owned one quarter. It was located on Montreal Street in west Fort William. In 1893 it employed 15 men, had a sand mould machine, and was also the first manufacturing company at the Lakehead to use steam power. The company lasted until 1945, and a motel was eventually made on the site where the old Fort William brick yard used to be, on what is now known as Baily Street.

Scope and Content
A collection of daybooks, ledgers, monthly time books and other miscellaneous items regarding the business and financial aspects of the Fort William Brick and Tile Company.
Series B 21/1/1-2. - Daybooks. - 6 cm. - 1902-32, 1893-1984
1) April 1893-January 1984. 53 pages of expenses entered by day with accompanying explanations.
2) April 1902-1932. Expenses are entered daily with accompanying explanations on pages 1-416. Monthly summaries of expenditures run backwards chronologically from 1923 to 1931 on pages 422 to 484. The front pages are missing.
Series B 21/2/1-3. - Ledgers. - 7 cm. - 1893-1946
1) 1893-1894: Handwritten index to customer accounts in front. Pages 1-416.
2) 1902-31: Accompanied by index to ledger: listing customer accounts alphabetically. Pages 1-290.
3) 1931-1946:Customer accounts tabled alphabetically in front, also buildings and lands, bank accounts, cash accounts, capital accounts, inventory, etc.
Series B 21/3/1-3. - Monthly time books. - 4 cm. - 1911-41
1) 11 May 1918-August 1918: Records the working days of employees; amount owed per month and hospital deductions; casual labour and special services. 38 p script.
2) May 1916-September 1930: As above. 96 p script.
3) June 1931-August 1941. Records hours of work, rate per hour and total amounts paid. 50 p script. Also there is a memo to W.S. Piper from W.G. Baily in the front.
Series B 21/4/1. - Miscellaneous. - 2 cm. - 1892-1941
Miscellaneous items from the Fort William Brick and Tile Company: A bank book from an account the company had with Ray, Street and company, dated 1892. Correspondence to W.S. Piper from H.G. Rothwell and F.S. Price and to the company from H.C. Baird, all are dated 1919. Invoices from 1937 and 1941. Delivery forms from 1905 to 1941, and price lists from 1937 and 1941.

Notes
Formerly catalogued into the museum collection, 978.77.96, 7, 5, 8-9, 12, 10, 11a-b, 13, 14a-h, 15a+b, 4a-c; 975.6.215; 980.1.133a+b.

B 22

Newaygo Timber Company fonds

1856-1958.
19 cm of textual records

Administrative history
Newaygo Timber Company Limited was established on 13 Feb. 1917 with the transfer of freehold land from Hugh Keefer to the company. Pie Island, originally a silver mining site, was granted to Simon James Dawson in 1872. It exchanged hands several times before it was transferred to Newaygo from George Mead in 1927. During that period, Dawson's original mine was sold to the Pie Island Silver Mining Company. However, it was seized by the sheriff for default of mortgage payments and labour commitment, and resold. The Newaygo Timber Company was located approximately 12 miles east of Fort William along the north shore of Lake Superior. They expanded over the years acquiring more land and several steamships. They remained in business until 1975.

Scope and Content
The Newaygo Timber Company records consist of legal records, mining and lumber reports, correspondence and literature regarding the company's business affairs, wages, and obtaining land to log.
Series B 22/1/1-7. - Legal records. - 13 cm. - 1856-1947
1) Abstracts of Title: Transfer from crown to P. Thompson, H. Lloyd, and Simon James Dawson to Pie Island Silver Mining Company. 24 June 1872 to 1920.
2) Deeds of Land: from 1853 (grant to British North America Mining) through 1856 (grant to Montreal Mining Company) to 1947 (Newaygo).
3) Powers of Attorney: various transfers of Power of Attorney to facilitate ease of land transactions 1878, 1904-1908.
4) Mortgages: all pertaining to "Pie Island" property. 1875-1906.
5) Writs, liens, and judgements: 1875-1886, all pertain to the failure of the Pie Island Silver Company to meet their commitments.
6) Land grant certificates: 1902-1908.
7) Miscellaneous: certificate of registration of a steamship in 1919; a bill of sale for the steamship Michigan in 1924; a probate of the McLennon will in 1906; an agreement on timber rights dated 1926; an assessment notice from 1930; and certificates of classification for steamships from 1922 to 1940.
B 22/2/1-4. - Miscellaneous. - 6 cm. - 1871-1958
1) Reports: field notes of Pie Island dated 1871; geological evaluations of Pie Island mining location, from 1881 to 1907.
2) Correspondence: regarding the relocations of lots in Lyon Township 1908; regarding the delivery of unlocated veteran's scripts 1921; regarding military land grants 1922; and regarding the pine timber cutting rights 1938.
3) Business: a statement from 1918; cheques from 1914 and 1909, a receipt from 1919, a schedule for wages from 1937, and an advertisement that is not dated.
4) Literature: regarding the logging industry; M and E Four Wheel Drive Sales company, pamphlets, G.A. Hills, "A Settlement Plan for Rural Northern Ontario", Apr. 1946; International Harvester Company of Canada: transportation of pulpwood bolts by truck and bobsled trailer trains, 1930; Frank B. Moran, Ontario's Forests and Unemployment, from 1958; National Archives of the U.S.A., "Federal Register", volume 1, number 13, 1936.

Notes
Formerly catalogued into the museum collection, 975.10.15-16,81-84, 87-88, 122, 126, 127,19-80, 82-85, 88-121, 123- 125.

B 24

Great Lakes Lumber and Shipping Limited fonds

1948-1950
34 p of textual records

Administrative history
Great Lakes Lumber and Shipping Limited of Fort William started originally as timber contractors, formed out of the Great Lakes Lumber Company in 1943-44 with E.E. Johnson (formerly of Pigeon River Timber Company), as president. Later Don C. Clark was president until the company folded in ca.1980. In 1948-1950 the company was heavily involved in a dispute with the paper companies and the Ontario government over the apportioning of cutting rights between the pulp and paper companies and the sawmills.

Scope and Content
Series B 24/1/1. - transcripts
Transcripts of four newspapers and magazine articles and one paper entitled "Questions on Pulp-Sawlog Supply Problem". There were four prepared issues by the company probably in its effort to change the Ontario government's policy on timberland concessions. It also contains a statement made by Port Arthur Alderman E. Wishart to Premier Leslie Frost (1949).

B 26

Daily Times-Journal fonds

1965-1970
2 cm of textual records

Administrative history
The Daily Times-Journal began in 1899 and ran until it amalgamated with the News Chronicle in 1972. At the time these records were produced George B. Macgillivray who was president and publisher of the paper and Tom Roberts the Classified Advertising Manager. These records were from the files of Tom Roberts.

Scope and Content
Series B 26/1/1. - Memoranda and letters
Memoranda and letters relating to the advertising policies and procedures of the Daily Times-Journal newspaper. Written mostly by G.B. Macgillivray and Tom Roberts. Concerns internal matters for the most part, particularly the classified advertising department. It is arranged chronologically and typed.

B 28

Great Lakes Paper Company fonds

1948,1950
2 cm of published material

Administrative history
The Great Lakes Paper Company was organized by Alstead and Seaman in 1919 to establish a pulp mill at the Lakehead. Such as mill was erected in Fort William and was in operation by 1924. Later E.W. Backus acquired an interest in the company and erected a paper mill (1927-1929). The company was reorganized during the Great Depression and has operated continuously since, becoming one of the city's largest manufacturers. Later acquired by Canadian Pacific Forest Investments, and then Avenor, the company, in 1998, was taken over by an American firm, Bowater.

Scope and Content
Series B 28/1/1. - Magazines. - 3 issues
Copies of "The Link", a magazine published monthly by the Great Lakes Paper Company for its employees. Includes articles dealing with employees and the operation of the company. There are three issues: vol. 1, #2; vol. 3, #4, Apr. 1950; vol. 3 #11, Dec. 1950.

B 32

Moran and Company, Fort William fonds

1930-1933
5 cm of textual records

Administrative history
Moran and Company of Fort William was a grain trimming company.

Scope and Content
Series B 32/1/1-2. - Account books
Two account books. One is a bound day book listing for each day the ships that are loaded, the amounts loaded and the costs. The second is an unbound book of second entry listing similar data but alphabetically by company name.

Return to top

HOME PAGE