Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society
Index of Personal Papers


List of Fonds, E-G




A 52
George E. Eakins fonds

1872-1962
5 cm. of textual records including clippings and transcripts

Biographical Sketch
George E. Eakins (1882-1967) was a medical doctor in Thunder Bay and president of the Thunder Bay Historical Society from 1933-1934. He also served as president of the Thunder Bay Medical Society in 1915, 1925 and 1936. He collected material relating to the history of Thunder Bay and its district.

Scope and Content
The George E. Eakins collection is composed of five series, scrapbooks, programs, publications, manuscripts/transcripts, and miscellaneous documents. It covers a broad spectrum of subjects all relating in general to the history of the Thunder Bay region. Most of the collection is composed of clippings and transcripts of the work of others. Some series, however, contain original materials such as speeches given and papers written by Eakins and others and some legal documents.
Series A 52/1/1-2 - Scrapbooks - 1.5cm. - 1906-1961 (clippings)
1) Scrapbook of clippings and odds and ends collected by Dr. Eakins, 1906-1958
2) Scrapbook of clippings, 1931-1961
Series A 52/2/1-7 - Programs - 5cm. - 1915-1954
1) Red Cross Field Day official program, 1915
2) Goodwill meeting: Thunder Bay and Cook County Historical Societies, 1932 program and Cook County emblem
3) Port Arthur semi-centennial celebration band concert program, 1934
4) City of Port Arthur complimentary dinner, 1944
5) Memorial service for King George V, 1936
6) Thunder Bay Medical Society banquet, 1954
7) Program of the launching etc. of HMCS Port Arthur in 1944 at Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.
Series A 52/3/1-5 - Publications - 1cm. - 1889-1962
1) The Provincial Paper Story, vol. 27, #1 (1962)
2) Port Arthur Illustrated, (1889)
3) Historic Silver Islet, by Gertrude Dyke, n.d.
4) Fort William - Port Arthur: The Twin Lake Cities, General Realty Corp, (ca.1913)
5) Miss Fort William and her Sister Port Arthur, G.R. Duncan and Co., (ca.1928)
Series A 52/4/1-9 - Manuscripts and transcripts - 1.5cm. - [1870]-1932
1) Transcript of letter from J.J. Talman of Ontario Archives, 1932, describing photograph taken in Prince Arthur's Landing, 1879
2) Transcript of letters from Sir John Franklin and Sir John Richardson (1818-1840) with introduction to letters (by G. Eakins?)
3) Transcript of documentation relating to dispute for the Divisional Headquarters of the C.P.R. between Port Arthur and Fort William, ca. late 1870s
4) Manuscript of G.E. Eakins speech on "Short History of the Canadian Lakehead", 1932
5) Manuscripts from W. Langworthy entitled "Hudson's Bay Co. ships on Lake Superior", "A History of Liberalism vs. Toryism", "Shipping in early days", n.d.
6) Transcript of newspaper articles dated 1885 regarding troops passing through Port Arthur
7) Manuscript of "The Early History of Thunder Bay District", by G.E. Eakins, 1932
8) Manuscript on the history of the municipality of Shuniah (by G.E. Eakins?) accompanied by transcripts of some early council minutes, 1873-[1885]
9) Manuscript (by George Eakins?) and original documentation relating to the creation of a post office in Port Arthur in the 1880s
Series A 52/5/1 - Miscellaneous - 5cm. - 1872-1893
1) Collection of misc. documents including a deed to purchase mining land in McIntryre (1872); newspaper clipping (1875) regarding shipment on the Dawson Trail; letter (1891) regarding estate claim and the Northern hotel; sworn affidavit of James Dickinson dated 1893 regarding the winding-up of the Thunder Bay Sentinel Printing Co.; stock certificate for the Whitefish Valley Colonization Co. (1887)

Additional Information
Custodial History - Formerly catalogued under museum numbers 984.104.5b, 10-12, 14-17, 31-42, 53-54.
Associated Material - See museum collection 984.104

A 24
Herman Frederick Eberts fonds

[ca.1890]-1900
11 cm. of textual records

Biographical Sketch
Herman Frederick Eberts, primarily of Detroit, Michigan, was a mining entrepreneur who invested in mines and mining locations primarily in Northern Ontario from Sudbury to Rainy River, South Dakota (Deadwood), and Minnesota. There is some indication of investments elsewhere in the U.S.A.. He also showed an interest in the pulp and paper industry in Northern Ontario. His activities in Northern Ontario date from about 1889 to 1900.

Scope and Content
Series A 24/1/1 - Reports and Agreements
Reports and agreements relating to mining investments made by H.F. Eberts, primarily in Northern Ontario, including Marks Township, Steep Rock Lake, Black Bay, Rainy River, Loon Lake and Tache, mostly in the 1890s. Consists of letters written to Eberts by various contacts in Canada reporting on the sites and conditions of mines, assayers' reports, and formal agreements and titles to various properties. Also included is a report on pulp wood stands and the prospects for constructing a pulp mill in the Chapleau, Chester and Georgian Bay area, circa 1900.

Additional Information
Custodial History - formerly catalogued into museum's collection 982.69.1

A 29
Richard Faries fonds

1893-1950
20 cm. of textual records

Biographical Sketch
Ven. Richard Faries, D.D., Archdeacon, Church of England. Born at Rupert's House, James Bay, Quebec, 30 Aug. 1870. His father was Angus Faries, a Hudson's Bay Co. employee and his mother was Mary Faries nee Corston. Richard was educated at Moose Factory school, James Bay and trained under the Rt. Rev. John Horden, first Bishop of Moosenee. He graduated from the Montreal Diocesan Theological College in 1894 and received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from St. John's College, Winnipeg, in 1938. He married Catherine Isabella Craig of Abbotsford, Quebec, 11 Aug. 1908 (she died in 1951).
Faries was incumbent of St. John's parish, York Factory from 1899 to 1951 and was archdeacon of the district of York, diocese of Keewatin, headquartered in York Factory, from 1917-1950. He was ordained deacon in 1894 and priest in 1898 according to one source (another source says 1917). He was school teacher at Moose Factory from 1890-1892 and assistant missionary there from 1894-1895. He was missionary to the Ojibway at Fort Hope, Osnaburgh and Marten's Falls in the District of Patricia from 1895-99 before becoming missionary to the Swampy Cree in York Factory, Fort Severen, Trout Lake, Sammattawa, northern Manitoba and northern Ontario and to the Chipewyans and Inuit of Fort Churchill from 1899 to 1951.
Faries was also dispenser of medicine for the Department of Indian Affairs at York Factory and registrar of vital statistics in Manitoba for the region he served. He was a director and trustee of the Indian Day School from 1900-1950 and Director and Secretary-Treasurer of York Factory School from 1920-1950.
He contributed articles on the lives of Bishop Horden and Archdeacon Vincent in "Leaders of the Canadian Church" (1920) and was the author of "Diocese of Keewatin" and "Mission of Churchill", 1930. Faries collaborated with Archdeacon Mackay in "Revision of the Cree Bible" (1914) and edited the "Cree Dictionary" (1938). He contributed a number of articles to several magazines primarily relating to missionary and church activities. Faries retired to Toronto in 1951 and then moved to Thunder Bay where he died in 1964.

Scope and Content
Richard Faries' papers include four series: daily journals (which cover Faries' activities as a missionary in Fort Hope, Fort Churchill and York Factory); notebooks; correspondence relating to his activities at York Factory and the publication of his Cree/English dictionary; and various publications dealing primarily with teaching the Christian religion to the Cree Indians.
Series A 29/1/1-6 - Daily Journals (diaries) - 9cm. - 1896-1999, 1927, 1945-1946
1) Church Mission Society journal kept by Faries at Fort Hope from 1 Jan. to 3 June 1896, 70p. Handwritten.
2) Church Mission Society journal kept by Faries at Fort Hope 27 July to 15 Nov. 1897, 80p. Handwritten. Also contains notes on vital statistics and accounts for 1897
3) Daily journal of activities at Fort Churchill for the year of 1899, 367p. This journal was probably kept by the Hudson's Bay Co. factor at Fort Churchill, not by Faries.
4) Daily personal diary of R. Faries, 23 Dec. 1926 - 28 Sept. 1927
5) Ibid., 1945
6) Ibid., 1946
Series A 29/2/1-3 - Notebooks - 2cm. - [ca.1893-1894]
1) Richard Faries notebooks kept while at Montreal diocesan Theological College pertaining to theology, in particular the differences between Catholic and Anglican churches, but also to religion and science, and Darwin and the origins of life, 112p.
2) Book of poems written by R. Faries, 1893-94, 44p. handwritten
3) Notebook of four humorous stories told by Faries, probably to his congregations, no date
Series A 29/3/1-10 - Correspondence - 5cm. - 1930-1945
The outgoing correspondence and some incoming correspondence of Archdeacon Richard Faries in his capacity as missionary, priest, school master and writer at York Factory and environs, arranged chronologically: 1) 1934-37, 2) 1938, 3) 1939, 4) 1940-41, 5) 1942, 6) 1943, 7) 1944-45
8) Letters regarding the publication of a Cree dictionary and the preface to same, 1930-38
9) Incoming letters of Catherine Isabella Faries, primarily from her sister Margaret in California, 1909-1940. Includes 16 letters and 2 notes and 6 misc. items such as sheet music composed by members of her family, cards and booklets.
10) Eight poems written by Richard Faries and sent to Catherine Isabella Craig whom he married in 1908, 1893-1908. The last is in another hand, possibly Catherine Craig's. All were addressed to Miss C.J. Craig, Gibbland Farm, Abbotsford, Quebec
Series A 29/4/1 - Publications - 4cm. - 1893-1950
Books written or kept by Faries, particularly relating to the Cree language. Includes:
-"Hymns in the language of the Cree indians" by R. Faries, published by the General Board of Religious Education of the Church of England, Toronto, ca.1950
-"The First Catechism of Christian Instruction in the Cree language", author unknown, published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK), London, 1911
-"Cree Primer", author unknown, SPCK, London, 1893
-"Cree Hymn Book", revised by R.B. and E. Steinhauer, United Church of Canada, Toronto, 1929
-"Spiritual Light", ed. by F.G. Stevens of Koostatak, Manitoba, published by Norway House Mission, United Church, 1935, in the Cree language
-"M.S.C.C. Bulletin" No. 1, 1934, a four page newspaper recounting missionary activities in Canada's north.
-"Christ Church, The Pas, Manitoba", by David L. Greene, published by Christ Church, 1931

Additional Information
Related Material - See "Autobiography", Journal of the Canadian Church Historical Society, XV, No. 1 (March, 1973), 14-23. See also Faries' letters and journals published in Moosenee and Keewatin Mailbag, the Canadian Churchman, and New Era. See also TBHMS biographical file.
Associated Material - See photographic collection 987.5.1-57

A 23
William Bell Frue fonds

1871-1880
3 cm. of photocopied textual records

Biographical Sketch
William Benjamin Frue was born in county Down but spent most of his life in the U.S.A.. He became general superintendent of the Silver Islet Mining Co. in 1871 and was responsible for the mine's great early prosperity. He left Silver Islet in 1875 and died a few years later. He was responsible for erecting the crib work around the islet. During his tenure the mine became one of the world's richest.

Scope and Content
Series A 23/1/1 - Correspondence - 3cm. - 1871-1880
The outgoing correspondence of W.B. Frue when superintendent of Silver Islet mine, 1871-1875. Consist primarily of reports to shareholders of the company in the United States and in Europe, and some letters of a political nature. Also contains letters from John J. Marvin and C.A. Trowbridge to Richard Trethewey, Esq., later superintendent of the mine, 1878-1880.

Additional Information
Custodial History - Original in possession of W.C. Frue, Henderson, North Carolina, grandson of W.B. Frue.
Alternate Physical Form - Copy available in library, #808.86 FRU

Return to top

Home Page