Merchant ship captain John F. Kennedy fonds, 1796-1862

John F. Kennedy was a merchant ship captain from Baltimore (not to be confused with another Baltimore merchant of the period named John Kennedy, who was the father of the American novelist John Pendleton Kennedy). He married Marcia Gray in 1799 or 1800. They had two daughters and a son.The fonds consists mainly of letters from merchant ship captain John F. Kennedy to his wife Marcia Gray, written from 1796 to 1818. Some letters describe the confiscation of his ships, a common occurrence at the time due to the Napoleonic wars, the War of 1812, and the Barbary Wars. One letter is from Kennedy to James Mosher, a banker in Baltimore, dated December 28, 1808. Other print documents include two pages of financial accounts (1833-1835); a one page family register recording births, marriages and deaths; and a manuscript fragment of a poem. The collection also includes 3 photographs. One is a photograph of an unidentified woman (possibly Marcia Gray Kennedy); a photograph of Lucy Hansel MacGrotty Phipps, dated October 8, 1862; and a photograph of a building in Pittsfield, New Hampshire, by American photographer Frank B. Berry (ca. 1890s)

Ontario Forest Industries Association records, 1900-1989, n.d.

The Ontario Forest Industries Association (OFIA) was founded in 1944. It is a provincial trade association that represents member companies who produce a wide range of products, including pulp, paper, paperboard, lumber, panelboard, plywood and veneer. The OFIA works with its member companies to address issues of common interest and concern, and communicates these issues to the appropriate government, industrial or business sector. The Ontario Forest Information Service represented the OFIA from 1951 to 1988 as the publishers of their industry periodicals. Bush News was the first periodical published by the Service for the OFIA and ran until 1964, when it was replaced by Ontario Logger. In 1968, the name was changed to The Logger. In 1970, this was replaced by The Forest Scene. This new periodical was a departure from the earlier versions, which had served primarily as an internal communication system for the industry. The Forest Scene adopted a new format and editorial approach, emphasizing outdoor activities, recreation, hunting and fishing, conservation, and forestry operations and methods, thus appealing to a much wider readership. The Forest Scene ceased publication in 1988.This archive is part of the larger Ontario Editorial Bureau Fonds (OEB) housed at Brock University. The records contain information about the Ontario Forest Industries Association and the Ontario Forest Information Service. Some material about the Ontario Professional Foresters Association, Ontario Forestry Association, Canadian Forestry Service, and the Canadian Forestry Association is also included

Roberta "Bobbie" Styran fonds, 1707-2013, n.d.

Roberta “Bobbie” Styran was born and rasied in Fredericton, N.B. She graduated from McMaster University with a B.A. (1962) and M.A. (1964), before furthering her studies at the University of Toronto, where she received a Ph. D in History. From 1967 to 1978, she taught Medieval History at Brock University, where she developed an interest in the Welland Canal. She began a collaboration with Prof. Robert R. Taylor of the History Department at this time, researching the history of the Welland Canals. She later moved to Toronto and worked for the Ministry of Education, but returned to St. Catharines in 1988 to facilitate her work with Prof. Taylor. The two have co-authored several books, including The Welland Canals: the Growth of Mr. Merritt’s Ditch; Mr. Merritt’s Ditch: A Welland Canals Album; The Great “Swivel Link”: Canada’s Welland Canal and This Great National Object: Building the Nineteenth-Century Welland Canals. Bobbie travelled extensively, visiting many canal and industrial revolution sites in Great Britain and the United States. She was active in many canal associations, including the Canadian Canal Society (where she served as president and editor of the Society’s newsletter), the American Canal Society, and the Council of Inland Waterways International. She also helped to found the Welland Canals Preservation Association and organized and chaired the 2004 World Canals Conference at Brock University. In 2009, she received the W. Gordon Plewes Award from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, an award that recognized her services to Canadian engineering history.Fonds contains research material compiled by Roberta Styran. Most of the material concerns the Welland Canals. The fonds also includes manuscripts, as well as material related to Roberta Styran’s activities with the Canadian Canal Society and World Canals Conferences

The Mary Schmon Singers collection, 1956-1958, n.d.

The Mary Schmon Singers were a choir from St. Catharines, Ontario, directed by Mary Schmon (Mrs. Robert Schmon). The group had a weekly radio program on CKTB in St. Catharines which began in September 1956. The group later became known as the Mary Mitchell Singers.The collection contains twelve news clippings about the Mary Schmon Singers from St. Catharines, Ontario. There is also a note written by Mary Schmon to Betty [Webster], and a program for a Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra performance that the Mary Schmon Singers were part of, dated March 7, 1958

St. George’s Anglican Church cemetery photographs, n.d.

The history of St. George’s Anglican Church in St. Catharines dates back to 1792 when the first Anglican clergyman, Reverend Robert Addison, settled in present-day Niagara-on-the-Lake. Initially, a community church was used by the early settlers, where Presbyterians, Methodists and Anglicans worshipped. Around 1830, plans were begun to construct an Anglican church. It was completed in 1840 and named St. George’s Church.Contains 32 black and white photographs of tombstones from St. George’s Anglican Church cemetery in St. Catharines, Ontario. Some of the tombstones may be from other local cemeteries. Names on the tombstones include Margaret Jane Bradburn; Thomas Black (Jr. and Sr.); Edward Barker; Clarissa Stevens; William Chisholm; Elizabeth and John Fletcher; Jedidiah and Penelope Prendergast; Thomas Merritt (Jr. and Sr.); Ann Maria Ingersoll; Francis Parnall; Thomas Rolls; Paul Shipman; Eleanor Hutt; Caroline Gordon; Stephen Secord; Hannah Deforest; Lavinia Warner; Elizabeth Zeller; George Acker; Charles Howell; Jemima Hill; George Grant; Jessie Douglas; and Charles Clement Parkin

Niagara Falls: 18 phototone postcards from original photographs, no date.

A small folder containing 18 black and white postcards with photographs of Niagara Falls, no date. The photographs include views of the Horseshoe and American Falls, as well as the American Rapids, the Falls in winter, Prospect Point, and Cave of the Winds. The back of the envelope is stamped “Castle Court Motel, 9802 Pine Ave., Niagara Falls, N.Y.”

Orderly book, Second Regiment of U.S. Dragoons, New York, 1812-1813

The Second U.S. Regiment of Light Dragoons was formed in January 1812. In March of 1814, it merged with the First U.S. Regiment of Light Dragoons to form the Regiment of Light Dragoons.An orderly book of the Second Regiment of U.S. Dragoons, New York, dated August 14, 1812-July 29, 1813. The book contains orders pertaining to day-to-day military matters, such as punishments for disobedience, court-martial proceedings, camp rules and regulations, and guidelines for interacting with civilians in the vicinity of the camp. The Regiment was stationed at various locations in upstate New York and Canada, including Greenbush, Albany, Sackets Harbor, Utica, Geneva, Fort Niagara and Fort George. General Henry Dearborn originally commanded the Regiment at Greenbush. Names noted in this book include: E. Beebe, Deputy Adjt. General; William King, Capt. 15th; John Chandler, General; W. Gamewood, Major; James Burns, Colonel; John Woodford, Major; Andrew McDowell, Capt.; Abm. Gustis, Major; C.W. Hunter, Brigade Major; Selden, Captain; Holland, Captain; Harris, Captain; Clarkson, Lieutenant; Johnson, Lieutenant; Robert Craig, Adjt.; R.G. Hith, A.A. General. Also included with the orderly book are a monthly return form, a contract for medical services, and a bonus pay voucher for Thomas Blunt. The monthly return form is partially completed and dated January 1813 at Greenbush, New York. It is signed by Captain Jonas Holland. The contract is dated May 20, 1812, between John Dodge, physician and surgeon, and Jonas Holland. The contract describes the services required of the physician and the salary to be paid. The bonus pay voucher is dated April 25, 1813, for $8.00 paid to Thomas Blunt by Captain Jonas Holland for “enlisting into the army of the United States for five years”

Cynthia Kim fonds, 2012-2015

Cynthia Kim was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome when she was 42 years old. She has contributed articles to Autism Parenting magazine, Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, and Autism West Midlands’ magazine. She has also written two books on autism, I Think I Might Be Autistic: A Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis and Self-Discovery for Adults, and Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate: A User Guide to an Asperger Life.Fonds consists of blog entries and video clips from Cynthia Kim’s blog, Musings of an Aspie. The entries are dated from August 2012 to January 2015. Kim documents her experiences as a person with Asperger’s syndrome. She writes about her childhood, as well as her experiences as a wife and mother. The blog can be found at http://musingsofanaspie.com/

Map of the Niagara Frontier, May 20, 1818

A copy of this map appears in Travels in Canada and the United States in 1816 and 1817 (SPCL FC 72 H34 1818).A map of the Niagara Frontier from Travels in Canada and the United States in 1816 and 1817 by Lieut. Francis Hall, 14th Light Dragoons, dated May 20, 1818. It depicts the Niagara Peninsula with communities, roads, creeks, and some topography features. The map was published by Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown and engraved by Sidney Hall. Colour has been added to some portions of the map

Retired Women Teachers of Ontario—St. Catharines branch fonds, 1970-2013.

The Retired Women Teachers of Ontario (RWTO) was founded in Toronto by a small group of retired women teachers known as the Rendezvous Club. This group brought together several branches in 1956 to form the Ontario Association of Superannuated Teachers (OAWST), which was changed to the RWTO in 1999. The group was initially formed in order to provide retired women teachers with the same pension that was received by their male colleagues. The group came to the realization that they would have a better chance of success if they had a larger group of supporters. As a result, new branches were formed throughout Ontario. In 1967, the government concurred that the pension should be raised, and the minimum pension level was increased to $1200 a year. The following year the Retired Teachers of Ontario was formed, representing both male and female retired teachers. This new group was now responsible for communicating and negotiating with the government concerning pension matters. However, the RWTO continued to exist with a focus on the special interests and well-being of retired women teachers. There are currently 53 branches throughout Ontario.Fonds contains material about the activities of the Retired Women’s Association of Ontario—St. Catharines branch. Most of the material is photographs, annual reports, newsletters, annual programs, membership lists and meeting minutes. Some correspondence and news clippings are also included