Newsletter

May 2001
Volume 1, Number 6
History Helps Volume One, Number 6, May 2001
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  • May Day
  • Most Useful Websites in British Columbia
  • Obituaries Database
  • B.C. Sessional Papers
  • Suggestions?
  • Subscription, Privacy Policy

May Day in the History of Delta

Historically, May Day was the important event of this month. Now, a watered-down commercial version is part of a weekend festival in Ladner at the end of May, not to conflict with the long holiday weekend.

This excerpt from a report in the Vancouver Daily World [07 May 1896] of the first May Day in Ladner in 1896 may convey some of the flavour of what we are missing in the modern world:

"Shortly before 1 o'clock the children began to gather and in the absence of W. H. Ladner, who had gone to Chilliwack, G. W. Walker took the lead by calling on the children for the Maple Leaf and Mrs. McDonald to accompany on the piano. In this old patriotic song it was who could sing the loudest. The chairman then stated that on this platform he had announced nearly a twelvemonth ago that there would be a Queen of the May this year. That promise had been kept, the Queen had been elected and would be crowned this afternoon. He then called on Rev. Joseph Hall for a speech...

The chairman with the Queen-elect, Mabel Matherson [sic], leaning on his arm marched down the hall with the maids of honor following whose names are: Jessie Thirkle, Clara Frederick , Ethel Harris, Etta Reid, Clara Smith, and Mabel Burr. All these young ladies were dressed in white. They were handed into Messrs. Alexander and Hume's conveyance, A. R. Ritchie handling the ribbons. In the front were True Oliver and Willie Hicks on horseback, carrying the Union Jack. Then came Adalbert [sic] Oliver driving a single rig with the bagpipe, played by Mr. Robertson, of Westham Island whose abilities in that line are too well known to need any comment and next followed the Queen, and maid of honor with a beautiful pair of gray's [sic] decorated. Then followed in the neighbourhood of 150 children on foot, all carrying a flag. After a march around the village, the parade headed towards the stand in Mr. McNeely's field..."

An excellent photograph of this gathering is available at the Delta Museum and Archives (in the Archives, of course).

Most Useful Websites in British Columbia

If I had to choose, one would be the B.C. Archives Vital Events Indexes. Since this newsletter now travels overseas (much to my amazement), I would like other researchers to be able to avail themselves of this extraordinarily useful resource. Births for the period 1872 to 1900 are listed, deaths for 1872 to 1980, and marriages from 1872 to 1925. One does have to be experimental sometimes when searching, however, and when all else fails to resort to very basic parameters to be successful. For instance, I recently was looking for an individual with an Eastern European surname, which may have been modified over time. I finally did a search using only a first name, "Mathilda" in this case, and gender, of course, and found the information. Even though I don't "do genealogy," I have a bookmark for this site in my personal toolbar (Mac user that I am).

Another extremely valuable on-line database, again of use to historians and researchers, as well as genealogists, is the B.C. Cemetery Finding Aid. While no dates of death are available from this database, the likelihood of discovering the burial location of individuals by searching their surnames on this site is very probable. Again, errors and omissions surface occasionally, but I recommend this database highly nevertheless.

Obituaries Database

The database of obituaries (1872-1922) that is available for purchase on my website, is an extensive source of information, not the least of which is death information for family historians.

But the obituaries also convey a great deal about societal attitudes toward ethnic minorities. This passage from the report of the the funeral of Princess Louise of Chewassen [sic] in 1911, is an excellent example.

"A large number of the people of the district attended the funeral and were very much interested in the quaint rites which have been handed down from generation to generation... ð For the grotesque dances a band of female drummers and singers provided the music by beating on a long board this providing the time for the dancers..."

Reports of Chinese deaths and funerals convey a similar lack of tolerance or understanding of cultural differences. An example from the obituary of Leon Sing describes an "amusing incident" that occurred while the cannery at Deas Island was being built and reads as follows: "One of the crew died very suddenly. The following day the rest of the employees fled from the camp in terror. They declared that their dead companion had come back to life and cooked their breakfast. Before the foreman could get them to come back to work it was necessary for him to purchase a full new set of cooking utensils."

An introduction to the database can be viewed at Obituaries of Delta Pioneers.

B.C. Sessional Papers

I presented this subject at the February meeting of the Delta History Research group at the Delta Museum Annex. Since I had promised earlier to share information from that presentation, the time has arrived.

The Sessional Papers that I use are housed in the Main Library at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver (2nd floor, Call No. J110.L5S7). They are also available at Simon Fraser University under the same call number, and the Vancouver Public Library has them on microfilm at the Central Branch, downtown, under the Call No. 328.71 B86S. It is worth checking out the University of Victoria and the University of North British Columbia for this collection. Koerner Library also at UBC has the Sessional Papers on microfilm as well (2nd floor, Call No. AW1.R7668), but I prefer to use the bound books in the Main Library. There's something about the feel of books (and newspapers) ... but that's a subject for another time.

The Sessional Papers are essentially the yearly reports of the various departments of the Provincial Government as presented to the Legislative Assembly in Victoria. There is a great deal of variation in what was contained in different departmental reports from year to year.

Among the sampling of items that I had come across (and these are by no means exhaustive) and brought to share were Voters Lists from the 1870s and 1880s. If you are searching for ancestors, this is a useful place to look, at least for the menfolk.

There are Public Schools Reports which contain a vast amount of information from year to year, not only about the school buildings, but also about the teachers (named), their salaries, the students and the trustees (also named). Public Works Reports recorded additions to public buildings and the construction of new ones, useful from a heritage perspective. There are many other reports that can yield gems of information, such as the Report on Agriculture, the Return of Intestate Estates, the Report on the Asylum for the Insane, New Westminster and the Prisons Report, not to mention the occasional surprise, such as the "Petition from the Anti-Chinese Association, Victoria, 1880."

The reports, in my experience, became less detailed and less fascinating in the 20th century. Many of them are intriguing in their own right and can distract us from our immediate goal. So, be prepared to spend more time than you had expected, just browsing through this material and being absolutely enchanted.

The collection of Sessional Papers is one of those uncharted treasure troves that we have to leave home to explore no sitting in the comfort of home, and searching with our coffee cup close at hand. With one exception, as far as the B. C. Sessional papers are concerned: Hugh Armstrong has included a smattering of Government Documents on his site, ranging from "Justice of Peace List, 1877" to "Female Franchise Petition, 1885" to "Unclaimed Letters in the New Westminster, B.C. Post Office, Jan 1871". Since he has been gradually adding to the list, we can be hopeful.

Someday, after our transit strike has been settled, I will explore the Sessional Papers of the Government of Canada.

Looking for suggestions

If you have an issue that you would like to know more about, send me an e-mail, and let me know what it is.

Subscription, Privacy Policy

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send an e-mail with either SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line to: gwens@dccnet.com.

I do not share mailing lists with anyone, and you will notice that I do not include a list of recipients at the top of this newsletter.

Gwen Szychter, M.A.

P.S. Here's a favour you can do for me: If you liked this newsletter and found it helpful or just interesting, please pass it on to a friend or colleague. Thank you.

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