History Helps, Volume Three, Number 1, December 2002 ===========================================

• Christmas and Winter
• Vancouver Island vs. the Mainland
• Canadian Railway Websites
• A Flourish of a Rejection
• Vancouver Orphanage
• Orphanages Site
• Vancouver City Directories
• A New Product
• A Website Just for Fun
• E-mail Address Changes
• Subscription, Privacy Policy

Happy Christmas!

Here’s a taste of what December in Delta was like many years ago:

“WEATHER MAN CHANGES HIS MIND

For the first time in late years the Chilluckthan Slough has made good skating ground for the young people of Ladner. Owing to the closing of the flood gates this winter the ebb and flow of the tide has been done away with and has afforded an excellent rink on which a good crowd has daily spent many joyful hours.

On Saturday and Sunday the ice of the river was tested out and found to be good and after a good deal of snow sweeping a couple of days’ skating was enjoyed...

A decided change has taken place in the weather. On Sunday, December 17th over 150 residents were skating on the river and on the ground the snow was lying some 12 inches deep. On Monday it was raining and by Tuesday the snow was gone. On Tuesday also the ferry broke loose and took her trip in the forenoon. True B. C. weather has reigned since.”

Source: The Weekly Optimist, 21 December 1922, page one.

Vancouver Island vs. the Mainland of British Columbia

Has the competitiveness between the two areas, especially between Victoria and Vancouver, always existed? The following item would suggest so:

“It was so cold in Victoria that not only were the schools closed and the street cars stopped, but even the Legislature was frozen out. It must be pretty frigid when the flow of oratory from such people as Kitchen was frozen up. It was a Chilly-Whack [sic].”

Source: Vancouver Daily World, 04 February 1893, page eight.

Canadian Railway Websites

If railways, especially Canadian railways, are of interest to you, I found several relevant websites in a recent clean-up of my Internet bookmarks.

The Railways of Canada Archives at http://www.trainweb.org/canadianrailways/index.html

The Canadian Railway Telegraph History Website at http://railwayop.tripod.ca/crthindex.html

The Canadian Railroad Historical Association at
http://www.exporail.org/association/intro_crha.htm

Train Scan Canadian Railway News at http://www.trainscan.com/

For photographs, you might have a look at the Canadian National Railways Historic Photo Collection at http://collections.ic.gc.ca/cnphoto/english/cnr2_ang.html

And, of course, Rails Canada -- All Canadian Railroad Search Engine and Directory at http://www.railscanada.com/index2.shtml

Lots to explore. Enjoy.

To be Rejected So Kindly

“REJECTED MSS. IN CHINA

China is the only country in the world where editors give a thoroughly satisfactory reason for the return of manuscript. Here is a sample letter sent by a Pekin [sic] editor to a would-be contributor to his journal: “Illustrious brother of the sun and moon, -- Look upon thy slave who rolls at thy feet, who kisses the earth, before thee and demands of thy charity permission to speak and live. We have read thy manuscript with delight. By the bones of our ancestors we swear that never have we encountered such a masterpiece. Should we print it His Majesty the Emperor would order us to take it as a criterion and never again to print anything which was not equal to it. As that would not be possible before ten thousand years, all trembling we return thy manuscript and beg of thee ten thousand pardons. See -- my hand is at my feet, and I am the slave of thy servant.”

I’m sure I’m not the only author for whom receipt of such a letter of rejection would be almost (emphasis on “almost”) as good as acceptance.

Source: Vancouver Daily World, 26 January 1899, page four.

Vancouver Orphanage

“The Children’s Home

THE WORLD has been requested by Miss Bowes to announce that a comfortable house, situated at the corner of Homer and Dunsmuir streets, No. 542 Homer, has been leased for the purpose of taking care of orphan children, and rent will begin on November 1st. All parties interested are asked to kindly send in articles of furniture, kitchen utensils, window blinds, curtain, carpeting or anything that will contribute to the comfort of such a non-denominational institution.”

Source: Vancouver Daily World, 27 October 1892, page eight.

More information on this orphanage follows in subsequent issues of the newspaper through to the end of the year.

Orphanages

For anyone interested in researching orphanages in Canada, or their residents, there is an informative, though somewhat out-of-date, website at http://www.legends.ca/orphanages/orphanList0-Z/orphanCAN.html

The information relates to the institutions, rather than the inmates. However, there is a listing of all the inmates in the Victoria orphanage in 1901, part of the 1901 census, on Hugh Armstrong’s site at http://www.rootsweb.com/~canbc/1901vic_cen/1901vic.htm

City Directories

This commentary confirms what many researchers have no doubt suspected all along.

“Wanted, A Directory

What is needed for this city is a directory that will direct, not misguide and mislead and totally mix up anyone who attempts to find the location of somebody else in it.

There is not now in existence a correct directory of Vancouver, nor is there one approaching correctness. In the books purporting to be directories there are very many names omitted and many that are in are wrong.

If some local firm would undertake to get out a directory of the city that would approach reliability sufficiently close for an exchange of greetings it would surely receive the support of the business men of the city.”

Source: Vancouver Daily World, 12 April 1893, page three.

A New Product

Here’s a new database which I’ve created, with pages and pages of information for researchers, especially those interested in the community of Delta.

This is a searchable index of the first newspapers in Ladner, the Delta News and the Delta Times, 1902 - 1914. It’s available on one floppy disk, for $5.00, plus a shipping and handling charge of $5.00. A personal cheque or money order will work just fine.

I can format the disk for Mac, and for PC in Microsoft Word. Alternatively, I can send the Index as an e-mail (105 K compressed) and you can save yourself the $5.00 shipping and handling charge. And you can store the Index to whatever format you wish.

This is not a dry, factual index, but rather the result of my years of using these newspapers and being curious about people’s lives in the early 1900s. Expect to find any number of quirky items, as well as the references for births, deaths, and marriages.

If Delta is one of your research interests, you’ll be charmed as well as informed by some of the entries in this index.

Just For Fun

For a bit of fun, or to satisfy your curiosity, or both, this website called “HowStuffWorks” will keep your interest for a long time. It can be found at http://www.howstuffworks.com/index.htm

E-mail Address Changes

If you’re planning to change your e-mail address, please include “History Helps” in your list of those being advised. I hate having my creations bounced back, and I can’t reach you by phone to tell you so, if you’re not a local subscriber. Thanks ever so much.

Subscription, Privacy Policy

To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail with either SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line and mailto:gwens@dccnet.com.

Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone.

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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.

BOOKS, DATABASES, AND RESEARCH RESOURCES

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