1870

Gassy Jack Deighton’s letter home – June 28, 1870

This letter, written by “Gassy Jack” Deighton in June of 1870 to his brother Tom in England, was acquired by Vancouver businessman H. R. MacMillan and given to the City of Vancouver on December 23, 1948. A typewritten transcript and

1883

Emily Patterson’s midnight canoe journey – autumn of 1883

Vancouver author Lisa Anne Smith suggested we ask the Transcribimus community to take on this four-page letter about Vancouver pioneer nurse Emily Patterson. The letter was written in 1935 by Emily’s granddaughter, Mrs. Crackanthorpe, to Major Matthews, Vancouver’s first archivist.

1886

Petition to incorporate the City of Vancouver – February 15, 1886

In February of 1886, a number of residents of the town of Granville sent a petition to the B.C. Legislative Assembly to incorporate the City of Vancouver. In 1944, the Attorney-General of BC returned the original document to the City

Rev. H.G. Fiennes-Clinton’s letter home – April 3, 1886

Rev. H.G. Fiennes-Clinton was one of the first clergy of St. James’ Church in the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster.  On April 3, 1886, he wrote a letter to his sister-in-law “Lucilla”, otherwise Mrs. Clement Fiennes-Clinton, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, England,

Mrs. B.T. Rogers reminiscences – 1885-1886

Belle Rogers as a young girl, City of Vancouver Archives AM1592-1-S2-F08-: 2011-092.3801

In the City of Vancouver Archives we found these reminiscences, written by Mrs. B.T. Rogers (born Mary Isabelle Angus) at age 85. She shares her memories of Vancouver seventy years prior, when she visited as a sixteen year old girl. 

1896

Vancouver Chinese Merchants’ Exchange letter to Thomas Tracy – 1896

On September 14, 1896, Imperial Statesman Li Hung Chung visited Vancouver. The Vancouver Chinese Merchants’ Exchange asked the City Engineer, Col. Thomas Tracy to design a triumphal arch for the occasion, and sent him this letter of thanks for his

1900

Squalid Hovel their Prison – September 11, 1900

This news clipping was included in the Vancouver Board of Health’s records for 1900 [City of Vancouver Archives COV-S33] and transcribed in June of 2018 by volunteer Gerald Soon. Gerald points out that although someone has hand-written the date as

1906

Alf Pilkington’s letter to New Zealand – July 8, 1906

Alf Pilkington, City of Vancouver Archives AM54-S4-: Port P668

Alf Pilkington and family fled the San Francisco earthquake and great fire of April 8, 1906.  By July 8, Alf has re-settled in Vancouver as the city accountant, and writes to his uncle in New Zealand, giving a picture of

1909

A Vancouver child’s letter to grandma – October 18, 1909

This Vancouver child of 1909’s letter is kept in the City of Vancouver Archives, [Reference AM336-S2] indexed as “letter from unidentified child”. Assigned to write a letter during school hours, the child apparently took a break mid-sentence from writing to