Fonds MS-69 - Walter Family fonds

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Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Walter Family fonds

General material designation

  • Textual record
  • Graphic material - photograph

Parallel title

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Title statements of responsibility

Title notes

  • Source of title proper: Title based on name of creator.

Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

CA EDM MS-69

Edition area

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

Class of material specific details area

Statement of scale (cartographic)

Statement of projection (cartographic)

Statement of coordinates (cartographic)

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1884 - 1942 (Creation)
    Creator
    Walter, Annie Elizabeth (née Newby)
  • 1870 - 1920 (Creation)
    Creator
    Walter, John

Physical description area

Physical description

16 cm of textual records. - 27 photographs

Publisher's series area

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1849 - 1920)

Biographical history

John Walter was born at Stenness, Orkney Island, Scotland on Aug. 12, 1849. He came to Edmonton in 1870 as a boat builder for the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1875 he started his own business on the flats on the south side of the North Saskatchewan River, opposite Fort Edmonton. Over the years he was involved in building boats and general carpentry - he built and operated the first river ferry. He also operated two lumber mills, and a coal mine. He built and operated the City of Edmonton steamboat. He served on the first council of the Town of Strathcona and was a member of the Public School Board. He married Annie Elizabeth Newby on Oct. 21, 1886 and they had two sons, John William and Stanley. He died in Edmonton, Alberta on Dec. 25, 1920. The area where he lived and worked, Walterdale, is named for him.

Name of creator

(1861 - 1942)

Biographical history

Annie Elizabeth Newby was born in the village of Bishop Wilton, Yorkshire, England on June 26, 1861. In 1880, at the age of 15, she joined a group of 16 families in leaving England for Western Canada in order to set up a Methodist mission settlement. Annie appears to have been hired to assist the mother of a pair of twins. The group stayed in Toronto for two years before departing for Western Canada, travelling at first by rail and later by ox-cart.
While in Brandon, Manitoba, Annie made the acquaintance of a woman that was headed to Morley, Alberta to work at the McDougall Orphanage. Annie worked at there for a total of four years and became acquainted with Reverend McDougall's sister, Clara Hardisty. Annie was offered a contract to care for the Hardisty's youngest child in Edmonton and she agreed to a 6 month contract. During a chance encounter on April 2, 1886, Annie encountered John Walter while crossing the river on the way to the Hardisty's home. After 6 months of courtship, she and John were married in the Hardisty home within Fort Edmonton.
Annie gave birth to two children: John in 1887, and Stanley in 1890. As the children grew older and more independent, Annie became more involved in the family business by collecting rent from family owned properties as well as acting as director for the Walter Lumber Company.
After John's passing in 1920, Annie stayed at the green house in Walterdale. She spent this time with her children and grandchildren as well as entertaining other friends and family. She passed away on November 20, 1942 at the age of 82.

Custodial history

John Walter Jr. was the eldest son of the creator. John Walter and Ellen Andrews were grandchildren of the creator, children of his second son, Stanley Walter. Wilfred Walker was the son of Ella May (Jacoby) Walker, a founding member of the City of Edmonton Archives and Landmarks Committee and author of Fortress North, a historical novel of the Edmonton area. It is presumed that the Walker family obtained the early accounting records through the Northern Alberta Pioneers and Old Timers Association (NAPOTA) as members of both families were involved with the organization.

Scope and content

This fonds consists of notebooks, minute books, accounts, and other records of John Walter's business operations, including trading, river ferry and lumbering. Also included are photocopies of documents provided by the Walter family. In addition, this fonds contains 27 photographs provided by the Walter family.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

This fonds was donated to the City of Edmonton Archives by John W. Walter, Jr. in 1960-1962, Elizabeth Walter (née Turner) in 1970, John Walter and Ellen Andrews in 1974-1978, and by Wilfred Walker in 1960. The photocopied documents were loaned by Ellen Andrews (granddaughter of John Walter) to the archives to be copied in 1974.

Arrangement

Material has been arranged chronologically according to creator with photographs at the end arranged numerically according to assigned EA numbers.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

    Location of originals

    Availability of other formats

    Restrictions on access

    There are no restrictions on access.

    Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

    Public Domain.
    Reproduction restrictions may apply.

    Finding aids

    File list available online.

    Associated materials

    John Walter Collection (3931) Provincial Archives of Alberta

    Accruals

    Further accruals expected.

    General note

    Accession numbers: A60-70; A70-36; A74-37; A76-5, A78-101

    General note

    The records of the former MS-171 John Walter fonds were repatriated into this MS.
    The records of the former MS-439 Ellen Andrews fonds were repatriated into this MS.
    Some of the Walter records were formerly known as MS-56.14
    Photographs from EA-105 and EA-205 have been repatriated into this fonds.
    Annie Walter's cook book has been repatriated into this fonds.

    Alternative identifier(s)

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    Standard number

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    Control area

    Description record identifier

    Institution identifier

    City of Edmonton Archives

    Rules or conventions

    Rules for Archival Description (RAD)
    Archives Society of Alberta Subject Terms

    Status

    Final

    Level of detail

    Dates of creation, revision and deletion

    Language of description

    • English

    Script of description

      Sources

      Digital object (Master) rights area

      Digital object (Reference) rights area

      Digital object (Thumbnail) rights area

      Accession area