City of Peterborough

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Scope note(s)

  • Early sketches and drawings of Peterborough are located in the following fonds: 83-1022 copy of an 1828 sketch by Basil Hall made with the Camera Lucida; 95-1004 unknown engraving [Bartlett?] 1882; 95-1017 sketch of Government House by Mary Sanford 1832 (copy); 02-1002 composite panorama of Ashburnham from St. John's Church ca. 1874 (a representation produced in 2001); 89-1065 Peterborough, U.C. on the Otonabee River signed
  • Special Collections maintains an impressive collection of books relating to the City of Peterborough. The "Trent Collection" contains all the obvious published histories such as _Peterborough, Land of Shining Waters; Peterborough Scrapbook...1825-1975_ Poole's _A Sketch of the Early Settlement...of the Town of Peterborough_ ; Jones' and Dyer's _Peterborough the Electric City_ and Guillet's _Valley of the Trent_. These titles represent only the most obvious sources; all of these (and many more) are catalogued on [Omni](https://www.trentu.ca/omni) and are available, for reference use only, in our Reading Room.
  • We also hold many idiosyncratic items in the [pamphlet collection](https://archives.trentu.ca/index.php/pamphlet-collection), in the [map collection](https://www.trentu.ca/library/archives/maps) and in the vertical unpublished [research files](https://www.trentu.ca/library/archives/vertical_research_files). Also pertinent to the study of Peterborough are all the extant [newspapers for the area which are available on microfilm](https://www.trentu.ca/library/archives/newspapers). In addition, various citizens of Peterborough have written historical columns for newspapers. We have the papers here in the archives for some of these authors. Their research files and copies of their columns can be a rich source of information. See, for example, the papers of [Helen Marryat](https://archives.trentu.ca/index.php/69-001), [Richard Choate](https://archives.trentu.ca/index.php/86-027), [Howard Pammett](https://archives.trentu.ca/index.php/77-010) and [Wilson Craw](https://archives.trentu.ca/index.php/86-003).
  • One important source of information on Peterborough often overlooked is the "Dobbin Index." Francis H. Dobbin was a journalist working in Peterborough from 1864 until 1914. During this time he collected news items and also wrote brief descriptive essays. These are catalogued (F 5547 .P4D622) and are available to researchers in our Reading Room. Some of his longer pieces were published posthumously as Our Old Home Town. It too is catalogued (F 5547 .P4D6) and can be accessed in the Reading Room.
  • The subject headings for the "Dobbin Index" of newspaper references, synopses, notes and essays are: 1. Introduction 2. Biographies 3. Churches 4. Education 5. Events 6. Fires 7. Industries 8. Institutions and Societies 9. Military 10. Municipal 11. Politics 12. Railway 13. Trent Canal
  • It was in May of 1819 that the first settlers came to the region in Newcastle District which is now known as Peterborough. One of these settlers was Adam Scott (1796-1838), and he built a saw and grist mill on the west bank of the Otonabee River (at the location were King St. now crosses the river). This location, then known as Scott's Plains, was to become the City of Peterborough. The area had been previously surveyed by Samuel Wilmot in 1818, and at that time, he recommended to the surveyor general that land be set aside for the development of a town at the junction of Smith, Douro, North Monaghan and Otonabee Townships, along the shores of the Otonabee River. In 1825, the recommended townsite was surveyed again by Richard Birdsall and the creation of a town plan was undertaken. From 1819 to 1825, the only inhabitants of Scott's Plains were Adam Scott's family and a few hired men. This changed with the arrival of the Peter Robinson immigrants in 1825 who numbered close to 2,000 people. Many of them settled in the townships surrounding Scott's Plains, which was renamed in 1826, to Peterboro by Sir Peregrine Maitland, in honour of Peter Robinson. By 1827, there were 20 buildings located within the townsite, and in the summer of 1828, another 20 houses were built. Shops, taverns, schools and churches began to sprout within the town boundaries. Timber, and then lumber, dominated the Peterborough industrial base from 1825 to 1875. But this was not the only form of industry. Peterborough also had a tannery, three iron foundries, and several woolen and grain mills. The location of Peterborough along the shores of the Otonabee was extremely important in the development of Peterborough as a manufacturing centre. The river provided not only water power, but a means of transportation for both people and goods. In 1890, Edison Electric, later known as Canadian General Electric, set up a plant in Peterborough, and by 1892, it became the site of the CGE head office for Canadian Operations. In 1900, Quaker Oats also came to Peterborough. Not only did Quaker employ a substantial number of people, they also used locally grown grains in the production of their cereals. The period between 1875 and 1930 was one of rapid industrial growth in Peterborough. As well, the population was constantly increasing. In 1838, the population was between 800 and 900, and by the 1852 census, it had risen to 2,191. In 1871 it had increased to 4,611 and it became necessary for Peterborough to annex land from the surrounding townships. In 1872, 239 acres were annexed from Smith, 50 acres from Douro, and 581 acres from North Monaghan. After the annexation, the population was close to 7,000 inhabitants. Peterborough officially became a city in 1904 and continued to grow and by 1921, the population had increased to 21,000.

Source note(s)

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      City of Peterborough

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        City of Peterborough

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          City of Peterborough

            2 Archival description results for City of Peterborough

            2 results directly related Exclude narrower terms
            Geale-Rogers family fonds
            82-022 · Fonds · 1834-1966

            This fonds consists of the personal and business records of the Geale, Hamilton, Peck, Barker and Rogers families. There are letters relating to World War I written by Beresford and Robert Hamilton and Heber and Harry Rogers; letters, diaries, journals of Richard Birdsall Rogers (superintending engineer of the Peterborough Lift Lock); the records of Hon. Robert Hamilton, a factor at the Hudson's Bay Company stationed at Fort Edmonton. The fonds also contains stereographs, approximately 1000 photographs, and a C.E. Goad fire insurance plan for the city of Peterborough, 1882. Items of interest include a group of photographs of the Trent Valley area and the building of the canal; Rogers family pictures of the Stoney Lake area and the Juniper Island Regatta; photos of early aircraft and the Curtiss Aviation School; photos of hydraulic lift lock at Peterborough; and one letter from Catharine Parr Traill to Robert Miles Hamilton.

            This collection of family papers, correspondence, journals, photographs, newspaper clippings and published works spans the years 1834 to 1966 and measures approximately 3 1/2 linear metres. The papers were deposited in Trent University Archives through the courtesy of members of the Geale and Rogers families in 1983.

            The papers are divided into two series:

            Series A, the Geale family papers, consists of records pertaining to the descendants of the Hon. Robert Hamilton, a factor of the Hudson's Bay Company stationed at Fort Edmonton in northern Manitoba. Robert Hamilton married Annie Seabourne. One of their sons was Robert Miles Hamilton (1864-1939). He married Alice May Barker and resided at "Auburn" in Peterborough, Ontario. Their children were Miles Beresford Hamilton, Robert Barker Hamilton, (Alice) Seabourne Hamilton, and S.R. Hamilton (son). Alice Seabourne Hamilton married Charles Norman Geale. Papers of the Barker family (the Hon. Samuel Barker was Mrs. Robert Miles Hamilton's father) are included in this series as are the papers of the Peck family. Edward Armour Peck was the natural son of Arthur Henry Peck and the adoptive father of Charles Norman Geale. He married Kitty Revell. Both Miles Beresford Hamilton and Robert Barker Hamilton served overseas in the First World War and their correspondence is included in this series.

            Series B of this collection consists of the Rogers Papers. Richard Birdsall Rogers was born at Ashburnham in 1857. He lived there until 1916 and then moved to "Beechwood Farm" in Douro Township. He was a land surveyor and was appointed superintendent engineer of the Trent Valley Canal in 1884. Richard married Clara Mina Calcutt of Peterborough in 1881. They had seven children. One daughter, Leah, married Herbert Geale, brother of Charles Norman Geale. Two sons, Heber and Harry served overseas in World War I. Their correspondence is included. R.B. Rogers designed and supervised the building of the hydraulic lift locks at Peterborough and Kirkfield. These papers included several files of plans and specifications for the locks, correspondence and documents accrued during the scandal preceding Rogers' resignation in 1906, the Holgate Report which condemned Rogers and the Keefer investigation which completely vindicated his work as Chief Engineer. We have created a major on-line exhibit focusing on the life and times of Richard Rogers and the Peterborough Lift Lock: http://digitalcollections.trentu.ca/exhibits/birdsall-rogers/zrptboll.htm

             Geale-Rogers family
            Thomas Harold Kenyon Choate fonds
            01-007 · Fonds · 1858-1944

            Collection consists of correspondence, 1882-1899, and several envelopes dating 1870s to 1890s, most of which are addressed to Thomas Choate of Warsaw, and Mrs. John Moore [Cettie Choate, daughter of Thomas]; souvenir brochure of pictures of Peterborough, Ontario; Maccabees brochures; approximately 125 stereographs depicting scenery, architecture, and people in the U.S.A., Europe, and Canada; two photographs of the employees of Western Clock Company Limited of Peterborough, Ontario, 1938 and 1944; a temperance meeting poster for Warsaw, Ontario, 1858; and an electoral district of East Durham proclamation broadside, 1924. Also included is the Choate Family Bible donated and added to the collection in 2002. The bible contains genealogical information on the Choate family.

             Choate, Thomas Harold Kenyon