St. Helen's Parish fonds
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription77922
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1992-2012
- Collection/Fonds
- St. Helen's Parish fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 1.5 cm. of textual records + 1 medallion
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of posters, cards, anniversary programs, a pictorial photo directory, a calendar, a book and a medallion related to St. Helen's Parish. Items in this fonds depict its Centennial Celebrations.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1992-2012
- Collection/Fonds
- St. Helen's Parish fonds
- Physical Description
- 1.5 cm. of textual records + 1 medallion
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Accession Number
- 2013-10
- 2013-11
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of posters, cards, anniversary programs, a pictorial photo directory, a calendar, a book and a medallion related to St. Helen's Parish. Items in this fonds depict its Centennial Celebrations.
- History
- In the first years of the 20th century, the hill overlooking the city of Vancouver was barely developed. This area, known as Vancouver Heights, commands a magnificent view of the city, the north shore mountains, and the sea. During the first decade, there was just a handful of people willing to brave the inconvenience of living in a remote area to dwell in such splendour. Among them were 10 Catholic families. They dreamt about establishing a Catholic community, a church, and perhaps even a school of their own. They knew it would take hard work and sacrifice to realize their dream. In 1912, the Second Narrows Bridge and several industrial plants were built in this area. Archbishop Neil McNeil, recognizing the potential for greater development, requested aid from Toronto's Catholic Extension Society, to help purchase property at the corner of Pandora and Ingleton to build a small church and home for the priest. The $6000 construction expense was donated by Mr. Justice Kelly, who requested that the church be named Saint Helen in memory of his daughter, Helen. On August 11, 1912, Saint Helen's church was blessed. 12 years later, in 1923, a second dream was realized with the construction of Saint Helen's School. The Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul would staff the school for over 50 years, dedicating their lives to the education of thousands of children. 1936 began an era of unprecedented growth under the leadership of Msgr. Daniel Carey. In 1948, despite post-war hardships, he was able to inspire his community to build a new school. He then turned his attention to the over-crowded church and, in 1956, to the delight of the parishioners, the new Saint Helen's Church was blessed. By 1973, the demographics of Saint Helen's Parish had experienced a dramatic change. From the Anglo-Irish parishioners of the early years, Saint Helen's was experiencing a huge increase in parishioners of Italian descent. Archbishop James Carney, realizing the need to better serve these immigrants, asked the Scalabrinian Congregation to take the parish under its care. The second era of physical growth and development in the parish would come under the direction of these missionary priests. The 1970s, with Father Joseph Ponti as pastor, would see the construction of a new rectory, a state-of-the-art hall/gymnasium, and a fully renovated school. Father Joe's dream was the construction of a church, with this in mind, he began to purchase the necessary land. Succeeding pastors Father Angelo Calandra and Father Peter Sordi continued to work towards this dream, accumulating land and initiating the process. Father Claudio Holzer, upon assuming the responsibilities of pastor, took a firm hold of the dreams of his predecessors and shaped them into the reality of the new Saint Helen's Church. From the beginning, St. Helen's Parish has been an active community participant in this area of Burnaby and continues to enjoy this participation not only here but in Metro Vancouver as well. On August 11, 2012, St. Helen's Catholic Church and Parish celebrated its 100th anniversary. -Information contributed by M. Tesan has been combined with information from the official website of the church.
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Creator
- St. Helen's Catholic Church
- Notes
- Title based on contents of fonds
- MSS174
Waplington family fonds
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4613
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1911-2004
- Collection/Fonds
- Waplington family fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 1 album (88 photographs + textual records) + 2 photographs in frames
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of records documenting the lives of both the Waplington and Fleming families who resided at 3813 Deer Lake. Records include a family photograph album; two framed portraits: one of John Waplington and Doris Waplington (nee Caswell) (possibly on their wedding day) and Frances (nee Wapl…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Waplington family fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 1 album (88 photographs + textual records) + 2 photographs in frames
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of records documenting the lives of both the Waplington and Fleming families who resided at 3813 Deer Lake. Records include a family photograph album; two framed portraits: one of John Waplington and Doris Waplington (nee Caswell) (possibly on their wedding day) and Frances (nee Waplington) and Ray Fleming; a copy of a handwritten memoir "The Way it Was / 1913-1925"; as well as a computer printed copy of "In and Out of / A Cedar Shake Shack" / "The life of a little girl from World War I / to Canada's Diamond Jubilee" both written by Frances L. Fleming (nee Waplington). Fonds is arranged into series: 1) Waplington and Fleming families album series 2) Frances Fleming manuscripts series 3) Waplington family documents series 4) Waplington family photographs series
- History
- John (Jack) Waplington emigrated from Nottingham, England in 1904, arriving in Quebec City and continuing on to Ontario before eventually settling in British Columbia. Somewhere on his journey his right hand was crushed in an industrial accident and amputated. Following his recovery, Jack continued to work his way across Canada until he found employment at Stave Falls, B.C. and married Sarah Alice Cogswell (nee Nickerson). Jack and Sarah (nicknamed Cutie) Waplington had three children; Frances Louise Waplington (1913-2004), John Hazen Waplington and Grace Bancroft Waplington. In 1916, the Waplingtons rented the Walker house at Hill Station on the Burnaby Lake Interurban Line and in 1920 Jack built a cedar shack on 5 acres of land at 4925 Douglas Road (northwest corner of Douglas and Laurel). According to a memoir by Frances Waplington, life was rough living in the cedar shack on Douglas Road with no electricity or running water and by 1925 the family was lucky to purchase "Brookfield", the former home of Louis Claude Hill located at 3813 Deer Lake Avenue. The home was not in good shape having been empty for some time but was located on ¾ of an acre and purchased at a fair price of $1000. The house was surrounded by grass and flowers gone wild and very tall fir trees. The house had running water, electricity and was heated by a wood burning stove in the kitchen and hall and a fireplace in the living room. There was no refrigeration other than the ice box. The three Waplington children, Frances, John and Grace continued to attend Douglas Road School. The family renovated and restored the house at Deer Lake as well as the grounds, adding in flower and vegetable gardens. The large area of grass which formerly housed a tennis court was rolled flat and reseeded. Jack Waplington continued to work for the power company which became B.C. Electric Company and eventually B.C. Power and Hydro. The Waplingtons continued to live at 3813 Deer Lake until 1946 when they sold their home to their daughter Frances who married Ray Fleming. Jack and Sarah Waplington retired and moved to Lasquiti island. Frances "Fanny" Waplington married Reyland "Ray" Fleming October 11, 1935. Ray and Frances Fleming had three children; John (Jack) Reyland, Edith (Edie) Louise and Sara Maureen. In 1941 Ray was hired by the B.C. Electric Company to work at Buntzen Lake hydro station. There was no housing at the hydro station so the family lived on a 42’ coastal boat, the Cohoe Bay tied up to the dock at Buntzen Lake. Since it was war time, there was fear that the two hydro plants at Stave Falls and Buntzen Lake could be targeted for bombing so the Fleming family had to learn about air raid sirens, bunkers, helmets and gas masks. The children attended a one room classroom at Buntzen Lake and participated in school drills when the air raid siren sounded. By 1947 the Fleming family moved to the Waplington home at 3813 Deer lake Avenue after purchasing it from Frances’ parents. Ray continued to work for B.C. Electric and eventually B.C. Power and B.C. Hydro. The children walked or rode bicycles to and from Douglas Road School. At the time the family moved into their home there were no buses only the Interurban streetcar to take them to Vancouver. Douglas Road station was the nearest stop to Deer Lake on the Burnaby Lake Line. The closest neighbours were the Oakalla Prison farm (located off of Royal Oak hill overlooking Deer Lake) and the Ceperley mansion. Prison breaks were common and both the Waplington and Fleming families would often hear air raid sirens blare to warn them. The neighbourhood would go on high alert and the children would immediately run home to safety. Mr. Fleming was well prepared with his 22 rifle nearby should it be needed. After Sarah Waplington died, Jack Waplington returned to Deer Lake to live in a house trailer on the property that was owned by the Flemings. In 1959, after the Fleming children had grown and moved on, Ray and Frances Fleming sold the property to the Municipality of Burnaby. The Municipality rented it out for several years prior to its demolition around 1970 to make way for Burnaby’s Heritage Village. Frances Louise Fleming received her teaching degree from the Vancouver Normal School at the end of World War II but found it extremely difficult to secure a permanent teaching position as a woman. Between 1944 and 1954, Frances was hired and fired eight times from teaching positions despite excellent reports. Finally in 1954, she was invited to teach in an adjoining district with a permanent teaching appointment to follow. Over the years, Frances taught in Vancouver, Burnaby, Pender Harbour and served as vice principal at Magee Secondary. In the early 1970s Frances was appointed provincial superintendent of schools at Quesnel and then moved to Victoria to be assistant superintendent of integrated and supportive services and then in 1973, she became assistant superintendent of the department of public intstruction. Frances retired from teaching soon after, moving to the Sunshine Coast with her husband Ray. Frances was awarded the Order of British Columbia in 1997, was an accomplished writer who regularly contributed articles to the Vancouver Sun newspaper and othe publications. Ray Fleming died in 2002 and Frances Fleming died in 2004.
- Accession Code
- BV016.46
- Date
- 1911-2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Arrangement
- Series arrangement is based on physical arrangement of records by donor. Family album was scanned in it's original order and items from within family album were removed and described at item and file level.
- Notes
- Title based on content of fonds
Julie Lee and Cecil Lee family fonds
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription14764
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1920-2006, predominant 1920-1979
- Collection/Fonds
- Julie Lee and Cecil Lee family fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 6 photographs : col. + 1 photograph : b&w + 1 photograph : sepia + 41 photographs (tiffs) + 4 photographs (jpgs) + 12 cm of textual records
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of family photographs of the Jung, Chan and Lee families as well as business records collected and created by Cecil Lee in the nineteen seventies, while he was employed as a Produce Buyer for Kelly Douglas Limited and Western Commodities Limited and responsible for the import of Chin…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Julie Lee and Cecil Lee family fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 6 photographs : col. + 1 photograph : b&w + 1 photograph : sepia + 41 photographs (tiffs) + 4 photographs (jpgs) + 12 cm of textual records
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of family photographs of the Jung, Chan and Lee families as well as business records collected and created by Cecil Lee in the nineteen seventies, while he was employed as a Produce Buyer for Kelly Douglas Limited and Western Commodities Limited and responsible for the import of Chinese mandarin oranges. Fonds is arranged into the following series: 1) Lee family photographs series 3) Cecil Lee business records series
- History
- Julie Cho Chan Lee is the daughter of Suey Ying Jung (Laura) (1912-2006) and Puy Yuen Chan (1903-1978). Suey Ying "Laura" and Puy Yuen Chan were married in New Westminster in November 1942 followed by a fourteen year residency in the “minority town site” of Fraser Mills where their daughters Julie and June were born. Julie's mother Suey Ying "Laura" Jung was born in Burnaby in 1912 to Chung Chong Jung (1875-1956) and Gee Shee Jung (1879-1952). The family had six children (five of which lived to adulthood); Suey Fong "Maida" (1909-1997) (married Quinn Wong) ; Suey Kin "Annie" (1911-1962) (married George Jong); Suey Ying "Laura"; Suey Cheung "Harry" (1916-1991) and "; Suey Yook "Gordon" (1919-1998). The family owned and operated a five acre market garden and piggery at 5460 Douglas Road near Still Creek (address was changed to 5286 Douglas Road in 1958). This was conveniently located directly across the street from Douglas Road Interurban Station. The children attended Edmonds Elementary School and while the girls only completed their elementary school years, the boys continued their education at the Vancouver Technical School. Chung Chong and Gee Shee Jung sold the farm on Douglas Road around 1949 and moved to East Vancouver. Julie's mother, Suey Ying "Laura" Jung continued to live and work on the Jung family farm until she was married in 1942 when she moved to live with her husband, Puy Yuen at Fraser Mills. Suey Ying "Laura"'s sister Maida and her husband Quinn Wong also lived at Fraser Mills with their nine children. Julie's father, Puy Yuen Chan joined his father, Chin Yip Hong in Canada at the tender age of 12, worked as a shingle packer and plywood plant handler at Fraser Mills for forty years and retired without ever learning to speak English. In 1972, Julie Cho Chan married Cecil Lee and lived in Surrey where their two boys, Rodney and Darin were born. Just prior to the start of school for Rodney, the family relocated to Coquitlam where Julie had lived since 1956. Julie worked as a teacher and later as a teacher-librarian in the Coquitlam School District. Cecil Chue Kan Lee was born in Queensborough to Sui Seo Ngen and Ding Quai Lee. Cecil is the youngest of eight children; Chue Ngan "Gladys"; Chue Fay "Walter"; Chue Quon "Charlie"; Chue Jan "Pearl"; Chue Moi "Rose"; Chue Duck "Dick" and Chue Kwong "Ken". Cecil’s father, Ding Quai Lee was a jack of all trades including a labour contractor as a well as a millwright for G.W. Beach’s three mills, Keystone, Sapperton and Harrison Mills.In 1931, with the arrival of the Depression, the family made the difficult decision to return to their homeland of Guangzhou province, eventually returning to Canada in 1939. With this decision, Ding Quai wrestled with the burden of the repayment of the loans for two way steamship fares to and from China. Upon their return to Canada, the family lived a short time on Union Street in Vancouver before relocating to Queensborough (New Westminster). Cecil and his siblings were schooled at Queen Elizabeth Elementary School followed by varying stints at FW Howay and Duke of Connaught High Schools. In 1951, Cecil Lee joined Kelly Douglas & Company Ltd., a subsidiary of the George Weston Empire, as a produce warehouseman, followed by several years as a foreman and then in the early seventies until his 1991 retirement after forty years of service, he served as one of the KD produce buyers. In this capacity, he worked closely with local farmers along Marine Drive and in the Fraser Valley. Kelly Douglas and Company Limited was founded in 1896 as a wholesale grocery business and became one of the largest food distributors in Canada. In 1946, its headquarters moved from Vancouver to Burnaby and a manufacturing plant and warehouse were built on the site at 4700 Kingsway. In the mid-1970s, Lee along with the associates at Western Commodities, the head office for produce imports, was asked to oversee the import of Chinese mandarin oranges into western Canada. Until that time, mandarin oranges had come only from Japan and were sold in the winter, especially at Christmas. When the Japanese market could no longer keep up with the popular demand, Kelly Douglas and Company Limited looked to China. The company relied on Lee’s cultural knowledge to build this very profitable part of their business. Moreover, Cecil Lee designed, though not patented, the cardboard Chinese mandarin orange box to replace wooden containers. The iconic design required no glue or staples, making it possible for farmers to assemble and pack the boxes as they picked the oranges. In 1986, the Kelly Douglas and Company building was demolished and the produce department of Kelly Douglas was relocated to 6451 Telford Burnaby and the head office to 808 Nelson Street, Vancouver.
- Accession Code
- BV017.24; BV019.6; BV019.33; BV020.38; BV021.19
- Date
- 1920-2006, predominant 1920-1979
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Arrangement
- Records within fonds are composed of business records and family photographs arranged by the Lee family.
- Notes
- Title based on contents of fonds
- See also: Interview with Julie Lee by Denise Fong February 6, 2020. -- [1920-1992] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 6, 2020 BV020.6.2
- See also artifact descriptions under accession BV019.6 including BV019.6.1 - for description of original box to ship and sell mandarin oranges; BV019.6.15 and BV019.6.16 for Chinese mandarin orange wrappers "Snow Mountain Mandarin Orange"
- Many of the "Business records" are closed and subject to FIPPA, contact Burnaby Village Museum regarding access
Engineering Department fonds
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription43
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1912-2014
- Collection/Fonds
- Engineering Department fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 1m of textual records, approximately 2000 cartographic and architecural drawings
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of records created by the Engineering department including environmental service files, physical plant plans, and administrative records.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1912-2014
- Collection/Fonds
- Engineering Department fonds
- Physical Description
- 1m of textual records, approximately 2000 cartographic and architecural drawings
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Access Restriction
- Subject to FOIPPA
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproductions subject to FOIPPA
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of records created by the Engineering department including environmental service files, physical plant plans, and administrative records.
- History
- In 2020, responsibility for environmental management transferred to Climate Action and Energy, with Engineering retaining responsibility for geotechnical investigations and graffiti management. In 2022, Engineering became responsible for a consolidated Transportation group that aligns transportation planning and implementation functions. Green Fleet and Equipment also moved from Climate Action and Energy to the Public Works division of the Engineering Department. In 2022, Facilities Management was transferred from Engineering to the newly-created Lands and Facilities Department. James Lota served as General Manager, Engineering from 2021-2022. Jozsef Dioszeghy has served in the role since April 2022.
- Creator
- City of Burnaby
- Notes
- Title based on contents of fonds.
Small family fonds
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription91819
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1922-2016
- Collection/Fonds
- Small family fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 75 photographs : b&w & col. + 1 plan
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of photographs documenting the transformation of the Burnaby Lake area of Burnaby, B.C. from semi-rural in the 1920s to urbanized in 2016. Photographs depict the land and houses located on the corner of Douglas Road and Dominion Street as the property was rezoned and its density quad…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1922-2016
- Collection/Fonds
- Small family fonds
- Physical Description
- 75 photographs : b&w & col. + 1 plan
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Access Restriction
- Open access
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Accession Number
- 2017-01
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of photographs documenting the transformation of the Burnaby Lake area of Burnaby, B.C. from semi-rural in the 1920s to urbanized in 2016. Photographs depict the land and houses located on the corner of Douglas Road and Dominion Street as the property was rezoned and its density quadrupled. Fonds also includes photographs of the Small family house being moved to 5496 Dominion Street and the original landscape plan for 5118 Douglas Road.
- History
- In 1915, John W. Roberts and his wife Mary Allen Roberts moved from the United States to Canada along with their daughter, Lauretta. On first moving to Canada, the family lived in a rented house in Vancouver and John worked as a movie projectionist in the city. The couple had three more children, all sons: John A., Edward, and Roland. Circa 1921, John purchased a large parcel of land at the corner of Douglas Road and Dominion Street in Burnaby. This parcel encompassed the equivalent of at least six 66-foot lots along the south side of Dominion Street and the same along the north side of Norfolk Street. On their property, a barn and small living quarters were built. The family moved in, raising goats and growing potatoes to supplement their income. They also planted cherry, apple, and pear trees; hazelnut and walnut trees; raspberries; and a large vegetable garden, the fruits of which Mary preserved for year-round use. At this time, agricultural activities were common for families in the area: the Roberts' neighbours kept chickens for personal use and for selling eggs; grew mushrooms for commercial sale; and sold manure from an old buckboard drawn by Clydesdale horses. John built a new house in the middle of the Roberts’ lots on the southwest corner of Douglas Road and Dominion Street. The house faced Douglas Road and overlooked a large, well-landscaped front yard to the east and a full-sized, clay tennis court to the north. The family moved into this new house in 1925. When the Roberts ceased raising goats, the barn and original living quarters were reduced to a double-car garage with storage space plus a sawdust-insulated “root cellar”. John also built a house on the northwest corner of the lot at Douglas Road and Dominion Street (3093 Douglas Road), which was purchased by the Hardy family. In 1957, part of this property (3071 Douglas Road) was sold to the Brocklebanks who built a house and lived there. In addition, John built a house at the northwest corner of Douglas Road and Norfolk Street (5106 Douglas Road). The original purchaser of this house is unknown, but in 1949, it was bought by the Meyers family. In 1952 or 1953, the Meyers sold part of this property and the Manahans built a house on it, facing Douglas Road. Several other lots that John owned were also sold off over the years. By the 1950s, John owned only five 66-foot lots from Douglas Road west, along the south side Dominion Street. In 1954, John sold the lot furthest from Douglas Road (5486 Dominion Street) to a builder who built a “ranch-style” house and put it up for sale. John retired from his career as a movie projectionist in the 1950s. He, Mary, and Lauretta retained their US citizenship all their lives, although they never returned to the USA except for brief visits. John A., Edward, and Roland who, as children of US citizens, also had US citizenship, eventually moved to the US, where they remained for the rest of their lives. In 1945, Lauretta married Frederick Small. The couple lived in a rented house in Vancouver for a few years before moving in with John and Mary in Burnaby. The couple had four children: Elizabeth, Kathryn, Charles, and Martin. In 1955, Frederick purchased the rancher at 5486 Dominion Street and the family moved in. The Small children grew up enjoying the freedom of having their grandparent’s large property in addition to their parent’s yard to play in. The back lane that ran between Dominion Street and Norfolk Street was filled with trees and bushes, creating a narrow bit of “forest” to explore. In 1957, John died. Mary died in 1969, as did Frederick. Lauretta was executor for her mother’s and husband’s estates. After much consideration, she decided to sell the house at 5486 Dominion Street and move back into her childhood home. By doing so, she was able to settle her mother’s estate to the satisfaction of her brothers. Elizabeth married and moved away. Over the next few years, the “Roberts” house was home to Lauretta, Kathryn, Charles, and Martin, with the three grown children moving in and out several times during the 1970s. In 1981, Lauretta died. Her children discussed at length how to divide up the property, which consisted of four 66-foot lots, according to her will. None of her children wanted to see the old family house destroyed but the house straddled two lots. They finally decided that if one of them wanted to pay to move the house to sit on one of the lots, the “value” of the house would not enter into the settlement of the estate. Kathryn chose to do this. In 1982, the old house was moved to 5496 Dominion Street and Kathryn continued to live in it. Martin died in 1982. Elizabeth and Charles each inherited one lot and the last lot, which would have gone to Martin, was sold, the funds divided equally between Elizabeth, Kathryn, and Charles. The three lots between 5496 Dominion Street and Douglas Road were subdivided into 33-foot lots and six new houses were built. In 1993, the Meyers property and the Manahan property were subdivided into 33-foot lots facing Norfolk Street and the old houses were torn down and four new houses were built.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Technical Drawing
- Creator
- Small family