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Burnaby family fonds
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription58458
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1858-1863
- Collection/Fonds
- Robert Burnaby fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 5 cm. of textual records.
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of letters written by Robert Burnaby related to both his work and explorations in British Columbia as well as personal matters relating to his family. Some of these letters were published in the 2002 book, "Land of Promise: Robert Burnaby's Letters from Colonial British Columbia 1858…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1858-1863
- Collection/Fonds
- Robert Burnaby fonds
- Physical Description
- 5 cm. of textual records.
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2009-06 2017-55
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of letters written by Robert Burnaby related to both his work and explorations in British Columbia as well as personal matters relating to his family. Some of these letters were published in the 2002 book, "Land of Promise: Robert Burnaby's Letters from Colonial British Columbia 1858-1863."
- History
- Robert Burnaby was a commission merchant and legislator, born on November 30, 1828, at Woodthorpe, Leicestershire, England, as the fourth son of the Reverend Thomas Burnaby and Sarah Meares. Robert Burnaby came to British Columbia at the end of 1858 as an experienced civil servant from Her Majesty’s Customs Office in London, and with a personal introduction to Governor James Douglas from Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton. Burnaby’s first year on the Pacific coast was a busy one: he spent a short time as private secretary to Richard Clement Moody, commander of the Royal Engineers at New Westminster; he explored for coal with Walter Moberly at Burrard Inlet; and he made a short visit to San Francisco. During this year, he also founded the firm of Henderson and Burnaby, commission merchants, in partnership with Edward Henderson, an old school friend from Christ’s Hospital and a man of means, who managed the London office. This type of business was precarious since the distance from sources of supply and risks in transportation encouraged overtrading and excessive speculation. The death of Henderson in 1865 and the general economic depression in Vancouver Island and British Columbia brought the firm to an end – a failure caused in part apparently by unwise investment in real estate. Burnaby then embarked upon a real estate and insurance business of his own. The exigencies of a mercantile career seem to have overwhelmed this man who, by upbringing and training, was more suited to a position in government service. Robert Burnaby was intensely interested in the welfare of Vancouver Island and British Columbia, and did all in his power to promote stable economic conditions. Before the end of his second year in Victoria, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island for the districts of Esquimalt and Metchosin, and he served his constituents well for five years. He was one of the founders of the Victoria Chamber of Commerce. During an 1866 visit to London on private business, he attended a meeting of prominent Victoria merchants and officials who strongly favoured the union of the two colonies and other measures for developing and improving their economic prospects. This group carried its resolutions to the secretary of state for the colonies. Burnaby was an active freemason and helped found the First Victoria Lodge in 1860. Among his recreational pursuits was a love of drama, and in 1863, he served as president of Victoria’s Amateur Dramatic Association. Burnaby numbered among his intimate friends Colonel Moody, Arthur Thomas Bushby, Henry Pering Pellew Crease, Judge Matthew Baillie Begbie, Edward Graham Alston, and Thomas Elwyn. In 1869, severe ill health caused Burnaby’s retirement and, five years later, his return to England. Friends arranged for him to travel in the Hudson’s Bay Company bark Lady Lampson; they later presented her captain, James Gaudin, with a generous purse in gratitude for the attention he had paid the ailing Burnaby during the voyage. Early in 1878, news reached Victoria that this “prominent and much respected merchant” had died. An honest, conscientious man of spirit, a clear-headed thinker, a “power” in his masonic lodge, a lucid speaker, full of fun, and clever, Burnaby has been fittingly commemorated in a number of place names in British Columbia including a lake, a strait, an island, a municipality, two mountain ranges, and finally Burnaby Mountain, the seat of Simon Fraser University. Burnaby died a bachelor on January 10, 1878, at Woodthorpe. - This information has been adapted from the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Creator
- Burnaby, Robert
- Notes
- Title based on creator of fonds.
Elmer Wilson Martin fonds
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription10611
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1934-1973
- Collection/Fonds
- Elmer Wilson Martin fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 42 photographs + 9 architectural drawings + approx. 4 cm of textual records
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of photographs of E.W. Martin during his military service with the RCAF; development in Burnaby along Winch Street; Martin's Auto Villa on Hastings and Paneloc buildings together with E.W. Martin's military service records and other records relating to E.W. Martin's involvement with …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Elmer Wilson Martin fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 42 photographs + 9 architectural drawings + approx. 4 cm of textual records
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of photographs of E.W. Martin during his military service with the RCAF; development in Burnaby along Winch Street; Martin's Auto Villa on Hastings and Paneloc buildings together with E.W. Martin's military service records and other records relating to E.W. Martin's involvement with Paneloc Marketing Ltd. and other businesses. Fonds is arranged in the following series 1) E.W. Martin photographs series 2) E.W. Martin military records and photographs series 3) E.W. Martin business records series
- History
- Elmer Wilson Martin (1909-1973) was a professional engineer who lived most of his life in Burnaby. He was born in Treesbank Manitoba to William Henry Martin and Bethia “Bertie” Snell. Elmer married Ellen "Reta" Renetta Boyd (1908-1984) in approx. 1930. The couple moved to Burnaby in 1931 and Elmer graduated from UBC. Following his graduation from UBC, he spent two years at the University of Saskatchewan doing research. From 1936-1937 he worked at the Port Alice mill of the B.C. Pulp and paper Co and later worked for the Boeing aircraft plant at Vancouver. He joined the RCAF in September 1939, serving as chief engineering officer at various Canadian and overseas stations during WWII, until being discharged as a pilot and wing commander in November 1945. He served as NHA assistant regional engineer for a year after his discharge before becoming the owner and operator of Martin Auto Villa at 6574 East Hastings Street in North Burnaby. He was a director of the Burnaby Board of Trade from 1951 and chairman of the Burnaby Industrial Development Board and a member of the Professional Engineers' Association. He ran for Reeve under the Non-Partisan Association in Burnaby's municipal election in 1959 and donated land on Burnaby Mountain for Simon Fraser University. He had many businesses throughout his life including Paneloc Marketing Ltd. and his last one was as Director with the construction company Webb & Knapp Canada Ltd. The couple lived at various locations in Burnaby including, 6574 East Hastings Street eventually settling at 7231 Sutliff Street in North Burnaby in 1957. Elmer's brother, Wilbert Maurice Martin (1907-1980) was also born in Treesbank, Manitoba. Wilbert "Bert" was married to Eva (nee Erhart) Martin (1911-1993). Wilbert and Eva Martin lived on Winch Street in Burnaby. They first lived at 6776 Winch Street before relocating their house to 6656 Winch Street, Burnaby. Wilbert worked in construction as a building contractor and Eva worked as a hostess in the hotel industry. Paneloc buildings were developed by Elmer W. Martin, president of Paneloc Manufacturing Ltd. beginning in 1957 and were based on a design by A.B. Wenaus and Sons Ltd. In 1964, Martin held patents for his design of paneloc buildings in thirty six countries. Since Martin trained as a mechanical engineer, he developed a plan for his home model over a six year period in series of experiments with materials, styles, methods and sizes. Paneloc homes were prefabricated, using specially built bevelled wall panels cut-pie segments to form both the roof and the floor. The wall panels were designed to squeeze together by two metal straps on a turn-buckle basis. The roof and floor were held in place with factory-installed tap block bolts and a long wooden spine which fit in a keyway between the sections. The prefabricated parts were insulated and built with door and window allowances at Harrigan Industries Ltd. in Vancouver where Martin was part owner. Epoxy resin allowed the panels to be assembled without nails using weather-proofed five ply plywood. Sizes of homes varied using four by eight foot wall panels and increasing the span of the floor and roof sections. Harrigan Industries Ltd. continued to sell the prefabricated paneloc buildings until it went into receivership in late 1974.
- Creator
- Martin, Elmer Wilson
- Accession Code
- BV015.39
- BV019.37
- BV019.40
- Date
- 1934-1973
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Photograph
- Architectural Drawing
- Arrangement
- The records are organized into three series based on the individual's business work as well as military and personal life. The photograhs series includes both professional and personal content.
- Notes
- Title based on contents of fonds