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Interview with Charles A. Purdon and May E. Purdon July 9, 1975 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory91
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1904-1932
- Length
- 0:08:08
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Charles A. Purdon's employment history and first years of marriage to May E. Purdon.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Charles A. Purdon's employment history and first years of marriage to May E. Purdon.
- Date Range
- 1904-1932
- Length
- 0:08:08
- Subjects
- Transportation - Rail
- Interviewer
- Bradbury, Dr. Bettina
- Interview Date
- July 9, 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is a taped interview with Charles A. Purdon and May E. Purdon by SFU graduate student Bettina Bradbury July 9, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression and Canadian politics. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
- Biographical Notes
- May Eliza was born in London, England in 1907. She came out to Regina with her family when she was eleven. Charles A. Purdon was born February 28, 1904 in London, England. He came to Canada in 1925 from China where he had been working as an accountant for the previous three years. Charles first came to Vancouver and joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) but within a week he was sent to Regina. This is where he met May. May and Charles got married in 1926 and Charles began working as an accountant for the Saskatchewan Wheat Growers, then for the Canadian Wool Growers before being laid off. In October of 1930, Charles and May left Regina for Vancouver Island. Charles drove himself out and May rode the train with her children; twin boys and a daughter, only one year apart. They settled at May’s parent’s second house in Coombs. The Purdons arrived in Burnaby in December of 1932 and rented a house on Edmonds Street. Charles was unable to do road work and instead found work through the Liberal Party and also with the Municipal engineers indoors on a number of projects. In 1938 the Purdons were able to get into a reverted house built by Ernie Winch at Maple Avenue (then Jubilee) and Nelson Avenue that had nine bedrooms. They paid ten dollars a month to the municipality for use of this property. May Eliza Purdon died April 6, 1983 at the age of seventy-six.
- Total Length
- 1:40:03
- Interviewee Name
- Purdon, Charles A.
- Purdon, May Eliza
- Interviewer Bio
- Bettina Bradbury teaches history and women's studies at York University. She is the author of Wife to Widow. Lives, Laws and Politics in Nineteenth-century Montreal. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, June 2011), 520p; Working Families. Age, Gender and Daily Survival in Industrializing Montreal. (Toronto: Canadian Social History Series, McClelland and Stewart, 1993); (Republished Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996) (3rd edition, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). These interviews were undertaken after she completed her MA at Simon Fraser University in 1975 with the support of an LIP grant.
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Audio Tracks
Track one of interview with Charles A. Purdon and May E. Purdon
Track one of interview with Charles A. Purdon and May E. Purdon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-19/100-13-19_Track_1.mp3![Canadian National Railway Bridge, [between 1930 and 1934] (date of original), copied 1991 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/370/370-059.jpg?width=280)
Canadian National Railway Bridge
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription37471
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1930 and 1934] (date of original), copied 1991
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 2.7 x 4.1 cm print on contact sheet 20.2 x 25.3 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Canadian National Railway (CNR) Bridge over the Fraser River open to allow ships through. No boats are visible.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1930 and 1934] (date of original), copied 1991
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Burnaby Image Bank subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 2.7 x 4.1 cm print on contact sheet 20.2 x 25.3 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 370-059
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- BHS1999-03
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Canadian National Railway (CNR) Bridge over the Fraser River open to allow ships through. No boats are visible.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Bellinger, Bernard
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- 1 b&w copy negative accompanying
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Fraser Arm (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Big Bend Area
Images
![Canadian National Railway Bridge, [between 1930 and 1934] (date of original), copied 1991 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/370/370-059.jpg)
![Canadian Pacific Railway passenger train, [1933] (date of original), copied 1991 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/370/370-054.jpg?width=280)
Canadian Pacific Railway passenger train
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription37466
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1933] (date of original), copied 1991
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 4.1 x 3.4 cm print on contact sheet 20.2 x 25.3 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the locomotive of a Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) passenger train at Burrard Inlet at a site that later became a Shell Oil refinery.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1933] (date of original), copied 1991
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Burnaby Image Bank subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 4.1 x 3.4 cm print on contact sheet 20.2 x 25.3 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 370-054
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- BHS1999-03
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the locomotive of a Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) passenger train at Burrard Inlet at a site that later became a Shell Oil refinery.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Bellinger, Bernard
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- 1 b&w copy negative accompanying
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Westridge Area
Images
![Canadian Pacific Railway passenger train, [1933] (date of original), copied 1991 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/370/370-054.jpg)
![Canadian Pacific Railway passenger train, [1933] (date of original), copied 1991 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/370/370-055.jpg?width=280)
Canadian Pacific Railway passenger train
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription37467
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1933] (date of original), copied 1991
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 4.3 x 2.9 cm print on contact sheet 20.2 x 25.3 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the locomotive of a Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) train at Burrard Inlet at a site that later became a Shell Oil refinery.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1933] (date of original), copied 1991
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Burnaby Image Bank subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 4.3 x 2.9 cm print on contact sheet 20.2 x 25.3 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 370-055
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- BHS1999-03
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the locomotive of a Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) train at Burrard Inlet at a site that later became a Shell Oil refinery.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Bellinger, Bernard
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- 1 b&w copy negative accompanying
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Westridge Area
Images
![Canadian Pacific Railway passenger train, [1933] (date of original), copied 1991 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/370/370-055.jpg)