Collection Update 20 - 2004

People and Places:

Ontario's Rural History

Table of Contents

Home and Country FWIO Periodical Publication by Beth Robertson

Living the "Gouda" Life: Analysis of the Macpherson Collection by Jenn Annis

Community and Historical Memory in the Tweedsmuir History of Adolphustown by Jonathan Studiman

Massey's Illustrated and Massy-Harris Illustrated by Drew Swackhamer

Pursuing his Passion: William F. Clarke and the Ontario Farmer by Colleen Rose Nelson

Of Hogs and Men: the Wilfred L. Bishop Collection by J.P. Lewis

A look at the Edward Spinney Archibald Collection by Omar Abdool

Editor's Note

The theme for Collection Update 20 is the value of individual, community and regional history, particularly in rural settings. The history of communities and the activities of individuals offer the contemporary reader a chance to retain identities previously forged and lends significance to localities that are in constant historical development. The use of archival resources and secondary literature for community history provides readers and researchers with firsthand experiences about personalities, local landscapes, specific events, traditions, literary works, common experiences, and many other matters.

Regional and personal history is based on reliable sources and this issue explores the value of Guelph 's regional and rural collections. Sources for history can vary from the particular and unique to the general and may require people to extend their searches in archives and libraries. In the articles that follow, our authors explore the dimensions of a variety of archival and printed sources. The articles indicate that resources can be used to provide a sense of "place" and "time" and "importance" for local personals and communities.  We hope that readers enjoy these seven articles and  have an opportunity to learn about past experiences from resources that have been preserved for study.

The essays in this issue have been authored by students in the autumn 2003 semester for History 6280--"Topics in Canadian History: Rural History"--under the supervision of Dr Catharine Wilson. Our thanks to them for providing the articles and suggesting illustrations.

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© The University of Guelph, May 2004.