Archive Record
Images
Additional Images [18]
Metadata
Accession # |
A2015.155 |
Title |
Ellis and Henry family records, Peel Township, ca. 1890-1992. |
Date |
ca. 1890-1992 |
Description |
Ellis and Henry family records, ca. 1890-1992. Family photographs and documents, most of which were once in the possession of Pearl Henry (nee Ellis, 1891-1981), and were passed down through her family. Stanley George Ellis (1887-1966) was born 11 January 1887 to farmer John Henry Ellis and wife, Mary Longman, of Lot 4, Concession 8, Peel Township, near Stirton; Stanley's sister, Rebecca May Pearl Ellis, known as Pearl, was born on 23 September 1891. Their mother, Mary, died only a few months later, on 19 October 1891. John H. Ellis later remarried, to Rebecca Maud Ford, and they moved from Drayton, Ontario, to Denver, Colorado. John H. Ellis died there 01 November ca. 1945, and Rebecca on 04 February 1960. Stanley G. Ellis (1887-1966) married Winnifred McEwing of Maryborough Township on 01 October 1914, and they had a son, Carl. The family farmed in Maryborough Township before retiring to Drayton around 1950. Stanley G. Ellis passed away in February 1966. Winnifred followed at the end of 1967. Pearl Ellis (1891-1981) married Cecil Henry, brother of hardware merchant, Orlan Blake "O.B." Henry, of Drayton. Pearl and Cecil farmed in Peel Township until Cecil's death in 1918 during the great Flu Epidemic. Pearl then moved to live with her brother-in-law, O.B. Henry, at the yellow brick house at 16 Spring Street, Drayton, with Pearl and Cecil's son, Ralph Henry. According to family lore, Pearl intended to marry O.B. Henry but he died in 1936 before that could happen, and she inherited the house. O.B.'s brother, Clarence Henry (1896-1954), then took over the hardware store. Pearl and Cecil's son, Ralph Ellis Henry (ca. 1913-1957), joined his uncle Clarence Henry in co-ownership of the hardware business, and after Clarence's death in 1954, Ralph took over the store. During the Second World War, Ralph spent three years serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force. It was during this time that he met Patricia Bamford, who was serving in the Navy. Ralph and Patricia married in Toronto on 26 Nov. 1946, and had two children, Heather and Richard. Ralph was active with a number of service groups, was President of the Drayton branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, and was assistant fire chief and town councillor for the town of Drayton. Ralph Henry died in 1957 at the age of 43. SERIES 1: Photographs, ca. 1890-1984. [ STACKS ] - ph 45645: Studio photograph, a bust-length portrait of Mary Jane Ellis (nee Longman, ca. 1869-1891); photo by Brown of Drayton, ca. 1890; inscribed on reverse, "My Mother / Mary Jane Lonman Ellis / Age 23 yrs / children / Stanley g. / Mae Pearl". - ph 45639: Studio photograph, a portrait of Stanley Ellis (1887-1966) and his little sister, Pearl Ellis (1891-1981), as children, ca. 1894; Stanley is standing, wearing a jacket with bow at his neck, matching knickers, dark hose, and leather shoes; Pearl is seated on a plush wooden chair beside him; she is wearing a dark silk dress with lace trim at the elbows and neckline, over a white blouse; mounted on cardboard that has been cropped; photographer unknown. If the dress Pearl is wearing is a mourning dress, it likely relates to the passing of their maternal grandfather, Edmund Longman (1820-1894) on 24 March 1894. - ph 45646: Studio photograph, an oval bust-length portrait of three girls, ca. 1897; each is wearing a high-necked dress, two with lace at neck, with bouffant hair style, and hair tied at the back with a bow; the girl at centre may be Pearl Ellis (1891-1981); photographer unknown. - ph 45647: Portrait of two young girls wearing white cotton sun dresses with dark hose, ca. 1901; photographer unknown; girl on right may be Pearl Ellis (1891-1981). - ph 45648: Studio portrait of Pearl Ellis (1891-1981) as a young girl, ca. 1900; photographer unknown; she is wearing a mid-toned dress with stripes across the bodice, has her hair in long ringlets, and is holding a photograph; inscribed on reverse, "Pearl Henry". - ph 45649: Studio portrait, a colour bust-length portrait of Pearl Henry (nee Ellis, 1891-1981), taken ca. 1960; she has upswept greying blond hair and is wearing spectacles, and a dark dress or blouse with pleated lace accent over her left side; she wears a glass beaded necklace and earrings; photo by Tilborn of Ionia, Michigan; inscribed on reverse, "C / Gramma Pearl Henry". - ph 45650 - ph 45651: Snapshot photographs of a woman, likely Pearl Henry (nee Ellis, 1891-1981), standing outside her brick house on Spring Street at the corner of Edward Street in Drayton, ca. 1927; she is wearing a dress, stole, and hat, and is leaning against an automobile; house has striped awnings over windows; small frame building visible in background at right; photographer unknown. - ph 45652: Snapshot photograph of a woman, likely Pearl Henry (nee Ellis, 1891-1981) seated in the driver's seat of a car that is parked in front of her house on Spring Street, Drayton, ca. 1927; photographer unknown. - ph 45653- ph 45654: Snapshot photographs of Pearl Henry's yellow brick house with enclosed porch at 16 Spring Street, at the corner of Edward Street, Drayton, in winter with snow, ca. 1935; photographer unknown; inscribed on reverse of ph 45653, "Pearls House". - ph 45655: View from Spring Street of Pearl Henry's house at 16 Spring Street, at the corner of Edward Street, Drayton, in winter, ca. 1960; photographer unknown; neighbouring Edward Street house visible behind; inscribed on reverse in pencil, "Max Factor / powder / Daggett and / Ramsdell / Springtime in / Paris". - ph 45656: Detail of the Edward Street façade of the house at 16 Spring Street, Drayton, in winter, ca. 1945; photographer unknown. - ph 45657: Boy and man seated on a bench on a ground-level porch under the overhang of a house, likely at 16 Spring Street, Drayton, ca. 1945. - ph 45658: Detail of house with wall of windows over ground-level porch, trellis, and flower gardens, ca. 1930; photographer unknown. - ph 45659: Edward Street façade of the yellow brick house at 16 Spring Street, Drayton, as it appeared ca. 1984; for sale[?] sign posted on lawn beside house; photographer unknown. - ph 45660: Pearl Henry (nee Ellis, 1891-1981) standing inside a room with gauze, striped curtains, ca. 1945; she is wearing a long dress, sheer over satin, with bolero-style jacket; photographer unknown. - ph 45661: Pearl Henry (nee Ellis, 1891-1981) standing under a trellis, beside a parked car, ca. 1955; she is wearing a short dark skirt with bold patterned blouse, dark wide-brimmed hat tilted at a sharp angle, and dark shoes; she is clutching a leather handbag, and rests her other hand on the door of the car; a small dog lies on the grass at her feet; photographer unknown. - ph 45662: Pearl Henry (nee Ellis, 1891-1981) reclining on a beach chair in the garden of a frame house or cottage, ca. 1960. - ph 45663: Stereographic image, view of the O.B. Henry Hardware store two-storey brick buildings on the southeast side of Wellington Street, Drayton, just northeast of Main Street, ca. 1915; signs visible for "Hardware" and "Tinware"; hydro or telephone pole out front, along with a gas pump; automobile at right; photographer unknown; inscribed on reverse, "Heather Henry". - ph 45664: Studio portrait, a photograph of Ralph Ellis Henry as a young child, ca. 1914; inscribed below image, "Ralph. Ellis Henry / age 1 year"; photographer unknown. - ph 45665: Pearl Henry with son Ralph Henry, posed by an evergreen tree, ca. 1942; Pearl is wearing a dark skirt with matching jacket, a white blouse, mink stole, hat, and leather shoes, and is carrying a leather purse; Ralph, who had enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War, is wearing a military uniform. - ph 45666: Studio portrait of Patricia Bamford in naval military uniform, ca. 1942; the initials "H.M.S.C." are visible on her hat. SERIES 2: Family documents, 1891-1992. File 1: Henry Hardware store, Wellington Street, Drayton, ca. 1920-1960. [ MU 1291 ] - item 1: Advertisment for products available through O.B. Henry Company Limited of Drayton, ca. 1920; offers the O.B. Henry guarantee, and pricing for items such as fencing materials, seed, flour, corn, sweat pads and collars, gasoline and coal, tires, lawn mowers, chinaware, and groceries; one double-sided typed page, with some damage and discolouring. - itme 2: Ink blotter from Henry's Hardware of Drayton, advertising D&H Anthracite, ca. 1940; unused; features image of four men polishing a large chunk of anthracite, printed in black and white against an orange background; explains the coal purification process. - item 3: Newspaper advertisement for Henry's Grocery store, listing products and their prices, ca. 1940 [note: phone number is identical to that of Henry's Hardware store listed in item 2]; newspaper unidentified. - item 4: Photocopy of a history of the O.B. Henry Hardware store by an anonymous author, ca. 1960; one typed page; it notes that Orlan Blake Henry established the company in 1894 and remained involved until his death in 1936. O.B. Henry's nephew Murrell Henry joined his staff in 1918 and O.B.'s nephew Clarence Henry in 1921. Ralph E. Henry began with the company in 1936, and stayed until his death in 1957. Madeleine Robertson served as the company secretary-treasurer for over thirty years. File 2: Memorial cards, 1891-1992. [ MU 1291 ] - item 1: Memorial card for Mary Jane Longman who died 19 October 1891 at age 22, wife of John H. Ellis; interment in the Drayton Methodist Cemetery on 20 October 1891. - item 2: Memorial card for O.B. Henry, who died 04 May 1936; interment in Victoria Cemetery, Drayton. - item 3: Memorial card for Ralph E. Henry, died 01 Dec. 1957; interment in Victoria Cemetery, Drayton. - item 4: Memorial card for Stanley G. Ellis who died 08 February 1966, husband of Winnifred C. McEwing; interment at Victoria Cemetery, Drayton; image of gothic window and bouquet of lilies. - item 5: Memorial card for Winnifred Ellis, nee McEwing, died 31 December 1967; entombed in Victoria Cemetery in 1968; image of gothic church. - item 6: Memorial card for Pearl Henry of Drayton, died 10 January 1982, widow of Cecil Henry; entombment in Victoria Cemetery; image of an organ, lantern, and vase of flowers. - item 7: Memorial card for Patricia Marie Henry, died in London, Ontario, on 12 August 1992, widow of Ralph Henry; ashes interred at Victoria Cemetery, Drayton; image of an organ, lantern, and vase of flowers. File 3: Correspondence, 1913-1945. [ MU 1291 ] - item 1: Invitation to the wedding of Maie Pearl Ellis to Cecil N. Henry, Wednesday 04 June 1913, at the home of Mr. & Mrs. John Ellis of Peel Township. - item 2: Postcard addressed to "Mary" from Cecil Henry of Grand Coulee, Saskatchewan, ca. 1916; re. threshing, weather, Pearl accompanying Mary; postcard features colour illustration of two First World War soldiers flanking a crest covered with Canada's provincial emblems, under which is the word "Greetings" and a poem that begins "On Canada's sons one may always depend, with might, born of right, all that's Hers to defend…"; printed in England, "B.B. London Series No E 1503". - item 3: Letter to Pearl Henry "mother", from Ralph [Henry] in Gimli, Manitoba, ca. 1945; re. having arrived with his family in Gimli, trains, not coughing in Manitoba as much as in Ontario. - item 4: Letter to Pearl Henry "mother", from Ralph [Henry], in Gimli, Manitoba, ca. 1945; re. receiving letter from home, Mr. McCullough, visit to Winnipeg Beach, Aunt Marguerite, train voyage home. File 4: Scrapbook of Pearl Henry, ca. 1920-1960. [ MU 1291 ] - item 1: Scrapbook kept by Pearl Henry into which she tucked and pasted newspaper clippings, magazine clippings, and a photograph of two children (ca. 1920), as well as made notations; it includes information about herself and family members, as well as poems by herself and others; black paper hardcover, 24 x 18 x 1 cm; includes information relating to Cora Payne, Dr. Colonol Richards Henry, Drayton United Church, Richard Ralph Henry, Ralph Ellis Henry, Mr. M. Haveman of Stirton, Ross Benham, Heather Henry, Ray Ellis, Shirley Groshaw, Ronald Carl Ellis, O.B. Henry, Elwin Brunkard, Chester Walker, Elsie Woodman, Stanley G. Ellis, Emerson G. Henry, R. E. Henry Hardware, Henry Hardware, Clarence Eldred Henry, Murrell Henry, John Ellis, and Rebecca Maud Ellis (nee Ford). - item 2: About seven poems, likely written by Pearl Henry, that had been tucked into scrapbook, ca. 1930-1960; they are "Little Lost Dog" dated 1939, "Daisy Dog" [undated] signed Pearl Henry, "Friendship" [undated], "Autumn" dated 1953, "Oh Night Divine" [undated, 4 pages], "Canadian Fall" [undated, 2 pages] File 5: Miscellaneous family papers, ca. 1950-1965. [ MU 1291 ] - item 1: Ontario Birth certificate of Rebecca May Pearl Ellis, born in Peel Township 23 September 1891; registered 19 January 1961; laminated, 6 x 9 cm. - item 2: Hand-written note entitled "House of Pearl Henry", ca. 1950; includes notes about the legal address of property on Spring Street, Drayton, "Lot number 136 / Easterly quarter of Lot 135", amount of street frontage and other dimensions. - item 3: Photocopy of hand-written notes about the life of Ralph E. Henry, 2 pages. |
Creator \ Maker |
Unknown |
Creator \ Maker |
Province of Ontario Henry, Pearl Henry, Ralph Henry, Cecil Brown Brown's Drayton Art Studio Tilborn |
Item Name |
Advertisement Blotter Certificate, Birth Correspondence Invitation Letter Memorial Card Poem Postcard Scrapbook Stereograph |
Person \ Organization |
Bamford, Patricia Benham, Ross Brunkard, Elwin D. and H. Anthracite Daggett and Ramsdell Drayton Methodist Cemetery Drayton United Church Ellis, Carl Ellis, John Ellis, John Ellis, Mary Jane Ellis, Pearl Ellis, Ralph Ellis, Ray Ellis, Rebecca Ellis, Ron Ellis, Stan Ellis, Stanley Ford, Rebecca Gas Station Groshaw, Shirley Haveman Henry Grocery Store Henry Hardware Store Henry, Cecil Henry, Clarence Henry, Clarence Henry, Colonel (Dr.) Henry, Emerson Henry, Heather Henry, Murrell Henry, O. B. Henry, Orlon Henry, Patricia Henry, Ralph Henry, Richard Longman, Edmund Longman, Mary Max Factor McCullough McEwing, Winnifred O. B. Henry Hardware Company Payne, Cora Robertson, Madeleine Royal Canadian Air Force Royal Canadian Legion Royal Canadian Navy Victoria Cemetery Walker, Chester Woodman, Elsie |
Place |
Canada Colorado Denver Drayton Edward Street London Manitoba Maryborough Twp. Michigan Ontario Paris Peel Twp. Saskatchewan Spring Street Stirton Wellington Street Winnipeg |
Subject |
Animals Architecture Children Commercial Electricity Funeral Records History History-local Interiors Military Poetry Portrait Railroad Streetscape Telephone Transportation War Weather Wedding World War II |
Photo, Map # |
ph 45639 ph 45645 ph 45646 ph 45647 ph 45648 ph 45649 ph 45650 ph 45651 ph 45652 ph 45653 ph 45654 ph 45655 ph 45656 ph 45657 ph 45658 ph 45659 ph 45660 ph 45661 ph 45662 ph 45663 ph 45664 ph 45665 ph 45666 |
Year Range from |
1889 |
Year Range to |
1992 |
Accession # |
A2015.155 |
Containers |
STACKS MU 1291 |