THE BARRIE AUTOMOTIVE FLEA MARKET, AT BURL'S CREEK, ATE UP ALL MY WRITING TIME TODAY
SORRY FOLKS, MY PART THREE BLOG, ON THE EXPLOITS OF HERITAGE PAPER SLEUTH, HUGH MACMILLAN, WILL RE-START TOMORROW
SINGER SEWING MACHINE DEBACLE
AS YOU KNOW, READING THIS COLUMN FOR MORE THAN A WEEK, I AM A HOPELESS ROMANTIC FOR ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES. YOU THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO WRITE "A HOPELESS ROMANTIC FOR MY WIFE." THAT'S ALSO TRUE. BUT WHEN WE GO OUT ANTIQUE HUNTING, THE ONLY ROMANCE IN OUR MINDS, IS TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL QUEST IN THE FIELD. THE FIELD OF CHOICE TODAY, WAS A LOVELY AUTUMN SEASON PASTURE, WITH THOUSANDS OF OTHER SIMILAR ROMANTICS; ALTHOUGH I'M SURE THEY DON'T SEE THEMSELVES THIS WAY. FOR US, CURRIES, IT'S PART RECREATIONAL, AND PART SOCIAL, AND PART BUSINESS. WE ALWAYS HAVE FUN, BUT WE USUALLY GET INTO SPATS ALONG THE WAY. I GET MAD WHEN SUZANNE WON'T GIVE ME MONEY FOR CARMEL CORN, OR WHATEVER CANDY-POPCORN THEY'RE SELLING. SHE SAYS ITS BAD FOR MY TEETH, AND THAT ONE DAY I'LL THANK HER FOR BEING TOUGH IN THIS AREA OF DOMESTIC SCIENCE. I THINK IT SUCKS, SO I WHINE. FUNNY THING TODAY, HOW IT REVERSED. I WAS SO FREAKING THIRSTY, WHEN SHE OFFERED TO BUY ME SOME POPCORN, I ANSWERED, "NOT UNLESS I CAN HAVE A POP AS WELL." SEEING AS THERE WERE NO BEVERAGE OUTLETS, AT THIS JUNCTION OF THE GRASSY LANES, I DIDN'T MAKE THE POPCORN PURCHASE, AND WHEN I FINALLY CAME BACK, TO WHERE THE BOOTH HAD BEEN SITUATED, THE BUM HAD PACKED UP HIS POPPER AND PRODUCT, AND HEADED BACK TO THE CITY. SON ROBERT BOUGHT US FRENCH FRIES AND A POP INSTEAD, AND A FUNNEL CAKE AS A TREAT. COST HIM ABOUT FIFTY BUCKS. HE'S A GOOD KID. HE KNOWS HOW TO TREAT AN ANTIQUE VETERAN.
YOU WON'T KNOW THIS, UNLESS I CONFESS. I AM MONSTROUSLY BEHIND MY TIMES TODAY, BECAUSE WE ONCE AGAIN, DECIDED TO BRAVE THE LAST DAY AT THE BARRIE AUTOMOTIVE FLEAR MARKET, AT BURL'S CREEK PARK (BETWEEN ORILLIA AND BARRIE). WE MOST OFTEN GO TO THE SEPTEMBER SALE, BUT THERE IS ONE IN THE SPRING. IT IS A BEAST ON MY FEET. I WANT TO CRY WHEN WE GET BACK TO THE CAR, AFTER FOUR HOURS OF WALKING THE EQUIVALENT DISTANCE, OF GRAVENHURST TO TORONTO, LOOKING FOR, GUESS WHAT? ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES AT AN AUTOMOTIVE FLEA MARKET. NUTS RIGHT? WELL, YOU'D BE SURPRISED WHAT KIND OF NEAT STUFF, BEYOND AUTOMOTIVE COLLECTIBLES, CAN BE FOUND AT SOME OF THE THOUSAND BOOTHS FROM ONE END OF THE FORMER FARM PASTURE TO THE OTHER. MY FAMILY MAKES FUN OF ME EVERY TIME, WHEN I THROW THE TWO WHEELED TROLLY IN THE CAR, SAYING STUFF LIKE "YOU'RE NOT GOING TO NEED THAT," AND "DO YOU WANT TO WHEEL THAT ALL OVER BURL'S CREEK." MY ANSWER, AS IT IS EVERY TIME, "YES I DO! AND YOU'LL THANK ME FOR IT LATER ON!" I'VE BEEN IN THE ANTIQUE BUSINESS LONGER THAN THEM.
ONE TIME, I HAD TO BUY A KID'S WAGON AT ONE OF THESE ANTIQUE BOOTHS, TO SHIP A LARGE SEASHELL-MEMORIAL SHADOW BOX, WITH A GLASS FRONT, THAT I PURCHASED OFF A DEALER ACROSS THE LANE. THEN, I BOUGHT ANOTHER DIORAMA, WITH PRESERVED BIRDS, DATED BACK TO VICTORIAN TIMES, AND I LOOKED PRETTY FUNNY WITH A WAGON LOAD AND A MILE TO WADDLE THROUGH SEVERAL THOUSAND PEOPLE; DID I MENTION THE ROUGH TERRAIN. ADDED ANOTHER FEW PURCHASES BEFORE WE GOT OUT OF THE GATE, AND HONESTLY, WE CURRIES LOOKED LIKE THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES.
I SAID TO SUZANNE, WHEN WE GOT THROUGH THE GATES, "I CAN SMELL SEWING MACHINES." "WHAT DO YOU MEAN," SHE ASKED. "I'LL BET, BEFORE WE GET TO THE SECOND AISLE OF ABOUT SIXTY, NORTH AND SOUTH, THAT WE'LL FIND OUR FIRST SEWING MACHINE. "MAYBE I DON'T WANT TO BUY ANY TODAY," SHE SHOT BACK. "MAYBE I'VE GOT ENOUGH ALREADY?" MY WIFE DOES THIS TO BUG ME, BUT IT DOESN'T WORK ANY MORE. SHE IS RESTORING OLD PORTABLE ELECTRIC SEWING MACHINES, AND THEN SELLING THEM IN OUR SHOP. SO IT'S MORE BUSINESS THAN PERSONAL, AND BY THE WAY, SHE LOVES DOING THE RESTORATIONS. SHE WON'T ADMIT IT, BUT SEWING COLLECTABLES ARE HER NEW OBSESSION, AND IT'S GREAT, BECAUSE I HAVE A BOOK AND ART OBSESSION, AND I HATE BEING OBSESSED ALL ON MY OWN. ROUNDING THE CORNER, OF THE VERY FIRST AISLE, THERE IT IS, AS IF GOD LEFT IT THERE FOR HER TO FIND. A NICE 1930'S "SINGER". A GOOD PRICE, CONSIDERING THE WORK SHE WILL HAVE TO PUT IN, TO UPGRADE IT TO SALE-CONDITION. THE GUY TRIES TO SELL HER A WAGON TO HAUL THE SEWING MACHINE. I LOVE THESE SALE VENDORS. THEY'VE ALWAYS GOT AN UPGRADE PLAN. SUZANNE AND I USED TO DO THE SHOWS AS WELL, SO WE KNOW HOW IT WORKS. "NO THANKS," SHE SAID. "WE BROUGHT OUR CART ALONG." "WE" I ASKED! THERE WAS NOTHING "WE" ABOUT IT! INSTEAD OF GETTING ALL MOOT ABOUT IT, I LOADED IT ON THE CART, AND FASTENED IT DOWN WITH A CORD I'D BROUGHT ALONG FOR SUCH HEAVY LOADS. HALFWAY DOWN THE LANE OF VENDORS, SUZANNE HITS ME ON THE SHOULDER, TO STOP, AND SHE JUMPS TO THE FRONT TO GRAB THE KEY FOR THE LID, WHICH SHE'D LEFT IN THE LOCK OF THE CURVED WOOD CASE. IT WAS GONE. WE HAD ONLY GONE FIFTY YARDS, BUT SOMEWHERE IN THAT GRASS AND STONE, WAS A SINGER SEWING MACHINE KEY. "YOU SEE," SHE YELLED AT ME. "IF YOU HAD BROUGHT THAT CART, WE WOULDN'T HAVE LOST THE KEY." I STOOD THERE, STUNNED BY THE SUGGESTION. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT," I ENQUIRED OF MY SOMETIMES CHARMING LIFE-PARTNER. "THAT STUPID THING VIBRATED THE KEY RIGHT OUT OF THE LOCK. IF WE'D BEEN CARRYING IT, IT WOULD STILL BE THERE." "THAT MIGHT BE TRUE, HOWEVER, I WOULDN'T HAVE SUGGESTED YOU BUY IT, IF IT MEANT WE HAD TO CARRY AROUND A BOAT ANCHOR FOR THE WHOLE AFTERNOON." THIS IS THE POINT WHERE WE AGREE TO DISAGREE, ACCEPT WITH THOUGHTS RACING THROUGH OUR MINDS. IT'S ACCEPTABLE TO THINK OF EACH OTHER AS "OLD POOPS," AS LONG AS WE DON'T BLURT IT OUT, AS IT WORD BE HURTFUL! ACTUALLY, I THINK SHE HEARD MY THOUGHTS, BECAUSE SHE WOULDN'T TALK TO ME, UNTIL, THAT IS, I FOUND HER AN EVEN BETTER SINGER, AN HOUR LATER. SO GET THIS! THIS BETTER-CONDITION SINGER, ALSO DIDN'T HAVE A KEY FOR THE CURVED-WOOD TOP. SO THE VENDOR, WHO ADMITTED TO HAVING OILED UP THE SINGER BEFORE COMING TO THE SALE, SHOWED SUZANNE HOW TO OPEN AND LOCK THE CASE, WITH A SINGER SCREWDRIVER INSTEAD. NOW CONSIDERING THAT WE LOOKED FOR THAT KEY, FOR A HALF HOUR IN THE HOT SUN, THIS WAS QUITE A REVELATION. "WHY DIDN'T YOU KNOW THAT," I ASKED. "YOU WERE BROUGHT UP IN A FAMILY OF SEWERS FOR GOSH SAKES. YOU OWN A HUNDRED SEWING MACHINES, AND YOU DIDN'T REALIZE ALL YOU NEEDED ON THESE OLDTIMERS, WAS A SCREWDRIVER?" FOR THE NEXT HALF HOUR SHE REFRAINED FROM COMMENT, UNTIL SHE HAD TO ASK ME WHAT I WANTED ON MY FRENCH FRIES. "VINEGAR, BUT NO ATTITUDE PLEASE." THERE WE WERE. A TROLLY WITH TWO SEWING MACHINES TIED ON, WITH TWO SHOPPING BAGS OF BRIC-A-BRAC PURCHASES. NOT EXACTLY WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT, FROM THE BARRIE AUTOMOTIVE FLEA MARKET. WE DIDN'T COME HOME WITH TIRES, BUMPERS, CHROME WORK, WINDSHIELDS OR AN ENGINE. JUST A COUPLE OF OLD SEWING MACHINES TO FEED MY WIFE'S OBSESSION.
I GOT A LITTLE VICTORIAN WATERCOLOR, AND ONE BIG SIGNED OIL, OVER THE COURSE OF THE DAY. I'M GOOD WITH THAT. PAINTINGS ARE INFINITELY LIGHTER TO CARRY THAN TWO SEWING MACHINES; EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF HIGH WINDS.
NOTE: TODAY I'VE RE-RUN A FEATURE I WROTE, SHORTLY AFTER HEARING ABOUT THE DEATH OF MY OLD HISTORIAN FRIEND, HUGH MACMILLAN. I WAS NEVER INFORMED THAT HE HAD DIED, AND TO BE HONEST, I'D KIND OF LOST TRACK OF HUGH IN THE LAST FEW YEARS OF HIS LIFE, BECAUSE HE WOULD HABITUALLY CALL DURING THE DAY, AND ALWAYS BY LAND-LINE. FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, SINCE WE OPENED THE ANTIQUE SHOP, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BOYS VINTAGE MUSIC BUSINESS, HERE IN GRAVENHURST, WE JUST HAVEN'T HAD THE SAME HOURS AT HOME. ONE DAY, I NEEDED TO GET IN TOUCH WITH HUGH ABOUT SOME HERITAGE MATTER, HERE IN MUSKOKA, AND I THOUGHT THERE WAS A CHANCE HE MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING POSTED ON THE INTERNET; I NEVER PHONED HIM, BECAUSE HE WAS ALWAYS PHONING ME INSTEAD. THIS IS WHEN SUZANNE WENT SILENT, PILOTING THE INTERNET. "TED, I'VE GOT SOME BAD NEWS FOR YOU. HUGH PAST AWAY QUITE AWHILE AGO." I WAS SHOCKED, ALTHOUGH I KNEW HE WAS SUFFERING SOME ILL HEALTH WHEN I'D LAST TALKED TO HIM. EVERY CHRISTMAS, HE WOULD SEND SUZANNE AND I A CHRISTMAS CARD, WITH A FAMILY NEWSLETTER INSERTED, AND I ALWAYS ENJOYED READING ABOUT HIS LATEST PROJECTS. I FELT BAD, AS DID SUZANNE, THAT WE HADN'T SENT A CARD TO THE FAMILY. I THEN SAT DOWN AT THE KEYBOARD, AND HAMMERED OUT A SORT OF OPUS FOR HUGH, AS OUR OWN TRIBUTE TO A TRUE GENTLEMAN AND SCHOLAR, WHO HAD HELPED BOTH OF US BE BETTER HISTORIANS, AND IMPROVED HUNTER-GATHERERS IN THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION. HERE THEN, IS WHAT I WROTE, IN THE HOUR AFTER READING ABOUT HUGH'S DEATH. IT WILL REPEAT SOME OF THE MATERIAL I'VE USED PREVIOUSLY, BUT SEEING AS IT IS A MEMORIAL TRIBUTE, AND IT IS STILL RELEVANT TO HIS LIFE AND TIMES, I TRUST YOU WILL FORGIVE WHAT APPEARS TO BE REPETITION FOSR REPETITION'S SAKE. IT ISN'T. TOMORROW, I WILL AGAIN RESUME A MORE INTIMATE LOOK AT THE LIFE AND WORK OF HUGH MACMILLAN; A CONTINUATION OF "THE ADVENTURES OF A PAPER SLETUH."
Hugh MacMillan From the Archives; Now Isn't This Ironic?
A MEMORIAL TRIBUTE
I HAD WRITTEN THE TWO BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEWS, JUST NOW PUBLISHED, EARLY LAST SUMMER, AS A ROUGH DRAFT CHAPTER; HAVING PLANNED THIS ANTIQUE HUNTING BLOG SERIES ALMOST A YEAR IN ADVANCE. I HAD JUST FINISHED PUTTING THIS LITTLE TRIBUTE TOGETHER, WHEN I RECEIVED NEWS HUGH HAD PASSED AWAY SUDDENLY, IN OTTAWA. IT WAS ON JULY 21ST, 2012, THAT CANADA LOST A REMARKABLE, STORIED CHAP I WAS VERY FOND OF. FOR YEARS, I'D GET MY CHRISTMAS NEWSLETTER FROM HUGH AND HIS WIFE, AND ABOUT EVERY THREE MONTHS OR SO, HE'D CALL ME UP, AND WE'D TALK FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. I NEVER TIRED OF HIS STORIES. I BELIEVED ALL OF HIS STORIES. I LOVED TO HEAR THAT GRUFF VOICE ON THE OTHER END, ASKING WHAT I'D BEEN UP TO HERE IN MUSKOKA. I REMEMBER HIS VISITS HERE TO BIRCH HOLLOW, OUR TRIPS OVER TO SEE A CANOE-MATE, BILL RATHBUN, OF GRAVENHURST, AND HIS FRIEND AND BIRCH BARK CANOE EXPERT, RICK NASH, OF DORSET. I REMEMBER HIM HOLDING ONTO NORMAN BETHUNE'S BRONZE HAND, ON THE STATUE ELEVATED IN THE GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE SQUARE, AND TELLING ME ABOUT HIS VAST KNOWLEDGE OF BETHUNE FAMILY HISTORY. WHAT A FOUNTAIN OF INFORMATION HE WAS. HE WAS A FRIEND OF MY AUTHOR ASSOCIATE WAYLAND "BUSTER" DREW, AND A HISTORICAL MATE OF MY LONG-TIME BUDDY, DAVID BROWN, OF HAMILTON, BOTH GENTS ALSO DECEASED. I JUST CAN'T THINK OF HUGH'S LIFE FORCE BEING EXTINGUISHED…..SO I WON'T.
THE MISUNDERSTOOD AND MISREPRESENTED VALUES OF HISTORIC PAPER / DOCUMENTS
HUNTING, FINDING, RESCUING, CONSERVING AND BENEFITTING FROM HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS
FROM AN HISTORIAN'S PERSPECTIVE, NOT HAVING ENOUGH INFORMATION IS ALWAYS A DRAG ON A RESEARCH PROJECT. A "HAIR PULLER!" I HAVEN'T BEEN INVOLVED IN A SINGLE HERITAGE PROJECT OR BIOGRAPHY, THAT I HAVEN'T, AT SOME NARROWING OF THE PIPELINE….THAT FEEDS INFORMATION, SCREAMED SILENTLY ABOUT THE SHORTFALL. COMPLAINING THAT WHAT COULD BE AN EXCEPTIONAL, HUGELY INSIGHTFUL RESEARCH MISSION, IS WHACKED DOWN IN ITS TRACKS, BECAUSE OF SOME UNFORTUNATE SHORTFALL OF INFORMATION……THAT MAY EXIST, OR WAS SOMEHOW DESTROYED OUT OF NEGLECT. AS I WORK ON ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES THESE DAYS, IT IS SUCH A DETRIMENT, TO GET SO CLOSE TO THE HEART OF THE STORY, BUT HAVE TO SLUFF IT OFF OR GENERALIZE, BECAUSE A HUGE WHACK OF THE SUBJECT'S LIFE IS UNDOCUMENTED. AS IS THE CASE, THE SUBJECTS OF THESE BIOGRAPHIES ARE DECEASED, ADMITTEDLY THE RESEARCHER COUNTS ON FAMILY AND FRIENDS FOR THE BULK OF THE RESEARCH MATERIAL. SOME TIMES THIS ISN'T THE CASE, AND SUZANNE AND I HAVE TO EMPLOY GREATER EFFORT AND EXPENSE OF TIME, TO SEEK OUT SHREDS OF BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL ALL OVER GOD'S HALF ACRE, WHICH IS NORMAL EXERCISE FOR HISTORICAL-TYPES, BUT ALSO IMPOSES A HIGH DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY THAT CAN SERIOUSLY DIMINISH THE FINAL STORY-LINE. THE MORE INFORMATION, THE MORE RESPONSIBLE THE END RESULT.
I'VE NEVER RUN INTO A RESEARCH PROJECT, WHERE I COMPLAINED THERE WAS TOO MUCH INFORMATION. I MIGHT COMPLAIN ABOUT BEING UNDER-STAFFED TO SCAN THROUGH IT ALL, OR THAT I MIGHT BE UNDER THE GUN IN TERMS OF BUDGET OF TIME, BUT NEVER BECAUSE THERE'S A MOUNTAIN OF AVAILABLE RESEARCH MATERIAL. WELL, THANKS TO ARCHIVIST, PAPER SLEUTHS LIKE HUGH MACMILLAN, IN OUR COUNTRY, HUGE AMOUNTS OF ARCHIVAL MATERIAL, FOR RESEARCHERS, HAS BEEN RESCUED FROM ALL OVER THE CONTINENT, (AND SOMETIMES BEYOND), THAT HAS INFILLED OUR COUNTRY'S CITIZEN HISTORY; WHICH AT TIMES, WAS ACQUIRED ONE DOCUMENT, ONE JOURNAL, ONE LETTER AT A TIME. IT'S ALL ABOUT TIEING UP LOOSE ENDS OF THE STORY, WHICH LEFT UNDONE, AND INCOMPLETE, DRIVES HISTORIANS NUTS. WHERE THERE HAS BEEN AN OBVIOUS VOID OF INFORMATION IN A STORY, OTHERS THOUGHT WAS A FINAL CAPPING, HUGH MACMILLAN, TIME AND AGAIN, PROVED THEM WRONG, BY FINDING A STASH OF HISTORIC PAPER NO ONE ELSE KNEW ABOUT……OR COULD HAVE IMAGINED; ULTIMATELY AND EFFECTIVELY ADDING THOSE IMPORTANT NEW CHAPTERS ON STORIES THAT PRESUMABLY, AND PREMATURELY HAD BEEN CONCLUDED.
HIS WAS A JOB, UNDER THE MOST TRYING OF CIRCUMSTANCES, THAT HARDLY EVER EARNED HIM GREAT PUBLIC ACCOLADES; EXCEPT OF COURSE FROM HIS PEERS, WHO REVERED HIS SENSE OF MISSION, AND MANTRA, "SUCCESS AT ALL COST." THE ARCHIVIST PROFESSION SELDOM STRETCHES BEYOND THE COMPLETION OVATION, "SUCCESSFUL, BUT STILL WORK TO BE DONE!" THE WORD "UNSUNG," COMES TO MIND, AS WOULD BE EXPECTED OF THE GRUNT-WORK BEHIND THE SHOW LIGHTS…..BEYOND THE MAIN STAGE WHERE THE FINDS ARE THANKFULLY CELEBRATED. THE FOUNDER OF THE EVENT? WELL, HE'S GOT NO TIME NOW TO BASK IN ACCOMPLISHMENT. THAT WAS THE GOOD FEELING YESTERDAY. TODAY THERE'S ANOTHER MOUNTAIN OF PAPERWORK TO BE SORTED AND CATALOGUED. TO SAY HUGH MACMILLAN WAS INTREPID AND STALWART ABOUT HIS WORK, WAS OF COURSE AN UNDERSTATEMENT.
BEHIND THOSE MAJOR PAPER FINDS WERE REMARKABLE, NEVER-SAY-DIE HISTORICAL TYPES LIKE HUGH MACMILLAN, WHO BECAME A LEGEND AS THE COUNTRY'S FIRST FREELANCE ARCHIVIST. WAS HE DESERVING OF THE LIMELIGHT FOR HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS? HONESTLY, I DON'T THINK HE NEEDED THIS KIND OF RECOGNITION, TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT THE HISTORY HE RELEASED FROM ATTICS, BASEMENTS, OLD SHEDS, BARNS AND OTHERWISE RUINS, TO BENEFIT THE ONGOING WORK OF CANADIAN HISTORIANS IN THOUSANDS OF DISCIPLINES. HE KNOWS THE GOOD HE'S DONE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I KNOW IT BOTHERS HIM PROFOUNDLY, TO REALIZE THAT OUT THERE, SOMEWHERE, A LARGE PILE OF IMPORTANT HERITAGE DOCUMENTATION, IS BEING RUINED BY NEGLECT; OR TOSSED OUT BY AN UNCARING FAMILY MEMBER…….NOT RECOGNIZING WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD. BEFORE HISTORY IS WRITTEN INTO A MANUSCRIPT, IT HAS TO BE SUPPORTED BY INFORMATION……LIKE THE MATERIALS BEING THROWN OUT FROM ESTATES, OR DESTROYED BY SHEER NEGLECT OF ITS HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE. I AM PROUD TO SAY, I HAVE HUNG-OFF HUGH MACMILLAN'S EVERY WORD, FOR MANY YEARS NOW, AND I FEEL THAT THE BEST EDUCATION I RECEIVED IN CANADIAN HISTORY, DIDN'T COST ME A DIME OF TUITION……..JUST A WEE BIT OF HOSPITALITY, AND AN EAGERNESS, ON MY PART, TO LEARN FROM SOMEONE WHO HAD EVERY CREDENTIAL AS A PROFESSOR, BUT DIDN'T LIKE BEING CONFINED TO ONE PLACE…..WHEN THERE WAS SO MUCH TO BE GAINED BY TRAVEL AND EXPLORATION. IF AT TIMES, I BLUR THE LINES BETWEEN HISTORIAN, WRITER, COLLECTOR AND ANTIQUE DEALER, PLEASE EXCUSE MY ENTHUSIASM TO DABBLE IN EVERYTHING THAT AMAZES AND ENTERTAINS ME. IN PART, I GOT THIS AS SOURCE INSPIRATION, FROM GOOD FOLKS LIKE HUGH MACMILLAN, WHO THANKFULLY INVITED ME INTO HIS WORLD, MANY YEARS AGO, TO SHARE THE TRUTHS OF WHAT MAKES HISTORIANS THE CENTER OF ATTRACTION. THE WORK OF ARCHIVISTS, THE HUNTER-GATHERERS OUT ON THE HUSTINGS, MAKE HISTORIANS LOOK GOOD. SO IF I OCCASIONALLY GET CREDIT FOR SOME HERITAGE PROJECT OR BIOGRAPHY, THE FIRST NAME I OFFER AS A FOUNDER OF MY SUCCESS, IS HUGH MACMILLAN. I WILL NEVER CHANGE THIS OPINION. HE HAS AND CONTINUES TO BE A MODEL IN MY PROFESSION. AS FAR AS COLLECTING GOES, I COULDN'T FIND A BETTER ROLE MODEL IF I LIVED ANOTHER FIFTY-SEVEN YEARS IN THIS OLD BODY. MOST OF US IN THE HISTORY AND ANTIQUE PROFESSION, HAVE FOND RECOLLECTIONS OF OUR RESPECTIVE MENTORS, OUR TUTORS AND INSTIGATORS……THOSE FOLKS WHO HELPED US MOVE FORWARD IN OCCUPATIONS AND PREOCCUPATIONS THAT PEAKED CURIOSITY IN OUR YOUTH. THAT'S OUR SPECIAL PROVENANCE. IT'S HOW WE GOT FROM THERE TO HERE, AND WE WON'T FORGET THE CONTRIBUTION THEY MADE……
NOR WESTER TALES POST ARCHIVIST YEARS
"My job title of Ontario's official liaison officer was abolished in 1989, but my paper sleuthing didn't stop; in fact it just continued. As is obvious from all the foregoing chapters, treasure hunting for manuscripts, relics and ephemera is a vocation, avocation, occupation, preoccupation, and a game I will continue to enjoy as long as I live," wrote Hugh MacMillan, in his book, "Adventures of a Paper Sleuth," Penumbra Press, 2004 (hardcover). "From the moment I retired until today, I have continued this lifelong interest as a part-time dealer in antiquities."
He writes, "Not simply a matter of having in my possession items of historical interest, the obsession also includes trying to solve historical mysteries, locating art treasures, and find the best destinations for certain valuable historic items. Shortly after my retirement party, when I related some of my misadventures to friends, and relatives gathered at the Arts and Letters Club, in Toronto, Muriel and I set to work on our own business called Nor'Wester Partners. With Muriel as editor, we have published four catalogues so far, listing items ranging in value from $25 to $85,000, and the chase continues in the 21st century. We chose the name Nor'Wester Partners because though we have branched out considerably, we originally intended to specialize in finding and selling reproduction trade silver, and publishing journals about the North West Company. We operated fur trade canoe brigades for pleasure, provided costumes for heritage movie footage, organized tours to historical pageants and fur trade canoe races, and personal slide shows and lectures on the history of the fur trade. We also conducted tours to Scotland, following our interest in Glengarry antecedents."
"Through all these related activities, we built a network of history buffs and developed useful leads to manuscript collections. Similar to the original North West Company, our Nor'Wester Partners Company is a commercial venture. The original Nor' Westers explored much of Canada, as they conducted the fur trade; we explore the same territory while conducting our trade in papers and objects of historical value. Some museum archives and other public institutions, miss important collections because of poor rapport with intermediaries. I discovered early on that establishing good relations with dealers in antiquities benefits the public archives and all those who use them for research," writes Hugh MacMillan. "Every item that has appeared in our Nor'Wester Partners catalogues is a story in itself, from the very start up to yesterday's acquisition. Our first major coup was acquiring the Lambart Papers. Hyacinthe Lambart (1904-1988), a woman to be reckoned with, had a regal bearing and spoke her mind freely. In 1973, she took offense at something I said, didn't speak to me for ten years, then suddenly phoned to apologize and offered to sell me some manuscripts. These were letter books from the old Hamilton Brothers Mill, at Hawkesbury across the Ottawa River from where she lived in Cushing, Quebec. They had considerable historic value so I bought them for the Ontario Archives. In 1990, two years after Hyacinthe Lambart died, her executors got in touch with me to offer Miss Lambert's family, business and personal papers. They revealed much detail of this illustrious family, a real coup for our new antiquarian company. Hyacinthe's great-grandfather, the Earl of Cavan, had brought his son Octavius Lambert to Canada in 1874. Hyacinthe's father Frederick, son of Octavius, became a surveyor in Canada and built Vine Lynne at 7 Rideau Gate, across from the Governor General's residence in Ottawa, which is now used as a residence for visiting VIPs."
"The letters in this collection define Hyacinthe Lambart as a fascinating Canadian. At McGill University, she studied under Hugh McLennan and Stephen Leacock. One of Canada's first female pilots, she corresponded with Amelia Earhart," notes historian, Hugh MacMillan. "In 1932, Hyacinthe Lambart, flew her Gipsy Moth aircraft to Quebec City, landing it on the Plains of Abraham. A striking photograph shows her wearing a stylish tweed suit, standing beside the plane en route to Holland to attend an international aviation conference. A photograph in the same collection shows her as the only female, still wearing her tweed suit, amidst a group of sober looking male aviators. During World War II she was secretary to the Association of Canadian Flying Clubs based in Montreal. Hyacinthe went on to historical research and writing. We eventually placed her family papers, some 2000 items spanning four generations, with the National Archives in Ottawa, where they can be read by interested researchers. Included in the collection were papers from her two brothers, Arthur and Edward Lambart. Arthur left the RCMP for special duties with the RAF and was killed early in WWII. Edward was with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, in Italy, when he was killed by a German sniper. An unusual item in the Lambart collection was a fine sleeping robe made of lynx paws. Her father had brought it back from the North where he took part in the Yukon / Alaska boundary survey. This item is now with the National Museum of Civilization in Gatineau."
It's possible you might be able to find a copy of this book by consulting the Advanced Book Exchange, online, and typing in the title and author.
I want to thank you once again, for taking the time out of your busy day…..and on the brink of another winter storm, to visit this interesting biography of archivist / historian, Hugh MacMillan, who taught me some hunting and gathering tips that have served me well for many years. Just because antique dealers don't usually write tell-all books, or regional / general histories, doesn't mean they don't play the role of historian. Just ask them a question. You might be surprised how far their knowledge extends, past the neat little shops they operate during the daytime. Please come back for a visit, as we carry on our antique hunting adventures. Be careful driving out there.
"As I close this collection of stories illustrating my never-ending search for historical papers, I must reiterate my mission statement: We must remain vigilant in seeing to the preservation of written and pictorial records. Make sure that those letters of your aunt, mother, or other relatives are saved. Let an archives or museum decide if those memorabilia are worth preserving. It is unnecessary - indeed impossible - to save every scrap of old paper; just make certain that the worthwhile material is not discarded. Paper sleuthing has been called an addiction, even a disease. Whichever it is, I, for one, will never be cured."
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