THE BEDFORD FALLS, GEORGE BAILEY SCENARIO - WHAT IF HUGH MACMILLAN HAD NEVER BEEN BORN?
WHAT WOULD CANADIAN HISTORY HAVE LOST? HOW MANY CRITICALLY IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS WOULD HAVE BEEN DISPOSED OF? ANCESTRY RECORDS LOST!
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT! SORTING OUT THE DETAILS! TRAVELLING TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH! GOOD FINDS, AND DEAD ENDS! SOURCES THAT FORCE A CHANGE OF THINKING, A CHANGE OF DIRECTION! PAST BELIEFS DEBUNKED! HISTORY RE-WRITTEN BASED ON NEW INFORMATION! MISSING YEARS! MISSING PAGES! THE ARCHIVIST'S BURDEN OF RESPONSIBILITY, TO PIECE THE PUZZLE TOGETHER, WITH OR WITHOUT THE RIGHT PIECES. THE FAMILY HISTORIAN HAS TO GUESS AND SPECULATE, AND MAKE DO WITH WHAT IS AVAILABLE, UNTIL THAT IS, SOME LONG LOST RELATIVE COMES FORWARD, OR A FAMILY JOURNAL POPS UP, IN UNCLE FESTER'S ESTATE. MAYBE IT IS THE ARCHIVIST WHO COMES UP WITH THE HOLY GRAIL OF INFORMATION, TO PUT SOME LEAVES ON THE FAMILY BOUGH! IT CAN DRIVE AN ARCHIVIST, HISTORIAN, FAMILY HISTORIAN CRAZY. IT'S AN INHERENT PART OF THE MISSION, TO DISCOVER WHAT'S OUT THERE, SOMEWHERE, THAT PROVIDES LINKAGE TO EVERYTHING ELSE IMPORTANT; RELEVANT PAPER, MISSING IN ACTION. WITHOUT PROVEN CONNECTION. JUST PILES AND PILES AND PILES OF INFORMATION, THAT NEEDS TO BE CONSUMED, TO FIND ITS RELEVANCE IF ANY, TO THE PROJECT ON THE GO! EVERY BOX, SCRAPBOOK, PILE OF OLD PAPERS, THE FAMILY BIBLE, PROPERTY DEEDS, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, BIRTH, DEATH, AND MARRIAGE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CERTIFICATES, BECOME BUILDING BLOCKS, IN WAITING, FOR THE MORTAR WHICH MAY COME FAST OR SLOW, DEPENDING ON AMBITION; AND THE RAW AVAILABILITY OF SOURCE MATERIAL. IT'S A CRAP SHOOT NO MATTER HOW YOU LOOK AT IT! BUT THANK GOODNESS FOR THOSE ADVENTUROUS SOULS, WHO DESPISE THE FACT THEY CAN'T INFILL BIOGRAPHIES, AND FAMILY LINEAGE. IT DOES BECOME AN OBSESSION, AND I HAVE HAD CLOSE CONTACT WITH THOSE HUNTERS AND GATHERERS, WHO HAVE PIECED TOGETHER OUR COUNTRY'S HERITAGE, ONE PAPER, ONE BOOK, ONE ARTIFACT, ONE DOCUMENT AT A TIME. THEY'RE A PATIENT LOT, FOR A GROUP YOU MIGHT CALL "IMPATIENT," IF YOU SAW THEM ALL COILED UP ON A PROJECT, AWAITING THE OPPORTUNITY TO SCROUNGE THROUGH AN ESTATE, OR THE PERSONAL PAPERS OF A POLITICIAN, WRITER, MINISTER, GENERAL, PILOT, DOCTOR, OR MOUNTAIN CLIMBER. WHILE IN WAITING, THEY ARE COILED-UP TIGHT, BUT IN THE MIDST OF A DISSECTION OF A PERSONAL ARCHIVES, ARE PATIENT AND THOROUGH LIKE A SURGEON REMOVING AN ARTERY OBSTRUCTION. FOCUS. THAT'S WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO, AND I HAVE BEEN SO FORTUNATE, TO HAVE BEEN CLOSE TO THE ACTION, SO TO SPEAK, AND WATCHED ARCHIVISTS DO THEIR THING.
AS I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT BEFORE, THESE MODELS OF DUE DILIGENCE, HAVE WEAVED OUR COUNTRY'S HISTORY TOGETHER, BY THE VERY PERSONAL FACT, THEY (ARCHIVISTS IN PARTICULAR) KNOW NO BOUNDS; THE HUNT AND GATHER ALONG THE "PAPER TRAIL", ONE FIND LEADING TO ANOTHER. ONCE THEY GET A SCENT, OF WHAT MIGHT STILL BE IN EXISTENCE, AS FAR A BIOGRAPHICAL OR FAMILY RECORD, THEY WON'T LET THE ISSUE DIE; UNLESS THEY DIE FIRST. EACH OF THEM, A SORT OF SHERLOCK HOLMES-TYPE SLEUTH, YET FAR MORE STEADFAST, AND FOCUSED, TO ALLOW THEMSELVES TO BECOME MIRED IN FICTION. THEY DEAL WITH TRUTHS, AND FACTS, THAT ARE CONFUSING AND CONFOUNDING, IN THAT THEY ARE PUZZLE PIECES THAT DON'T FIT THE REST OF THE PUZZLE. IS IT THE IRREGULARITY OF THE SUBJECT PIECES, OR IS THE REST OF THE PUZZLE OUT OF WHACK? IT'S ONE FRUSTRATION AFTER ANOTHER, BUT SOMEONE HAS TO DO IT! OF COURSE THEY DO, OR WE'D HAVE A MUCH REDUCED KNOWLEDGE OF THE CHRONICLE, WE FIND OURSELVES A PART. NO, WE CAN'T DO WITHOUT ARCHIVISTS AND HISTORIANS, LIKE DAVE BROWN AND HUGH MACMILLAN. OF COURSE, SEEING AS BOTH MY FRIENDS ARE NOW DECEASED, THE MODEL OF ACHIEVEMENT THEY ESTABLISHED, WILL HOPEFULLY PUSH MORE INTO THIS WILD AND CRAZY PROFESSION; THAT DOES HAVE ITS INHERENT REWARDS, BASED ON SUCCESSFUL EXECUTION OF RESEARCH MISSIONS. AS HUGH USED TO TELL ME ABOUT SOME OF HIS MISSIONS, "IT COULD TAKE A DECADE OR MORE, TO PULL IT ALL TOGETHER. EVEN THEN, IT DOESN'T MEAN THERE AREN'T MISSING PIECES."
I WAS SITTING OUT ON THE VERANDAH LAST EVENING, PONDERING WHAT I SHOULD WRITE ABOUT IN THE COMING WEEK. I ALWAYS HAVE A SEVEN DAY PROFILE, OF COLUMN IDEAS, THAT I THRASH AROUND, USUALLY ON FRIDAYS, IN ORDER TO HAVE TIME TO GATHER MATERIAL FOR THE COMING MONDAY. WHEN I WAS EDITOR OF THE HERALD-GAZETTE, WORKING WITH A SMALL STAFF, BUT HAVING TO FILL A SIGNIFICANTLY LARGE PAPER EACH WEEK, I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO CHANGE MY WAYS. TO THAT POINT, IN MY RAMBUNCTIOUS EARLY ADULTHOOD, I WAS A CAREER PROCRASTINATOR. A DILLY-DALLIER! WHEN I LANDED THE JOB WITH THE HERALD-GAZETTE, THERE WERE TWO MAJOR CONSIDERATIONS. I HAD LANDED MY DREAM-JOB EARLY IN MY WRITING CAREER. I DIDN'T WANT TO LOSE IT, JUST BECAUSE I COULDN'T KEEP EDITORIAL OUTPUT ORGANIZED AND ON SCHEDULE. THE SECOND REALITY, WAS THAT MY BANK ACCOUNT WAS OVER-DRAWN, AND IT WAS PRETTY MUCH A NECESSITY TO STAY EMPLOYED, OR DECLARE BANKRUPTCY BEFORE I'D HAD EVEN ONE YEAR OF FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT. I MADE QUITE A FEW CHANGES WITH MY WORK HABITS, AND AFTER AWHILE, MY WEEKLY ORGANIZATIONAL SESSIONS WITH OUR NEWS STAFF, BEGAN TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS, TO THE OVERALL FUNCTIONING AND PUBLICATION OF THE NEWSPAPER, AND NEWS OFFICE. MANY YEARS AFTER THIS PERSONAL REVOLUTION IN THINKING, I STILL ADHERE TO THOSE FORMER RITUALS, BY ORGANIZING, AND GATHERING MATERIAL, WELL AHEAD OF TIME, SO THAT I'M NEVER CAUGHT WITHOUT A DAY TO DAY ARCHIVES TO DRAW FROM, AT THE VERY LEAST, SOME INTERESTING IDEAS, FROM SOURCE MATERIAL, TO DEVELOP VIA THE DAILY BLOGS.
AS I WAS SITTING THERE, ENJOYING THE CHIRPING OF INMATE CRICKETS, ALL AROUND THE FRONT PORCH, AND WATCHING THE DARKNESS SETTLE OVER THE BOG, I STARTED TO THINK ABOUT, OF ALL THINGS, THE MOVIE "IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE." THE FRANK CAPRA MOVIE, THAT TELLS THE STORY OF QUAINT, FRIENDLY, LITTLE "BEDFORD FALLS," WHERE THE FAMILY OF GEORGE BAILEY OPERATES A POPULAR "SAVINGS AND LOAN COMPANY." I'M NOT GOING TO REVIEW THE ENTIRE MOVIE, BUT THE PREMISE OF THE STORY, IS THAT EVERYONE BORN UPON THIS EARTH, HAS AN IMPACT AND INFLUENCE ON THE CHRONICLE OF EACH FAMILY, NEIGHBORHOOD, COMMUNITY, AND BEYOND, IN MANY INTERESTING WAYS. WHEN GEORGE BAILEY SUGGESTS THAT THE COMMUNITY OF BEDFORD FALLS, WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER-OFF, IF HE HAD NEVER BEEN BORN, IT IS THE TASK OF THIS GUARDIAN ANGEL, CLARENCE, LOOKING TO WIN HIS WINGS, TO SHOW HIM WHAT WOULD BE ALTERED, AND HAVE NEVER OCCURRED, WITHOUT HIS INFLUENCES ON THE HOMETOWN. WELL, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE MOVIE, EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT WITHOUT THE LONG TERM BAILEY INFLUENCE. HIS OWN FAMILY IS CHARACTER-CHALLENGED, AND MUCH LESS PROSPEROUS, IN HEART AND ECONOMY, HAVING MATURED ADVERSELY WITHOUT HIM. EVEN THE COMMUNITY IS NAMED DIFFERENTLY; BEING "POTTERSVILLE," I BELIEVE, NAMED AFTER THE BANKING VILLAIN OF THE FILM, PLAYED BY LIONEL BARRYMORE. IF GEORGE BAILEY HADN'T BEEN BORN, THE WHOLE CHARACTER OF THE TOWN, WOULD HAVE EVOLVED ADVERSELY; STRIP-JOINTS, BARS ON EVERY CORNER, AN INHOSPITABLE NEIGHBORHOOD, WHERE GAMBLING AND CRIME FESTERED AS AN IMMORAL, OPEN WOUND. OF COURSE THIS WAS HOLLYWOOD FICTION AT ITS FINEST. YET THE STORY IS A VALID ONE, AND AS I DWELL A LOT IN THE ARCHIVES, OF OUR OWN COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL HERITAGE, I KNOW MUCH OF THIS TO BE A REASONABLE PORTRAYAL, OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT THE YEOMAN'S INFLUENCE OF SOME OF OUR MOST INFLUENTIAL CITIZENS. BUT WAIT A MINUTE. THIS APPLIES TO ALL CITIZENS, WHETHER THEY DIE OF OLD AGE, OR DIE IN INFANCY. THERE IS AN IMPACT ON THE LIVING. SOMETIMES THE INFLUENCE IS A SHORT, SMALL ONE, AND IN OTHER CASES, A LONG, LARGE EXTENT OF INTERACTION. I HAVE WRITTEN STORIES ABOUT THE DEATHS OF CHILDREN, WHERE I WAS ABLE TO FIND MANY EXAMPLES, OF HOW THE LIVES OF PARENTS, FAMILY, NEIGHBORS AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, WERE PROFOUNDLY IMPACTED, AS IF THE DEATH, LIKE A METEOR STRIKING THE EARTH, LEFT A CLEAR AND LASTING IMPRINT. A CRATER ALONG THE ROAD, THROUGH OUR LIFE AND TIMES. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF EXAMPLES OF THIS. YOUNG LIVES THAT WERE POWERFULLY INFLUENTIAL, AND CHANGED OUR WAY OF THINKING, AND WE WERE SO GLAD TO KNOW THEM, IF ONLY FOR A SHORT TIME. AND THE OPPOSITE HOLDS TRUE AS WELL. SOME CITIZENS LIVING LONG AND ACTIVE LIVES, WHO ARE CAPABLE OF MAKING HISTORY BECAUSE OF THEIR POSITIONS AND AMBITIONS. IT IS NOT HARD TO SEE, VERY CLEARLY, HOW IT ALL WORKS, YOU SEE; HOW EACH OF OUR LIVES INFLUENCE THE LIVES OF OTHERS, AND ON AND ON!
WE SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO THE STORY OF GEORGE BAILEY, AND THE WELL BEING OF BEDFORD FALLS, ESPECIALLY AT TIMES, WHEN WE WONDER TO OURSELVES, SOMEWHAT OUT OF FRUSTRATION, HOW OUR OWN LIVES HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE TO ANYONE ELSE, LET ALONE THE COMMUNITY, OR REGION. AFTER WHAT GEORGE BAILEY SEES, OF A TERRIBLY ALTERED HOME TOWN, WHERE EVIL THRIVES, AND GOOD IS A DIMINISHED CHARACTERISTIC, CLARENCE, HIS GUARDIAN ANGEL, HERALDS, BY GEORGE'S OWN REQUEST, A SUDDEN RETURN TO THE WAY IT WAS! BEDFORD FALLS, A TOWN OF GOOD NEIGHBORS, KINDNESS AND GENEROSITY. HE CAME TO REALIZE, THAT EACH HUMAN LIFE, HAS IN ITS CYCLE, THE AMAZING INTERTWINING CAPACITY, TO INFLUENCE THE FUTURE CHARACTER, OF ANY NEIGHBORHOOD, AND COMMUNITY, IN WHICH THEY DWELL. SOME TIMES THE INFLUENCES ARE NEGATIVE. EVEN EVIL. BUT IN THE CASE OF BEDFORD FALLS, THE POSITIVE INFLUENCES OF GEORGE BAILEY AND FAMILY, MINIMIZED THE DAMAGE EVIL AND DECEIT COULD CAUSE, TO THE GENERAL GOOD NATURE OF THE COMMUNITY. IT'S A HOLLYWOOD FEEL GOOD MOVIE, IN WHICH THE GOOD GUYS WIN, AND AN ANGEL FINALLY GETS HIS WINGS. DID YOU HEAR THE BELL. HEARING A BELL, MEANS AN ANGEL JUST GOT ITS WINGS. BUT STILL, HOLLYWOOD ASIDE, THE STORY IS AN IMPORTANT ONE, AND I SEE IT IN MY RESEARCH, ALMOST EVERY DAY, AS I DELVE BACK IN REGIONAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, I JUMPED FROM FRANK CAPRA'S FAMOUS MOVIE, TO THINKING ABOUT MY OLD HISTORY-LOVING MATES, HUGH MACMILLAN, ONE OF CANADA'S BEST KNOWN FREE-LANCE ARCHIVISTS, AND MILES DAVID BROWN, A WELL KNOWN BOOK COLLECTOR, AND OUTDOOR EDUCATION TEACHER. BOTH OF THESE CHAPS, USED TO SIT ON THIS SAME FRONT VERANDAH ABOVE THE BOG, WITH SUZANNE AND I, AND TALK FOR HOURS AND HOURS, ABOUT THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF CONSERVING HISTORICAL RECORD; AND UNDERSTANDING THE RELEVANCE OF SEEKING OUT, AT ALL COSTS, FAMILY DOCUMENTS ETC., ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT PERTAIN TO REGIONAL, PROVINCIAL AND NATIONAL HERITAGE. HUGH ESPECIALLY, BECAME KNOWN INTERNATIONALLY, FOR HIS WORK PRESERVING FAMILY RECORDS, (INCLUDING HIS OWN SCOTTISH-CANADIAN ANCESTRY) OF SOME OF THE COUNTRY'S MOST PROMINENT HISTORY-MAKERS, AND TURNING THEM OVER TO THE PROVINCIAL AND NATIONAL ARCHIVES FOR FUTURE POSTERITY. IT WOULD BE QUITE IMPOSSIBLE, TO ESTIMATE, JUST HOW MUCH HISTORY WE WOULD HAVE LOST, AS A NATION, WITHOUT THE CONTRIBUTION OF HUGH MACMILLAN, TO RESCUE PERSONAL PAPERS, FROM SOME OF THE MOST ADVERSE CONDITIONS IMAGINABLE. SOME SITUATIONS, SO BAD, AND CONTAMINATED, THAT HE BELIEVED, LATE IN HIS LIFE, THIS REGULAR EXPOSURE TO MOLD, OVER SO MANY YEARS, HAD SERIOUSLY AFFECTED HIS HEALTH. DAVE BROWN, WITH A RAPID ZEAL FOR COLLECTING, AS I HAVE NEVER SEEN IN ANYONE ELSE, ACQUIRED GREAT QUANTITIES OF RARE CANADIANA AND AMERICANA, IN PAPER AND BOOKS, THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN LOST FOREVER, IF HE HADN'T BEEN AS INTREPID, ABOUT ENTERING DOMAINS ON THE VERGE OF COLLAPSE, JUST TO RESCUE A PILE OF MUSTY BOOKS, THAT WERE SOON TO BE LOST FOREVER, WITH WATER EXPOSURE, AS NO ONE ELSE HAD INTEREST IN THEIR PRESERVATION.
I ASKED THE QUESTION OUT LOUD, TO SUZANNE, AND FOR MYSELF, BASED ON THE STORY-LINE OF "IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE." WHAT IF HUGH MACMILLAN HAD NEVER BEEN BORN? I ASKED THE SAME FOR DAVE BROWN? INITIALLY, AS TO HOW OUR OWN LIVES WOULD HAVE BEEN ALTERED, AS BOTH HISTORIANS AND COLLECTORS. THESE GENTS WERE OUR CLOSEST AND MUST TRUSTED MENTORS. OUR TUTURS. DAVE BROWN TURNED ME INTO A BOOK COLLECTOR, AND HUGH MACMILLAN TURNED BOTH SUZANNE AND I, INTO PART TIME ARCHIVISTS; HISTORIANS, RESCUERS OF PAPER HERITAGE, WITH AN EXUBERANCE TO MOUNT ANY RESCUE NECESSARY, TO ENSURE HISTORY ISN'T LOST DUE TO NEGLECT, OR, WELL, LACK OF ENTHUSIASM. BOTH MEN WERE LEGEND IN THEIR RESPECTIVE AREAS OF HISTORICAL COLLECTING, RESEARCH, AND RECOVERY. AS DAVE BROWN WOULD DIVE INTO A LEECH-FILLED POND, TO EXTRACT A SUBMERGED LOG, WITH THE STAMPED IMPRINT FROM A LOGGING IRON, IN THE EXPOSED END, HUGH MACMILLAN WOULD SPEND A THOUSAND HOURS, IN PERSONAL MEETINGS, WRITING CORRESPONDENCE, AND PHONE CALLS, AND TRAVEL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, TO CONVINCE A FAMILY MEMBER, TO DONATE, OR SELL, IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS WITH NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE. SUZANNE AND I TALKED OFTEN, WITH BOTH HUGH AND DAVE, WHO SHARED WITH US, INTIMATE DETAILS OF HOW THEY HAD TO GO ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS, OF SECURING THESE COLLECTIONS; AND SOME OF THE STORIES SEEMED MORE LIKE FICTION. I GUESS THAT'S WHY HUGH TITLED HIS BIOGRAPHY, "ADVENTURES OF A PAPER SLEUTH." BOTH MEN WERE RELENTLESS IN THEIR PURSUIT OF THE RAREST PIECES OF CANADIAN HISTORY, AS RELATES TO BOOKS, PAPER, PHOTOGRAPHS, ART AND DOCUMENTS. CANADIAN HISTORY WOULD HAVE A LOT MORE HOLES IN ITS CHRONICLE, HAD THESE HERITAGE ADVENTURERS NEVER BEEN BORN.
WHAT HUGH MACMILLAN DID FOR US, HOWEVER, ESPECIALLY SUZANNE, WHO IS A KEEN FAMILY HISTORIAN, WAS TO PROVE, BEYOND DOUBT, HOW EVERYONE'S STORY IS IMPORTANT IN ITS OWN SPECIAL WAY. WHILE THIS DOESN'T SUGGEST THAT EVERYONE'S PERSONAL ARCHIVES, PAPERS, LETTERS AND JOURNALS, ARE IMPORTANT TO NATIONAL HERITAGE, OR BELONG IN THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES, IN THE FAMILY SENSE, THEY MAY BE A LOT MORE IMPORTANT THAN INITIALLY THOUGHT, BY THOSE WHO INHERIT THEM. THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF INFORMATION, THAT MAY SEEM INSIGNIFICANT AT FIRST GLANCE, BUT REVEAL A PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN CHANNEL OF FAMILY HISTORY, THAT CAN IMPACT THE LIVES OF THE LIVING, RANGING FROM HEALTH ISSUES, AND FAMILY MEDICAL HISTORY, TO LOCATING FORGOTTEN INVESTMENTS, BANK ACCOUNTS, PROPERTY OWNERSHIP, AND REVEAL FAMILY CONNECTIONS, IN BLOOD LINE, PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN. THIS HAPPENS A LOT. FREQUENTLY, THE PAPERS GATHERED BY EXECUTORS OF ESTATES, OFFER CONSIDERABLE SURPRISES, AND ILLUSTRATE, THAT WHAT WAS KNOWN OF THE DECEASED, WAS ONLY A FRAGMENT OF WHAT INFLUENCES HAD ACTUALLY OCCURRED; IN WHICH THE INDIVIDUAL HAD PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE. SUCH AS WITH MILITARY SERVICE, AND YES, LIAISONS WITH LOVERS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD, DURING WAR YEARS, THAT MAY HAVE PRODUCED OFFSPRING PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN. LOVE LETTERS THAT WERE KEPT IN SECRET FOR LONG AND LONG, SUDDENLY REVEALED TO A GRIEVING WIDOW, OR WIDOWER. FINDING OUT THAT THERE ARE SIBLINGS THAT HAD NEVER BEEN IDENTIFIED, LEARNED, ALL BECAUSE A STASH OF FAMILY RECORDS FELL OUT OF AN OLD BIBLE, THAT HAD BEEN PASSED DOWN THROUGH THE CENTURIES. THIS IS WHAT HUGH MACMILLAN SPECIFICALLY, TUTORED US TO LOOK FOR, AS WE PURSUED OUR INTERESTS IN REGIONAL AND FAMILY HISTORY. IT HAS PAID ENORMOUS REWARDS THUS FAR. WE NEVER TAKE BOXES OF HISTORIC PAPER AND DOCUMENTS FOR GRANTED. IT MAY BE THE CASE, WE FIND NOTHING OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE, BUT THEN AGAIN, WE MAY LOCATE ONE TORN PIECE OF NOTEPAPER, WITH A SKETCH ON THE CORNER OF A LETTER, WRITTEN IN THE EARLY 1900'S, TO SAY, TOM THOMSON, OR MAYBE A.Y. JACKSON. THAT BY ITSELF, DEMANDS THAT WE GO BACK THROUGH EVERY PIECE OF PAPER IN THE COLLECTION, TO FIND HOW IT TIES TOGETHER. THERE'S A STORY WITHIN, AND WELL WORTH THE EXTRA SLEUTHING. HISTORY UNCOVERED CAN BE A ENORMOUSLY SATISFYING TO A HUNTER-GATHERER. WHAT IS THE COMMON THREAD? WHAT WAS FIRST CONSIDERED PAPER WITHOUT VALUE, TURNS SHARPLY, INTO SOMETHING OF NATIONAL HERITAGE IN MERE SECONDS, AFTER CAREFUL CONTEMPLATION. HOW DOES IT ALL FIT TOGETHER? WHAT IS THE LINK? WHY IS IT WITH THIS OTHER PAPER? WHY DID THIS PERSON DO THESE THINGS, OR GO THESE PLACES? IT'S FASCINATING STUFF. ONE BIG FINDS, FUELS THE ENERGY TO SEEK ANOTHER! WHEN YOU WORK IN THIS FIELD, FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME, AND HAVE HAD TUTORING IN ARCHIVES DEVELOPMENT, AND MATERIAL ACQUISITION, FROM CHAPS LIKE BROWN AND MACMILLAN, BELIEVE ME, YOU DON'T LEAVE EVEN THE SMALLEST, DULLEST LITTLE STONE, UNTURNED, EVER AGAIN. THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS. NO SIMPLE SOLUTIONS. THERE ARE HOWEVER, BIG REWARDS. HISTORIANS WRITE OUR CHRONICLE. ARCHIVISTS LIKE HUGH MACMILLAN, GAVE THE HISTORIANS, LIKE US, THE RAW DATA, FROM WHICH TO FORMULATE THEIR PROPORTIONAL OVERVIEWS. HUGH WAS A PROVEN STAR IN BOTH DISCIPLINES; HE WAS AS COMPETENT AN HISTORIAN, AS HE WAS AN ARCHIVIST.
THE SLEUTHING FOR HISTORICAL CONNECTEDNESS HAS NOT BOUNDS, AND NO END
"The only historical relic that has been saved in our family, is the Brown Bess flintlock musket, that was carried by my ancestor, John Roy MccMillan, when he served as a yeoman in the Royal Canadian Volunteer Regiment (1797-1802), and later with the Glengarry Militia, in the War of 1812-1814. He was in the regimental company of his own brother, Captain Alexander MacMillan. It is pure luck that the flintlock musket has survived the house-cleaning efforts of my cousins," wrote Hugh MacMillan, in his book, "Adventures of a Paper Sleuth," published by Penumbra Press, 2004. A landmark book in Canada by the way, and one that should be in the collections of every historian, every hunter-gatherer, of archival relics.
"There were several John McMillans in the RCV Regiment. Differentiating my relatives from the others was made easier by a mix-up in the paper work, that was part of the process of granting crown land," noted Hugh, highlighting the need for patience when doing family research. "Captain Alexander McMillan returned from Scotland, to Canada, in 1793, with a number of young kinsmen, including his brother, John Roy (my great-great grandfather), and recruited them into the Regiment soon after he arrived. When it was disbanded in 1802, our John Roy would have been in line to receive a grant of 200 acres of land from the Crown. Instead, his grant specified 600 acres in the north end of Lancaster Township, later Lochiel, in Glengarry County. Normally there would be two or three items in the file for a lot, but this file has a dozen or more letters, and papers, attesting to the identity of the three John McMillans. As the land board, had mistakenly granted him 600 acres, instead of 200, not knowing there were actually three John McMillans, must have been outraged, until the error was corrected. The fortunate result for me, as a researcher, was that Captain Alexander had to supply an affidavit, attesting to the antecedents of the three John McMillans, which provided valuable material for people searching their McMillan family histories. Occasionally bureaucratic mix-ups can yield some advantage. Thanks to Mary Beaton of Ottawa, the following item was extracted from an article in the Glengarry News, of September 7, 1894, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Glenelg settlers:
'Died 1870 at Torbolton at 101 years, late of lot 24, 5th con., Lochiel, Glengarry, Mary (Grant) McMillan relict, of the late John McMillan, elder of St. Columba, emigrated to Canada in 1791 at 22 years of age. Fifteen children, eight survive, eldest is now 80 years of age. Leaves 138 grandchildren and 185 great grandchildren.'
Hugh MacMillan writes, "The obituary helped to prove the authenticity of the information I had previously recorded, and to correct a mistake. I had assumed that Mary Grant McMillan was part of the United Empire Loyalist migration, from the Mohawk Valley of New York, but the information in this obituary reduced my Loyalist ancestors from four to three. My research had already revealed Mary Grant McMillan's link to Cuthbert Grant, Warden of the Plains, and I also discovered a connection with former Nor'Wester, Alexander Grant, of Duldreggan Hall, at L'Orignal, on the Ottawa River.
"My father was told by his father that, after her husband, John Roy died, in 1841, Mary Grant McMillan, walked over 100 miles north along the Ottawa River, to the Fitzroy Harbor area, to join her oldest daughter Mary, who was married to Captain Alexander McMillan, not the same as mentioned above, but possibly her cousin, son of Lt.-Col. Alexander. They could have made their trip easier by a trek to L'Orignal and thence upriver by boat. Mary Grant McMillan's late husband's cousin, another Mary McMillan, daughter of Archibald of Murlaggan, was married to Thomas Kains, captain of the Ottawa River steamer, 'Shannon,' which might have taken the family as least as far as Bytown."
I can read these notes three to four times, and forget what I just consumed, by time I get to the final sentence of the chapter. If you think it's a little tricky to follow, as a reader, think about how difficult the task, as the initial researcher. Hugh felt compelled to document family history, and it took him on some great adventures, to meet with many unique characters and, as he told me once, even a few rogues.
This coming week, I would like to introduce you to a few more of Hugh MacMillan's great adventures, being a freelance archivist in Canada; but serving the archives need of the world at the same time.
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