ADVENTURES OF A PAPER SLEUTH - HUGH P. MACMILLAN
A MAN WORTH KNOWING - A FREE LANCE ARCHIVIST, HISTORIAN, ADVENTURER
"MUCH OF MY LIFE HAS BEEN DRIVEN BY A FASCINATION WITH GLENGARRY COUNTY AND ITS HISTORY. THAT FASCINATION EXTENDS BACK TO THE 1930'S, AND 1940'S, WHEN MY FATHER, A PRESBYTERIAN PREACHER, MADE THE PILGRIMAGE BACK TO HIS ROOTS IN GLENGARRY EVERY SUMMER. STARTING IN MY TEENS, I TOOK NOTES FROM THE REMINISCENCES OF MY GRANDMOTHER, WHO DIED IN 1942. OVER TIME, THIS INTEREST EVOLVED INTO A UNIQUE CAREER IN HISTORICAL RESEARCH, WHICH CONTINUES TO THIS DAY."
THE PASSAGE ABOVE WAS WRITTEN BY MY FRIEND HUGH MACMILLAN, A CANADIAN HISTORIAN WHO CHANGED MY LIFE. HE OPENED DOORS IN THINKING AND AMBITION, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I HAD. THERE IS SOMETHING ENDEARING ABOUT THE CRUSTY, SOMETIMES CRANKY OLD CHAP, THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO FOLLOW HIM ALL OVER THE PLACE….BECAUSE YOU JUST KNOW, HE WILL BE EMBARKING ON SOME INCREDIBLE ADVENTURE, AS A PAPER SLEUTH, AND THAT WITH HUGH, THE ONLY TRUE DOWN TIME FROM RESEARCH, IS WHEN HE SLEEPS. I'M PRETTY SURE, FOR HIM, IT DOESN'T STOP THERE EITHER. I PONDERED ONCE TO SUZANNE, IF GOD KNEW HOW MANY QUESTIONS HUGH HAD ASKED IN HIS LIFETIME, THUS FAR. IT HAS TO BE QUADRUPLE THAT OF THE MOST LONG-SERVING FRONT-LINE REPORTER, WORKING FOR THE DAILY PRESS. MOST OF HUGH'S ENGAGING CONVERSATIONS, THAT I'VE BEEN PRIVILEGED TO BE A PART, POSSESS THE CLEAR AND CALCULATED INFUSION OF QUESTIONS MARKS……BECAUSE HE'S VERY INTERESTED IN YOUR STORY……ESPECIALLY FAMILY HISTORY. IT'S FACT, THAT I HAVE NEVER MET A MORE ENQUIRING, INQUISITIVE PERSON, ANYWHERE ELSE ON THIS PLANET. AND WELL, APPARENTLY THE QUEST FOR ANSWERS RUBBED OFF…..WHICH BELIEVE ME, I CONSIDER A VERY GREAT HONOR. AND WHEN SOMEONE GRIMMACES, A TAD ANNOYED, WHY I ASK SO DAMN MANY QUESTIONS…..I JUST SMILE TO MYSELF, AND SOFTLY WHISPER A LITTLE "THANK YOU HUGH," TO MY ASSOCIATE IN HISTORY.
"AT 16 I LEFT HOME, LIED ABOUT MY AGE AND TRIED TO JOIN THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE. MY FATHER MUST HAVE INTERVENED, AS THE AIR FORCE SENT ME BACK TO SCHOOL. I DID SUCCEED IN VOLUNTEERING FOR THE INFANTRY, BUT MY ARMY CAREER WAS EQUALLY UNDISTINGUISHED. I DIDN'T GET OVERSEAS, AND THE PINNACLE OF MY MILITARY CAREER MUST HAVE OCCURRED SOMETIME BEFORE I GOT MYSELF BUSTED FROM SERGEANT BACK TO PRIVATE. HAVING SIGNED UP IN THE HOPE OF FIGHTING THE JAPANESE IN 1945, THE ONLY ACTION I SAW WAS CHASING JAPANESE FIRE BALLOONS IN A JEEP WITH A BREN GUN DURING WEAPONS TRAINING IN THE MOUNTAINS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA," WRITES HUGH MACMILLAN OF HIS YOUTH. WHEN THE WAR ENDED, I ASKED FOR A DISCHARGE AND WENT BACK TO SCHOOL. I SIGNED UP FOR SOME COLLEGE COURSES IN ENGLISH AND ACCOUNTING. AFTER A YEAR'S STUDY, I HAD A PASSING GRADE IN ENGLISH AND A FAILURE IN ACCOUNTING. I LEFT SCHOOL FOR A JOB IN MONTREAL, AS OFFICE GOPHER WITH A DUTCH EXPORT FIRM. WHEN I DISCOVERED THAT THE MANAGER WAS SHAFTING THE OWNERS, I LED AN OFFICE REVOLT BY THE THREE EMPLOYEES, AND THE OFFENDING MANAGER FIRED ME FORTHWITH."
HE NOTES, "THE SUMMER OF 1947 WAS SPENT WORKING ON MY UNCLE'S GLENGARRY FARM, CONTEMPLATING MY NEXT MOVE. TO STAY AND HELP RUN THE FAMILY FARM, WAS AN APPEALING OPTION, PARTLY BECAUSE OF MY NEW INTEREST IN FAMILY HISTORY. BUT I ALSO CRAVED ADVENTURE, SO I JOINED A TWO MONTH HARVEST EXCURSION IN SASKATCHEWAN, STOOKING GRAIN AND DRIVING A TEAM OF HORSES HAULING SHEAVES TO THE THRESHER. MOVING ON WEST, I SPENT TWO MONTHS ON A CATTLE RANCH IN ALBERTA, THEN OUT TO THE PACIFIC COAST. I WAS NOW TAKING A CORRESPONDENCE COURSE ON WRITING. IN VANCOUVER I THOUGHT OF GOING TO SEA AND WRITING AT THE SAME TIME, IN THE TRADITION OF JACK LONDON, JOSEPH CONRAD AND RICHARD HENRY DANA. MY TIMING WAS BAD. THERE WAS A SEAMAN'S STRIKE IN PROGRESS, SO I HAD TO SETTLE FOR A COASTAL TOWBOAT, ON WHICH I STARTED AS A DECKHAND. SO MUCH FOR WRITING THE NEXT 'MOBY DICK."
"IN ONE RESPECT, MY TIMING WAS VERY GOOD. IN VANCOUVER I MET AND MARRIED MURIEL DIVER, WHO HAD COME FROM MONTREAL TO ATTEND THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. IN 1952 WE WENT BACK TO THE GLENGARRY FARM. MY TRUE INTEREST LAY IN FAMILY AND LOCAL HISTORY, BUT THAT PURSUIT PAID NO BILLS. NOT HAVING A UNIVERSITY DEGREE, I WAS IN NO POSITION TO TEACH. I HELD A SUCCESSION OF JOBS NOTABLE MORE FOR THEIR VARIETY THAN THEIR FINANCIAL YIELD. CAR-TOP CARRIERS (JUST AS THE KOREAN CRISIS EMBARGOED SUPPLIES OF STEEL TO THE MANUFACTURER), LIFE INSURANCE (THE LAST REFUGE OF THE MAN WHO HAS NOT UTTERLY GIVEN UP THE HOPE OF AN INCOME) AND FARMING ITSELF (THE FIRST STEP ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY FROM EXPECTING TO MAKE A LIVING), ALL WERE DOOMED TO FAILURE. MEANWHILE, MURIEL TAUGHT SCHOOL BETWEEN RAISING AND CARING FOR OUR FOUR CHILDREN. HER CONTRIBUTION TO THE FAMILY FINANCES ENABLED ME TO SPEND TIME ON HISTORICAL RESEARCH. EVENTUALLY MY INTEREST IN FAMILY HISTORY FOUND A FOCUS IN THE FIELD OF DOCUMENTS AND ARCHIVES. I HAD BEGUN NOTING COLLECTIONS OF PAPERS IN GLENGARRY THAT WERE IN PRIVATE HANDS, AND IN MANY CASES IN IMMINENT PERIL OF DESTRUCTION. I WAS ABLE TO TAKE SOME OF THESE PAPERS TO THE PUBLIC ARCHIVES OF CANADA IN NEARBY OTTAWA, KEEPING COPIES FOR MYSELF TO USE IN A COLUMN I WAS WRITING FOR THE GLENGARRY NEWS. THEN, THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF DONALD FRASER MCOUAT, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO PIONEER IN A NEW JOB THAT I HELPED CREATE, LIAISON OFFICER FOR THE ARCHIVES OF ONTARIO. THIS I FOUND TO BE REMARKABLE BECAUSE I WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE PAID TO LOCATE AND ACQUIRE PAPERS!"
ON THE PAPER TRAIL ACROSS CANADA
"Moving to Toronto, in 1963, was not easy, since our family had long established roots in Glengarry (dating back to 1802), and my lack of success in making a living from the farm of my ancestors was particularly poignant. But in a way, my father's peripatetic career as a minister had helped ease the separation. After all, only one of his children had been born in Glengarry, and it wasn't me. Besides, I was now in the happy position of being able to convert my hobby to a paying job. i came to terms with the fact that I was not a farmer," writes Hugh MacMillan. "My agenda for this new and untried line of work began without guidelines or direction from the Archives of Civil Service procedures as there had never been such a position before. I decided, and McOuat agreed, that I would set my own guidelines, following the precepts of any skilled salesman. I kept in close contact with my Eastern Ontario history buffs and gradually built a network across the province. I continued to gather family history information in the form of documents, both originals and copies, and combined it with the recording of oral history. Along my career path I unearthed many stories that relate to my Glengarry relatives. While every family's history is unique, every family has a history. Each is worth knowing, for the knowledge it gives depth to the lives of every member of the family and their understanding of why they are where they are in life. I have been in the privileged position for much of my life, of seeing how my family history intersects with the history of Ontario, the history of northern and western Canada, and even the West Indies! I have related disjointed bits on occasions and through the years, no doubt, boring some while delighting others. The rest of this chapter places these anecdotes together for the first time, hopefully putting me into my own historical context. Like many Scottish families, mine has spelled its name with joyous inconsistency as MacMillan or McMillan as while and fashion took it."
"In the employee lunchroom of Canada's National Archives there is a figured mug for sale. The face on the cup is that of Sir Arthur Doughty, the second Dominion Archivist and a legend among Canadian archivists. Sir Arthur made his name by the aggressive and ingenious methods he used to acquire historically important papers for Canada, whose collections were then in a state of infancy. Hugh P. Macmillan, the first field officer in the history of the Archives of Ontario, has created a method of archival acquisition which is broadly based on what he calls 'reverse genealogy.' It is a recipe for saving history, and stands in the best tradition of Sir Arthur and this of his table, so to speak," wrote David G. Anderson, a friend, from Williamstown, Glengarry County, in 2004. "If we 'reverse engineer,' the material that Hugh P. serves forth in this, his present book, we can savor the recipe as well. First, take a generous large hearted interest in other people, and their stories. Pay no heed to race, religion or gender, but do use them to enhance the flavor of the results - this from a man whose personal library has a long shelf labelled 'social justice.' Listen carefully in history. Knead relentlessly on said connection until it starts to leaven."
He writes of his friend, "The seeking (and finding) of good subjects involves a preparation time: become richly read in history and biography; contrive to sketch out a family tree and walk, write or telephone your way down the disparate branches thereof. At all times follow the trail of the family story and find who got the papers, portraits or artifacts. Never give up. once on to the scent, take van (or Caravan) and show up on doorstep. Engage subject in purposeful conversation, even through the crack in the door if the situation calls for it. Brush aside protestations that 'the attic is a mess,' or that they 'need time to go through the boxes.' Give receipts, tax credits, or in extremes, money, and get the material in its rough state back home to the professional archivists, the sedentary guard, if you will (to use a fine old term from the War of 1812). Before leaving, break bread with the new friend, and continue to be such a natural good companion that the proffered spare bed of the host is impossible to refuse. Never forget a name of a genealogy. Return when next in neighborhood and bring forth more and more connections to add to the intricate living web of characters, friends, papers and history. Through it all, keep a wife of abiding good sense (Muriel) and a family of international extent. There are no secret ingredients in the MacMillan method, but a few have mastered it or served it up as well as our friend Hugh P."
This was published in the text of "Adventures of a Paper Sleuth - Hugh MacMillan," published in 2004 by Penumbra Press, of Canada. Hugh sent me a signed copy, and it is one of my favorite reads, especially when I'm about to head out on my own "paper hunt," here in Muskoka. While I have no affiliation with the federal or provincial archives, I do use any historical documents, journals, diaries, and other published histories, as reference for our numerous research projects we are hired to work on, and compose into text, each year……including for publishing on this blog site. It was Hugh MacMillan and his old buddy and book-hound Dave Brown, who gave me so many incredibly important tutorials, while staying here, about not only document hunting and gathering, but pouring over the paper mountains, until weak-eyed and exhausted, to piece together the family tree. Suzanne, the host of these social / historical get-togethers, here at Birch Hollow, owes her present progress on our own family history, to the advice given by this historian's historian. You don't talk hockey when MacMillan drops by. He's not too interested in golf either, or curling, which you may find odd for a Great Scot……but when it comes to discussing historical matters of this country, let me tell you…..it's like being in a voyageur's canoe, whipping over the rapids, spray in your face, singing and laughing in the imminent reality of rocks and undertow, fast water and sunken logs. We might just be sitting by the hearth here at Birch Hollow, but when Hugh's spinning one of his stories, by golly, it's like you're right there in the midst of all the trial and tribulation of nation-building. You can't use the word "passionate" to describe his mission to know it all…..about our heritage. That would be to minimize his focus and interest. It's far more durable and dynamic than just passion for what he has done most of his working life.
When my book collector colleague, and Outdoor Education teacher friend, Dave Brown would show up, usually just after Hugh had left, (once with historian Ed Phelps), he would have to find a way of outperforming his contemporary, by taking Suzanne and I on an even grander historical odyssey……at hearthside, to the brink of my heart actually stopping…..like the birch bark canoe getting stuck on a dead-head at the brink of a great cataract, only in Dave's description, to get freed, and paddled safely to the shore without flying over the cliffside in a spray of white-water. These were the precious moments we had with two of this province's amazing historians……although they probably never referred to themselves in this way. Both men loved heritage discussions, and with a bottle of wine, some good food, and a some reason to reach back into their bag of anecdotes and untold adventures…..well sir, we never wanted those evening tutorials to end. The miles these chaps had canoed. The miles they had walked. The rare books and documents they had held in their hands. The treasures they had uncovered. The realities of history, their relentless sleuthing, gave us, as new historical fact, oh so many discoveries. Hugh MacMillan in particular, with his discovery of important, previously unknown and unacknowledged historical record, changed the previously accepted chronicle…….and brought about a new awareness about the relevance of critical thinking, and the pursuit of accurate records……no matter where, or under what pile of debris, they might be found.
I was a book and paper hunter-gatherer, and historian before I met Hugh MacMillan and David Brown. I became a much more proficient, better educated paper sleuth, having benefitted from their informal mentorship. I became more efficient and enterprising as an historian, and I learned how to follow-up leads, and carry-on with investigation, even after the assumption there was nothing left to uncover. Let's just say, I found out what they meant, about never taking "no" for an answer.
Tomorrow I would once again like to re-visit this fascinating biography, and explain a little bit more about what a paper sleuth, and free lance archivist does out there on the hustings. So please visit me again tomorrow for part two of this fascinating story. You will probably be able to find a copy of this book, by visiting the Advanced Book Exchange online, and entering the author and book title. We are active buyers on the ABE link, and have been well served by the member booksellers, specializing in out of print and antiquarian books.
"For more than 25 years, Hugh has roamed the highways, attics and basements of Ontario, seeking out the often forgotten, usually unappreciated treasures of our documentary heritage. Combining the skills of a great detective with patience and tenacity, he has been infectious, enlisting the help of many in the cause, and triumphing over bureaucracy and indifference. His achievements have been real and numerous. His exploits, though are the stuff of legend." The passage above was written, about Hugh, by Ian R. Wilson, Librarian and Archivist of Canada, circa 2004.
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