Fonds consists of the personal, business and research records of May and Elmer Ellingsen. Textual records include personal and business correspondence; financial and legal records; information about local history; records and newsletters of various community organizations; records created by John Manson and by the St. James Ladies' Guild; maps; ephemera; and clippings about Cortes Island people and events. Fonds also includes photographs of the Manson family and other island people and places, and cassette tapes of oral history and music.
Fonds is arranged in 14 series: Correspondence; Financial records; Elmer Ellingsen records (business and personal); May Ellingsen personal records; Local history subject files; John Manson records; St. James Ladies' Guild records; Community organizations and services records; Cortes Island Museum & Archives Society records; Maps; Ephemera; Clippings; Photographs and Audio tapes.
Records from Accessions 2017.003 and 2019.002, which were processed after the other material had been arranged, have been interfiled.
3 meters of textual records
726 photographs
21 audio cassette tapes
Extent
252 cm
History / Biographical
Elmer Ellingsen (1913-2002) was born in North Vancouver to Sigurd and Gladys Ellingsen. After graduating from high school, he took a short course in business at Sprott Shaw College. In the early 1930s Elmer worked in logging and became a strong supporter of the trade union movement. He also had classical piano training in school, later turning to popular music; he played for many dances and parties until well into his eighties.
May Ellingsen (1914-2012) was born in Vancouver to George and Robina Freeman. Her maternal grandfather, Michael Manson, was the first person to pre-empt land on Cortes Island, in 1886. May grew up on Cortes and Hernando Islands until grade six, then moved to Vancouver with her family to finish her schooling.
May and Elmer met on Cortes in 1935 and were married on August 1, 1936. They built a float house and spent the next ten years in the Loughborough Inlet/Phillips Arm area where Elmer worked in his father's logging operations. While there, their children Shirley (1939), Bruce (1940) and Andy (1941) were born. In 1946 they moved to Von Donop Creek, where Elmer formed a logging partnership with Mike Herrewig and Scotty McKenzie. In 1950, he formed a new partnership with Erne Anderson for logging in the Whaletown area, and moved the floathouse to Manson's Landing lagoon. Two years later their floathouse was moved to its present location on Hague Lake.
After travelling from home to various logging operations, Elmer retired from logging. He bought a D8 Caterpillar tractor, backhoe and gravel truck and worked for the next forty years excavating, delivering gravel and moving things. He often worked with BC Hydro and BC Tel on pole installation, repair and maintenance.
Both Elmer and May were very active in community life. They sponsored weekly movie nights through the 1950s and square dancing in the sixties. May's many involvements included the Ladies' Guild, Women's Institute, Ratepayers Association, Post Office, Vancouver Regional Library development and Cortes Island Days. Elmer was a leading promoter of bringing ferry and hydro service to the island; he helped renovate Manson's Hall in the late 1970s, lobbied for road paving and helped initiate the Cortes Island Firefighters Assoc. in the 1980s. Both were founding members of the Cortes Island Museum and Archives Society.
Custodial History
Records were collected from the home of May and Elmer Ellingsen by Andy and Susan Ellingsen and by Bruce Ellingsen and donated to CIMAS. There are eight accessions in this fonds: 2007.001, 2007.002, 2007.003, 2007.005, 2008.002 and 2010.001, 2018.002 and 2019.002.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of the personal, business and research records of May and Elmer Ellingsen. Textual records include personal and business correspondence; financial and legal records; information about local history; records and newsletters of various community organizations; records created by John Manson and by the St. James Ladies' Guild; maps; ephemera; and clippings about Cortes Island people and events. Fonds also includes photographs of the Manson family and other island people and places, and cassette tapes of oral history and music.
Fonds is arranged in 14 series: Correspondence; Financial records; Elmer Ellingsen records (business and personal); May Ellingsen personal records; Local history subject files; John Manson records; St. James Ladies' Guild records; Community organizations and services records; Cortes Island Museum & Archives Society records; Maps; Ephemera; Clippings; Photographs and Audio tapes.
Records from Accessions 2017.003 and 2019.002, which were processed after the other material had been arranged, have been interfiled.
Meg Shaw, Otto Ellingsen, Marjorie Griffin, Olga Hynek, George Griffin, Ellen Musclow, Clem Bournazel, Joe Granger, Lottie McDevitt, Aurelie Granger, Eva Freeman
Meg Shaw, Otto Ellingsen, Marjorie Griffin, Olga Hynek, George Griffin, Ellen Musclow, Clem Bournazel, Joe Granger, Lottie McDevitt, Aurelie Granger, Eva Freeman
Fonds consists of sixteen photographs depicting people and scenes, primarily of the Manson's Landing area. Identification was provided by Fred Brooks Jr. in an interview with Cathy Jenks.
Alethea and Frederick (Fred) James Brooks Sr. and their two sons, Frederick (Fred) Earl, Jr. and Bob, lived on Cortes Island from ca. 1941 to 1944, near Manson's Landing. Fred Sr. logged in Cortes Bay and employed two of the Hawkins boys, Bill and George.
Fred Jr. attended grades three to six at Cortes Island school before the family moved to Pender Harbour. Some of the names he recalls are: the Christiansen kids (Robert, Jim, and a sister), the Tibers on the west side of Cortes Island, and the Jefferys of Smelt Bay.
Custodial History
Fred Brooks Jr. gave the photographs to Cathy Brooks of Pender Harbour Living Heritage Society, who facilitated the donation by collecting the photographs, donation form and information from Brooks and sending the materials to CIMAS.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of sixteen photographs depicting people and scenes, primarily of the Manson's Landing area. Identification was provided by Fred Brooks Jr. in an interview with Cathy Jenks.
Pender Harbour Living Heritage holds related material from the Brooks family: https://penderharbourheritage.pastperfectonline.com/bysearchterm?keyword=Brooks+family
Sous-fonds consists of records created or collected by Jeannette (Jenny) Hiebert during her term as Regional Director. It includes minutes of APC meetings, correspondence, records of public hearings, records related to bylaw and zoning changes, parks, aquaculture, and forestry issues, and material about the impending division of the Regional District of Comox-Strathcona into two separate districts.
Jeanette (Jenny) Hiebert served as Regional Director for Area I, Regional District of Comox-Strathcona, for one term, from 2005-2008
Custodial History
Donated to CIMAS by Jenny Hiebert in 2019.
Scope and Content
Sous-fonds consists of records created or collected by Jeannette (Jenny) Hiebert during her term as Regional Director. It includes minutes of APC meetings, correspondence, records of public hearings, records related to bylaw and zoning changes, parks, aquaculture, and forestry issues, and material about the impending division of the Regional District of Comox-Strathcona into two separate districts.
File contains a report by Fred and Ruth Zwickel ("Fauna and Flora Associated with Manson's Lagoon", with photographs); correspondence about water quality in Hague Lake and aquaculture in park boundaries; a Memorandum of Understanding with Klahoose re a marine park in Von Donop Inlet.
File contains a report by Fred and Ruth Zwickel ("Fauna and Flora Associated with Manson's Lagoon", with photographs); correspondence about water quality in Hague Lake and aquaculture in park boundaries; a Memorandum of Understanding with Klahoose re a marine park in Von Donop Inlet.
Photograph of a man and woman standing by a building with a large grape arbour in front of it. (From envelope labelled "Dorothy MacDougal (cousin of May's) pictures")
Photograph of a man and woman standing by a building with a large grape arbour in front of it. (From envelope labelled "Dorothy MacDougal (cousin of May's) pictures")
Photograph of a log building (the Manson's Landing school?) with a group of girls on a porch at the left and a group of boys at the right end of the building. (Needs ID)
Photograph of a log building (the Manson's Landing school?) with a group of girls on a porch at the left and a group of boys at the right end of the building. (Needs ID)
File contains newspaper articles about pulp mill pollution and a publication by Rex Weyler, "Seafood and Pulp: Striking a Balance in the Georgia Strait".
File contains newspaper articles about pulp mill pollution and a publication by Rex Weyler, "Seafood and Pulp: Striking a Balance in the Georgia Strait".
People are identified on verso: Doreen Huck (misidentified as Doreen Reedel on verso), Joyce Martin, Elaine McKenzie, Sheila Musclow, Helen Morrison, Bob Parry, Marjorie Rexford, Jim Guthrie, Sharon Forrest, Jim Hansen, Lillian Redford, Larry McKim (Borland), Beth Martin, Carolyn Reedel
People are identified on verso: Doreen Huck (misidentified as Doreen Reedel on verso), Joyce Martin, Elaine McKenzie, Sheila Musclow, Helen Morrison, Bob Parry, Marjorie Rexford, Jim Guthrie, Sharon Forrest, Jim Hansen, Lillian Redford, Larry McKim (Borland), Beth Martin, Carolyn Reedel
Marjorie (Hayes) Griffin holding George Jr., Mr. Daniels, Jack Hayes, Alice Hayes, Mr. Alfred Hayes, Patsy McLennan, Mrs. Hayes, Florence Hayes, Mrs. Daniels, Dorothy Hayes, May Freeman with family pet dog, Nora Hayes
1 photograph print: b&w; 17.5 x 11 cm
1 photograph print: b&w; 11.5 x 6.5 cm
Scope and Content
Marjorie (Hayes) Griffin holding George Jr., Mr. Daniels, Jack Hayes, Alice Hayes, Mr. Alfred Hayes, Patsy McLennan, Mrs. Hayes, Florence Hayes, Mrs. Daniels, Dorothy Hayes, May Freeman with family pet dog, Nora Hayes