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.
Series consists of personal and business correspondence of Elmer and May Ellingsen. Most of the correspondence is incoming. Topics include personal news of family and friends, business matters and community affairs.
Series consists of personal and business correspondence of Elmer and May Ellingsen. Most of the correspondence is incoming. Topics include personal news of family and friends, business matters and community affairs.
Series consists of newspaper and magazine clippings about Cortes Island people, events and history, collected by May Ellingsen. It also includes a scrapbook of clippings of poems from the early 1900s.
Series consists of newspaper and magazine clippings about Cortes Island people, events and history, collected by May Ellingsen. It also includes a scrapbook of clippings of poems from the early 1900s.
Series consists of photographs collected by May Ellingsen during her activities documenting the history of Cortes Island. Most of the photographs date from the first half of the 1900s and include pictures of the Manson and other Cortes Island settler families, places and events. A set of photographs from Slim Barnard of the Happy Ranch contains pictures of Cortes Island and B.C. from the 1950s.
Some of the photographs are copies of historic Cortes photographs which were collected by May Ellingsen and reproduced by the Campbell River Museum in 1985. Where known, the Campbell River Museum number is indicated. (See 2004.002 - May Ellingsen fonds.)
Series consists of photographs collected by May Ellingsen during her activities documenting the history of Cortes Island. Most of the photographs date from the first half of the 1900s and include pictures of the Manson and other Cortes Island settler families, places and events. A set of photographs from Slim Barnard of the Happy Ranch contains pictures of Cortes Island and B.C. from the 1950s.
Some of the photographs are copies of historic Cortes photographs which were collected by May Ellingsen and reproduced by the Campbell River Museum in 1985. Where known, the Campbell River Museum number is indicated. (See 2004.002 - May Ellingsen fonds.)
Series consists of 16 audio tapes with oral histories of Cortes Island residents, and 5 tapes of Cortes Island music. These tapes were digitized in 2017.
Series consists of 16 audio tapes with oral histories of Cortes Island residents, and 5 tapes of Cortes Island music. These tapes were digitized in 2017.
File contains a journal (written on lined paper) kept by May Ellingsen during the 1940s, written while she was living at Phillips Arm and Von Donop Inlet.
File contains a journal (written on lined paper) kept by May Ellingsen during the 1940s, written while she was living at Phillips Arm and Von Donop Inlet.
Series consists of information on the settlement history of Cortes Island and nearby islands compiled by May Ellingsen. It includes original records, correspondence, notes and publications. Series is arranged in two sub-series: 5.1 Manson family history and 5.2 Local history research files.
Series consists of information on the settlement history of Cortes Island and nearby islands compiled by May Ellingsen. It includes original records, correspondence, notes and publications. Series is arranged in two sub-series: 5.1 Manson family history and 5.2 Local history research files.
File contains Shirley (Ellingsen) Cole's reminiscences of life in Von Donop; notes from a meeting about logging in Von Donop; and interviews with May, Elmer, Bruce and Andy Ellingsen and with Norah Cowan Thompson.
File contains Shirley (Ellingsen) Cole's reminiscences of life in Von Donop; notes from a meeting about logging in Von Donop; and interviews with May, Elmer, Bruce and Andy Ellingsen and with Norah Cowan Thompson.
File contains May Ellingsen's notes on Cortes history, including pre-emptions, a trip to Mexico, and information about Squirrel Cove and Redonda Island.
File contains May Ellingsen's notes on Cortes history, including pre-emptions, a trip to Mexico, and information about Squirrel Cove and Redonda Island.
Series consists of material accumulated by May Ellingsen during her activities as a founding member of the Cortes Island Museum and Archives Society. It includes notes from the Cortes Island Historic Committee, correspondence between May Ellingsen and the Campbell River Museum regarding a historic photograph project, and CIMAS material: notes, minutes of meetings, flyers, and lists of artifacts.
Series consists of material accumulated by May Ellingsen during her activities as a founding member of the Cortes Island Museum and Archives Society. It includes notes from the Cortes Island Historic Committee, correspondence between May Ellingsen and the Campbell River Museum regarding a historic photograph project, and CIMAS material: notes, minutes of meetings, flyers, and lists of artifacts.
