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James Ernest Kirby fonds
- Date Range
- [1885-1965]
- Collection
- James Ernest Kirby fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- GMD
- textual record
- Scope and Content
- This fonds consists of journals, autobiographic writings, a Boy Scouts guidebook, notes, a certificate and an accounts ledger. The fonds is arranged into three series: Mining Recorder, Personal writings and Photographs.
- Collection
- James Ernest Kirby fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- GMD
- textual record
- Creator
- James Ernest Kirby
- Fonds No.
- PF1
- Accession No.
- 1971.2
- 1983.52
- 2007.6
- 2012.101
- Physical Description
- 11 cm of textual record
- Date Range
- [1885-1965]
- History / Biographical
- Born in Rochester, Kent, England in 1865, James Kirby enlisted with the British Army at the age of 14 as a French horn player. He served with the army in Gibraltar, and in India during the Afghan war. He emigrated to Canada in 1892, moving to Metlakatla, B.C. to live with an aunt and uncle. He served as a Constable under the Indian Agent in Metlakatla, later taking up a similar position in Port Essington. By 1900 he was transferred to Hazelton, and in 1908 was appointed Mining Registrar and Supreme and County Court and Clerk of the Peace, in addition to his police duties. Kirby’s son, Ernest, was born in Hazelton in 1906, and in 1918 the family relocated to Smithers. James Kirby served on the early Smithers Citizens Association, as well as the board of the Bulkley Valley District Hospital.
As Mining Recorder, Kirby held considerable authority within the local community. He was responsible for registering claims, issuing free miner’s certificates, and enforcing government legislation pertaining to mining. Records maintained by his office were used to assess the productivity of the district, which could influence government decisions on expenditures like road and trail development, and investment in smelting technology. Kirby served as Mining Recorder until 1931.
James’ first wife, Annie Goodman Kirby, was born in 1878 in Nova Scotia to Icelandic parents. She had lived in British Columbia since 1890 and worked in tailoring until 1902, after which she became a housewife. This shift in occupation may mark the year her and James married. Annie died on November 21, 1921, and is buried in Smithers, B.C. at Block 2; Lot 1. She died just three years before her son Ernest’s death in 1924. James Kirby remarried in December 24, 1925, to Caroline Jane Humphrey.
Ernest died at age 17 (Block 2; Lot 1) from accidental drowning in Tatalaska Lake, just west of Francois Lake. He was remembered in an obituary in the Omineca Herald newspaper as an “extremely popular and promising youth.” In honour of his memory, James Kirby handed out peppermints, a favourite of Ernest’s, earning himself the title “The Peppermint King.”
James celebrated his 100th birthday on February 25th 1965 with a dinner party at the Smithers Restaurant, at which he received gifts from local notables and officials. Kirby died later that year.
- Scope and Content
- This fonds consists of journals, autobiographic writings, a Boy Scouts guidebook, notes, a certificate and an accounts ledger. The fonds is arranged into three series: Mining Recorder, Personal writings and Photographs.
- Arrangement
- Additional file in fonds called "Odds and Ends" and numbered 1971.2.3 consists of a correspondence record, addresses and the 'railway robbery in London' notes. Recommend describing and accessioning this file.
- Boy Scout book from 1983.52 was originally processed by B. Wilson in 1992.
- Re-arranged by Wendi Croft, October 20, 2003 in order to more appropriately follow the purpose of RAD in a practical sense and following discussions with the AABC educator. This involved the re-naming of the series; re-location of items within the series; the removal of the Bulkley Valley Fall Fair (Telkwa Barbecue) 1919 program to an individual accession (later to be included in the Telkwa Barbecue Fonds) and the removal of the books (on Boy Scouts and Veterinary medicine) to the Artifact database due to their non-archival nature.
- Re-arranged once again by Manda Haligowski, September 2016, to better reflect archival principles and practices.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Less detail