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Chapman Family fonds
- Date Range
- [1907-1941]
- Collection
- Chapman Family fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- GMD
- textual record
- graphic material
- Scope and Content
- Fonds includes a license, a poem, diaries, and photographs. The fonds is arranged into one series titled Diaries.
- Collection
- Chapman Family fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- GMD
- textual record
- graphic material
- Creator
- Chapman Family
- Fonds No.
- PF4
- Accession No.
- 1981.14
- 1981.29
- 1982.13
- 1987.13
- Physical Description
- 2.5 cm of textual records
- 22 photographs: b&w
- Date Range
- [1907-1941]
- History / Biographical
- Charles (Charlie) Alexander Chapman was born on April 5, 1872 in Wellington, Ontario to William and Helen Chapman, who had emigrated from Scotland the previous year. He had eight siblings. Chapman moved to British Columbia sometime before 1901, appearing in that year’s census as a miner in the Kootenays. He became a prominent Glentanna rancher and a pioneer of the mining industry in the Bulkley Valley. Notably, he worked with his friend James Cronin on the Babine Bonanza mining property, and served as a foreman at Cronin’s ranch, which he eventually took over.
Katherine (Katie) Eugene Chapman, nee Hamilton, was born in 1886 in Bellville, Ontario to William and Ellen Hamilton. She came to Smithers in 1916 as a Private Secretary to Alan K. Kilpatrick, Divisional Superintendent of the Canadian National Railway. She also worked various other jobs, including teaching at Driftwood School.
Charlie and Katie were married on May 6, 1918. The two founded the Chapman-Chapman ranch, which they ran together until Charlie’s death in 1931. Katie Chapman continued to run the farm with Fred Griffin after her husband’s death. She later purchased a house in Telkwa and lived there until her own death in 1974. Chapman Lake, between Smithers and Babine Lake, is named after Charlie.
- Scope and Content
- Fonds includes a license, a poem, diaries, and photographs. The fonds is arranged into one series titled Diaries.
- Arrangement
- Records were rearranged intellectually in October 2016 by Manda Haligowski to better reflect archival standards and to improve accessibility.
- Related Material
- Cronin Family fonds (PF11) includes correspondence written by Charles Chapman while working as a foreman for the Babine Bonanza Mining & Milling Co.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Less detail