Your Package Has Arrived!

By Jazmine Aldrich

Tis never a dull moment, working in the archives. I am sure that for many of you, reading this, that does not seem possible but I promise you that it is.

A perfect example arrived in my mailbox on a bright August morning, one month past. A package, addressed to the ETRC’s former Archivist and Executive Director, Jody Robinson. It is not unusual for me to receive emails and mail addressed to Jody; she has long been a champion of our organization and her good name still reflects on us, though she now works for the Uplands Cultural and Heritage Centre.

Fortunately, Jody is also Diocesan Archivist for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec and still shares an office with the ETRC on a very-part-time basis. I asked Jody to open the package, since it was addressed to her. Its contents were surprising to us both.

Within this bubble mailer were recipe books and photographs. These are not unusual items to be found in the archives; the unusual bit was that there was no return address on the package. Such lovely gifts, and no person to thank for them! Neither Jody nor I could recall having spoken to anyone about these items.

We can glean a few context clues from the materials within the package. The photographs primarily depict the MacIver family in Scotstown in the 1950s. One of the cookbooks was produced by the Ladies Circle of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Scotstown, while another was produced by St. George’s Woman’s Guild of the Anglican Church in Lennoxville.

There seems to be a concentration of photographs depicting the family of Daniel Alexander MacIver, including his wife Gladys (née Garrett) MacIver and his daughters, Ruth Marjorie (née MacIver) Johnson and Clarissa MacIver. One photograph uses the first person (“me”) in the caption to identify Clarissa MacIver, so these photographs may well have belonged to her.

Other individuals pictured are Galen and Garnet Morrison, Gilbert and Norman Wintle, Howard Beaton, Bill Burton, Mickey MacDonald, Jacky Smith, and Brian Ewing, among others. One photograph from the mysterious package depicts “MacLeod’s Corner Store” and “Ned’s Barber Shop” – location yet unknown. If you happen to know where these businesses were located, please let me know!

We are, of course, eternally grateful to the anonymous sender who forwarded these treasures to us. It is a privilege, as an archivist, to be entrusted with the care of someone’s family heirlooms and not something that I take lightly. It is important, however, for archivists to establish the chain of custody for archives such as these. We also need to document the donor’s wishes with regards to access to these records and their long-term preservation.

Thus, here is my plea, benevolent sender: would you please reach out to me to acknowledge your donation? I assure you that you may remain anonymous to the public if that is your wish but for the sake of the memory-keepers who come after me, I would be thrilled to document your donation. Whoever you are – thank you! If you would like to learn more about the history of the Eastern Townships (or, if you would like to claim your generous archival donation), please contact the ETRC Archives.