Lyle Jeffrey (1919-2004) and his wife Florence Brown Jeffrey (1919-2017) met in Ottawa in the mid-1930's. They married after Lyle returned from serving in the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve. Their first product, a suitcase called 'Jeff Flite', was manufactured in the basement of their home. Their first manufacturing facility was located on Richmond Road in Ottawa. They moved their business to 3.79 acres of land fronting on McNab Street in 1955 and eventually employed over 20 employees. The Jeffrey's also established a riding camp at Lowney Lake called Frontier Rance in 1958 for children age 7 - 16. It eventually employed over 35 people and had over 100 horses in its 26 year history. Florence Jeffrey was a leader in the Christian Women's Club for many years.
Acquisition Source
Donated by daughter Jill Jeffrey.
Scope and Content
This small fonds contains business records related to the establishment of Jeffrey Luggage Ltd. File also contains a 1967 purchase agreement for Frontier Ranch, post cards and a poster for Frontier Range Children's Camp.
Notes
Information taken from article published in Chronicle-Guide Feb 6 2014 written by Sharon Gray of Island View Retirement Suites of Arnprior and newspaper articles from July 1955.