2.3 cm of textual records (1 grey binder, 1 blue notebook and 1 green notebook), letter and 1 CD-ROM with case;
3 b&w photographs, spiral bound notebook
2.3 cm of textual records (1 grey binder, 1 blue notebook and 1 green notebook), letter and 1 CD-ROM with case;
3 b&w photographs, spiral bound notebook
History / Biography
The Hobbs family in Arnprior trace their family history back to William Hobbs who emigrated from Ireland about 1820 and settled in Nepean Township. A son, James, established a farm in Goulbourn (now part of West Carleton) and one of his sons, John Albert, also took up farming in the same area. His son, James Earl, left Goulbourn and some years later settled in Arnprior as a barber. His eldest son, Harris, was also a barber in his father’s business, which ultimately passed to him on his father’s death. Harris married another Arnprior native Billie Styles in 1948.
Billie’s maternal great grandmother was Mary Burns (1829-1897) who married George Henry Russell (1828-1897) in Scotland. They emigrated to Canada in the early 1850’s, first settling in the Ottawa area. Their daughter, Margaret (1864-1948), married William “Black Bill” Mackey (1863-1929). Gertrude May (1900-1986), their daughter, married Benjamin “Bud” Styles (1900-1929) who worked for the McLachlin Brothers Lumber and also as a projectionist at the Arnprior movie theater. Billie was the youngest of their three daughters.
Mary (Burns) Russell’s husband George was a gardener at H.F. McLachlin’s home and they lived in the gate house. The original album was given to the Russell family around the turn of the century as a gift from Mrs. McLachlin. The album and its photographs were passed down to Billie’s grandmother, mother and then to Billie. Billie Hobbs currently has the photo album in her possession.
Acquisition Source
Donated by Linda Hobbs (daughter-in-law of Billie Hobbs) of Concord, Ontario, in July 1999. Linda Hobbs scanned the photographs and donated the scanned copies to the Archives. Linda donated the photographs and copies of correspondence from Jack Styles to his mother and sister in 2005.
Letter donated by Susan Hobbs in June 2015.
Scope and Content
Collection consists of scanned copies of photographs of Arnprior families covering a period from about 1870 to 1910 and a CD-ROM with the same images. CD-ROM is labeled Russell Photo Album. Some of the families identified in the photos are as follows: Burns, Champney, de Renzey, Dorion, Farmer, Grace, Hammond, MacCallum, Mackey, McCullough, McGillis, McLachlin, McLaren, McLean, Moffatt, Moles, Otterson, Pell, Pountney, and Russell. About 32 photographs remain to be identified. Names of the photographers, their addresses and the dates the photographers were in business are also given where possible. A list of the descendants of George Henry Russell is also given.
Also included is a blue notebook entitled, Hobbs Tree, which lists the descendants of William Hobbs from about 1782 to 1993 and a green notebook entitled Styles Tree, which lists the descendants of John Styles from about 1780 to 1993. Both notebooks (prepared by Linda Hobbs in August 1999) give details such as dates of births, deaths and marriages, and places of birth and burial.
An accrual in 2005 consists of a spiral bound notebook containing 22 letters of correspondence from Flying Officer Jack Morris Styles to his mother and sister along with transcriptions of these letters. These are copies of the original letters which the donor provided. Flying Officer Jack Styles attended high school in Arnprior and worked as a Royal Bank clerk before joining the air force in 1943. He served as a navigator of a Halifax bomber in the Thunderbird Squadron and was killed on February 3, 1945 in a crash landing. He is buried in the Commonwealth War Grave Brookwood Military Cemetery. Jack Styles was the son of Reuel Clarence Syles and Jessie Styles. Digitized versions of these letters and 8 photographs are available online at www. canadianletters.ca.
An accrual in 2015 consists of a letter to Mr. J. Wolfe dated February 2 1903 regarding an offer by the Dr. Knapp Medical Co. to send him “invigorants” that could not fail for the exact cost of $1.47! This letter was found in a book found in the attic of the shed at 50 Daniel Street Arnprior. Originally, this shed stood at the front of the property and was possibly a blacksmith's premises. It was moved to the back of the property where a lane runs along behind the Daniel Street homes.
Notes
Original photo album in the possession of Billie Hobbs, of Arnprior. Donor would appreciate any information in identifying the photographs labeled unknown.
Accruals
Further accruals are expected.
Related Material
See also: Arnprior and District Museum collection, Accession #1993-0005
See also: Peter Hessel Fonds "Eastern Star" File Folder, Accession #1994-0021
See also: Family Tree--Stark, Cuthbertson, Harris, Cameron, Hobbs, Leitch collection, Accession #1995-0031