Local Archives for Prison and Court Records

 

At the Fireside Chat after my Prison and Court Records talk today for the Ontario Ancestors 2022 conference a gentleman asked about finding prison records for Carleton. I do not have specifics as to the time period in which he was researching nor his ancestor's name.

The first thing to keep in mind is that these records will likely not be digitized, may not be fully accessioned or indexed so searching by your ancestor's name will not yield any results.

My first stop would be the Archives of Ontario. Searching for Carleton + jail yields

• Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre inmate case files: 1939-1957, 1972-1991
• Administrative records of the Ottawa- Carleton Detention Centre: 1860-1991

The second record set seems like a good place to start a search though the Ottawa Jail was a maximum security correctional facility. It includes 61 metres of textual records and 21 reels of microfilm (textual records).

"Series consists of records created and maintained by officials of the Ottawa- Carleton Detention Centre, and its predecessor, the Ottawa Jail, pertaining to the administration of the jail. Records include jail, surgeon's and punishment registers, inmate case files, drug control records, daily count and record books, historical records, and indices."

There are also the County and District Court Judges' Criminal Courts for 1869-1984.

My suggestion would be for the researcher to contact the Archives of Ontario with the specifics in terms of name and date and see if the archives has records to fit his quest. The archivist will let you know if they have records for the place and time period you require or point him to other resources.

Do not forget newspapers — if your ancestor was arrested, it likely made the news.

The Dairy Herd Improvement Association

Cowichan Jersey cows in Nanaimo, September 1957. Photo by Robin Lister

I was recently sorting through some of my dad’s slides and found a collection of square format slides from 1956 to 1958. Some of them were labelled and dated. My dad, Robin Lister, was the supervisor for the Dairy Herd Improvement Association for Duncan-Cowichan, BC from July 1956 to June 1958. 

Vancouver Sun, May 26, 1956, 29.

Dairy Herd Improvement Associations (D.H.I.A) had been know until 1953 as Cow Testing Associations (C.T.A.). Several ads for supervisors for the Provincial Dairy Herd Improvement Associations appear in the newspapers. They were looking for “actual dairy farm experience in B.C.” My dad grew up on a Jersey dairy farm and had been involved in 4H so he would have qualified. 

The Department of Agriculture’s Fifty-First Annual Report for 1956 describes the challenge of finding supervisors on page 46 under “Operations”. 

The continuing difficulty in securing sufficient suitable men for this work prevented expansion. Two short courses of instruction for intending D.H.I.A. supervisors were held at the University of British Columbia during the year, results in each case being most disappointing. One tester was secured at the course held in July and two from the course conducted in November.

Notes for the community of Cheam in the Chilliwack Progress

Further down the page it reports that “R. Lister to Cowichan to replace D. R. O'Brien (resigned).” My guess is that he was the one tester secured at the course held in July. His address was noted in the appendix as Box 1642, Duncan.

His job included milk testing for milk weight and measuring milk fat. It was not a federal program, it was a semi-provincial program for non-registered, non-purebred cows. The results were announced in the newspaper.

The Province, February 21, 1957, 4.

The January 29, 1958 edition of the Province newspaper stated that Robin Lister, and Harry Standen, along with four others were elected as directors of the Cowichan Agricultural Society. The Standen family are featured in some of the photos in this small collection. The photos also include scenic shots as well of friends and, of course, cattle.

While employed by the D.H.I.A, he lived in a cabin owned by Jack and Mabel Fleetwood who later became mainstays of the Cowichan Historical Society. It seemed fitting to donate the collection to the Cowichan Historical Society. I hope the photos help tell the story of the Cowichan valley.

Photo by Robin Lister

Gordon in the snow. Photo by Robin Lister

Unexpected Benefits of an Online Tree

 By Andrea Lister

Originally published in the January 2022 Maple Ridge Historical Society Family History Newsletter

In the genealogy world we often talk about online trees as "cousin bait"—a way to attract cousins who are willing to share and collaborate. Online trees can have other unexpected benefits. On October 17, 2021 I received the following message through Ancestry:

Hello! I recently purchased a cabinet card photo of Fred Rounsefell. From what I can see I think he is the nephew of your great great grandfather. My hobby is returning these old photos to family members doing research. You seem to be the closest relative who is active on ancestry. He was a confirmed bachelor who died at 40-something in Boston. The photo is incredibly striking. I hate to see it lost to family histories. Let me know if you are interested and I can mail it to you (for free). If I don't hear back within a few weeks I may look for someone else but will try to post a picture of it on Ancestry. Best—Michael

Michael has the Instagram account Lost Photos Found. He buys photos and works to unite lost family photos with folks doing genealogical research.

Of course, I replied with my PO Box information and immediately started researching Fred Rounsefell while I waited for the mail. Frederick Rounsefell was born on August 25, 1875 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada to David Henry Rounsefell and Anna Bell Preston. He was their third child. Frederick, his parents, and his four siblings moved to Boston in 1879.

Frederick was a first cousin to my great-grandmother Margaret DeWolf (Rounsefell) Richardson. 

Fred Rounsefell, 1900 
ANDREA LISTER COLLECTION
PHOTOGRAPHER JAMES EDWARD PURDY

The photograph arrived and it is indeed striking. It captured Frederick in 1900 at age 22. According to the 1900 US census he lived at 24 Forest Rox and was employed as a clerk. The Boston Directory for 1898 shows that Frederick worked for insurance and real estate agency, Carroll & Peers.

The photograph was taken by James E. Purdy, the leading photographer for the Boston-area high schools for much of the 20th century. Purdy died in 1933 (which means the photo is in the public domain).

In 1902 Frederick petitioned to become a citizen of the United States. In 1907 Frederick was initiated into the Washington Lodge of the Freemasons. In 1908 he was noted in the Boston Directory as a Justice of the Peace. 

In September 1918, Frederick filled out a draft registration card. He was forty-three and employed as a bookkeeper at the Exchange Trust Co. bank. The physical description on Frederick's registration noted he was of medium height with a slender build, blue eyes, and brown hair. The First World War ended on November 11, 1918 so it is unlikely that Frederick went overseas.

The Boston Directory of 1932 noted that Frederick was a clerk for the Exchange Trust Company.

In April 1932 the Exchange Trust Company was one of the over 1,400 banks that suspended operations in 1932 and one of over 9,000 banks that failed during the Great Depression in the United States.

25 Apr 1932, Mon Fitchburg Sentinel (Fitchburg, Massachusetts) Newspapers.com

The Exchange Trust Company was taken over by the state in April 1932. The June 4, 1932 issue of the Fitchburg Sentinel noted that the assets of the Exchange Trust had been placed in the hands of a liquidator.

Frederick Rounsefell died July 1, 1932 at age fifty-six. His cause of death still to be researched.

I am grateful to Michael for his generosity in purchasing and returning the photo to me. His gift spurred me to research a member of my tree whom I had neglected. 

Everybody has a story.