Page 12 - Presbyterian Connection – Spring 2021
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PRESBYTERIAN
SPRING 2021
presbyterian.ca
The Presbyterian Church Archives
  By Kim Arnold, Archivist/Records Administrator
“Of all our national assets, Archives are the most precious: they are the gift of one generation to another and the extent of our care of them marks the extent of our civilization.” —Arthur Doughty, Dominion of Can- ada Archivist, 1904–1935
Archival facilities are becoming bet- ter known because they have more recently been featured in popular movies and television shows. Cue the orchestra for music full of antici- pation! An archives room can often be the place where the crucial “key” document is searched for and hope- fully retrieved by the protagonist in or- der to solve a particular mystery—or provide much needed information to further the story.
Although maybe not quite as dra- matic, this analogy fits quite nicely with the role served by the Presbyte- rian Church Archives.
How does one define “archives”? Archival records are primary source permanent documents that possess significant cultural, historical and/or evidentiary value—and are normally one-of-a-kind, unpublished items. The latter feature is what typically dis- tinguishes an archive from a library.
The Presbyterian Church Archives is a specially designed, climate-con- trolled space located at the national church office in Toronto. It houses records of various media reflecting the extensive work of the national denomination through the decades. To this end, the Archives holds docu- mentation from: congregations, all depar tments of the national office, presbyteries, synods, the Women’s Missionary Society, the Atlantic Mis- sionary Society, individual profes- sional church workers and Pres- byterian seminaries. Overall, these records date back to the year 1791 right through to present day. The me- dia we hold consists of handwritten manuscripts, typescripts, two million
variety of records and topics we have on offer to general researchers. One of the areas of this site features web exhibits on topics that speak to the wide variety of subject matter found in the Archives—residential schools; Buxton Mission and slavery; Lillian Dickson, a missionary in Taiwan; or- dination of women; and the life and ministry of one of our earliest minis- ters in Southern Ontario. Whether you are a congregational record keeper or someone simply interested in learn- ing a bit more about the fascinating history of the denomination, you can pour yourself a cup of coffee, and while away some time browsing our website.
Within the pages of the documents and images in the photos located in the Archives you will find informa- tion on such topics as: immigration, settlement, social justice, residential schools, temperance, Christian edu- cation, worship, church development, Church Union, women’s studies, ecu- menical relations, Canadian and inter- national missions, relief work, project development, issues of church and state—to name a few.
Because of this rich cache of avail- able information, our patrons come from a wide swath of backgrounds— ecumenical representatives, profes- sional historians, genealogists, theo- logues, journalists, novelists, artists, architects, musicologists, econo- mists, university/college students and
The Presbyterian Church in Canada Ar- chives, located at the national office in Toronto, circa 1999.
post-graduates.
At the time of writing, we are still
sitting amidst the constraints of the pandemic. The Archives staff can re- ceive phone calls (1-800-619-7301) and emails, but not in-person visits to the Archives. The Archives is staffed with two full-time employees, Kim Arnold, Archivist/Records Admin- istrator (karnold@presbyterian.ca) and Bob Anger, Assistant Archivist (banger@presbyterian.ca). We are happy to assist you with any records- related enquiry that pertains to the church and its history.
The Presbyterian Church Archives serves as a denominational memory bank. It is here to preserve, protect and avail the rich documentary legacy that is in our care for the benefit of present and future generations.
Connection
HISTORY
pages of microfilm, 2,700 architec- tural plans, over 35,000 photographs, film slides, glass slides, lantern slides and 800 audio-visual items. As well, for a number of years now, we have also been taking in records that are created in a digital format.
To put this into perspective, we house literally miles of records that would stretch from Toronto to Que- bec City and back again to Ottawa! They are held in over 10,000 acid-free document boxes in our record storage area of the office. A stable climate, suitable for paper, photographs and film, is needed to help preserve the records with temperature and humid- ity control.
So how is this material managed and accessed? Once we accept a collection of records we then must arrange, catalogue/describe, label and correctly store them in acid-free con- tainers so that we can effectively and efficiently access the material that is being requested by our researchers. We are a well-used resource and are available to the national church office staff, the church-at-large and the gen- eral public. On average, we receive 3,000 enquiries annually requesting assistance for specific information.
You can learn more about the Ar- chives at presbyterianarchives.ca. Our aim for this web resource is to provide specific guidance to those who are church record keepers in the denomi- nation, and to bring awareness to the
     Honouring Veterans in Charlottetown
its Honouring Our Veterans service and drama for 2020. Normally, it is one morning service, but because re- strictions limited the church to only 50 attendees per service, the church of- fered three different service times that people had to sign up for in advance. All three were full and others watched online. The blessing of the online ser- vice was that it reached people far and wide, receiving feedback from across Canada and from as far away as Ohio.
In addition to serving in team min- istry with his wife, the Rev. Paula Hamilton, at the pastoral charge of St. Mark’s and St. Columba, the Rev. Tom Hamilton is the senior chaplain of 36 Canadian Brigade Group and also serves as Padre to the Prince Edward Island Regiment, and to the Charlottetown Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.
By the Rev. Paula Hamilton, co- minister at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Since 1998, St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Charlottetown, P.E.I., has hosted an Honouring Our Veterans service and historical drama during Veterans’ Week. Each year, Major Rev. Dr. Tom Hamilton combines his extensive knowledge of Canadian military history with the true story of a Canadian soldier, airman or sailor to produce a dramatization that rec- ognizes and honours veterans. In the
historical drama, Padre Tom Ham- ilton portrayed Padre Laurence Wil- mot, who served in the West Nova Scotia Regiment during the Second World War.
“It’s essential for us to recognize the contribution of our veterans so that their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” said Hamilton. “The drama is one way of bringing their stories to life so we will better understand what it was like for our veterans during times of war.”
COVID-19 had a definite impact on the way St. Mark’s was able to host
Major Rev. Dr. Tom Hamilton, portraying Padre Laurence Wilmot of the West Nova Scotia Regiment during WWII.
Presbyterians Sharing helps connect Presbyterians with their rich history through the Presbyterian Church Archives.
 































































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