From Facebook

The calendar says that today is #HandwritingDay, so here are some great examples from our collections of handwriting. Featured are two pages from the records of the Order of the Royal Purple Lodge 38 Aldergrove, and from our Aldergrove Agricultural Association collection is the formation of the Building Committee in 1923.

The final image is of a note page found in our files, and we have absolutely no idea what it means or from whence it came. These items also show why being able to read cursive is a necessity when dealing with handwritten records, especially when it comes to indexing and transcribing archival materials.

#storiesmatter #localhistory #canyoureadcursive

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Bradner – 1911 From The Place Between Volume 1

Grocer George Foster Pratt (1876-1967) was born in England & married Anna Maria McLean. They had 2 sons, George Foster Jr (1899-1994) & William Percival (1905-1935).

In 1911, George came to Canada & opened Bradner's 1st store & post office where the BCER crossed Bradner Rd, with Mr. J. Pennington as a partner. George later bought out his share. Maria & the boys joined George in 1912; sadly she passed away in 1913 & was buried at Aberdeen Cemetery. George Sr later married Alice Gillard (1874-1960).

In 1911 with few families in the area, the log school doubled as a church until 1913, when St. Margaret’s Anglican Church was built. George Sr led services until an Anglican priest was available.

Bradner Mill was about 1 mile east along the BCER tracks. Many of the mill workers were East Indian folks & …

Sticking with the Bradner area, here is another hand-drawn map from The Place Between Volume 1, looking at North Bradner in the 1930s.

#localhistory #storiesmatter

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Another Bradner area map, this time from The Place Between Volume 1. Unfortunately we don't know who drew the map, and it still doesn't give any information for Bradner Road South.

You'll see that some of the names have a different font. That was to make them more legible and/or to correct spelling. The Krasniski family name was spelled horribly wrong.

#localhistory #storiesmatter

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These two maps are from the south-eastern edge of the area covered in The Place Between Volume 2. Both maps were drawn from memory, and as you can see in Map 1, Bradner, there are some houses that don't have names of the residents. If you might know who lived in one of those houses, please let us know so it can be researched and added to the map. =)

#staywarm #localhistory #storiesmatter

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Today's charts and maps are for 264 Street south from Fraser Highway to Boundary Road, 272 Street south from Fraser Highway to Warner Road (8 Avenue) and inside Aldergrove Regional Park. The names on these maps are far from complete, but they are, as with the others, a good starting point for further research.

#localhistory #storiesmatter

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Today we'll have a look at South Otter - Boundary Road up to Fraser Highway. Unfortunately they're charts and not nicely drawn maps like Mr. Hoock's, but they're still very useful. Note that many of the east-west roads that currently connect with other north-south streets did not go through during this time period.

#localhistory #storiesmatter

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Otter Road North people - today is your day. These maps are from page 92 in The Place Between Volume 2, and were drawn from the memories of Art Hoock, whose parents moved to North Otter in 1938. Mr. Hoock was extremely helpful during the compilation of Book 2; sadly, he passed away in 2021.

Image 1 is North Otter from 54th Avenue to 72nd Avenue. Image 2 is North Otter from Fraser Highway to 54th Avenue, and Image 3 is the map key as there wasn't room to put all of the names in beside the numbers. Several of the properties show progressive owners over time.

#storiesmatter #localhistory

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Some have requested information for South Coghlan. These maps/charts are from The Place Between Volume 2, page 80. We know they are not complete and lots of names are missing.

We appreciate the conversations that happen here, and we're grateful for the story bits and bobs that are shared with us by current and former area residents that can be added to Aldergrove's story.

Additionally, please keep in mind that when these maps were done in the 1980s and 1990s in preparation for Book 2, research options were not anywhere close to being comparable to what we have now, with so much material available online. These maps were done to the best of the ability of the (volunteer) book committee at the time, and were most likely based on memories, family stories and information that could have been gleaned from hard copies of materials available for access with physical trips …

We're switching neighbourhoods with today's map. This is downtown Aldergrove, and was drawn from memory by Dick Smallenberg for The Place Between Volume 2, which was published by AGHS in 2001. If you have the book, the map is on page 40.

NOTE: Something important to remember is that all of these hand drawn maps were done from a contributor's memory of areas over specific periods of time. Memory isn't always perfect, but if these maps help spur your own memories of people and places, then we consider that a win.

#mapsareawesome #localhistory #storiesmatter #puzzlepieces

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These two maps for north Coghlan and County Line were published in The Place Between Volume 2. Judging from the number of missing names on these maps, I am thinking that the map in yesterday's post was received after the books were published.

#mapsareawesome #puzzlepieces #localhistory #storiesmatter

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As promised, here is another incredible resource we knew we had, but hadn't fully familiarized ourselves with the gold mine of information it holds. Unfortunately the drawing is uncredited and undated, but perhaps we'll find more about the map's source in the written records that we've been sorting through. **Note** This is a large image, so you may want to open it in a new tab or download it to appreciate the value it holds for our research.

#mapsareawesome #localhistory #storiesmatter #puzzlepieces

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As we saw yesterday, County Line Hall was damaged in 1965 by snowfall (and the article was rich with historic information about the hall). It was ultimately condemned but the community rallied in support of the Women's Institute, owners of the hall, by raising the funds needed to fix the roof and volunteering the labour. The many community groups who made use of the hall were thankful, and the volunteer repairmen and their wives were rewarded with a supper.

#storiesmatter #localhistory

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The County Line Community Hall was damaged by snowfall early in 1965. Something that we've noticed lacking in our modern communities is the presence of the community halls that were built and used mainly by local citizens. They were an important part of our farming communities, serving many different purposes for entertainment, education, celebrations and as shared homes for various community groups. In all of Aldergrove's surrounding communities, only Coghlan Community Hall remains true to its intended purpose.

#localhistory #storiesmatter

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From egg drops to motorcycles in the gym, here are a few random group photos to start your Sunday from our Aldergrove Star Collection.

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Shenanigans at Krieger's Hatchery - at least it ended well.

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Continuing on today in celebration of BC Ringette's 50th Anniversary, here are a few more articles and photos from the first few years - so many familiar names, faces and events.

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Happy 50th To the Lower Mainland Ringette League! Many of you might not know this, but the first regulation Ringette game in BC was played right here in Aldergrove, at our (then) brand new ice arena (now long gone). Many local girls, including our society's president, played Ringette for several years - and the Aldergrove girls brought home many tournament banners. See the comments below for some Aldergrove Star articles commemorating the earliest of days for Aldergrove Ringette.

#localhistory #storiesmatter

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Some of the interesting tidbits we've come across in the reading of old newspapers. Tom Reid was our MP for a number of years, and newspapers often use short stories as space filler, such as this one from Indiana.

#storiesmatter #localhistory

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Let's start the new year with a rail mystery. Another photo scan that was found buried in the myriad of digital folders. No name for the contributor, no location, no year the photo was taken. It might be a BCER car - that's what the lettering appears to display. Perhaps one of our railway enthusiasts can shed more light on what we're seeing in this photo.

#localhistory

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