Title and statement of responsibility area
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Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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1839-1843 (Creation)
Physical description area
Physical description
10 cm of textual material.
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Archival description area
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Custodial history
Some of the material was donated to the Hamilton Public Library, Local History & Archives by a few different donors, including Mrs. W.B. Moore in 1965, Mr. Frank Jones in 1967, and Mrs. W.H. Penny [date unknown]. The collection also contains records that were found amongst the possessions of Colonel William Gourlay of the First Battalion Incorporated Militia. After his death, these papers were donated however, it is unclear as to who donated them and at what time. Other material was purchased by the Hamilton Public Library from Canada Book Auction in 1981. Earlier staff, unaware of the archival principle of provenance, placed all the material together, breaching this rule. Due to the nature of the material and the small amount, a decision was made by the archivist to keep it together and process it as a general collection on the First Battalion Incorporated Militia.
Scope and content
Series consists of an original Day Book for the First Battalion Incorporated Militia No. 2 Company, specifically Captain Brown’s Company, dated 1840, which records the financial accounts and transactions of the soldiers, including canteen purchases of items such as clothing, boots, clay pipes, plates and cups, cutlery, brushes and combs, razors, shaving boxes, soap, towels, and blacking to polish boots. There is a separate page for each soldier which records the items along with the date, and in some cases, indicates the desertion status of some of the soldiers. The series also consists of an original account ledger for the First Battalion Incorporated Militia No. 3 Company, dating from 1842-1843, which records the amount of pay and allowances for each soldier. There are also a few acquittance rolls for Captain Leonard, Captain Tench and Captain Brown’s Companies, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Allan Napier MacNab, which record the names, ranks, signatures, pay, credits and debts of each soldier, and in some cases, the articles in their possession. The series also includes some monthly clearance returns, which record similar information such as the names, ranks and signatures of each soldier, their possessions, debts and credits, as well as any remarks from the captains, including desertions. Some of the records in this series are originals, and some are photocopies of original documents.