William Johnston Fonds F172

A F2

Date of the items: 1873-1886

Physical description: 15 cm

Title: William Johnston Fonds

Creator: William Johnston

Repository: Trent Valley Archives

Reference number: TVA Fonds 172

Scope and contents: The fonds consists of letters written by William Johnston between 1875 and 1976 to his son who was pursuing a career as a pharmacist. These have been supplemented with strong family and genealogical research, along with documents related to Alfred J. Johnston. Most of the original letters have been Xeroxed for research purposes, and are available digitally.

The photographs and original documents that accompany the letters include an 1860 photograph of the Johnston home and tailor business on Water Street decorated for the arrival of the Prince of Wales; copies of documents related to George Johnston`s role as chief of Police, in 1885; documents related to a study group on Civic Affairs, c. 1968; and a 1968 voter=s list for polling station 102, covering the Burnham street area of Ashburnham.

Access Conditions: No Restrictions

Finding aid: See separate file listing in Excel

Accruals: No further accruals are expected

Custodial history: Donated by Carol Koselag in 2007 and 2008.

Biographical sketch: William Johnston (1819-1876) was a Peterborough tailor who lived from 1846 until his death on Water Street near Hunter Street. He was very active in the community and served with the Conservative party, the 57th Regiments, the Mechanics Institute, St Andrew=s Church, and the Loyal Orange Lodge. A very capable writer, Johnston served in many capacities, often secretarial, in these organizations. He was, for example, secretary to the Peterborough Central Fair and the Peterborough School Board. His brother, George Johnston (1822-1885) was also a tailor, serving in later years as the Chief of Police. His son, A. J. Johnston (1851-1931), who shared many of his father=s interests, was in Manitoba from 1875 to 1885. When he returned to Peterborough, he was the druggist at the Nugent Drug Company on George Street.

Three letters from this collection were published in the Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, vol. 12, no. 2 (August 2007) 18-20.

The 2008 accrual featured many documents and photographs related to the Stephens family, connected to the Johnstons by marriage, and these are filed in files 46 to 52.

Related fonds at TVA: F49 Beamish Family relates to the materials in this collection.

Access Points:
Peterborough Mechanics Institute
James and Jane Mitchell
Samuel J. Jackson
Stonewall, Manitoba
Stephens family
Pharmacies

List of Files