Collection consists of a mixture of materials about Robert Gourlay and his family, and records created by him and his family. It contains correspondence, genealogical charts, autobiographical notes of Gourlay, records regarding the Gourlay family in Scotland, records regarding the disposition of Gourlay's lands in Dereham Township in Oxford County, Canada West, as well as two replies to questionnaires submitted by Gourlay. Correspondence includes material regarding Mrs. Jean Gourlay and children of Robert Gourlay. Also included is correspondence of William Renwick Riddell, an early biographer of Gourlay, and correspondence concerning people possessing documents relating to Robert Gourlay. Correspondence also includes letters between Robert Gourlay and his first wife Jean (Henderson) Gourlay, and the children by his first wife (Jean, Jessie, Oliver, Helen, and Catherine). Most of Gourlay's letters to his family at this time were written from the United States when he resided in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Ohio. These letters refer to family matters, and Gourlay's struggle with the government of Upper Canada and the government of the United Province of Canada.
Material regarding the disposition of Gourlay's lands in Dereham Township consists of correspondence between Robert Gourlay's daughter Helen, and his second wife Mary concerning a dispute over the real estate. Other records include a promissory note, a bond, a discharge of debt, and memorandum of agreement between Mary Gourlay and Joseph Riddell concerning intent to convey land, and a power of attorney between Robert Gourlay and John Smith of Dereham.
Collection also includes miscellaneous items, including: the original prospectus of a newspaper called the Commonweal which was to be edited by Gourlay; replies from Trafalgar Township to questionnaires posed by Gourlay for the collection of data for the Statistical Account of Upper Canada; minutes of a meeting held by inhabitant of Haldimand Township including the chiefs of the Five Nations for the purpose of supplying data for the same account; newspaper clippings concerning the career of Robert Gourlay (three of which were written by Mabel Burkholder); a memorandum of biographical data concerning Robert Gourlay by James McIntyre; a typescript of excerpts of articles in the Ingersoll Chronicle concerning Gourlay's bid for election to the Legislative Assembly; notes on Robert Gourlay by Ethel Canfield; and an excerpt from the Illustrated London News, concerning the choice of Bytown as Canada's capital.
Collection also includes miscellaneous legal records, concerning the marriage between Robert Gourlay's parents, the marriage between Robert Gourlay and Mrs. Jean Stewart (nee Henderson), the estate of Oliver Gourlay, and the Gourlay family tree.
For a more detailed description, use this link to the Archives of Ontario's descriptive database: http://ao.minisisinc.com/scripts/mwimain.dll/144/PROV/PROV/REFD+F+72?SESSIONSEARCH
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