Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Edward Alexander Wilson fonds
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- Textual record
- Photograph
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Fonds
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Physical description
- 0.13 m of textual records
- 202 photographs (prints)
- 89 negatives
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Edward Alexander Wilson was born August 27, 1906, in Liverpool England. He came to Canada in 1931 at the age of 25, and after making short stays in Montreal, Winnipeg, Toronto, and the Yukon, eventually made his way to B.C. After travelling across Canada by train in 1935, Wilson worked at a variety of temporary labouring jobs, including fruit picking in the Okanagan, before eventually settling in Vancouver. During the 1930's, he supported himself by doing a wide variety of odd jobs and casual labour, including gardening, painting, wood cutting, hauling, etc., and secured temporary lodgings wherever he could afford. During the 1940's he did some work for Sun Directories, and starting about 1950 was employed by Canada Permanent Trust, retiring around 1972. Wilson never married, but in his later years, was active as a volunteer grandfather with the Volunteer Grandparents Association of Vancouver. Mr. Wilson died July 18, 1985.
Custodial history
After Wilson's death in 1985, his personal papers came into the possession of Rose Hilton, whose family was involved with Mr. Wilson through the Volunteer Grandparents Association of Vancouver.
Scope and content
The fonds consists of journals, correspondence, vital events records, photographs, stocks and shares, personal documents, and collected publications. The journals document Mr. Wilson's travels to Canada, British Columbia, and the Yukon, his efforts to find daily employment, sustenance, and accommodations during the years of the Great Depression, leisure and recreational pursuits, his personal reflections on his health, well-being, and general situation, and observations of his daily surroundings. The correspondence reflects the concerns and daily lives of his immediate family (parents and siblings) back in Liverpool, and his relationships to them, as well as general reflections on world affairs, particularly World War II. The collected publications include two on the topic of transvestism.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
The records were donated by Rose Hilton in May, 2011.
Arrangement
Arrangement done by Archivist.
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Finding aids
File list available.