Collection search - Marcus Smith fonds [textual record, cartographic material, graphic material]

Record information – Brief
1
Marcus Smith fonds [textual record, cartographic material, graphic material]

Hierarchical level:

Fonds

Date:

1815-2001.

Reference:

R7327-0-5-E, MG29-B6

Type of material:

Textual material, Maps and cartographic material, Photographs, Art

Found in:

Archives / Collections and Fonds

Item ID number:

97804

Context of this record:

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Marcus Smith fonds
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Record information – Details
Fonds includes:

6 lower level description(s)
View lower level description(s)

Date(s):

1815-2001.

Place of creation:

Various places

Extent:

86 cm of textual records : some photocopies.
1 profile.
252 photographs.
1 print : engraving.
1 v. (26 p.) 21 x 15 cm.

Language of material:

English

Accession:

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Marcus Smith fonds [textual record, graphic material]

Scope and content:

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Fonds consists of textual records including letterbooks, correspondence, specifications etc. relating to surveys and construction of railways such as the Great Western Railway, Intercolonial Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, 1853-1898; extracts from letterbooks and contracts; a narrative of works constructed under Smith's supervision; material relating to the proposed Georgian Bay Canal, including a number of pamphlets; diaries for 1867, 1869-1871; an autobiographical sketch and reminiscences. There is material relating to his brother, sons and daughters. Also material relating to his wife, Anne Brock Smith and the Brock family.

Fonds also includes cartographic material: a profile of the Ottawa and French River Waterway.

Fonds also includes photographic material: a 19th century album probably created by a member of the Smith family, including members of the Marcus Smith, Sandford Fleming, Brock, Brophy, Street, and Chester families. The album includes three group shots of identified individuals involved with the creation and construction of the interColonial railway. Canadian views include eight by Alexander Henderson, taken when he was photographing for the InterColonial Railway; and thirteen views of Brockville and area. Also in the fonds are a number of loose photographs relating to several subjects, in both the 19th and 20th centuries.

Provenance:

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Smith, Marcus, 1815-1904

Biography/Administrative history:

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Smith, Marcus, 1815-1904 : Marcus Smith was born in Ford, Northumberland UK on 16 July 1815. After a local education, he started work in railway construction in 1844. He worked his way up to become a railway engineer and was responsible for building 230 miles of railway. He also worked on railway construction in France and the United States before coming to Canada in 1850. Between 1850 and 1860 he was employed in survey and construction work on the Great Western Railway, Hamilton and Toronto Railway and the Niagara and Detroit River Railway. He was engaged in railway work in South Africa, 1860-1864. Returning to Canada, he was resident engineer for the Restigouche Division of the Intercolonial Railway from 1868 to 1872 under the Chief Engineer, Sanford Fleming.

When Fleming became Chief Engineer of the Pacific Railway in 1872, Smith was put in charge of route surveys from the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean. Smith was also acting engineer-in-chief between 1876 and 1878 during Fleming's absence. When the Canadian Pacific Railway was formed in 1881, Smith joined the CPR engineering staff, doing location work and inspecting contractors' work. Smith left the CPR in 1886 and became a consulting engineer and inspector for the federal government on projects such as railroads in the Maritimes. He retired from government work in 1893. Marcus Smith then did preliminary estimates for the Montreal, Ottawa and Georgian Bay Canal, Trans-Canada Railway and Hudson's Bay & Pacific Railway up to 1898. He died on 14 August 1904 in Ottawa.

Finding aid:

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Textual records (Electronic) The finding aid is a file list. Also available is an appendix containning an author index for letterbooks (Vol. 1-8). The appendix is only available in paper format and must be consulted on site. This finding aid includes volumes 1 to 22. MSS0581 (90: Open)
http://data2.archives.ca/pdf/pdf001/p000000984.pdf

Additional information:

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General note:

Textual records acquired in 1949 from Miss Clarice Smith of Ottawa, Ont; cartographic material and report by Marcus Smith received from Laura M. Peach, grand-daughter of Marcus Smith, in May 1990. Additional material received from Laura M. Peach in 2002.

Related material:

The Cartographic Division holds additional maps by Marcus Smith. An itemized list is located in the cartographic accession file.
1.5 cm of material was added to Thomas R.B. Smith fonds (MG29, B7).
Subject heading:

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Railroad engineering, 1853-1901 Intercolonial Railway, 1815-1904

Transportation - Canada - History, 1853-1901 Canadian Pacific Railway, 1853-1901

Railroad engineering, 1853-1901 Georgian Bay Canal, 1895-1901

Civil engineers - Canada, 1838-1901 Sir Sandford Fleming, [ca. 1853-1901]

Civil engineers - Diaries, 1869-1971 Sir Collingwood Schreiber, 1853-1901

Civil engineers - Correspondence, 1853-1901 Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, [ca. 1853-1901]

Civil engineers - Biography, 1838-1901

Family - Records, 1815-1904
Source:

Private

Related control no.:

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2003-00092-5
MG29-B6

Former archival reference no.:

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MG29-B6
Ordering and viewing options

Conditions of access:

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Textual records

[Consultation90 Open]

Finding aid box [FA 581] 59

[Consultation 10 Closed]

Cartographic material

[Consultation90 Open]

Graphic (photo)

[Consultation90 Open]

Graphic (art)

[Consultation90 Open]

Terms of use:

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Cartographic material: No restrictions concerning access or reproduction.
Photographic: Credit: National Archives of Canada / [copy negative number]
Photographic: Copyright: Expired

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Date modified:: 2024-04-09