Fonds 179 Mary Belcourt Davis fonds

1 sound recording

Date: ca. 1910-1945 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

This series consists of copies of 12 photographs of the Calliou family.

Physical description: 12 photographs

Access points:

•                Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)

Publication status:

Published

Copy of a photograph showing Louis Calliou and Annie Donald. They arrived in the Grande Prairie area in the late 1800s and were part of the group of Iroquois Metis who settled around Flying Shot Lake.

Copy of a photograph showing Betsy (Elizabeth) Calliou, daughter of Louis & Annie Calliou, with her son Frank Beatty and granddaughter, Vera Davis.

Copy of a photograph showing Betsy Calliou with her grandchildren: Ira, Vera, Norman, (unknown), and Evelyn Davis.

Copy of a photograph showing Frank Beatty, son of Betsy Calliou.

Copy of a photograph showing Joe Gladue, son of Betsy Calliou, who died of tuberculosis at about the age of five.

Copy of a photograph showing twins born to Betsy Calliou. They died as toddlers.

Copy of a photograph showing Frank Beatty and friend at Sturgeon Lake.

Copy of a photograph showing St. Francis Xavier Mission Church at Sturgeon Lake Settlement.

Copy of a photograph showing a crew of workmen with tractor beside St. Francis Xavier Mission Church at Sturgeon Lake Settlement.

Copy of a photograph showing Frank Beatty, youngest child of Betsy Calliou.

Copy of a photograph of Mary Belcourt Davis with her aunt, Mrs. Felix Calliou.

Copy of a photograph showing Mr. and Mrs. Felix Calliou.

Date: ca. 1920 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

This series consists of copies of nine photographs of Mary Belcourt.

Physical description: 9 photographs

Access points:

•                Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)

Publication status:

Published

Copy of a photograph showing Mary Belcourt (on left), daughter of Betsy Calliou, and two unidentified people.

Copy of a photograph showing Mary Belcourt and an unidentified man at the doorway to Alberta Rooms.

Copy of a photograph showing Mary Belcourt and friend on the backyard fence of a Grande Prairie home.

Copy of a photograph showing Mary Belcourt (on stretcher) and friend, Liz LeClerc, playacting.

Copy of a formal portrait of Mary Belcourt and friend, Liz LeClerc.

Copy of a photograph showing Mary Belcourt (right) and friend on the steps of the passenger car of the train. They are wearing matching outfits.

Copy of a photograph showing Mary Belcourt (right) with an unidentified woman, possibly her sister.

Copy of a photograph showing Mary Belcourt (right) with a young woman, possibly her sister Selina, sitting on the front steps of the house.

Copy of a photograph showing Mary Belcourt and Eddie Love in the front garden of a Grande Prairie home.

Date: 1932-ca. 1970 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

This series consists of copies of 11 photographs of Mary, Thomas, and their children.

Physical description: 11 photographs

Access points:

•                Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)

Publication status:

Published

Copy of a photograph showing Vera Kathleen Davis as a toddler in her mother’s garden at their Grande Prairie home.

Copy of a photograph showing Tom Davis with Vera and Harry Thomas (Ira) at their home across from the Grande Prairie Railroad Station.

Copy of a photograph showing Tom and Mary Davis with their children Vera, Ira, and Evelyn on the front steps of their Grande Prairie home.

Copy of a photograph showing Tom and Mary Davis with their children Vera, Ira, Evelyn, and Norman, accompanied by Stella Belcourt.

Copy of a photograph showing Tom, Mary, and their four children posing together outside. Tom is wearing a military uniform. He enlisted in World War II about 1941.

Copy of a photograph showing Mary Davis with son Norman Robert in Edmonton.

Copy of a photograph showing Mary Davis with Vera, Ira, and Evelyn.

Copy of a photograph showing Mary Davis with Evelyn and Norman in Edmonton about 1950.

Copy of a photograph showing Evelyn Davis and son Dwight.

Copy of a photograph showing Vera Davis holding her son, David.

Copy of a photograph showing Mary Belcourt Davis with daughters Vera and Evelyn and grandchildren David, Darcy, Dean, Louise, and Cindy.

Date: ca. 1920-ca. 1940 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

This series consists of copies of five photographs of members of the St. Pierre Ferguson family.

Physical description: 5 photographs

Access points:

•                Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)

Publication status:

Published

Copy of a photograph showing the St. Pierre Ferguson family, friends of the Calliou family, posing outside of a log building.

Copy of a photograph showing Malcolm (Mac) and Henry Ferguson (left to right) who enlisted in World War II about 1940. This photograph was taken outside of the home of Henry and Marion Ferguson in Rycroft.

Copy of a photograph showing Jim Ferguson in uniform.

Copy of a photograph showing Florence Ferguson Gwin, daughter of St. Pierre and Philomene Ferguson, and younger sister to Henry, Jim, and Malcolm.

Copy of a photograph showing the Henry and Marion Ferguson family, taken outside of their home in Rycroft. Back row: Henry and Marion. Middle row: Gordon, Eleanor, and Terry. Front row: Herb.

Date: ca. 1940-ca. 1945 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

This series consists of copies of four photographs of members of the DeWinter family.

Physical description: 4 photographs

Access points:

•                Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)

Publication status:

Published

Copy of a photograph showing Mary DeWinter holding daughter Myrtle. Mary was the daughter of St. Pierre and Philomene Ferguson.

Copy of a photograph showing Harry and Mary DeWinter and family in Spirit River.

Copy of a photograph showing Harry and Mary DeWinter and son in Spirit River.

Copy of a photograph showing Myrtle DeWinter (left) and friend.

Date: 2005 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

The series consists of one oral history recorded with Vera Davis Miles, daughter of Mary Belcourt Davis, and Cindy Desrosiers, daughter of Evelyn Davis.

Physical description: 1 sound recording

Access points:

•                Sound recording (documentary form)

Publication status:

Published

Belcourt-Davis Interview, May 26, 2005 with Vera Miles, daughter of Mary Belcourt Davis, and Cindy Desrosiers, grand-daughter. Mary was the daughter of Betsy Calliou, daughter of Louis Calliou and Annie Donald who lived in the Flying Shot Lake Settlement in the early 1900s.

017 Cindy’s research into the lives of Louis Calliou and Annie Donald and the Iroquois-Metis group at Flying Shot Lake.

055 Betsy and Mary born in Lac St. Anne

073 Vera’s memories of her grandmother, Betsy Calliou, when she spent summers with her at Sturgeon Lake.

088 Grandmother’s home and furniture: log house, sparse furniture, hand-made quilts, oil lamps.

110 Grandmother’s clothing: made all her own, dark clothing, black coat, straw hat, black beads, and prayer book, moccasins.

144 Part religion played in her life: Sturgeon Lake Church, prayed every day in Cree.

159 Level of education/occupation: couldn’t read or write, very little money – lived on relief, made moccasins. Son Frank worked for the mission.

180 Foods she prepared: dried meat, boiled fish and potatoes, porridge and bannock.

200 Lived across from the Hudson’s Bay Store at Sturgeon Lake.

202 Sturgeon Lake Community: store, school, bus orders.

223 Dorm at Sturgeon Lake Mission where Vera would sometimes sleep over. Grandmother wanted her to learn the same things as the girls in the dorm; curling hair with sardine can lids, personal hygiene pads made of flannelette.

270 Cindy’s stories about Great-grandmother. Grandmother (Mary Belcourt-Davis) didn’t talk about her family. When she spoke Cree with a friend told the grandchildren she was speaking French. Saved a box of photographs but never showed them to anyone.

290 Grandmother’s practices in dealing with sickness: Mustard plasters.

313 Mary Belcourt’s childhood – in Grande Prairie, no education, very unhappy but loved her mom.

342 Mary lived with her children till she died, told them it was better that no one knew they had “Indian” blood. Now the children and grandchildren are proud to have Indigenous blood.

390 Mary’s teenage years: better years as a teenager, friends, boyfriends, dances. Talks about Liz LeClerc, Mac & Jim Ferguson, Jean McPherson.

420 married Tom Davis in 1930, moved to Edmonton in the late 30s where girls were put into the O’Connell Institute and Ira went to St. Mary’s Boys Home. Mary was pregnant with Norman at the time, worked at a gas company.

465 Father went to war – gone 6 years. Family lived on the army pay in Edmonton near the downtown core.

495 Mary passed away in 1972.

548 Mary preserved the photos. Originally they were Betsy’s, sent to Mary on her death. Kept in the steamer trunk with her moccasin kit. Realized their importance but didn’t want to talk about it.

587 End of tape.