Fonds 341 Marion Hill fonds

893 photographs

Date: 1920-1929 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

The series consists of one photograph album documenting the childhood of Marion Heller in Beaverlodge and White Rock, B.C. Many of the photographs were taken and developed by her mother, Laura Heller. The photographs are glued into a black-paged album bound in leather. Subjects include Marion as a baby, Ed & Laura Heller, the homestead house and activities on the farm, extended family in White Rock, and playing in the snow on the banks of Bear Creek.

Physical description: 62 photographs

Access points:

•                Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)

Publication status:

Published

First log barn and cabin home for Ed and Laura Heller on the homestead south-west of Beaverlodge.

Marion Marie Heller was born in the log cabin at the homestead near Beaverlodge. She is shown in these photographs as an infant of five weeks with her father Edward Heller and her maternal grandfather, Logan Davis, who came for a visit from Westminster, British Columbia, to see the new baby.

Wedding photograph for Ed Heller and Laura Davis, and their first log cabin on the homestead. Ed and Laura were married at Fred & Daisy Dixon’s home southwest of Beaverlodge.

Twelve baby photographs of Marion, between 3 and 9 months of age, at Beaverlodge with her mother Laura, her father Edward, and the family dog. Photographs also show the pram and a small rocking chair used when she was an infant.

Fourteen photographs of Marion Heller, at about one year of age, on her first trip to British Columbia to visit family in White Rock and Vancouver. Subjects include her grandmother Elizabeth Davis; Aunt Ella (Davis) MacKenzie and her husband Dougal; her cousin Marion Dixon, the daughter of Fred & Daisy Dixon, who also homesteaded at Appleton; Rose Devlin (Patterson); and Aunt Lily’s garden in Vancouver. Photographs also show the log ocean wall and the “white rock” at White Rock.

Studio portrait of Marion Marie Heller at one year of age, and the extended family celebrating her first birthday at Cloverdale, B.C.

Twelve photographs of Marion on the homestead in the winter of 1923-1924. Scenes include Marion in her pram beside her father’s Fordson Tractor; the sleigh which took the place of the pram in winter; her wooden “play pen” in the yard; playing out in the snow with cousins Hazel and Marion Dixon; her brother Robert, who was born in 1923; her dolly in a home-made doll sleigh; and playing with Robert in the snow.

Two photographs taken on another trip to White Rock in the summer of 1924 shows Marion and her brother Robert with Grandmother Davis in the yard of her home, and playing in the ocean with their cousins.

Three photographs of Laura Davis and her children, Marion and Robert, with bundles of oats in the harvested field on their Beaverlodge homestead.

Two photographs of Edward Heller with his children, Marion and Robert, on the snowy banks of Bear Creek. This was at the home of Daisy (Davis) and Fred Dixon, who lived on 102 Street in Grande Prairie, at about 94th Avenue.

Ten photographs of the Heller children (now including Marion, Robert, and Edna, born in 1926) back with the extended family in the White Rock area. Subjects include Edna’s first birthday at Aunt Ella’s in Cloverdale; cousin Georgie; visiting with Laura’s English cousins at Aunt Mary’s; babysitter Beth Creelman; and various family and friends.

Date: 1929-1960 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

The series consists of a series one small black photograph album with scrollwork on the front cover. It contains 119 photographs which document the life of Marion Heller from about age 9 to age 30. It covers her life in Beaverlodge, White Rock and Victoria, and includes May Day activities in White Rock, the family in White Rock, the Heller farm, activities with friends at the farm, camping at Lake Saskatoon with the CGIT, picnics at the Halcourt Picnic grounds, teaching at Elmworth and McKenzie School, Dorothy Patterson’s wedding, Ed Heller’s enlistment in World War II, Robert in the Air Force, Marion in Normal School, her Normal School Instructors, and traveling home from Edmonton via Athabasca with four other girls from Beaverlodge and Grande Prairie. There are also Grade 9 High School Entrance examinations in mathematics, science, health education, English language and literature, and general knowledge, gathered when she was teaching at Elmworth School.

Physical description: 2 cm textual records

119 photographs

Access points:

•                Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)

Publication status:

Published

Three photographs showing groups of young girls in costume celebrating May Day in White Rock. May 24th was a big celebration. At the elementary school, there was a queen, princesses, and flower girls dressed in crepe paper. In the first photograph, Marion is in the bottom row, second from right. The third photo, from 1931, was sent to Marion as a gift.

Nine photographs of the Heller children in White Rock from 1929-1931, when the family lived in that community while Mr. Heller received treatment for his war injuries. The group now includes Beth, who was born in 1928. Scenes include Marion in May Day and Hallowe’en costumes; Marion in her father’s policeman jacket and hat; and the children in Stanley Park.

Fourteen photographs of the Heller children growing up on the now well-established Heller farm, showing the two-story white farm house, and swings in the yard. Scenes include Grandma Davis; the Dixon family, including Myrtle Dixon Dorscheid; the cart and the sleigh in which they travelled to Appleton School; the 1935 flood on the Beaverlodge River; playing on the banks of the Red Willow River; and friend Hannah Laing at the Andy Laing house in Halcourt.

Fifteen photographs of Marion, her family and friends during her late teen-age and young adult years, when she was training in Edmonton. Scenes include the four Heller children as young adults in 1946; Robert in his dorm after he joined the Air Force; Marion and friends at Normal School; Marion and her parents in the farm yard; scene from the house to the road on the farm; Beth, Edna and Robert on the farm; and a family photograph.

Teenagers diving into “the old swimming hole” north of the bridge over the Beaverlodge River, just beside the Heller farm.

Parents and children at the Elmworth School.

Photographs taken during the time Marion was in summer school in Victoria after World War II was over. Scenes include the University buildings, her boarding house, friends and family in Cloverdale and Victoria; and travel photos. Also included were photographs of the daughter of Valerie (Ellwood) Patterson, who had been Marion’s dance teacher in Beaverlodge.

Four photographs of Marion Heller’s students at McKenzie Avenue School playing out in the yard. There is also a news clipping showing the exterior of McKenzie Avenue School and an interior shot of Marion Heller with her class. Titled “Attend Classes in Converted Army Hut”, the caption says: “Thirty-seven children in grades three and four at McKenzie Avenue School have been moved into the converted army hut, which provides a large, airy and well-lighted classroom. It has eight large windows, as well as eight light fixtures to provide light. The walls are peach and pale green, and a heater in the room provides adequate warmth. Miss Marion M. Heller is the teacher. Caption for the exterior view reads: “An outside view of McKenzie Avenue annex, showing how a coat of paint makes an army hut a presentable addition to the school system.”

Miscellaneous photographs of Marion Heller’s family and friends, many of them back on the farm after the war. Subjects include Beth in Nurse’s Training; Marion posing with friends as farm workers on the binder and hauling wood; the Grande Prairie Airport; and a family photograph.

Edna and Beth Heller were the two bridesmaids when Dorothy Patterson (daughter of D.W. and Rose Devlin Patterson) married Douglas Hall.

Class photographs for Marion Heller’s students at McKenzie Avenue School from 1947-1950. In one of them she is wearing her navy uniform, remade into a suit.

While living in Victoria, Marion took craft classes in making dolls and stuffed toys. These photographs show the products made in those classes.

A group of young girls in costume celebrating May Day in White Rock.

Class photograph for Marion Heller’s students at McKenzie Avenue School in 1951.

Date: 1935-1946 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

The series consists of photographs relating to Marion’s activities just prior to and during World War II. There is also a copy of the Canadian Army Training Pamphlet No. 1, titled “A General Instructional Background for the Young Soldier, 1940”, with information on Infantry Drill, Marching and Physical Training; Weapon Training; Application of Fire; Protection Against Gas; Organization and Tactical Training; Field Engineering; and Military Law and Interior Economy.

The photographs show Marion’s high school class in Beaverlodge, the Royal Tour in Edmonton, training in Normal School in Edmonton, her first practice teaching assignment at Robin Hood School District near Bon Accord, her Normal School Instructors, traveling home from Edmonton via Athabasca with four other girls from Beaverlodge and Grande Prairie, and teaching at Elmworth the first two years after she qualified. There are also photographs of Marion Dixon’s Wedding, the Heller farm, camping at Lake Saskatoon with the CGIT, dance revue costumes made by Marion, and the enlistment of Ed Heller in the Army and Robert Heller in the Air Force in World War II.

Physical description: 1 cm textual records

275 photographs

Access points:

•                Textual record (documentary form)

•                Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)

Publication status:

Published

A casual photograph of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth when Marion traveled to Edmonton for their 1939 tour.

Two photographs of Beaverlodge High School students in 1936. One is a casual photograph at the end of year picnic, the other a more formal group on the front steps of the high school. Marion Heller is first on the left, bottom row.

Family photograph taken at Marion Dixon’s wedding.

Marion with her oldest son, Donald.

Wedding party portrait at Marion Dixon’s wedding.

Twelve photographs showing various scenes on the Heller farm: trumpeter swans on Heller’s Lake, the Heller girls in 1936, teachers in the area, and family picnics and groupings. One photograph shows Marion with three local teachers on horseback: Evelynn Deby, Miss Chechulak, and Dorthy Idhe. Another shows Valerie Ellwood, who taught dance in Grande Prairie, but took the train out to Beaverlodge to teach dance lessons there. She later married George Patterson.

Thirteen photographs of a trip to South Dakota and Nebraska to visit Heller relatives in 1937. The only photographs identified are of Louis and Marie Heller. This was the only time the Heller children saw her father’s parents.

Leaders at CGIT Camp on Saskatoon Island ca. 1949 include Kay Smith (far left, back row), Mrs. Lawlor (second from right, back row); middle row, left to right: Mrs. Jean Carlisle and Madelon (Flint) Truax; front row, second from right, Mildred Hill, Alice Smith, and Lillian Carscaden.

Girls at CGIT Camp on Saskatoon Island ca. 1940. From left to right, Evelyn/Kay Keys, Flora Lawlor, Rhoda Patterson, and four girls from the Sudeten settlement at Tupper Creek south of Dawson Creek.

Seven casual snapshots of CGIT camp on Saskatoon Island include the group cooking on the lakeshore, Marion Heller in her uniform, the Beaverlodge United Church troop, leaders Kay Smith and Valerie Ellwood, the entire camp, and a group of girls doing the Sailors Horn Pipe Dance, taught to them by Valerie Ellwood.

Two photographs of Marion Heller and Geraldine Proud, of Beaverlodge, in CGIT uniform when they went to see the Royal Tour in Edmonton. The trip by car took two days out and two days back, all the way around by Peace River and Lesser Slave Lake.

Two photographs of dance uniforms made by Marion Heller. In one photograph, the three girls are wearing Spanish dance style costumes. In the other, they are wearing tap dance costumes.

Formal studio portrait of Ed and Laura Heller’s children in 1940. From left to right: Edna, Beth, Robert, Marion.

Two casual snapshots of Marion (Dixon) Bacon’s son in summer and in winter.

Six casual snapshots of CGIT Camp on Saskatoon Island.

Eight friends of Marion Heller’s who attended her birthday party in 1940.

Fourteen photographs taken on the Heller farm at Beaverlodge. Subjects include biking, making ice cream, landscapes, girls in dance costumes, family groupings, Marion on the binder behind a team of horses, Grandma Davis, and Islay Cox in Marion’s doll buggy.

Two photographs taken when the CGIT traveled to Edmonton to see King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The photographs show the Dunvegan Ferry over the Peace River and the CGIT girls on a grandstand along the road.

Four photographs of grain being harvested with a binder, horses and wagon, and a stationary thresher.

Three Cox children enjoying food and hats at a birthday party.

Ed Heller enlisted in World War II. Five photographs showing the family in the winter of 1940, as he was enlisting. Scenes include Ed (in uniform) with his three daughters, and with his son Robert; Beth and Edna in winter clothing on their bikes; and Marion in the farm yard.

Eleven photographs showing Marion at Normal School in Edmonton. Subjects include various friends and the buildings on campus.

A woman, likely Marion, holding a baby.

In the summer of 1941, Marion Heller practice taught at Robin Hood School District near Bon Accord. Here she is with about 25 of her students.

Four photographs of Marion at home and on the farm. She is shown on a tractor, and holding a baby. Another photograph shows a Christmas tree, and one shows three horses.

Eight photographs of instructors at Normal School in Edmonton in 1941. Those identified are Hastie, Higgins, Twomey, Haverstock, Lord, Jonason, Manning, and Tuck.

Four photographs of Marion Dixon and her baby.

Four photographs of traveling back to Edmonton via the Athabasca Ferry, and life at the boarding house.

Edna and Beth Heller wearing dance costumes created by Marion.

Twenty-four photographs of the Heller children in various seasons and dress, on the Heller farm at Beaverlodge. There is also a photograph of George and Valerie Patterson, and of Marion at Normal School Graduation in 1941. Other scenes include playing softball at Red Willow, making ice cream in the yard, and the two younger Heller girls in bathing costumes.

Nine photographs of activities at Elmworth School when Marion Heller was teaching there from 1941-1943. Elmworth School occupied two one-room log buildings. The first year Marion taught the junior room, but the second year she had all the children in one class because a second teacher could not be found. This was during the war years when many of the male teachers had been conscripted. The scenes include students, buildings, and a volleyball game.

Louis Heller learning to type for his new position as magistrate in Winner, South Dakota.

Sixty photographs of family and friends in Beaverlodge and White Rock. Individuals include Islay Cox, Lois Pandachuk, Grandma Davis, and trips to White Rock and Jasper. Two photos taken in the home include the Heller family at the dining table and the Heller “orchestra” gathered around the piano. There is also one photograph of the students at Elmworth School in 1943.

Three Heller girls and two Americans from the Saskatoon Mountain Air Station, taking a ride with horses and sleigh on New Year’s Day, 1943.

Marion Heller with her birthday cake on her 21st birthday.

Robert Heller, in Air Force uniform, in Vancouver.

Four photographs taken in the summer of 1942, including a picnic on the banks of the Red Willow River, and the three Heller girls in bathing costumes.

Six photographs taken in the summer of 1943, including picking rocks in the field, another family picnic, and a trip to Pidgeon Lake.

Seven photographs of Marion Heller with other students at Summer School in Victoria in 1943.

Three photographs of North Sexsmith School students when Marion Heller was teaching them in the Spring of 1946, after she returned from the Navy. One of the photos shows the children playing a circle game outside of the log school on the occasion of the June Picnic.

George Longson taking Marion for a toboggan ride behind the horse.

Seven photographs of life back home on the Heller farm, including some photos of Rhoda Patterson and the Heller girls in winter dress walking on the road and skating on the Beaverlodge River.

Six photographs taken while Marion was teaching at Kleskun Hill School show the school buildings, the class outside the school, going to school in the sleigh during the winter and the cart in the summer, and the Bjerke family and their home where she boarded.

Two photographs of the Kinuseo Falls on the journey to Monkman Pass.

Nineteen photographs of weddings and family events, including the wedding of Rhoda Patterson to Paul Miller, which includes snapshots of D.W. and Rose Patterson; Dorothy and Harold Bailey; Ellen and Cliff Bristow; Louise and Charlie Cruz. There is also a photo of a burning oil well on the banks of the Peace River just outside of Peace River town.

Six photographs of a trip to Monkman Pass showing the roads, fishing in the rivers, and picnicking enroute.

Two early colour photographs, badly discolored, of a trip in Victoria with Shirley Fink in her Red Cross uniform.

Date: 1944-1946 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

The series consists of one photograph album documenting the life of Marion Hill as an Navy WREN from 1944-1946.

Physical description: 69 photographs

Note:

Historical notes taken from “The Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRENS)”, an article written by Marilyn Gurney ca. 2000.

Access points:

•                Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)

Publication status:

Published

WREN Heller W3700 at HMCS Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service.

Eight photographs of Marion Heller as a WREN Heller at HMCS Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. Photographs show Marion arriving in April 1944, the parade square, the uniform, and the girls relaxing on the grounds.

Six photographs of Marion Heller at HMCS Cornwallis, on the east side of Nova Scotia, where she served as a Supply assistant. Photographs show staff, view over the ocean, and a trip to Montreal.

Seventeen photographs of Marion Heller at HMCS Avalon in Newfoundland. Photos show barracks inside and out, other WRENS and sailors in the Canadian Navy, highway out of St. John’s, and buildings in the city.

Twelve photographs of Marion Heller on leave in 1945. She is in uniform but with friends and family at home.

Twenty-three photographs of Marion Heller at HMCS Stadacona in Nova Scotia. Photos show scenes around Halifax, including a captured German submarine in the harbour at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and the HMCS Petrolia. They also record visits to Peggy’s Cove, Lunenberg, and Charlottetown.

Two photographs of WRENS enjoying Christmas festivities in the lounge at HMCS Peregrine in Halifax. These were taken as Marion was preparing to exit the navy.

Date: 1942-1955 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

The series consists of a scrapbook, titled “Snaps and Scraps” containing photographs and newspaper articles. The photographs are mostly unidentified snaps of family and friends, but include many weddings and historical events such as the geological lectures at the Kleskun Hills and the opening of the Smoky River Bridge. The newspaper articles include a photograph of Beaverlodge from the air about 1952; Albert and Vernon Hill receiving awards in a Better Farming Competition ca. 1950; Vernon Hill competing in the Alberta Curling Brier in 1954; the Victoria Annual Police Ball which Marion attended with a Victoria policeman ca. 1950; a dance competition at the YMCA in Victoria won by Marion ca. 1950; marriage of Edna Heller to Stanley Sparkes; Appleton News in 1945 about Wren Marion Heller; Marion teaching at RCAF School; Beta Sigma Phi group in Victoria in 1951; marriage of Beth Heller to Bruce MacDonell; Girls Air Cadets squadron in Grande Prairie under Marion’s leadership in 1955; Marion as a principal in the 1950s; and a song written by Marion while in the Air Force.

Physical description: 371 photographs

Access points:

•                Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)

•                Textual record (documentary form)

Publication status:

Published

Nine photographs of Marion and a friend in front of a Battery Brake and Tire Shop, “on the Malahat”, in Cathedral Grove, and on the road to Port Alberni in 1949. A handwritten note slipped into the album reads: “I made all my clothes, dresses and suits, etc. except a coat.”

Fourteen photographs of activities with the Heller family: the house on the farm, the bridge over the river, building the new barn, Robert and Doug Mackie in Air Force uniform, Vera Thiel and the Hartiman family, Gordon and Alice Moyer at Elmworth, the new threshing machine, and women picking saskatoons.

Photographs taken when Marion was living in Victoria from 1947-1951.

Portrait of the children of Edna and Gordon Moyer in the living room of their home.

Fifteen photographs taken about the time Robert Heller married Muriel Fulton in Armstrong, B.C. Photos show a winter wedding with family groupings in the snow, the wedding party on the snowy steps of church and home, Robert with his best man, bomber pilot Lloyd Pond; and a small log home labeled “Robert’s House”. This was originally the homestead house of Bertram Elcombe and later added on to. A handwritten note in the album reads: “Robert credits his bomber pilot with getting the plane safely back from a raid on Germany.”

Eight photographs of family and friends ca. 1950 including Beth Heller in her nurse’s uniform; Millie Davis with her son Gordon; and two children identified as Daphne and John. A handwritten note in the album says, “One summer, instead of coming home, I worked for their [Daphne and John] parents north of Victoria.”

Twelve photographs of visits to White Rock.

Six photographs of Marion’s apartment in a large Edwardian-style home in Victoria, and her roommate Shirley Cannon.

Miscellaneous photographs including photographs of weddings of friends and family: Dorothy Patterson and Doug Hall; Shirley Mather and husband Len Cannon; Edna Heller and Stanley (Ned) Sparkes. Edna and Beth Heller were bridesmaids for the Patterson-Hall wedding. Also included is an aerial photograph of Bacon’s farm, north of Edmonton, where cousin Marion Dixon was living after she married Ross Bacon. There are also photographs of women sitting at desks; a baby in a bathtub; and military photographs.

Photographs of family and babies and picnics back in the Peace Country. There are two photographs of ferries. One is identified as Dunvegan; the other could be Athabasca.

In the early 1950s, there was much public discussion of what should be done with the Kleskun Hills. Geological picnics were held each year, with guest speakers giving lectures on the paleontological history of the hills. These two photographs show the crowds gathering as well as the Kleskun Hills, one of which has been marked as Dinosaur Hill.

Photographs showing the family attending the opening of the Smoky River Bridge. Scenes include the parade floats, the bridge, the new road, and the family having a picnic on the banks of the Smoky River. One photograph is labeled, “Dora, Lynn, and Charles.” A handwritten note in the album says, “At the opening of the bridge on the Smoky River, Charlie Heller piloted his plane from Winner, South Dakota to Grande Prairie.”

Ten photographs of a trip to the Peace River and picnicking on the banks.

Seven photographs showing the bridge over the Beaverlodge River and the swimming and beach area just north of the bridge.

One hundred eighty-seven photographs of family and friends and travel photos. There are a number of photographs showing groups of people inside the Heller home, some of them at Christmas. Marion remembered, “My mother always had house parties and tea parties.”

A class of students on the front steps of Montrose School in April 1955 when Marion was principal at the school.

Date: 1934-2008 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

The series consists of a photocopy of the family history binder which includes genealogical information on the four lines of ancestors for Marion and Vernon Hill’s children: Hill, Thayer, Heller, and Davis. These include family group sheets, photographs, documents, articles and newspaper clippings. There are also two memoirs written by Edward Heller titled: “The Call of the Might Peace” and “World War I Memories”. The second half of the family history binder contains photographs and memories relating to the childhood of Marion Hill, and photographs of Marion and Vernon Hill’s children and grandchildren. It includes a history of the Hill family compiled by Madelon Truax titled “Who We Are–A Hill Saga” presented to Vernon Hill on his 80th birthday, a few family recipes, and some annual Christmas letters. There is also a copy of a photograph of the Appleton school.

Physical description: 4 cm textual records

Access points:

•                Textual record (documentary form)

•                Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)

Publication status:

Published

Copy of a photograph taken from Marion Hill’s Family History book showing the children and older members of the community at the Appleton School on May 23, 1934. The original Appleton log school house is in the background. Those identified in the photograph in Marion’s scrapbook are: Edward Heller, Marion Heller, Edna Heller, Robert Heller, Laura Heller, Lizzie Davis, the United Church Minister, the Anglican Minister, the school teacher, and possibly Beth Heller.

Date: 1955–2014 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

This series contains textual records relating to Marion Hill and family members including progress reports for Shannon Hill, account books kept by Marion and Vernon Hill, church memorial service pamphlets, and Marion’s certificates of club and society memberships. There is also a photograph of Vernon and Marion’s wedding.

Physical description: 9 cm textual records

1 photograph

Access points:

•                Textual record (documentary form)

Publication status:

Published

Photograph taken inside the church at Marion and Vernon’s wedding. There is a sheet of paper identifying the group as follows, from left to right: Rita Hill, Beth Heller, Edna Heller, Marion (Heller) Hill, Vernon Hill, and three unidentified men (the last one’s surname may be Harcourt). The children in front are Lynn Heller (daughter of Marion’s brother Robert) and Barry Sparks (son of Marion’s sister Edna).