Fonds 384 Gerald V. Carveth fonds

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Summary information

Repository: South Peace Regional Archives
Title: Gerald V. Carveth fonds
Reference code: 0384
Date: 1908-1980 (date of creation)
Physical description: 10 cm textual records

12 photographs

Dates of creation, revision and deletion: Processed January 2010 by Leslie Gordon
Added to new database March 2023 – TD

Administrative history / Biographical sketch

Gerald Victor Carveth was born in Leskard, Ontario on September 13, 1897. He was the son of Arthur William and Elizabeth Carveth. His father and two brothers, Cecil and Rupert, arrived in the Grande Prairie area in 1911. His father returned east the following year to bring Gerald, his mother, and his sister Rita to join them. The family homesteaded on NW, NE, SE 10-72-5-W6th. In September 1915, Gerald filed on his own homestead, SW 6-73-4-W6th.

Gerald Carveth and Gladys Clarkson were married on February 14, 1923. Gladys Clarkson was born November 17, 1897 at Williamsburg, New Brunswick to Martin and Elizabeth Clarkson. Her siblings were Albion (Slim), Jennie, James, and Douglas. In 1900 the Clarkson family moved to New Westminster, British Columbia, and later Chilliwack before moving to Grande Prairie in 1919 where they purchased SW 4-72-4-W6th. Before her marriage to Gerald, Gladys was employed as a teacher.

Gerald and Gladys Carveth bought the Arthur Carveth farm, where they lived for 31 years. Three children were born to the Carveths: Jim, Betty, and Edna.

Gerald was also involved in the life of the community. Interested in baseball, he played on senior teams in the area for 21 years, starting in 1914 with the Deep Creek Seniors. He also managed the boys’ Twilight Tigers and the Ladies’ Twilight Softball Team for several years. Gerald served as Chairman of the Board for Twilight School District No. 4417 from 1930 to 1933. He also participated in local UFA work, serving as both secretary and president. After retiring from farming in 1954, Gerald became secretary-treasurer of the Grande Prairie County Agricultural Society fair, Secretary-Treasurer of the Grande Prairie & District Old-Timers’ Association, director (later treasurer, then city and district chairman) of the Grande Prairie and District Branch Canadian Cancer Society, and a board member of the Pioneer Museum Society of Grande Prairie and District.

Gerald Carveth died on April 13, 1982 in Grande Prairie at the age of 84. Gladys died on July 14, 1995, also in Grande Prairie.

Custodial history

The records were donated to Grande Prairie Public Library with the Isabel Campbell collection. In 2008 the Library donated them to South Peace Regional Archives. Some of the photographs may or may not have originally belonged to Carveth.

Scope and content

The fonds consists of records relating to the personal life and interests of Gerald V. Carveth. The records contain scrapbooks of newspaper articles assembled by Carveth on a variety of topics including family, pioneers, local events, sports, general news, and cancer; copies of the first issue of the Tattler publication; twelve photographs taken around the Grande Prairie area or of events in which local residents participated; and a certificate of appreciation from the Grande Prairie and District Old Timers’ Association.

Notes

Title notes

  • Source of title proper: Title of fonds based on contents

Access points

  • Textual record (documentary form)
  • Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)
  • Family and personal life* (subject)

Table of contents

0384.01, Scrapbooks, ca. 1923-1980

0384.02, Collected Publications, 1921

0384.03, Photographs, ca. 1908-1979

0384.04, Certificate, ca. 1979

Series descriptions

Series 0384.01: Scrapbooks

Date: ca. 1923-1980 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

The series consists of six scrapbooks of newspaper clippings collected and assembled by Gerald V. Carveth. The clippings relate to his personal life and interests.

The time periods covered by the scrapbooks overlap, so the arrangement of the articles appears to be roughly by topic, rather than chronologic. Several scrapbooks are incomplete, with extra articles clipped and labelled, but not yet pasted organized or pasted in.

Four of the scrapbooks (labelled A to D) are indexed. The indexes are inserted in the front cover of each scrapbook. Scrapbook A (ca. 1923-1980) contains stories on topics such as family members and pioneers; scrapbook B (ca. 1956-1973), general news stories of interest; scrapbook C (ca. 1933-1974), the Old Timers’; and scrapbook D (ca. 1961-1974), history, politics, and general news. The other two scrapbooks are not labelled or indexed. One of these (ca. 1937-1980) appears to cover topics such as local events and sports while the other (ca. 1960-1973) is dedicated to cancer articles.

Physical description: 9 cm textual records

Access points:

•                Textual record (documentary form)

Series 0384.02: Collected Publications

Date: 1921 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

The series consists of a rough draft and a typed copy of the first issue (December 3, 1921) of a local publication, the “Tattler.” The “Tattler” was published by the Crystal Creek Altruist Club, which operated from about 1921 to 1925, and features humorous gossip and news about the club and its members. Gerald Carveth and his family and friends, including the Clarkson family, are mentioned in the paper. Carveth may have been one of the “Tattler” editors or merely a member of the club.

Physical description: 0.5 cm of textual records

Access points:

•                Textual record (documentary form)

Series 0384.03: Photographs

Date: ca. 1908-1979 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

The series consists of twelve photographs dating from ca. 1908 to 1979. The photographs include a portrait of Gerald Carveth in his later years, threshing crews in the early days, Lake Saskatoon around 1915, a 1930s Old Timers’ Picnic, aerial photographs of Beaverlodge and Grande Prairie in the 1950s, and group photographs from various conventions including Alberta Women’s Institutes, the Canadian Seed Growers Association, and the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts.

Some of the photographs clearly relate to Gerald Carveth or are labelled as being part of the “Gerald V. Carveth collection”. Other photographs have a more tenuous connection to Carveth and his family but are included as part of this series because their exact provenance is unknown and they may have originally belonged to Carveth.

Physical description: 12 photographs

Access points:

•                Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)

File / item list
Reference code Title Dates Physical description
0384.03.01 Item – Portrait of Gerald V. Carveth  ca. 1976 1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 10 in.
Scope and content:

A portrait of Gerald V. Carveth looking at one of his scrapbooks.

0384.03.02 Item – Lake Saskatoon  ca. 1915 1 photograph : b&w; 11 x 14 in.
Scope and content:

The Lake Saskatoon settlement. Label on the back of the photograph says it is from the Gerald V. Carveth collection.

0384.03.03 Item – Grande Prairie and District Old Timers’ Picnic  ca. 1936 1 photograph : b&w; 11 x 14 in.
Scope and content:

Group photograph taken at the 1935 or 1936 Grande Prairie and District Old Timers’ Association picnic. Label on the back of the photograph says it is from the Gerald V. Carveth collection.

0384.03.04 Item – 42nd Annual Convention of the Association of Municipal Districts
E. W. Cadman, Oliver Studio, Calgary
 
1950 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.5 x 9.5 in.
Scope and content:

Group photograph taken at the 42nd Annual Convention of the Association of Municipal Districts held at the Palliser Hotel in Calgary, Alberta, November 22-24, 1950.

0384.03.05 Item – 1953 Alberta Association of Municipal Districts Convention
Wells Studios, Edmonton
 
1953 1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 19.5 in.
Scope and content:

Group photograph taken at the convention of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts held at the Macdonald Hotel in Edmonton, Alberta, November 17-19, 1953.

0384.03.06 Item – 50th Annual Convention of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts
Wells Studios, Edmonton
1958 1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 18 in.
Scope and content:

Group photograph taken at the 50th Annual Convention of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts held at the Macdonald Hotel in Edmonton, Alberta, November 18-21, 1958.

0384.03.07 Item – Jubilee Convention – Alberta Women’s Institutes
Wells Studios, Edmonton
1959 1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 17 in.
Scope and content:

Group photograph taken at the Jubilee Convention of the Alberta Women’s Institutes held at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, May 26-29, 1959.

0384.03.08 Item – 1949 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Seed Growers Association
Wells Photo Service, Edmonton
1949 1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 19.5 in.
Scope and content:

Group photograph taken at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Seed Growers Association held at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, June 15-17, 1949.

0384.03.09 Item – Beaverlodge  ca. 1951 1 photograph : b&w ; 11 x 14 in.
Scope and content:

Aerial photograph of the town of Beaverlodge.

0384.03.10 Item – Grande Prairie  1951 1 photograph : b&w ; 11 x 14 in.
Scope and content:

Aerial photograph of the town of Grande Prairie.

0384.03.11 Item – Threshing crew  ca. 1920 1 photograph : b&w ; 13.5 x 19.5 in.
Scope and content:

Threshing crew and machine with steam engine and horses.

0384.03.12 Item – Holden’s Outfit  1908 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.5 x 9.5 in.
Scope and content:

Holden’s threshing outfit. Men posed beside horses and wagons, a steam engine, and threshing machine.

Series 0384.04: Certificate

Date: ca. 1979 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

The series consists of a commemorative drawing/certificate presented to Gerald V. Carveth on the occasion of his retirement from the Grande Prairie and District Old Timers’ Association after 25 years of service as the Association’s secretary.

Physical description: 1 certificate

Access points:

•                Textual record (documentary form)