Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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1860-1990 (Creation)
- Creator
- Irving, William, 1816-1872 (family)
Physical description area
Physical description
5 m of textual records;ca. 2000 photographs
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
William Irving (1816-1872) was born near Annan, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Irving became a master mariner and traveled the world as the captain of his own ships but was based in various ports on the east coast of North America. In 1848 he moved to California to participate in the economic boom precipitated by the Gold Rush. Irving founded a new coastal trade business with his own barque "Success" that transferred lumber and other supplies between his home in Portland, San Francisco and Victoria, Vancouver Island. In 1851 he married Elizabeth Jane Dixon (1833-1922) and they raised five children: Mary, John, Susan, Elizabeth and Nellie.
In 1859 Irving and partner Captain A. S. Murray established the British Columbia and Victoria Steam Navigation Company to serve the Cariboo Gold Rush and operated river steamers known as the "Governor Douglas", "Colonel Moody" and "Maria" from ports in New Westminster, Douglas, Yale, Hope and Victoria.
In 1862 Captain Irving founded the Pioneer Line Company to serve British Columbia with the "Reliance" built in 1862 and the "Onward" built in 1865.
The Irving Family moved from their temporary home in Victoria to a house built in 1864-65 in New Westminster and now preserved as part of the city's museum at 302 Royal Avenue.
Captain William Irving died suddenly in 1872, leaving his son John to continue to operate the Pioneer Line as a family business. The Irving's eldest daughter Mary and her husband Thomas L. Briggs purchased Irving House and were prominent citizens of New Westminster. William's widow Elizabeth returned to Portland, Oregon to live in 1885 and married A.G. Ryan who she later divorced. For many years she resided with her daughter Elizabeth (Irving) Spencer and died in 1922.
Custodial history
It is assumed that the first acquisition of this collection occurred at the time of the purchase of Irving House by the City of New Westminster in 1950. These first donations were likely acquired from members of the Briggs family by the Native Sons and Daughters of B.C. Post #4. Later the custody of the material was transferred to the New Westminster Museum and Archives.
Scope and content
The Irving family collection is one of the oldest manuscript collections in the city archives collection as it was initiated upon the acquisition and opening of Irving House Historic Centre in 1950 by the City of New Westminster and the Native Sons and Daughters of B.C. Post #4. The Irving Family Collection is unique among the Manuscript Collections of the N.W. Museum and Archives because it was collected with the intention of forming the primary documentation source to interpret the history of Irving House and the Irving family. The collection that has been assembled is large and diverse as it is an artificial amalgamation of several disparate private record groups accessioned over many years. This collection of record groups is integral to the operation of the museum's interpretive and research programs for Irving House and remains an open collection in order to integrate future additions.
In 1989 museum staff organized the various donations of archival material related to the Irving Family into one physical location within the Museum building for the purpose of maintaining one collection. All photographs were numbered and indexed as one collection with the prefix IFP [Irving Family Photograph]. The Irving family collection was arranged and described in 2006 into five family groups representing the different branches of the Irving Family created by the children of Capt. William and Elizabeth Irving: John Irving family, Mary Irving Briggs family, Susan Irving Cox family, Elizabeth Irving Spencer family, and the Nellie Irving Chandler family. There are also two other records groups: Other Sources and Photographs. Each item or file represents separate donations from various descendants and others to the archives. Provenance of this collection's items with known accession numbers has been noted where documented.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Finding aid available with series descriptions and file lists.
Associated materials
Accruals
Alpha-numeric designations
BCAUL control number: NWM-3781
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Irving, William, 1816-1872 (Subject)
- Irving, Elizabeth Jane (Subject)
- Irving, John (Subject)
- Cox, Susan Irving (Subject)
- Spencer, Elizabeth Irving (Subject)
- Chandler, Nellie Irving (Subject)
Genre access points
Control area
Description record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules or conventions
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Revised by BCANS Coordinator, Jan 24, 2012.