Fonds - Irving family collection

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Irving family collection

General material designation

    Parallel title

    Other title information

    Title statements of responsibility

    Title notes

    Level of description

    Fonds

    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)

    • 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

        Related materials

        Accruals

        Alpha-numeric designations

        BCAUL control number: NWM-3781

        Alternative identifier(s)

        Standard number

        Standard number

        Access points

        Place access points

        Name access points

        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.

        Language of description

          Script of description

            Sources

            Accession area