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As part of the City’s Museums and Heritage Services’ ongoing commitment to make our important historical collection accessible to the public we have begun to place PDF files of unique manuscript documents online as free downloads from the City of Toronto’s website. Given the fragile nature and fascinating content of the originals we are pleased to make these high resolution digital surrogates available for the first time.
The first two documents posted were scanned by the Toronto Public Library as part of the 2013 exhibit, War Stories: Toronto and the War of 1812-14, which featured records and artifacts from the fort’s archaeological collections.
York Garrison Account Book (FYNHS collection, X.3019.1)
York Garrison Account Book
This is one of a set of three York garrison account books in the city’s collection. The scanned volume is titled Accounts Current, Subaccounts, 1815, and records both highly detailed and summary expenses from the Commissariat, Transport, Engineers, Indian, Barracks, and Quarter Master General’s departments (among others) for the period from December 1814 to November 1815 (although some entries pre- and postdate this period). It shows payments for food, fuel, and fodder allowances to the men attached to these departments serving at York. It provides detailed records for supplies and labour for the post-attack construction of the garrison’s splinter proof barracks, powder magazine, mess house, commandant’s quarters, and on other buildings and structures, as well as repairs to St. James’ church at York as it was converted back to non-military use. Interestingly it also documents sundry ‘one-off’ expenses such as pension payments (including one to Sarah Elliott, widow of Capt. Matthew Elliott), for the making of brown linen “trowsers” for the Incorporated Militia, and for apprehending deserters.
Unscanned for the present are two additional account books containing less detailed information for the period following the war. Also there are a number of loose receipts, a letter, and a set of audit working notes that were found interleaved in the books.
Lieutenant-Colonel William Chewett’s 3rd Regiment of York Militia Orderly Book (FYNHS collection, 2011.15.1)
3rd Regiment of York Militia Orderly Book
The second scanned volume is an ‘orderly book,’ more accurately a Regimental Order Book. It is book number two of the fifteen required under the British Army’s 1811 Regulations for managing the internal affairs of a regiment. Entries in this book are divided into two periods: 27 April to 19 October 1812 and 7 July 1814 to 10 June 1815. It contains copies of various Regimental, Garrison, and District General orders. The level of detail provides significant insight into the day-to-day operation of the militia at York garrison during the War of 1812. The donation of this important artifact was described in an earlier issue of this newsletter.
December 2011, Fife & Drum
Toronto Culture holds many other fascinating and unique manuscripts and we will be adding to the online collection in the future. These postings will include the release of an edited collection of War of 1812 letters and militia orders relating to the 1st Regiment of York Militia [1971.91.1-.18]; a Regimental Diary of the Queen’s Own Rifles covering the 1866 Fenian Raid [1996.18.1.12]; and two muster rolls for the 127th Infantry Battalion, CEF, Register of Recruits (Military Book No. 14) [X.4121.1] and Record of Officers’ Services (Military Book No. 42) [X.4020.1].
Original printed pages
