Henry J. Morgan collection
Date Published: 1875 to 1909
Binding: No binding
Henry J. Morgan was a Canadian civil servant, lawyer, and author, best known for publishing collections of biographical sketches of notable Canadians such as Sketches of Celebrated Canadians, Bibliotheca Canadensis, and The Canadian Men and Women of the Time. He was a founding member of the Canada First movement, a Canadian nationalist movement that promoted the British Protestant component as central to Canadian identity. One of his most significant achievements was the accumulation and description of state records, an effort that helped lay the foundation for the later development of a national archives. He retired from the government in 1895 and devoted the remainder of his life to writing.
The collection contains 12 items dating from 1875 to 1909, specifically, 1 manuscript petition, 5 letters, and 5 Letters / Documents and 1 printed forms with biographical information in manuscript.
1 Signed manuscript (ms.):
• AMS (2 pp. folio) Toronto, 1st of July, 1875. From W.B. Richards, the first Chief Justice of Ontario. To the Honorable the Justices of the Superior Court for Lower Canada, in and for the district of Montreal. The petition of Henry James Morgan of the City of Ottawa, in the Province of Ontario, advocate. Richards was the first chief justice of the Supreme
Court of Canada (1875-79). He was knighted in 1877.
5 Letters:
• ALS to Mrs. Morgan from Francis, post-marked 25 March 1878, with envelope, 4 pp., re journey by train from Ottawa to Prescott.
• ALS (1 pp.) from Samuel Dawson of Dawson Brothers, Montreal booksellers on their letterhead, 1 May 1879, with free frank envelope which contained the letter, re a couple of books Dawson thought had been sent to Morgan but were not and he was stating they would now be, one of the books was Bibliotheca Canadensis (1867) written by Morgan.
• ALS from his son, A.N. Morgan of McEwen and Morgan, [New Liskeard], 24 July 1905, 1 p., with envelope, cannot endorse the note he sent, Connie and Dick enjoying themselves here.
• ALS from his son, Dick, 20 June 1908, with envelope, 1 p., re his arrival in New Liskeard by train, Bert met him at the station, reminds his father to put the papers that are out on the stairs, mosquitoes bad.
• ALS from his son, Dick, 27 May 1909, 4 pp., with envelope, New Liskeard, re thanks for the money order, thanks also from Connie, journey to Scotia Junction and North Bay, Bert met them at the station.
5 Letters / Documents pertaining to entries in the Handbook of Canadian Biography:
• Information sheet signed by Morgan, 4 pp., for Hon. Justice Morrison, 4 May 1894, Owen Sound, with envelope addressed to Morgan, biographical information provided by Morrison;
• ALS from Larrat William Smith, 31 January 1895, 1 p., and sheet of biographical information signed by Morgan and filled out by Smith, 4 + 1 pp., with envelope; printed information sheet
• ALS (4 pp.) signed by Morgan for Rev. Dr. Thomas Sims, 13 October 1894, with envelope and news clipping, biographical material in Sims’s hand. The last page of the information sheets has printed information on Morgan’s previous publications with printed testimonies, including a statement from Sir John A. Macdonald, dated 7 January 1885.
• ALS (3 pp.) from the Hon. William Miller (lawyer, Senator and speaker of the Senate of Canada) on Senate of Canada stationery, 20 July 1896, regretting that he cannot access the list of Senators Morgan requires, expressing frustration at Mr. Young, and noting the he is traveling to the Thousand Islands for two to three weeks.
• Printed document signed, 26 January 1872, requesting information for The Canadian Parliamentary Companion of candidates in the last election for the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia, addressed to the Local Returning Officer, County of Shelburne.
1 Printed biographical form and publication order for The Canadian Legal Directory and Law Guide (1878):
• 12 December 1876. Sent and signed by Morgan to John C. Allen (first New Brunswick Supreme Court judge), 4 pp. with 3 pp. filled in and signed by Allen. Small tears, fold marks, otherwise in good condition. Sir John Campbell Allen was a lawyer, author, office holder, politician, militia officer, and judge. On 8 October 1875, Allen was appointed the New Brunswick Supreme Court judge, the highest office within the Province's judicial system. He sat on the Supreme Court for 31 years. He was knighted in 1889.
Collection on consignment with LDRB.
Item #8292
$1,335.00 USD
$1,778.60 CAD