Arthur Rowe Miller, Sask. diary of ...

[Lydart]

I'm researching a Canadian cousins family back to the 1940's and 50's in Sask.   

I have found details of this man, and I understand he kept a diary about life as a farmer in the 1950's, which I have found mentioned on the Sask Archives Board, in the 'Saskatchewan History Magazine'.

I have twice emailed the Sask Archives Board to ask if I can get a copy of this article or more details; they respond with an automated reply saying I'll get an answer within a month ... and then, nothing ! 

Anyone have any idea how I can get an answer, or a copy of this article ?

The ref is:-   Miller, A.R. Documents of Western History: The Diary of Arthur Rowe Miller. 1957. Vol. 10, No. 2, p. 63.

[J.J.]

  It looks as though you can download the diary here but not sure if complete  ( need to register $):
"Canadian Historical Review"
http://utpjournals.metapress.com/content/a5471q3qt4j7v08j/

Now the trouble is, several publications quote from his diary, and that's all this might be l...That's all that the sask reference might be as well...


so good luck with this...The opening line that called me to that pdf is "In 1881 Arthur Miller ioined a party headed by John ..."

[jeffster]

You may already have this btw but I thought I'd double check:


http://www.ourroots.ca/page.aspx?id=2872054&qryID=7b9b2e41-e0ba-4c07-88e4-41d1bc4351f5

Arthur's brother Charles:

http://www.ourroots.ca/page.aspx?id=2871981&qryID=7b9b2e41-e0ba-4c07-88e4-41d1bc4351f5

He was a homesteader (farmer) back in the early part of the last century, and his homestead record is on file at the Saskatchewan Archives Board.

The diary in question I don't believe is inclusive to farming in the 1950's but to his work in Winnipeg , although it may include some items of farming.

The Saskatchewan Archive Board office is a split up primarily into 2 parts, one in Saskatoon one in Regina.  The one in Saskatoon (which I live nearby) is fairly small and with 10 or so staff members.   With that being said, they may have not gotten to your request yet,  as they are usually backlogged with requests; not to say yours wasn't any less important   .

If you are looking for something specific or wanting to know the scope of this diary, I could quickly slip to the archives and inquire about it.  While there I will take a peak at Arthur's homestead file (his 2 brothers, and one possible son homesteaded as well).  Maybe I'll get lucky, they are usually fairly helpful there.

Hope this helps,


Jeff

[Lydart]

Jeff ... that is FANTASTIC!!   

Arthurs daughter Susan (Susie) was the mother of my cousin Dorothy who herself passed away a couple of months ago.    I started researching Dorothy's family in Canada for her during her final year or so, as she had got very interested in her Manchester ancestors, (she had come to UK to visit me and we went to see where they had lived !) She no longer had the energy to do the research herself, and I now want to complete it for the sake of her daughter and grand-children.   

There's even a little picture of Susie !  (Whose grave is in Westbank ... )



JJ ... thank you for your help ... I think I'll pursue what Jeff has found for now, and maybe if/when I visit Canada again, I'll visit the various archives and take it further in person ! 

[J.J.]

No Jeff, you are right, it may have been more of a travelling diary I believe, as he is mentioned with a party of surveyors?  ( from an excerpt The Last Spike: The Great Railway, 1881-1885)
"Arthur Rowe Miller, a young music student from England on his way to join a survey party, noted in his diary that the town was "just old enough to be dirty, ..."

[Lydart]

JJ ... anything about Arthur in the Last Spike book would be useful to know !  Which was the town he thought was dirty ?!
I just found this ... you never know, he might have been one of the crowd ! 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LastSpike_Craigellachie_BC_Canada.jpg



Jeff ... those pages about Arthur and family have filled in lots of gaps with names and so on !   Just what I needed !   It mentions a marriage to Matilda Brown (I hadn't got her name before !) in 1887.   There are also many names of children and so on ... do you have something in Saskatchewan which is the equivalent to the UK  FreeBMD site, so I can find births and deaths and so on ??

You say:-

If you are looking for something specific or wanting to know the scope of this diary, I could quickly slip to the archives and inquire about it.  While there I will take a peak at Arthur's homestead file (his 2 brothers, and one possible son homesteaded as well).  Maybe I'll get lucky, they are usually fairly helpful there.

IF its no trouble, and please don't especially, I'd be grateful for any info on whats in the diary ... and I don't know quite what a 'homestead file' is ... so that would be useful too.   But there is no hurry !

[vbain]

You can read any of the books on Our Roots.
Registration is free and you cna search for names.

[J.J.]

Argh, my paste didn't work I'll look for it, but only that little tidbit was on it...I'll go look and oaste it in this reply...
http://www.isc.ca/VitalStatistics/Genealogy/vsgs_srch.aspx
MILLER, ALICE ROWE
1901 / 2 / 10 SPY HILL
MATILDA ANN BROWN
ARTHUR R MILLER

MILLER BEATRICE
Place of Birth: 12-19-31-1
Registration Number:  12601
1893 / april / 27
MATHILDA ANN BROWN
ARTHUR ROWE MILLER

registration Number:  13361
MILLER  MONTAGUE ARTHUR
1895 / mar. 11
Place of Birth: 12-19-31-1
MATHILDA ANN BROWN
ARTHUR ROWE MILLER

Registration Number:  11750
MILLER MARY GERTRUDE
1890 / May  17
Place of Birth: 18-19-30-1
MATILDA ANN BROWN
ARTHUR ROWE MILLER

I'll leave you to find the rest...
Here's the 1911 http://www.automatedgenealogy.com/census11/SplitView.jsp?id=76200
Just hit the links beside hi name for the 1901 as well

Here's the link  http://www.rootschat.com/links/08ql/  The writer merely uses a piece from the diary to make his own point...whatever that may be...
The "dirty town" is Winnipeg. Where I live right now...it also speaks of "drunken Indians" which was a by product of having removed natives from their land which white people felt they deserved to own as they were, well, so much better people because they were white. Many full or half native families were forced to move west to make way for the white settlers...
The "Battle of Batoche" mentioned in our roots was about being once again ousted from their property because now the move was further into the west... few people in Canada know, or even want to know this...as history books don't teach the truth...that there have always been attempts at ethnic cleansing right here in Canada ...  J.J.

[JDC]

Hello folks,

Is the 1916 Western Canada census available yet. Te Feds seem to be releasing censuses earleier now, albeit from a lot of pressure from us :-) Just a thought,

JDC