The main role of the City Archives is to manage government records with long-term business value. The City of Vaughan Archives also collects, preserves and makes available for research permanently valuable non-government records from the Vaughan community that document the rich and diverse heritage of the City of Vaughan. Every month we’ll share pieces of Vaughan’s heritage in a regular feature called The Way We Were.
To view more from the City’s archival collections, visit the City of Vaughan’s Facebook page.
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Image of the Month:
Picnic in the flats at Elder’s Dam, ca. 1914
This photo, from the Elder’s Mills Women’s Institute Tweedsmuir History, captures local residents during a picnic at Elder’s Dam, ca. 1914. From left to right: (back row) Jack McLean, Gordon McGillivray, Bill Hewitt, Beaton McGillivray, Elsie Wood and Roy Flemming, (front row) Frank Hewitt, Stanley Worral, Maggie Blain, Bertha Johnston, Maggie McGillivray, Margaret McLean and Minnie McLean, (seated) Gertie Wood and three unknown children.
Collection of the Month:
Agar Family Fonds
The Agar Family fonds is one of the City’s smaller collections, consisting of records collected by the family from 1856-1985. Thomas and Hannah Agar, who arrived in Vaughan with their son Richard, emigrated from Moolson, Yorkshire in 1830, and settled on Lot 11, Concession 10 (present day Langstaff and Huntington Road). The family was largely involved in the church community in Nashville, sitting on various building committees and raising money for church renovations. Hannah and Thomas lived in the area until their deaths, and descendants of the family continue to reside throughout Vaughan today. The Agar Family fonds consist solely of textual records and includes a total of 7.5 cm of material. The collection includes indentures, maps, attendance certificates, books and records relating the history of the Zoar Primitive Methodist Church and the Nashville Presbyterian Church.
Jill Shaw
Archival Records Analyst
City of Vaughan Archives
City Clerk’s Office
archives@vaughan.ca
Visit the City of Vaughan’s website at vaughan.ca.
Our Story, Our City 