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Black (Davidson) Family fonds
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Black (Davidson) Family fonds

  • UTA 1084
  • Fonds
  • 1871-2011

This description is under review
Personal records of the Davidson Black family, covering three generations, with particular reference to Davidson Black, the discoverer of Peking Man. Included are his diaries, extensive family correspondence and a few professional letters; files on his education, his employment, including his service in World War I but especially at Peking Union Medical College, his life in China generally, along with a few on his writings, and some artifacts. There is an extensive and well documented photo collection that helps tie the whole together. There are also a number of films made by Davidson Black between the late 1920s and 1932.

Black (Davidson) Family

Davidson Black III and Nevitt Black sous-fonds

While this sous-fonds contains a copy of G. Elliot Smith’s memorial to Davidson Black that he sent to Davy and a single file of letters from Adena to Davy, along with some photographs, most of it relates to work done Davy in relation to interest by individuals and the media in his father and in the search for the lost fossils of Peking Man, and the efforts by Davy and Nevitt to ensure that their father’s work continued to be recognized. Also present are five diplomas and certificates relating to Davy’s medical education.

Black, Davidson, III

Adena Nevitt Black sous-fonds

This sous-fonds contain Adena Black’s diaries from the time of her marriage through the First World War, followed by correspondence from family members, her mother-in-law, Margaret Davidson, and, especially from her husband, Davidson. There are also a few letters from friends, some of whom, like the Houghtons, were associated with the Peking Union Medical School. The correspondence is grouped by family and, from Davidson, is arranged chronologically.

Also present are files documenting some of Adena’s activities in China and, in particular, her attempts to market Chinese-made objects, initially through a partnership with Daisy and Marion Boulton in Toronto (1924-1928) and latterly (1931-1934) through the Peking Temples Company, incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware in 1931. The goods were sold through a store in Port Carling in Muskoka, and through other venues. These files contain correspondence, and financial records and, for the Peking Temples Company, incorporation documents.

This sous-fonds ends with correspondence relating to the death of Davidson Black, tributes to him, and the design for and photographs of his grave. There are also files documenting Adena’s final years in China, including some on her husband’s library, her continuing interest in the fate of the Peking Union Medical School, and the writing of Dora Hood’s biography of her husband.

Black, Adena

Employment

Except for photographs, this series contains little documentation on Davidson Black’s employment before 1917 when he enlisted with the Canadian Army Medical Corps and went overseas. The bulk of this series relates to his work in China at the Peking Union Medical College, his anthropological research including his discovery of "Peking man", and his travels within China and to Mongolia, India, Siam, and elsewhere.

The files contain correspondence, photographs, addresses, and publications (including some drafts), and memorabilia. Most of the photographs were taken by Dr. Black himself, though some were taken by Adena and others (especially presentation copies) by friends and colleagues. Dr. Black carefully annotated many of the photos he took, often in considerable detail even to the time of day and the shutter speed used. Included are a few glass-plate negatives and about 50 lantern slides. The negatives are usually dated and were kept except if they were in good condition. On his travels, Dr. Black collected autographed photographs of many of the scientists and academics he met; these are included in this series.

[Other photographs] [2]

'A. Street vendors of Peking (about 1933-34) taken with V.P.K. for a school project but never all printed;
Snaps of a trip to Peitaiho with Ned and Kathy Greene - also Larry Ballon on a Jap[anise] diesel pinnace at Lighthouse Point (summer 1937, I think)'.

[Other photographs] [3]

'C. Yanching - Girl Guides (Scout) Camp & Nevitt's friends, Barbara Hoose, Senj Ostonimoff, etc. and in some general views;
Summer Palace - the Marble Boat and ? ;
Paomachang - shots while out hunting with Count d' Anjou once - Hoi Chish [sp.?] Men and Temple of Heaven with Ann & Babe ascending steps;
47 Wai chiao Pu - study with Mother at Daddy's desk (I think), circa 1933-1935'.

Personal

Davidson Black kept a diary throughout much of his adult life. There are 28 volumes in this series. The earliest is for 1902, the year he entered medicine at the University of Toronto; it includes a tally of monthly expenses. The last diary is for 1934, the final entry being for 9 March, six days before his death. For each of the years 1922 and 1925, there are two volumes of diaries. There are no diaries present for the years 1907, 1908, 1909, 1911, and 1912. The diary Davidson kept while on active service during World War I is filed with his service records in Series 4. Most of the entries are brief as the diaries, except for 1902, are small. Some of the loose entries with the diaries are longer.

A number of items document his personal activities. The earliest is a small well-thumbed copy of 'The Book of Common Prayer', presented to him by his mother on his 9th birthday in 1893. A notebook, a journal, and permits document his early interest in ornithology. Finally, there are files of memorabilia, poems and sketches, and on honours bestowed on him later in life, along with twelve diplomas and certificates.

Loose photos

Loose photos of some of the individuals mentioned in B2011-0011/005(24) above and some not included but taken later. Some images are autographed and some are in better condition than those in the album.

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