Manuscript Collection MS COLL 00078 2B Annex - John Elmsley Papers

Identity area

Reference code

CA OTUTF MS COLL 00078 2B Annex

Title

John Elmsley Papers

Date(s)

  • 1801-1863 (Creation)

Level of description

Manuscript Collection

Extent and medium

10 boxes and items (1 metre)

Context area

Name of creator

(1801-1863)

Biographical history

John Elmsley was born on May 19, 1801 in York, Upper Canada, the son of Chief Justice John Elmsley, the second Chief Justic of Upper Canada. Although born into one of Upper Canada's most prominent Anglican families, he converted to Catholicism in 1833 upon his marriage to Charlotte Sherwood, a Catholic. After his conversion, which was seen an incredibly shocking event at the time, he went on to co-found the College of St. Michael, and pledged his personal fortunes as mortgage security to permit St. Michael's Cathedral's consecration in 1848. He died in 1863 and is buried in the Cathedral crypt under St. Michael's statue, with his heart buried under St. Basil's Church at St. Michaels College on the grounds of U of T.

Archival history

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Gift from Nina Elmsley, 1962.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

The collection consists of personal family letters of the Elmsley and Bradshaw families, along with a family memoir (written in 1842), John Elmsley's diaries (1831 and 1851), Mary Bradshaw's letterbooks (1871 and 1877), along with family trees, documents, verses and printed matter.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Material may be requested in person at the Fisher Library Reference Desk, or in advance using our online stack retrieval request form: https://aeon.library.utoronto.ca

Conditions governing reproduction

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

    Language and script notes

    Physical characteristics and technical requirements

    Finding aids

    Uploaded finding aid

    Allied materials area

    Existence and location of originals

    Existence and location of copies

    Related units of description

    Related descriptions

    Notes area

    Alternative identifier(s)

    Access points

    Subject access points

    Place access points

    Name access points

    Genre access points

    Description control area

    Description identifier

    Institution identifier

    Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto

    Rules and/or conventions used

    Dates of creation revision deletion

    Language(s)

      Script(s)

        Sources

        Accession area