Hornby Island Community Archives
R.G. 1
Acc. No.: 2016-04-20/25
Finding aid created by Hannah Wiseman
Last updated: September 2018
Title: Betty Smith Collection
Level of description: collection
General material designation: textual records, graphic materials, and cartographic materials
Extent: 78 cm
Creator(s): Betty Smith (1901-1989); Robert Lea Smith (1897-1979); David Gerow (1935-present)
Dates of creation: c. 1880-1989
Biographical sketch:
Schoolteacher and author Betty Smith was born Elizabeth Walker Paterson on October 31, 1901 in Victoria, B.C. After graduating high school Betty attended Normal School. At the age of 18 she moved from Victoria to Hornby Island for her first teaching assignment; she arrived in September 1921. Within her first few weeks on the island Betty met her future husband, Robert Lea Smith, at a dance at the schoolhouse.
In December 1922 Betty moved back to Victoria in order to upgrade her teaching qualifications. In 1923 she moved to Denman Island for her second, and last, teaching assignment. At Christmas 1926 Betty married Lea Smith (who himself had been employed as the schoolteacher on Hornby for a year) and soon after the couple moved to Sirdar, B.C. While Lea continued to teach, as a married woman Betty could not. In 1928 the Smiths returned to Hornby to help Lea’s parents run their farm, Maplehurst Farm, and Lea taught at the school. Their first child, Clara Peters (Smith), was born that same year. They moved to Vancouver in 1930, where their second child Richard was born. While living in Vancouver, the family travelled to Hornby every summer and on holidays. In 1964, after Lea’s retirement from teaching, Betty and Lea moved to the island permanently and built a new home.
Betty was very involved in Hornby’s community. She sponsored the weaving group, served as Secretary/Treasurer for Hornby Island Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association between 1971 and 1974, and served as Hornby’s first Islands Trust trustee for six years in the 1970s. Betty was also an active member of Hornby’s New Horizons Society, especially in her role on the Archives Committee.
Betty was passionate about Hornby’s history and spent a considerable time during the 1980s collecting historical documents for the collection of the burgeoning Hornby Island Community Archives, as well as for her own personal research. In 1988 Betty co-authored a book (as Elizabeth Smith) about the history of the island titled “Hornby Island: The Ebb and Flow” with former Hornby resident, school principal and teacher, David Gerow. Between 1980 and 1983 Betty and Gerow conducted several oral history interviews with Hornby residents as research for their book.
In 1988, the island’s old schoolhouse, in which Betty and her late husband met one another and in which both taught, was renamed the Betty Smith Centre, in dedication. The Centre now houses the Hornby Island Fabricators, a weaving and spinning club, and is located at 1765 Sollans Road across from the New Horizons building and the Archives.
Betty Smith died on November 8, 1989.
Scope and content: The records reflect Betty Smith’s personal life, relationships, and interests, her community involvement, and her passion for Hornby Island’s history. The collection contains Smith’s and David Gerow’s research materials and drafts for their book, “Hornby Island: The Ebb and Flow.” As Betty was a collector of historical documents and stories about Hornby’s history, several records of other Hornby residents are included in her collection. The collection includes textual records, correspondence, notes, writings, graphic materials, photographs, negatives, contact prints, a photograph album, maps, financial documents, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera.
Source of supplied title: Title is based on the creator of the collection.
Physical condition: Silvering of photographs in files: 1-1, 2-11, 3-1, 3-2, 4-3, 5-3, 6-1, 6-6.
Curling, lacunae, and mould (inactive) on negatives and contact prints in files: 2-15, 6-4.
Immediate source of acquisition: The collection contains several previously accessioned files, which were donated by Betty Smith and David Gerow (988.13) in 1988 and Hilary Brown (990.1, 990.27) in 1990. All other original accession date(s) and donor(s) are unknown as the Archives acquired the records several years prior to their being accessioned in 2016.
Arrangement: The original filing scheme of the records was reconstructed during archival arrangement on the basis of file markings on the documents in order to retain as much of the original order as possible. The records previously accessioned under 990.1 were partially sorted before donation to the Archives by Hilary Brown after she received them from Betty Smith’s daughter Clara Peters (Smith). Other rearrangements of the records may have occurred between donation and accessioning as the records were stored for a number of years and then transferred to the archives building before being accessioned and processed in 2016-2017.
Language of materials: English
Record no.: R.G. 1
Repository: Hornby Island Community Archives
Finding aids: Finding aid available with file level control.
Rights: David Gerow holds the copyright to all of the “Hornby Island: The Ebb and Flow” materials.
Associated material: An oral history interview of Betty Smith is located in the One Room Schools in B.C. Collection and an interview of Lea and Betty Smith (as Elizabeth and Robert) is located in the Imbert Orchard fonds, both at the B.C. Archives.
Copies of “Hornby Island: The Ebb and Flow” can be found in the collections of Library and Archives Canada, Vancouver Island Regional Library, and the Toronto Public Library.
Related groups of records: Due to her involvement in the society, a number of records created by Betty Smith can also be found in the Hornby Island New Horizons Society Collection (R.G. 4) and in the Islands Trust Collection (R.G. 3) due to her service as a Trustee for 6 years.
Oral history interviews of Betty Smith can be found in the Hornby Island Community Archives Oral History Collection (R.G. 23). The oral history interviews conducted by Betty Smith and David Gerow are also located in the HICA Oral History Collection.
Copies of “Hornby Island: The Ebb and Flow” are located in the Archives’ reference library.
Accruals: Further accruals are not expected.
Note: Titles enclosed in quotation marks in the file inventory indicate Betty Smith’s original notations.
File Inventory
Box 1
1-1 Correspondence (Smith family), 1943
1-2 Hornby Island Weavers – meeting minutes and ephemera, 1970
1-3 Personal Calendar 1974
1-4 Epemera, 1975, 1977, n.d
Re: Lea Smith and writing clearly
1-5 Islands Trustee – correspondence, notes and ephemera, 1976
1-6 Correspondence and notes, 1977
Re: garbage pickup
1-7 Official Community Plan, April 1977
-contains handwritten notes throughout
1-8 Islands Trust correspondence, 1978
Re: Charlie Stonehouse and selective logging on Crown land
1-9 Islands Trust notes, circa 1970’s
-handwritten notes pertaining to Islands Trust issues such as land use, development, subdivision, green belt reserve, by-laws, and zoning
1-10 Islands Trust notes, circa 1970’s/1980’s
-handwritten notes re: zoning
1-11 Hornby Island zoning bylaw 1981 draft
-contains handwritten notes throughout
1-12 Hornby Island Trust Committee By-law No.9
-second offering May 8th, contains handwritten notes throughout
1-13 Islands Trust Regional Plan Policy Draft #2, May 1981
-contains handwritten notes throughout
1-14 School history and Old Schoolhouse Project
Re: notes on the history of the Hornby school and the rough draft of a letter on behalf of the New Horizons Society to have the little schoolhouse declared a Heritage Building
1-15 Notepad, 1981-1982
Re: handwritten notes concerning Island issues pertaining to Betty’s role as A.P.C member, the development of the community Archives and miscellaneous.
1-16 Correspondence, 1981, 1983
Re: Old Timers Reunion,
1-17 Notes and Correspondence, 1980
Re: Pollution Control and sewage disposal
1-18 Archives notes and Report, 1982, 1986
1-19 List of birds found on Hornby Island, n.d
1-20 Notes and Correspondence, 1987, n.d
Re: ferry service
1-21 Correspondence, 1974-1987
1-22 Negatives, c 1880-1989 (183 negatives)
22-1 Smith family and Hornby Island, c. 1890-1930 (61 negatives)
22-2 Unknown – require conservation work (2 negatives)
22-3 Henry Horatio Maude images, c. 1880-1900 (7 negatives)
22-4 Henry Horatio Maude images, c. 1880-1900 (7 contact prints)
22-5 Smith family, c. 1890-1930 (6 negatives)
22-6 Smith family and Hornby Island, c. 1890-1930 (7 negatives)
22-7 Family, friends, and Hornby, c. 1960-1989 (36 negatives)
22-8 Hornby Island and New Horizons library, c. 1978 (7 negatives)
22-9 Family and friends, c 1960-1970 (13 negatives)
22-10 Smith family and Hornby Island, c 1890-1930 (21 negatives)
Box 2
2-1 Hornby Island Heritage Buildings, 1982, 1984
-notes, maps, copies from publications
2-2 Pre-emptions – Ebb and Flow research, c 1980’s
handwritten notes, maps, photocopies of documents from the Archives of B.C.
2-3 Pioneer Families and Indviduals of Hornby Island (A-G) – Ebb and Flow research
Re: Acton, Anderson, Arthurs, Bennett, Bond, Bell, Bowers, Buttrum (see Tasker), Carmichael, Clarke, Cleasby, Coburn, Day, Depape, Emsley, Ford (see Maude), Gordon, Grant
2-4 Pioneer Families and Individuals of Hornby Island (H-M) – Ebb and Flow research
Re: Harwood, Heatherbell, Herbert, Howe, Hovell, Hunt, Janeki, Laine, Lucas, Manning, Maude, McGee, Macrone, Macmillan, Maude (& Ford)
2-5 Pioneer Families and Individuals of Hornby Island (M-W and Misc.) – Ebb and Flow research
Re: Ostby, Parnell, Peavey, Prince, Reid, Robinson and Reynolds, Savoie, Scott, Seawright, Seymonds, Seon, Shing (Sing), Skinner, Slade, Sollan, Stude, Sutton, Smith (Weepy/Bill), Smith, Tasker (& Buttrum), Watts, Walton, Westwood, Williams, and miscellaneous.
2-6 Correspondence – Ebb and Flow research, 1980, 1985, 1987
Re: Whaling Station Bay bones, Ford family, Carmichael
2-7 Notes – Ebb and Flow research
handwritten notes pertaining to many aspects of Hornby Island and Pioneer families’ history in the pursuit of researching for Ebb and Flow
2-8 Notebooks (5) – Ebb and Flow research c 1983-1986
5 notebooks containing handwritten notes pertaining to many aspects of Hornby Island and Pioneer families’ history in the pursuit of researching for Ebb and Flow, including from archives of the newspaper The Argus
2-9 Ebb and Flow – early draft and notes, c.1987
2-10 Ebb and Flow – printer’s copy, c. 1988
2-11 Ebb and Flow picture legend, n.d
2-12 Ebb and Flow – ephemera and correspondence, 1988-89.
Box 3
3-1 Smith Family photographs (3 photographs, inc. 1 reprint), c 1905-1910
1-1 Smith and Family at Wharf, c.1905-1910
R.Lea Smith, R.C. Janion, Mrs.T.A.L Smith, Jim Manning (tall), Gerrard Bolton (holding dog, Mrs.RC. Janion, unknown. Mrs. Janion sister of Mrs.T.A.L. Smith
1-2 Picnic at Tribune Bay, c.1905-1910
1-3 reprint of 1-1
3-2 Lady (Mrs.Margaret Smith?) in front of family home, c.1900 (1 photograph)
3-3 Smith Family photographs (3 photographs), c 1910-1915
3-1 Group portait (notation on back: Mrs. Smith, Mr.Skinner, Mrs.Damon, Mr. Brownrigg, Mr. Damon Bell (farm)
3-2 Row boat and swimmers (notation on back: Old Wharf at Shingle Spit)
3-3 Row boat and swimmers (copy of 3-2, notation on back: Government ` Wharf at Goose Spit
3-4 Smith Family and Maplehurst (4 photographs)
4-1 Lea Smith. Boatload of Hornby youth. Background Shingle Spit (notation on back)
4-2 Maplehurst Smith farm. (notation on back. Photo torn)
4-3 Maplehurst cattle in front of barn, clover field (notation on back)
4-4 Man and horsedriven cart
3-5 Smith Family and Maplehurst (5 photographs)
5-1 Maplehurst Farm 1936 Tom Smith (notation on back)
5-2 TAL Smith at Maplehurst (notation on back)
5-3 Picnic at Goose Spit, building is an early Post Office (notation on back)
5-4 Man, Woman and mound of hay
5-5 Lea Smith, Ford Cove (notation on back – Lt to Rt. Lea Smith, Bill Day (Victoria), M Smith, Jim Manning (Gerrard Bolton, Eric Bolton – from Victoria)
3-6 Smith Family and Maplehurst (7 photographs)
7-1 Group shot at Tribune Bay(?) (notation on back – Top Jim Manning, -, Muriel Thornberry Dalziel, Albert Emsley, Betty Smith (Patterson), Lea Smith Bottom)
7-2 Group shot in snow (unidentified people and location)
7-3 Betty Paterson with future mother-in-law Mrs T.A.L Margaret Smith Mapleshurst (notation on back)
7-4 Betty Smith 1926 in her wedding outfit (notation on back)
7-5 Pressing hay, baling at Maplehurst Farm (notation on back)
7-6 Group shot – 1933 (notation on back)
7-7 reprint of 7-6 – Mr. Lucas Centre, Major Lucas, Tom Smith far right, Parson Tom Hipp (notation on back)
3-7 George Heatherbell in young (Maplehurst) orchard (notation on back.) (1 photograph)
Note the numbering of “14A” on back corresponds with Ebb and Flow picture legend (see Betty Smith Collection 2-11) and on this legend the description is “George Heatherbell in the orchard at Maplehurst”
3-8 Smith Family and Maplehurst Farm (6 photographs)
8-1 T.A.L. Smith (notation on back)
8-2 Binding hay at Maplehurst Farm (Smiths) (notation on back)
8-3 Haycocks in front field at Maplehurst Farm (notation on back)
8-4 Ready to pitch hay at Maplehurst Farm (notation on back)
8-5 2 figures in front of Maplehurst house
8-6 Lea Smith Maplehurst in front house. Margaret Smith, Dick Janion, Anna Janion, Lea (notation on back)
3-9 Hornby, friends, young Betty and Clara, c1930s-1962 (10 photographs)
3-10 Hornby scenery, c 1923 (15 photographs)
3-11 Smith Family and Maplehurst (4 photographs, reprints)
11-1 Lea Smith in uniform (notation on back of “33 J. H’ matches picture legend for Jean Harwood’s pictures (see Photograph Collection 5-1)
11-2 Betty Smith with Clara and holding Dick (notation on back. “62A” on back matches with Ebb and Flow picture legend (see Betty Smith Collection 2-11) where the description is “Elizabeth Smith (daughter- in-law of T.A.L), holding Dick, with daughter Clara
11-3 Haying at Maplehurst (notation on back “#25” matches with Ebb and Flow picture legend (see Betty Smith Collection 2-11) description.
11-4 T.A.L Smith haying at Maplehurst (notation on back “#25 A” matches with Ebb and Flow picture legend (see Betty Smith Collection 2-11) description.
3-12 Smiths, Maplehurst and Hornby Island (6 photograchs, reprints)
12-1 1918 Maplehurst Farm (notation on back, Lucy Harwood photo)
12-2 Wagon load of hay at Harwood farm prior 1919 (notation on back “28:J.H” matches with Jean Harwood photo legend (see Photograph Collection 5-1)
12-3 On Beall’s front porch prior 1919, Lea Smith, Bill Harwood (notation on back “32:J.H. matches with Jean Harwood photo legend (see Photogrph Collection 5-1)
12-4 Group shot
12-5 2 men in front of Maplehurst
12-6 Lea Smith and first buck (notation on back)
3-13 Smith Family, Maplehurst and Hornby (17 contact prints) c 1890-1930
-all prints contain notation “from original negative”. See Betty Smith Collection 1-22
3-14 Boat wreck, n.d (1 photograph)
3-15 Beryl McNeil’s photographs and correspondence, c1920-1930, 1981 (2 photographs)
15-1 Sidney Scott and garden (McGee) (notation on back)
15-2 Group portait
3-16 Logging and City of Nanaimo boat, c 1900-1920 (4 photographs)
16-1 Big fir scale (notation on back)
16-2 City of Nanaimo 1902 (notation on back, S.S. ? was her relief)
16-3 Dear Old City of Nanaimo 1902 (notation on back – Service from Victoria and Nanaimo then to Hornby, Denman, Union Bay and Comox. In service to Vancouver by boat from 1914 (?)
16-4 Logging with Oxen (notation on back – Jack Scott logging with oxen on Jackson Arthurs farm)
3-17 Comox, Hornby, Maplehurst (10 photographs)
17-1 Comox c 1900s
17-2 Comox wharf
17-3 Comox wharf
17-4 snowy scene
17-5 Looking from Maplehurst to Denman (notation on back)
17-6 scenic shot
17-7 scenic shot (colour)
17-8 Left Denman, Right Shingle Spit (notation on back)
17-9 scenic shot (damaged)
17-10 W + F 1902 (colour. Notation on back “rock on north shore Hornby”)
3-18 Smith Family, Comox and Hornby (4 photographs, reprints)
17-1 Comox
17-2 Beach
17-3 Lea Smith and parents, prior to 1919 (notation on back “20:J.H” matches with Jean Harwood photo legend (see Photograph Collection 5-1)
17-4 Picnic at Tribune Bay (notation on back “#26 cover” matches Ebb and Flow picture legend (Betty Smith Collection 2-11) “picnic at Tribune Bay T.A.L Smith family, prior to 1910. Cover”)
3-19 Smith Family and Hornby Island (37 contact prints), c 1890-1930
see Betty Smith Collection 1-22 and 3-13