Fonds F0143 - Simmins family fonds.

Open original Digital object

Identity area

Reference code

CA ACU SPC F0143

Title

Simmins family fonds.

Date(s)

  • 1850-2017 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

3.62 m of textual records and other material.

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Richard Beaufort Simmins, 1924-1999, was born in Ottawa, Ontario, and educated in art history at the University of Toronto. Married Barbara Jeanette Atkinson, 1919-2000, in 1950. They had four children: Zoë, 1952-; Karen, 1954-1974; Geoffrey, 1956-; and Marjorie, 1959-. Barbara and Richard were divorced in 1968. Barbara returned to school and completed a Bachelor and Masters of Education at the University of British Columbia. She taught at Richmond Senior Secondary School, Richmond, British Columbia, from 1968 to 1986, where she developed an award winning Family Studies program. She also volunteered as a counselor at CHIMO, the Richmond Crisis Centre, and at Minoru Extended Care. Richard married Karin Weiss in 1980 and they had two daughters: Jessica, 1981-; and Fiona, 1985-. Zoë Landale is a poet, author and journalist who has published six books and numerous articles. Geoffrey Simmins is an art and architecture historian, published writer and professor at the University of Calgary. Marjorie Simmins is a freelance journalist and writer, married to writer "Silver" Donald Cameron. All family members are prolific letter-writers and journal-keepers. Other family members include Richard's parents Richard Godfrey Simmins (Nick) and Marjorie Mabel Beaufort Simmins (Minnie); his brother Godfrey Jermyn Philip Simmins (Red); and his sister Susette Simmins

Archival history

Donated by Zoë Landale in 2003 and Marjorie Simmins in 2009.

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Fonds consists of correspondence to and from various members of the Simmins family, principally to Barbara Simmins, and Richard Simmins' photocards to Marjorie Simmins; material relating to B. Simmins' career, estate and financial matters; material relating to the death of Susette Simmins in 2007; drafts of B. Simmins' manuscript Should angels come: a letter to my daughter; articles by and about Philip Simmins, Richard Simmins and Geoffrey Simmins; daytimers and diaries written by B. Simmins (?) and Marjorie Mabel Beaufort Simmins; Karen Simmins' journals, poems, childhood drawings, stories and letters; photographs of members of the Simmins and Atkinson families, including several photo albums.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Some items restricted.

Conditions governing reproduction

Language of material

    Script of material

      Language and script notes

      Text in English.

      Physical characteristics and technical requirements

      Finding aids

      File level inventory available at repository.

      Allied materials area

      Existence and location of originals

      Existence and location of copies

      Related units of description

      Related fonds are Zoë Landale fonds (Acc 741/03.6) and Richard Simmins fonds (Acc 726/02.13).

      Related descriptions

      Notes area

      Note

      Title based on contents of the fonds.

      Note

      Includes ca. 1200 photographs.

      Alternative identifier(s)

      ckey

      3211591

      Access points

      Place access points

      Name access points

      Genre access points

      Description control area

      Description identifier

      Institution identifier

      Rules and/or conventions used

      Status

      Level of detail

      Dates of creation revision deletion

      Language(s)

        Script(s)

          Sources

          Digital object (Master) rights area

          Digital object (Reference) rights area

          Digital object (Thumbnail) rights area

          Accession area