Two old diaries have appeared in opposite ends of Canada — one from British Columbia on the west coast and the other from Nova Scotia in the east, and both are an important addition to the country’s historical records.
In Vancouver, the University of British Columbia (UBC) Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections has acquired a journal kept by Susannah Weynton (née Hack, 1821-1901) during her voyage aboard the Hudson’s Bay Company supply ship Cowlitz, which was captained by her husband, Alexander John Weynton.
Photo by Paul Joseph. Courtesy of UBC Library, Vancouver, BC.
The diary is the earliest known original account of British Columbia written by a woman. (Of course, this begs the question, “Who wrote the earliest known account by a man?”)
Susannah Weynton’s handwritten journal documents her outward and return voyages from London to the Pacific Northwest via Cape Horn and Hawaii between August 4, 1849 and March 22, 1851. The account ends before the ship reaches port in England on April 26, 1851 — as the writer gave birth on board the ship.
UBC Library said, “While the journal includes an account of the Juan Fernandez Islands and a detailed record of her lengthy stay in Hawaii, it is Weynton’s four months spent on Vancouver Island at Fort Victoria and Fort Rupert and on the mainland at Fort Langley between March and July 1850 that will be of most interest to British Columbians.
“She describes the forts, newly installed Chief Factor James Douglas and family, Governor Blanshard, as well as her observations about the Indigenous peoples she encounters, agriculture and the natural beauties of the area.”
The good news for those researching this period in BC’s history from afar is that a digitized version of the journal is available for viewing in UBC Library’s Open Collections.
Halifax Explosion
On the east coast in Nova Scotia, a sailor’s first-hand account has returned to the city where it was written a century after it documented the Halifax Explosion.
According to a CBC report, “Frank Baker’s diary, handwritten between October 1917 and January 1918, chronicles his experiences working on a patrol vessel inspecting the cargo and passengers of ships entering and leaving Halifax harbour.”
Frank Baker was serving at the time with the Royal Navy on December 6, 1917 when the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship laden with high explosives, collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo in the Narrows near the Halifax Habour.
About 2,000 people were killed by blast, debris, fires and collapsed buildings, and an estimated 9,000 others were injured.
Before he died, Frank Baker left the diary to his son, Rex Baker. Decades later, Rex emailed Bonnie Elliott, executive director of the Dartmouth Heritage Museum, from Australia.
The diary will be on display at Evergreen House in Dartmouth until January as part of an exhibit to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion.
