Saving Data: The Canadian Regional Historical Wealth Microdata Collection

 

As an economic historian, much of my work involved the collection and analysis of individual level and regional wealth data from late 19^th and early 20^th century central Canada.  This work began in the 1980s with my thesis on wealth in Wentworth County under Peter George at McMaster and became a long term career project that used probate and census data to look at the determinants of Canadian wealth holding as well as its distribution.  After 30 years, the responsible thing to do was to try and find a home for the data and in this regard I am delighted to announce that after conversations with Sara Janes at the Lakehead University Library Archives, a home has been found for the data collection and it has migrated so to speak.  While the full electronic access to the data files is still in progress, the collection now has an entry point.  A fuller description of the data set is available at the Archives site.

 

The data in the Canadian Regional Historical Micro Data Collection consists of over 12,000 probated decedents in Ontario and Manitoba for the period spanning approximately 1870 to 1930.  In terms of the components housed at the Lakehead University Library and Archives, there are:

 

1)    Canadian Historical Regional Micro-Data Collection: Survey Sheets: Approximately 12,000 estate files recorded on 3 to 5-page survey sheets (8” by 11”) comprising approximately 25 linear feet of material.

2)    Canadian Historical Regional Micro-Data Collection: E-Files: 11 sets of e-files in excel format with accompanying coding information, approximately 30 MB of data.

3)    Canadian Historical Regional Micro-Data Collection: Microfilm Resources: Several boxes of microfilm of estate files for Ontario in 1892 and 1902 and the Thunder Bay District, 1885 to 1930. Note that these will become part of the Northern Studies Resource Centre collection of the Paterson Library.

 

 

The work involving data collection and research has occurred over more than 30 years starting in the late 1980s with thesis research for a PhD in Economics at McMaster University, Hamilton and then occupying the bulk of an academic career at Lakehead University.  Along with the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship that funded the PhD (1986-1990) and the collection of the original Wentworth County estate files, there were three additional SSHRC Standard Research Grants (1991-94; 1999-02 and 2007-10) which helped put together the rest of the data. 

 

The historical probate wealth micro data was collected for four regional areas: they are Wentworth County, Ontario (1872-1927), Thunder Bay District, Ontario (1885-1927), Ontario (1892, 1902) and Manitoba (1873-1927).  Along with over 12,000 estate files collected in hard copy survey sheets which are now housed in the Lakehead University Archives, there are electronic data sets that have been generated that will eventually be available through hyperlinks through the provincial Permafrost digital data preservation system.  Much of the wealth and asset information as well as personal information on the survey sheets has been placed in Excel spread sheets.  Variables include gender, occupation age at death, wealth, portfolio composition, religious affiliation, birthplace, etc…However, there was substantial anecdotal and personal information taken down as well as details on bequests and estate division that was never coded and inputted and is still available in the paper-based survey forms.  There is still research that can be done by coding and inputting the estate division details and subsequently analyzing it.  While some preliminary work was done with Wentworth County in this regard and available for Wentworth County 1872 to 1892, funding for this last stage never materialized and remains undiscovered country. These decedents are also a potential resource for anyone doing genealogical research.

 

So, this is a preliminary message. When the data links are fully up and running, I will do another post.  Until then, if there are questions about accessing the collection including the electronic data in advance of full hyperlink access, they can be directed to Sara Janes at the Lakehead University Archives [sjanes1@lakeheadu.ca (807) 343-8272].  Again, my thanks to the Lakehead University Archives for helping preserve this data for future research work.

 

 

 

CNEH 2019: Canadian Economic History Meetings In Thunder Bay for the First Time

The Canadian Network for Economic History - originally the Conference on the Application of Quantitative Methods to Canadian Economic History - has been meeting since 1965.  I gave my first paper at the 1990 meetings on research based on my thesis and have made most of the meetings since.  There have been 34 meetings since 1965 and the 35th meeting is being sponsored by Lakehead University and the sessions are being held at the scenic and historic Prince Arthur Hotel in Thunder Bay, Ontario this coming week from Friday September 27th to Sunday September 29th.  The meetings over the years have been held from coast to coast and this will be the first time the meetings are being held in Thunder Bay.

The conference theme is the economic history of Indigenous communities, and interactions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous economies in Canada. The CNEH is pleased to announce that Ann Carlos (University of Colorado at Boulder) will give the keynote address and Donna Feir (University of Victoria and Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis) will give the Mary MacKinnon Memorial Lecture.



The  conference is receiving generous financial support from  the Alan G. Green Memorial Fund, the Canadian Economics Association, and the Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies(FSES), the Department of Economics and the Department of History at Lakehead University.  As well, the Anthropology Department and the FSES is also sponsoring the visit of Ann Carlos who along with delivering the Keynote Address will also be providing a public lecture on the fur trade as part of the Science and Environmental Studies Faculty Speaker Series on Thursday September 26th.

We are looking forward to a great conference.  The program is below.  If anyone would like to join use, registration is still open at this link.

Northern Economist Goes to Suid Afrika!

Well, I had the opportunity to attend the 2012 World Economic History Conference held in the Western Cape town of Stellenbosch in South Africa.  Stellenbosch is just outside of Capetown and is one of the oldest towns in South Africa dating back to 1679 and today is a university town of about 130,000 people situated in the heart of South African wine country.  My session at the WEHC was a reunion between researchers on 19^th and early 20^th wealth in the British Empire that was organized by David Green (King’s College, London) and included along with myself, Alastair Owens (Queen Mary University, London), Jim McAloon (Victoria University of Wellington), Martin Shanahan (University of South Australia) and Roy Hora (Universidad de San Andre).

My stay in Stellenbosch was at the Eendracht Hotel on tree-lined Dorp Street.  The Eendracht was originally a home that has been converted into an elegant hotel establishment with superb accommodation and service.  Indeed, my entire stay in South Africa was marked by excellent, friendly and attentive service.  It’s a long air trip there from Canada (Toronto to Capetown via a three hour layover Amsterdam was 23 hours) but well worth the experience you are going to have.  

 

South Africa and the Western Cape region is an incredibly beautiful and diverse land featuring vineyards, mountains and beaches.   From an economic perspective, it was remarkable how many economic activities were clustered in the small region that I had the opportunity to visit.   Orchards and farming, vineyards, fishing, mining, forestry, manufacturing, resource and food processing, education, health, tourism were all part of the economic base of activities making it a remarkably self-sufficient region and yet with a surprising range of exports not least of which is wine – try the unique South African blend of Pinotage.  The cultural wealth was also amazing in terms of the vast amounts of local art on display especially in some of the wineries.

South Africa is a land of diversity and extremes ranging from climate and terrain to its society, which is marked by great wealth as well as great inequality.  In terms of comparisons with my own home here in Northern Ontario, some of the social issues such as employment, educational opportunity and housing were reminiscent of challenges we have with First Nations though rooted in a different historical context.  The demographic balance between the descendants of European settlement and the indigenous populations are also quite different as the share of population originating from European settlement is much smaller than in Canada.

As well, there were other interesting comparisons such as the fact that while we have forest fires, the Western Cape region also has fires during their summer (I was visiting in winter which is cool and wet and more like autumn for someone from Canada).  As well, we tend to have to bear proof our garbage containers and camp sites in provincial parks while in South Africa the concern is with baboons who are also on the prowl for things to eat.   

South Africa was an impressive place.  It was a great trip.  I can’t wait to go again.