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- Textual record
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- Source of title proper: title based on contents of Fonds
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Date(s)
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[ca. 1890]-1914 (Creation)
- Creator
- Burr, W.H. and E.B. (family)
Physical description area
Physical description
0.85 cm of textual records
21 photographs
2 maps
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Biographical history
William Henry (Harry) Burr began farming on Crescent Island in Delta in 1891. Harry was the son of William Henry Burr (1831-1896) and Sarah Jackson ( - 1884). The father, W.H. Burr came to British Columbia in 1858 at the time of the gold rush, and brought his family out from Ontario a year later. Harry's father preempted land in Delta in the 1870s and supported Delta incoporation in 1879. W.H. and Sarah had 3 sons: Joseph Benjamin (1855-1926), William Henry or Harry (1860-1923), and John Jackson (1863-1938), and 3 daughters: Susan Elizabeth (1858-1958), Sarah Maria (1864-1934), and Isabella Adeline (1867-1867). The three sons all bought property in Delta and farmed and raised their families there. Harry purchased District Lots 96a, 148 and 147; Joseph, District Lots 140 and 142; and John, District Lot 144 and 146 (from 1906 Tax Assessment Roll).
Harry Burr married Edith Blanche Mitchell (1879-1937) in 1899. Blanche was the daughter of Delta pioneer Nathaniel Mitchell and sister of Harry Mitchell who farmed on Crescent Island. In 1906 Harry built an imposing Victorian style home on the farm that he and Blanche called "Burrvilla". Burrvilla was a lively social centre for community gatherings, holding teas and weddings in its formal gardens and sponsoring a hunt club. The farm had its own steamship landing and between 1911 and 1913 a post office. Blanche and Harry had one child, a son named Albert Edward (1901-1969). Edward married Anniemay Smith (1904-1996) in 1925. They raised their 5 children at Burrvilla: William Henry, Terrence, Madeline, Sylvia, and Bernadine. In 1974 the farm was sold to developers. The house was designated a heritage building and moved from its original location at the corner of River Road and 62B Street to Deas Island for restoration and preservation.
Custodial history
Donated by Anniemay Burr, Harry Burr's daughter-in-law; Burrvilla photograph donated by Ken Berry 17/09/2010 , grandson of W.H. Burr,
Scope and content
Fonds consists of copies of William Henry and Edith Blanche Burr's farm diary for 1903; copies of letters written by Harry Burr between 1903-1914; property records relating to property owned by the Burrs and family photographs of scenes on the farm, the Hunt Club, and Mr. and Mrs. Harry Burr and other family members and a large matted portrait of Burrvilla.
Fonds is arranged in 4 series:
Correspondance
Memorabilia
Property Records
Photographs
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July 11, 2014