Letters that were supposed to be destroyed after being read a century ago and a book of hair are just a few of the unexpected artifacts that can be found in the Brock Library’s Archives and Special Collections.

In celebration of Archives Awareness Week from Tuesday, April 2 to Friday, April 5, Brock’s Archives Processing Specialists, Anne Adams (BA ‘89), Chantal Cameron (BA ‘98) and Edie Williams (BA ‘02) are sharing insights into some of the things they have discovered while sifting through the University’s collections.

For Cameron, processing archival scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings, photographs and postcards is a regular occurrence. But when she began working on a scrapbook comprised of 255 locks of hair, most adorned with ribbons and flowers, she knew it was something special.

Compiled between 1843 and 1976, the Bradt Family Hair Album contains locks of hair from Bradt family members along with each person’s name, year the lock was taken, and sometimes other biographical information.

“This book is an intergenerational labour of love,” says Cameron. “It is a historically significant record of a St. Catharines family and a unique item with artistic elements that make it very interesting.”

Adams recently gained deeply personal insight into the tragic life of a gifted local artist when she processed the Ada Gladys Killins Fonds.

The collection tells the story of a Niagara Falls teacher and water colour artist, whose works were shown in regional galleries from the late 1930s to 1954 and in the Canadian exhibition at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. Her life was cut short when she and other family members were murdered by her brother in 1962.

“Gladys was a truly accomplished woman but, in many ways, avoided the spotlight,” says Adams. “Far too often the circumstances of her death overshadow her paintings, but much can be learned about her life and career by looking at the notes, sketches and photos in her fonds.”

Both Adams and Williams agree that working with someone’s personal documents daily can create an intimate snapshot into their life.

“Sometimes we read so many letters and have put so many pieces together that we begin to have a different perspective on things than what may have been documented or published in the past,” Williams says. “Often we learn more about certain individuals than their own families.”

In many instances, working with artifacts and archival documents can become a bit like a puzzle or mystery for archivists to solve.

“Sometimes we only have part of a collection and certain aspects might not make sense until we get another collection or resource to fill help in the gaps. Then things become clearer,” says Adams.

Regardless of the challenges, Adams, Cameron and Williams always view the chance to gain rare glimpses into the past as a privilege.

Among the unique collections housed in Brock’s Archives and Special Collections are books and documents about 19th century pseudoscience, the spiritualist churches that were active in the region from the 1920s to the 1930s, the history of aircraft, and  stunters who went over Niagara Falls.

Visit the Brock Library’s Archives and Special Collections website for more information. Appointments to visit the Brock Library’s Archives and Special Collections can be scheduled by emailing archives@brocku.ca