Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Eloise A. Skimings fonds
General material designation
- Textual record
Parallel title
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Level of description
Fonds
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
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Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
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Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
26cm of textual records
3 photographs
1 drawing
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Eloise A. Skimings was born on May 2, 1836 in Goderich, Ontario to Mary Reilly Mason Skimings (born in Canada) and James Skimings (a tailor, born in New York). She resided her entire life in Goderich, Ontario with her brother William Henry Skimings. Both never married. Eloise taught music lessons and was a principal at the Goderich Model School. She was a news correspondent/columnist in Goderich for the Clinton News-Record. She was a poetess and published a book in 1904 of nearly 1000 poems entitled "Golden Leaves". She was known as "The Poetess of Lake Huron". It was a common occurrence for Eloise to write a poem in honour of VIPs who visited Goderich to mark the occasion. She was known to attract attention wearing elaborate dresses, hats, hairstyles, long gloves, and a parasol. She died on April 7, 1921 in Clinton and is buried in the Maitland Cemetery in Goderich, Ontario.
Custodial history
In 1989, the fonds was transferred to the Huron County Museum from Western University. No documentation exists in the Archives and Research Collection Centre of Western University to indicate how, when, or why the collection came to the university. A copy of the poetry book "Golden Leaves" was donated to the Museum in 1979 and added to the fonds. A letter from Richard Skimings to Eloise Skimings dated November 1, 1868 was donated to the Museum in 1981 and added to the fonds.
Scope and content
The fonds consists of textual records and other material created and accumulated by Eloise A. Skimings during her career as a newspaper correspondent, teacher, poet, and composer in Goderich, Ontario.
The fonds includes business and personal correspondence, business and personal invoices and receipts related to Eloise Skimings professional and personal activities, family account books of her and her brothers, insurance records, bank records, music records, poetry, notebooks, scrapbook, tickets, invitations, announcements, cards of memoriam, newspaper clippings and articles, photographs, postcard, a drawing, and published poetry books. Some of the records relate to her brothers, Richard Skimings and William Skimings, as well as A.M. Polley, Mrs. Flora A. Polley, and S.B. Williams.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Open
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Finding aid available.
Associated materials
Accruals
No further accruals expected.
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
- North America » Canada » Ontario » Huron, County of » Goderich
- North America » Canada » Ontario