The fonds testifies to the activities carried out by the Holy Cross Mission of Wiikwemkoong since its transfer to the Jesuits in 1844 and until 2004, and provides information on the history of Manitoulin Island, Wiikwemkoong and other communities of Northern Ontario. It provides information on the activities of the parishes Jesuit missionaries served via administrative and financial records, as well as sacramental registers that compiled data on the members and families of the communities. Thus, in addition to documenting the activities of the Holy Cross parish and missionaries, the fonds contains records concerning the parishes of Gore Bay, Little Current, Killarney, Batchewana, M’chigeeng, Sheshegwaning, Spanish River and Lake Huron North Shore, among others. It also contains records testifying to the Jesuits’ interest and implication in schools in Batchewana, Kaboni, Killarney, Sheguiandah, Spanish, and Wiikwemkoong.

The fonds contains diaries and notes taken by Jesuit priests concerning the activities of the missions and certain events. It also contains correspondence, parish communications, work documents and history notes, Status Animarum, Historia Domus, manuscripts, two publications, a prospectus, programs, architectural drawings and maps, as weel as photographs that document the different mission points, landscapes, church buildings, Catholic celebrations, events, and parish members and families.

The Arthur E. Jones, S.J. fonds reflects Father Jones personal life and his roles as historian, researcher, editor, and writer during his tenure as archivist at the Archives du Collège Sainte-Marie in Montreal from 1882 to 1918. The fund, dating from 1853 to 1918, consists largely of textual documents, including correspondence, postcards, memorabilia, clippings, bound writings, diplomas, publications, and other related printed material. Arthur E. Jones’s personal records encompass his religious education during his novitiate in Angers, France, including his personal passport, devotion vows, and letters to his mother Lucy Catherine Macdonell. They also include records such as his priesthood ordination certificate, travel permits provided by members of the Jesuits, and letters attesting to his affiliation with various associations. The fonds also contains biographical notes on Arthur E. Jones’s obituary written by F. Melançon, funeral arrangements for him at the Gesù Church in 1918 and letters pertaining to genealogical research on his family.

In addition, the fonds documents Father Jones’s active involvement in supplying documentation and publications on the Jesuits Estates Act, as well as debates between 1888 and 1889. Correspondence to Father Jones from Reuben Gold Thwaites and the Burrows publishers confirm his contribution to the publication of the Jesuits Relations and Allied Documents. Other records within the fonds relate to Father Jones’s inquiries, transcriptions, documentation and publications about the history of the Jesuits in New France and during the suppression of the Society of Jesus. The fonds also includes ephemera and certificates related to the Jesuit exhibit prepared by Arthur E. Jones for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis in 1904. Finally, the fonds comprises documents such as letters, copies, fieldwork journals, notes and other records reflecting his studies on the Jesuit missions among the Huron-Wendat nation, as well as the sites of the Jesuit martyrs which served for his publication in the 1902 Annual Archaeological Report. The fonds also contains material related to the research, publication, and reception of his work, “8endake Ehen or Old Huronia” in 1908-1909. An unpublished manuscript written by Arthur E. Jones, S.J. on the Wyandots is also included.

Various materials scattered throughout Arthur E. Jones’s fonds include photographs, blueprints, maps, technical and artistic drawings, sketches, and Father Jones’s personal objects, along with four printing plates. Photographs depict Arthur E. Jones’s portraits taken at different moments in his life, including those of his LLD graduation ceremony at the University of Toronto in 1913. Other photos are related to Arthur E. Jones’s family portraits, landscapes sites, as well as one photo of Father Jones’s life as a professor at St. Francis Xavier College in New York, between 1874 and 1875. Arthur E. Jones’s drawings showcase his artistic skills developed during his lifetime.