Fonds CDA C-4 - Jesuits of Upper Canada Northern Missions Fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Jesuits of Upper Canada Northern Missions Fonds

General material designation

  • Architectural drawing
  • Cartographic material
  • Graphic material
  • Object
  • Sound recording
  • Textual record
  • Photograph
  • Publication

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Title notes

Level of description

Fonds

Repository

Archives des jésuites au Canada/The Archive of the Jesuits in Canada

Reference code

CDA C-4

Edition area

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

Class of material specific details area

Statement of scale (cartographic)

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Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1843-2015 (Creation)
    Creator
    Jesuits of Upper Canada

Physical description area

Physical description

3.4 m of textual records
837 photographs
19 architectural plans
1 map
6 publications
21 audio reels
5 microfilm reels

Publisher's series area

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Archival description area

Name of creator

Jesuits of Upper Canada
([1800])

Administrative history

In the aftermath of the Society of Jesus’ return to North America in the 1840s, Jesuit missionaries set out to establish residences in northern Upper Canada. Jesuit priests settled along the Kaministiquia River in 1848-1849 in what became the Fort William First Nations Reserve. Missionaries subsequently built a school and an orphanage in 1860, along with a modest church which was rebuilt in 1900 after a fire destroyed the building.

Jesuit missionaries travelled long distances to establish and maintain missions located north of Lake Superior. They were often responsible for several parishes. In addition to the Fort William Mission, these included the Nipigon Mission, Longlac, St. Frances and Kenora parishes, Pic River and Mobert Missions, Gull Bay, Heron Bay, Mountain Road, Garden River, South Bay, Squaw Bay Mission, and what was called the Canadian Pacific Railway Mission, among others. Missionaries were responsible for setting up schools, and for the thousands of catholic parishioners situated across vast territories in Northern Ontario.

Custodial history

The material has been accumulated and collected by the Upper Canada Province. It was transferred to The Archive of the Jesuits in Canada, located in Montreal, in 2009.

Scope and content

This fonds provides information on the history of the Fort William Mission and the surrounding area. It contains historical brochures and diaries about the Fort William Mission. It documents the missionary activities of the region. It also provides an account of Jesuit activities with the Indigenous communities in the area, including marriage licenses, lease agreements, and various contracts.

The fonds contains some correspondence of Nicolas Fremiot, S.J., detailing his activities in the region, as well as other correspondence by Jesuit priests involved in the Northern Ontario missions.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Arrangement

The physical organization of the fonds was based on the former Jesuit archives of Upper Canada (ASJUC) classification scheme. The fonds was completely rearranged when processed in 2025.

Language of material

  • English
  • French
  • Latin
  • Ojibwa

Script of material

    Location of originals

    Availability of other formats

    Some material has been digitized.

    Restrictions on access

    Some material contains personal information and is restricted. Consultation of documents containing personal information on third parties could be forbidden. Priority is given to Indigenous researchers and families related to Spanish Residential School survivors.

    Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

    Some documents may be subject to copyright. Use and reproduction of archival documents must be done with the permission of The Archive of the Jesuits in Canada.

    Finding aids

    Associated materials

    Native Peoples Apostolate Fonds (CDA G-7)
    Collection des Archives du Collège Sainte-Marie (Q-2 Série A and Q-3 Série B)

    Related materials

    Accruals

    Alpha-numeric designations

    0700-0012
    C-0004
    CDA BO-493

    General notes

    The First Nations, Métis Inuit - Indigenous Ontologies (FNMIIO) Google spreadsheet by the National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance was the main source used during the process of descriptive metadata for the fonds’ photographic and textual materials to ensure that communities and nations were accurately named.

    Alternative identifier(s)

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    Standard number

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    Control area

    Description record identifier

    François Dansereau, Senior Archivist; Naomi Mercier, Project Archivist (Young Canada Works)

    Institution identifier

    Rules or conventions

    Status

    Level of detail

    Dates of creation, revision and deletion

    2021-11-08; 2025-03-12

    Language of description

      Script of description

        Sources

        About Us. Fort William First Nation. https://fwfn.com/about-us/

        Anishinabe Spiritual Centre. Jesuits of Canada. https://jesuits.ca/ministry/anishinabe-spiritual-centre/.

        Bibliothèque et archives nationales du Québec. (2022). Guide de gestion des archives des communautés religieuses.

        Couture, J.-M. (n.d.). A float and aloft (translated and edited by Lorenzo Cadieux). Brisson Printing regd: 17.

        Dictionary of Jesuit Biography 1842-1987. (1991). Canadian Institute of Jesuit Studies.

        Dictionary of Jesuit Biography 1988-2006. (2007). Canadian Institute of Jesuit Studies.

        Dictionary of Jesuit Biography 2007-2018. (2018). Canadian Institute of Jesuit Studies.

        La Compagnie de Jésus au Canada. 1842-1942. L’œuvre d’un siècle. (1942). Les pères jésuites.

        Gavin. J.N. (2015). Teachers of a Nation. Jesuits in English Canada 1842-2013. (Vol.1). Novalis Publishing Inc.

        History. St Andrews Church, Thunder Bay. https://standrewrc.ca/history/

        Indigenous Ministries. Jesuits of Canada. https://jesuits.ca/ministry/indigenous-ministries/

        Kateri Church. Indigenous Catholic Community of Thunder Bay. https://indigenouscatholic.ca/

        Maynard, F. (2012). Jesuit Missions in Northern Ontario (translated and edited by William Lonc). 2nd Edition. (Maynard and Lonc 1941/2012).

        Meehan, J. (2017) Historiography of Jesuits in Canada since 1842. https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/JHO/COM-196201.xml

        Monet, J. (Dir.). (2015). Builders of a Nation. Jesuits in English Canada 1842-2013. (Vol. 2). Novalis Publishing Inc.

        Monet, J. (Dir.). (2017). Conscience of a Nation. Jesuits in English Canada 1842-2016. (Vol.3). Novalis Publishing Inc.

        National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance. First Nations, Métis and Inuit – Indigenous Ontology (FNMIIO). https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/e/2PACX-1vSOKcm9HB-28iSqNN3sQd5hV7bMLMGpCeGL0dkQgyg2AiZAMWUF0sp98GyxIvLXYIWqSZ3nX_j_q4UN/pubhtml?pli=1#

        Piovesana, R. (2002). Hope and Charity – Diocese of Thunder Bay – An Illustrated History. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Thunder Bay.

        Université Laval. Guide pour l’utilisation des vedettes-matières décrivant les Peuples autochtones dans le Répertoire de vedettes-matières (RVM). Version du 1er octobre 2024.

        Accession area