Fritsch Pharmacy began in 1920 as Beger and Schaefer at 191 King Street West in Kitchener. By 1926 the business was operated solely by Gordon Schaefer and in 1929 was taken over by E.G. Fahrner. Fahrner came from London, Ontario where he worked as a druggist at the corner of Ridout and Dundas. From 1929 until 1958 Fahrner and his wife operated the store, at times also housing his wife's hair dressing business. In 1960 after Fahrner's passing the store was taken over by Michael Fritsch who had been working there since 1942, originally as a delivery boy. In 1988 Fritsch closed the dispensary and converted the store to selling perfumes, opening Fritsch Fragrances. Fritsch Fragrances closed in 2018 and Michael Fritsch died in 2023. Over the years the numbering system of King Street has change numerous times, but the store currently stands at 201 King Street West.

George Pattinson was born July 17, 1854 to John Pattinson and Hannah Errington in Haltwhistle, Northumberland, England. Haltwhistle was well known for its wool manufacturing and mills were operating there as early as the 13th century. Both Pattinson’s father and grandfather were involved in the wool manufacturing business. Pattinson himself was educated in the city of Hexham and it was not until he immigrated to Canada in 1870 at the age of 16 that he began to become involved in the wool business. Pattinson first found work at a woollen mill in Plattsville, Ontario. The following year Pattinson moved to Cambridge and began to work for the woollen mill of James Crombie and Company, where he would stay for over 60 years.

The James Crombie and Company mill was originally built as a linen mill during the American Civil War by Elliott, Hunt, and Stephen at a cost of $120,000. John Elliott was associated with the Victoria Woollen Mills in Almonte and George Stephen was a Montreal dry-goods importer with an interest in textile manufacturing. The mill failed after the war years, and in 1870 Crombie converted it into a woollen mill. When Pattinson began in 1871 the mill employed 31 men, 25 women and 11 children and annually produced $120,000 worth of woollens. This output made it the sixth largest mill in Ontario.

Pattinson began to take on a larger role in the operation of the mill in 1876 when it was purchased by the Robinson and Howell Co. of Galt. It is believed that William Robinson took an interest in Pattinson and began to instruct him in the operation of various areas of the mill. It was also during this time, in 1878, that Pattinson met and married Mary Elizabeth Erb (1854-1898). Mary Elizabeth Erb was the daughter of Abraham Albert Erb, descendant of original settlers from Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Margaret Wallace of Scotland.
In 1881 William Robinson died, and his share in the mill was passed down to his daughter, a Mrs. Ferguson of Toronto. In the period following Mr. Robinson’s death the mill was re-organized, and Pattinson and Robinson’s son-in-law the Hon. John Ferguson took over Robinson’s share in the company. Eight years later Howell died and the mill came fully into the possession of Pattinson and Ferguson. It was at this time that Pattinson took over direct management of the company. It was during this period that Pattinson began to become involved in local politics. He joined the Preston town council, and became reeve in 1889. He was also a member of the local school board.

By this time, Pattinson and his wife had had five children: Alice Margaret (July 13, 1879-April 29, 1888), Ellen Errington “Nell” (June 15, 1881-May 27, 1911), John Lynn (October 22, 1883-June 15, 1915), Frank Headly (October 19, 1885-?), and Ruth (August 18, 1887-?). In 1894 they would have their last child, Mabel (June 30, 1894-?). Mary Elizabeth died February 13, 1898 of sepsis at the age of 44. In the same year Pattinson became sole owner of the mill.

In the early 20th century Pattinson began becoming more interested in politics and it was in 1905 he began to serve as the representative for South Waterloo, a position he would carry until 1914. During his tenure as an MPP he was also member of numerous standing committees including Agriculture and Colonization, Municipal Law, Standing Orders, and Public Accounts. During this time he also worked with Sir Adam Beck and the Hydro Electric Commission in bringing hydroelectric power to Preston from the Niagara region. Some of his other interests included his part in the introduction of the Workmen’s Compensation Act, involvement in the Prison Reform Commission and as a director of the Lake Superior Corporation.

The First World War saw changes for Pattinson and for the mill. Records show that during the period 1916-1918 four new buildings were constructed at the mill: a warehouse, an office building, a carbonizer building (for carbonization of vegetable matter in wool), and an addition to the mill itself. A total cost for these four buildings was $58,185.92. Also during this time Pattinson himself became involved in the war effort, as the President of the Patriotic Association, member of the Soldier’s Insurance Commission of Waterloo County, and as the Chairman of the Canadian Wool Commission.

In 1920 the mill was granted incorporation under the title The George Pattinson Co. Ltd. The last few years of Pattinson’s life were marked by illness after a stroke in 1921 and his only surviving son, Frank Headley was taking care of much of the operation of the mill. Pattinson had survived his wife, his eldest daughter, who died as a child, and his eldest son who was killed in First World War. His death records show him as having been retired when he passed on May 10, 1931 due to complications from the earlier stroke.

Frank Pattinson officially took over the mill and by 1933 it was the ninth largest mill in Canada in terms of sales. The mill was producing tweeds, cheviots, overcoatings and mackinaws and sold directly to the public. The mill continued to operate in what is now Cambridge until 1958 when Frank moved the company to Jamaica. When the mill was left it was estimated to be 200,000 square feet in size.

In Cambridge where Hedly St. meets Eagle St., a portion of the mill can still be seen today. It has been repurposed as a commercial rental building.

George Weston Limited was founded by George Weston in 1882. Although George Weston began the business as a bakery, he acquired multiple food companies, including McCormick's Limited in 1937, and the business expanded rapidly.

Note: McCormick's Limited (previously known as the Canadian Biscuit Company Limited) had acquired the Paulin-Chambers Company Limited in 1926.

In 1972, a number of Weston-owned biscuit companies were amalgamated under the name InterBake Foods. At that time, InterBake operated biscuit plants in London, Ontario (at the former McCormick's factory) and in Winnipeg, Manitoba (at the former Paulin's plant).

In 1989, InterBake was sold to the Montreal firm of Culinar, Inc.

The Paulin's plant in Winnipeg, Manitoba was closed by InterBake in 1991 and production was moved to London, Ontario and to other Culinar-owned plants in Montreal.

Today, George Weston Limited is a major Canadian public company, representing Canada’s largest food and drug retail businesses through its control of Loblaw Companies Limited (“Loblaw”) and Loblaw’s recent acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart.

Herbert J. Gifford, proprietor.

Gilbert & Bacon was a portrait studio that developed out of the Trask & Bacon partnership in 1870. The studio began under the leadership of William Frank Bacon and found continued success under Frank T. Bacon. William Bacon was the main photographer for the studio. By 1878, the studio gained membership in the Philadelphia Photographic Society. The studio ran out of 830 Arch Street in Philadelphia, while a second gallery was opened in 1886 on 1030 Chestnut Street.

The Grand River Conservation Authority is a corporate body governing the cooperative management of the Grand River watershed and its natural resources by municipalities, landowners and other organizations within the watershed. Formed in 1966 following the merging of the Grand River Conservation Commission and the Grand Valley Conservation Authority, the GRCA's origins date back to the 1930s.

In the early 1800s, the Grand River was a source of transportation, power and water for local communities. Settlement led to deforestation, intensive farming and urbanization, which began to hinder the natural cycles of the river. By the 1930s river conditions had become so severe that annual floods, drought and pollution were affecting public health and the economic development of the communities up and down the Grand.

Sponsored by the Grand Valley Boards of Trade and modeled on the fledging Tennessee Valley Authority in the United States, the "Grand River Conservation Commission Act" was passed by the Province of Ontario in 1932. The Grand River Conservation Commission (GRCC) was the first watershed management agency in Canada when it received its formal Letters Patent in August, 1934. The formation of the GRCC marked the first time local municipalities had banded together to address water management issues on a watershed scale. The founding partner municipalities were Brantford, Galt, Kitchener, Fergus and Caledonia. William Philip of Galt was the first chairman, and the commission's head office was in Brantford. Other municipalities soon joined the partnership.

In 1942 the commission completed the Shand Dam near Fergus, the first dam in Canada built for flood control, water supply and water quality purposes. This was followed by the Luther Marsh Dam in 1954 and the Conestogo Dam in 1958. Funding was shared between the federal and provincial governments, (each paid 37.5 per cent) and the local municipalities paid 25 per cent. The GRCC also planted more than two million trees and undertook some of the province's first large scale reforestation projects. The success of the commission, its watershed scope and municipal partnership model led to the Guelph Conference on Conservation in 1941, and the Conservation Authorities Act of Ontario in 1946. This new act led to the creation of 36 conservation authorities across the province.

In 1948, the Grand River watershed municipalities formed their own Grand Valley Conservation Authority (GVCA) under this new act. This new agency had extended powers in the 1950s, which allowed it to acquire many wetlands, forests and natural areas in the watershed. The GVCA also acquired park land for camping, swimming, fishing and canoeing including what would become the Elora Gorge, Rockwood, Pinehurst Lake and Byng Island.

Over time the GVCA's objectives began to parallel those of the GRCC and the two agencies merged in 1966 to form the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA), which operates under the Conservation Authorities Act of Ontario. As a corporate body, through which municipalities work cooperatively to manage the water and natural resources in the watershed for everyone's benefit.

The Grand River Conservation Commission was the first watershed management agency in Canada when it received its formal Letters Patent in August, 1934. This was the first time local municipalities had banded together to address water management issues on a watershed scale. The founding partner municipalities were Brantford, Galt, Kitchener, Fergus and Caledonia. William Philip of Galt was the first chairman, and the Commission's head office was in Brantford. Other municipalities soon joined the partnership.

"During the Depression, the federal and provincial governments were more interested in helping people by providing government relief. But the tide was turning: governments were thinking about large-scale public works projects that would provide jobs and help the economy. The federal government’s National Employment Commission supported a proposal for a dam across the Grand River. By April 1938, the province and federal government had each agreed to contribute 37.5 per cent of the project. This left the municipalities to cover the remaining 25 per cent, an amount they could manage. This was divided among the municipalities differently based on tax assessment and benefits such as water supply, flood protection and sewage disposal. A second Grand River Conservation Commission Act was passed by the province in 1938 to broaden the commission’s responsibilities so it could manage the construction projects."

In 1942 the Commission completed the Shand Dam near Fergus, the first dam in Canada built for flood control, water supply and water quality purposes. This was followed by the Luther Marsh Dam in 1954 and the Conestogo Dam in 1958. The Commission also planted more than two million trees on their land and undertook some of the province's first large scale reforestation projects.

The success of the Commission, its watershed scope and municipal partnership model led to the Guelph Conference on Conservation in 1941, and the Conservation Authorities Act of Ontario in 1946. This new act led to the creation of 36 conservation authorities across the province. In fact, the commission supported the creation of the Grand Valley Conservation Authority in 1948 and the two organizations — the GVCA and GRCC had the same chair, William Philip of Galt. They amalgamated in 1966 to form the present day Grand River Conservation Authority and are the two founding organizations of the Grand River Conservation Authority.

Greb Industries Limited was a shoe and boot manufacturing company based in Kitchener, Ontario. Charles E. Greb, who had moved to Berlin (now Kitchener) from Zurich, Ontario, in 1909, became the secretary-treasurer of the Berlin Shoe Manufacturing Company when it was incorporated in 1910. His son Erwin Greb joined the company as book-keeper. In 1912, Charles and Erwin acquired the company, and in 1916 it received a new charter of incorporation under the name Greb Shoe Company Limited, with Charles as president and Erwin as secretary-treasurer. In 1918, Erwin bought the controlling interest in the company from his father, who remained involved with the business in an advisory capacity.

The Greb Shoe Company, which had plants on Queen Street and at the corner of Mansion and Chestnut Streets in Kitchener, was again reorganized and received a new charter in 1930. In 1938, it acquired Valentine and Martin Limited, a Waterloo manufacturer of work boots, shoes, and dress shoes, which continued to operate as a separate business until it was merged with the Greb Shoe Company in 1951. Operations by that time were consolidated at a plant on Breithaupt Street in Kitchener. When Erwin Greb died in 1954, his son Harry D. Greb took over as company president. Erwin’s other sons were also involved in the company as directors; Arthur was in senior management and Charles was a plant manager and eventually became executive vice-president (1969-1976).

In 1959, the company purchased the Canada West Shoe Manufacturing Company of Winnipeg, including its popular Kodiak brand boots. The expansion into Western Canada began a period of tremendous growth for the company. Manufacturing facilities were expanded, and the company made several other acquisitions, including Bauer Canadian Skate; Tebbutt Shoe and Leather Company of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec; and Collins Safety Shoes of Peterborough. A skate and boot plant was eventually opened in Bangor, Maine. The most significant factor in the company’s growth through the 1960s was the popularity of Hush Puppies brand of casual shoes, which Greb began manufacturing under license from Wolverine World Wide of Rockford, Michigan, in the early 1960s. The mascot for this line of footwear, a basset hound named Velvet, was a popular symbol for the brand. In 1966, Greb Industries Limited became a publicly-traded company, and by the early 1970s it had grown to become Canada’s largest footwear manufacturer, employing 1200 people in Kitchener and another 1100 in Winnipeg, Trois-Rivieres, and Bangor. In 1974, the company was purchased by Warrington Products Limited of Mississauga.

Greb Industries Limited continued to manufacture footwear under the new owners, with several changes in operations, including the closure of several plants and a move for the head office from its Ardelt Avenue location in Kitchener to Mississauga. In 1987, Warrington sold the Greb division, which consisted mainly of Hush Puppies and Kodiak shoes and boots, to Taurus Footwear of Montreal. Production of Hush Puppies ended in 1989 when the licence was surrendered to Wolverine. The Bauer skate division, operating as Canstar Sports, had been relocated to Cambridge and sold to Nike. The last Greb plant in Kitchener, a Kodiak boot plant on Hayward Avenue, closed in 1991. In 1992, the Royal Bank took control of Taurus Footwear and formed Greb International to market the Kodiak brand domestically and internationally. In 2000 this company became Kodiak Group Holdings Inc., and in 2005, it purchased Terra Footwear in Newfoundland and has factories in Markdale, Ontario; Harbour Grace, Newfoundland; and in Asia.

1942: Grissol founded in the Rosemont area of Montreal, Quebec by Pedro Pedralli, an Italian immigrant. In the early 1950s, the Rosemont bakery was purchased by a Mr. Chouinard.

1961: Loney's Foods, owned by entrepreneur Yves Hudon, acquired Grissol. The name of the combined entitty was changed to Les Aliments Grissol Limitée / Grissol Foods Limited and all production was brought to a common location in the Ville Lasalle area of south Montreal, Quebec.

1961: Grissol buys a cookie plant in Ste-Martine, Quebec, 30 km south of Montreal, Quebec. The plant is expanded and state-of-the-art Melba toast making technology installed.

1960s: Production at the Loney's Foods Ville LaSalle facilities was expanded to include soup, pretzels, croutons, "bric-à-brac" and breadcrumbs while Melba toast was bread sticks were produced at the Sainte-Martine plant.

1969: Grissol acquired Biscuits Viau and moved the head office of Grissol Foods to Viau's offices on Ontario Street, Montreal, Quebec.

1972: Grissol including Viau and Loney's was acquired by Imasco Foods Limited, the food arm of Imperial Tobacco company.

1975: When the Ste-Martine plant ran out of space, some production of bread and Melba toast was taken to unused space in the Viau plant.

1980: After a factory fire destroyed a large part of the Grissol operations in Ste-Martine, Grissol employees rallied round and managed to rebuild the facilities. This rebuilding allowed all Grissol products to be made under the same roof in the present Ste-Martine plant.

1983: Imasco Foods Limited, including Grissol, was acquired by Culinar Inc. of Montreal, Quebec.

1999: Montreal cheese company Saputo Inc. buys Culinar, made up of the Vachon snack cakes businesses and the CFS (Cookies, Fine Breads and Soups) Division.

Founded by Walter M. Jackson (1863-1923) around 1909. Grolier was purchased by Scholastic in 2000.

The Guild of All Arts, founded in 1932, began as a co-operative arts and crafts community with similarities to Roycroft in East Aurora, New York. During the Second World War, the Guild became "HMCS Bytown", a training school for the WRENS, and later served as a rehabilitation facility. Finally, it developed into a historic country inn with extensive gardens overlooking the Scarborough Bluffs. The Guild's hotel operations and expansion were guided and overseen in detail by Rosa and Spencer Clark.

The firm of Haney, Haney, Kendall & Melville was established in 1860 and has conducted business since then under a number of names. The first firm name recorded in the papers is MacGachen and Colquhoun on a document dated 1865. Of F. Stewart MacGachen nothing has been discovered except that he was appointed solicitor for the Waterloo Mutual Fire Insurance Company, formed in 1863. The partnership of MacGachen and Colquhoun lasted approximately fifteen years, as by 1875 Colquhoun's name alone appears on documents. In 1876 Colquhoun then entered into partnership with Ward Hamilton Bowlby and Edwin Perry Clement, under the name Bowlby, Clement and Colquhoun, but remained for only a short period. After conducting business alone for several years, in 1889 he entered into partnership with Arthur B. McBride under the name Colquhoun & McBride. This partnership lasted until 1897 when Colquhoun accepted the postion of Collector of Customs. McBride practised alone for several years before taking another partner, E.P. Flintoft, and the firm name became McBride and Flintoft, ca. 1906. Flintoft left to become solicitor for the Canadian Pacific Railway, leaving McBride once again alone for several years until taking E.W. MacKenzie as partner with the firm name McBride and MacKenzie, ca. 1916. Still later, McBride took another partner and the firm name changed to McBride & McGibbon.

The earliest document in the collection is an abstract of a will which names James Colquhoun as a beneficiary. James Colquhoun was a Barrister of the Middle Temple, a brilliant lawyer who emigrated to Canada in 1842 with his wife, Mary Bryce Colquhoun. After initially establishing a law practise in Galt and speculating in land near Ayr James Colquhoun moved to Berlin ca. 1852, where he first lived on Frederick St. and then built the home now known as "Woodside", the boyhood home of William Lyon MacKenzie King. John King was a family friend and rented Woodside from Frederick Colquhoun from 1886 to 1893. Shortly after moving to Berlin he was appointed Clerk of the county court, a position he held until his death, as was also made deputy clerk of the crown. A keen interest in education led him to serve at various times as trustee or chairman on both the public and high school boards. He died in 1877.

Frederick Colquhoun, son of James Colquhoun, was born August 31, 1839 in Sterling, Scotland. He was educated in Berlin and studied law. From 1860 until 1897 he had a successful law practise; in 1897 he was appointed Collector of Customs at the port of Berlin, a post which he held until his death in 1906. As well, Colquhoun served as Village Clerk for Waterloo from 1868 to 1876, and for the Town of Waterloo from 1876 to 1897. He was secretary of the North Waterloo Reform Association and Children's Aid Society for a number of years, and an original member of the Board of Directors of the Dominion Life Assurance Co., 1900. At the time of his death he was President of the Berlin and Waterloo Hospital Trust. In approximately 1889 he built a house on a lot on the corner of King and Union Streets, Waterloo, currently 251 Mary St.and known as the "backwards house." The house originally faced King St. but subdivision of the original lot has left the back of the house fronting on Mary St.

Arthur B. McBride was born November 21, 1861, was educated in Toronto, called to the bar in 1884 and practised in Toronto until 1889. In 1889 he moved to Waterloo and went into partnership with Frederick Colquhoun. In 1887 he married Agnes Kumpf, daughter of Christian Kumpf. In Waterloo McBride served as director of the Globe Furniture Company, as well as being active in both the Odd Fellows and Masons.

"Edward Hartley was born 1849 in Wadsworth, OH. The date he left Ohio is undetermined but, according to one obituary, had a photograph studio in Jacksonville, IL, before moving to Chicago in 1875.

It is safe to say that he was active as a photographer in Chicago from 1875 to 1887 and any cabinet cards imprinted with the 309 W Madison address would probably be from that era. However, under the management of his brother Charles Hartley, the photograph studio carried on some years after Edward's death and it would certainly be possible that some photographs from the studio continued with the same imprint."

In 1893, Charles Hartley purchased Brand Studios at 210 & 212 Wabash Street, which he renamed Hartley. He subsequently deeded his share in the business to his wife, Belle Hartley, before "eloping" to Utah in 1894. It is unknown whether the business continued after this point.

Her Majesty's Stationery Office was the publisher for the Government of the United Kingdom. The corporation published a range of official publications for government departments and other bodies.

The corporation was privatized in 1996.

The Hespeler Furniture Company was started in 1901 in Hespeler, Ontario (now a part of Cambridge) by Mr. George A. Gruetzner, who was originally from Buffalo, N.Y. He worked for The Simpson Co. of Berlin (now Kitchener), Ont., first as a salesman and then as the manager of its factory in Berlin. When this company merged with the Canada Furniture Syndicate, Gruetzner established his own factory in Hespeler in 1901.
George Greutzner was active in the community, serving on the Parks Board, and then on Town Council. He was elected mayor of Hespeler in 1925 and served for five years. He died in 1949. (Source Waterloo Historical Society 37 (1949): 45.)

The Howe Candy Company was acquired by Dare Foods Limited in 1942. The Howe Candy Company Limited charter was surrendered and the company merged with The Dare Company Limited in 1958. The plant was closed in 1991.

The International Press Bureau was a literary agency in Chicago, Ill. owned first by William Gerard Chapman and after his death by his son Gerard. Chapman sold and syndicated pieces for newspaper and magazine features, mostly in the United States.

Jackdaws are kits of collections of reproductions of primary source documents all based around a single topic or historical event.