Archives

You are now in the Archives section of the site. Here the items are organized by document type as they would be in traditional archives, rather than by theme.

These documents have much to tell us about our past, and constitute the basis for historical research. Without them, it would be very difficult to study and recount history. Several kinds of documents are found in a library. Archived items could come from a government service, an institutional library or an individual. Most archival collections are composed of traditional paper documents, such as government documents, court records, letters, and newspapers. But they can also include photographs, maps and physical objects.

Although this site may seem vast and complex, it is important for you to realize that the documents here give only a partial account of the deaths of Ada and Clifford Redpath. The truth is that few period documents remain about this mysterious event. While nearly all of the published documents about the tragedy are found here, just as many may have disappeared. We have searched through countless documents in a host of archives, such as the McCord Museum, the McGill University Archives, and the Royal Victoria Hospital. We have also had access to a rich family collection. We have chosen to include several hundred relevant documents, like photographs, newspaper articles, government documents and personal letters, in other words all the remaining traces of what took place in the Redpath Mansion on that fateful night in 1901.

The Archives section will aid you in your research once you have gone through the rest of the site. References at the bottom of each item will provide you with further information about the library or collection in which it is located. At the top of each document the “About this Source” button links you to an explanation of why and how historians use this particular type of document.

Below you will find a list of the principal archives that were consulted during the creation of this site.
McCord Museum of Canadian History
Redpath Sugar Museum
McGill University Archives
National Archives of Canada
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec
Osler Library of the History of Medicine