Fonds/Collection Description
| Title |
Alfred W. McLeod Ltd. fonds |
| Description Level |
Fonds |
| Fonds No. |
IH 1985.1 |
| Creator |
Alfred W. McLeod Ltd. |
| Material Type |
graphic material
textual record |
| Date Range |
1860-1980, predominant 1904-1970 |
| Title Source |
Title based on content of fonds. |
| Physical Description |
2 m of textual records
ca. 570 photographs |
| History/Biographical |
Alfred W. McLeod was born in Ontario in 1880. He was educated in New Westminster and in this city established his first insurance business in 1899. After selling his first business in 1912, he incorporated his next insurance business, Alfred W. McLeod Ltd., in 1917. Although Alfred McLeod died in Scotland in 1936, the company that he founded continued and thrived. Eventually it added real estate, commercial construction, corporate management, property management, and all classes of insurance to its services. Under its corporate management function, the company became the agent for a number of other businesses including the Westminster Trust Co. Three directors of Alfred W. McLeod Ltd., Frederick Temple Keely, Andrew Kirk Gerow, and Henry L.W. Tupper, became directors of the Westminster Trust Co. Initially calling itself the "Insurance Men," the McLeod Company's later motto became "The House of Complete Property Service." The ownership of the Company eventually passed into the hands of a British peer, the Duke of Westminster. The Duke of Westminster subsequently sold the company and it was amalgamated into Westland Insurance Group Ltd. in 1993. |
| Custodial History |
The records in this fonds were in the custody of Don MacDonald, the General Manager of the McLeod Company, who donated the records to the Archives in 1985. |
| Scope & Content |
The fonds consists of records created by the McLeod Company in the course of carrying out its business functions. The records include books of minutes, a stock register and stock transfer books, stock certificates, debentures, wills, estate files, insurance records, newspaper clippings, architectural drawings, and photographs. However, the collection also contains records of other creators. This latter group of records was most likely acquired by the McLeod Company in the exercise of its corporate management role. Thus there are four sous-fonds: Dominion Trust Co., F.J. Hart & Co., Westminster Apartments Ltd., and Westminster Trust Co. |
| Finding Aids |
Finding aid available |
| Related Material |
Other material associated with this fonds is in the custody of the New Westminster Museum (See accession numbers IH985.1.39- IH985.1.51b). |
| Accession No. |
IH 1985.1
IH 2004.31
IH 2005.84 |
| Usage History |
BCAUL |
| Name Access |
Alfred W. McLeod Ltd.
Westminster Trust Co.
Dominion Trust Co.
Westminster Apartments Ltd.
F.J. Hart & Co. |
| Subject Access |
Businesses |
|
|
| Title |
Westminster Trust Co. sous-fonds |
| Description Level |
Fonds |
| Fonds No. |
IH 1985.1.4 |
| Creator |
Westminster Trust Co. |
| Material Type |
architectural drawing
textual record |
| Date Range |
1904-1965 |
| Title Source |
Title based on content of fonds. |
| Physical Description |
118 cm of textual records
2 blueprints |
| History/Biographical |
The Westminster Trust and Safe Deposit Co. Ltd. was incorporated in New Westminster, B.C. in 1904. The founders and first shareholders of the province's first trust company were T.J. Trapp, Herbert Ryall, T.S. Annandale, F.J. Hart, W.J. Mathers, R.K. and E. Chapman, L.A. Lewis, and Edward Savage. An early stated purpose of the Company was "to lend, deposit, or advance money, securities, and property to or with such persons, and on such terms as may seem expedient." The Company also served as trustee in the management of trusts and estates. This Company was responsible for the construction of the landmark Westminster Trust Building that opened in 1912 at 713 Columbia Street. In 1947, Alfred W. McLeod Ltd. was appointed manager of this company. With this event, the Westminster Trust Co. discontinued its insurance, real estate, and property management departments. In 1954, it was resolved that the Company should close out all business permissible only to a trust company, including the savings deposits department. The Company's registration as a trust company was cancelled on October 31, 1956. The Company was then incorporated under the Companies Act as an investment company. During its lifetime, the Company underwent several name changes including the Westminster Trust Co. and Westminster Securities Ltd. It was under this last name that the Company was dissolved in 1985 for "failure to file." |
| Scope & Content |
Sous-fonds consists of records that pertain to the business functions of Westminster Trust Co. The sous-fonds includes the following series: Minutes, Stock Register, Stock Transfers, Stock Certificates, and Wills. |
| Accession No. |
IH 1985.1 |
| Name Access |
Westminster Trust Co.
Alfred W. McLeod Ltd. |
| Subject Access |
Businesses |
|
|
| Title |
Westminster Apartments Ltd. sous-fonds |
| Description Level |
Fonds |
| Fonds No. |
IH 1985.1.3 |
| Creator |
Westminster Apartments Ltd. |
| Material Type |
textual record |
| Date Range |
1925-1936 |
| Title Source |
Title based on content of fonds. |
| Physical Description |
15 cm of textual records |
| History/Biographical |
Westminster Apartments Ltd. was incorporated in 1925. The Company's first directors were General Robert Percy Clark, Edward Archibald Riddell, Robert L. Shimmin, Ellis Caldwell Turner, and Hugh Norman Lidster. One of the first acts of the Company was to acquire land on which to build an apartment building on Third Avenue, between Fourth and Pine Street. The construction of the building was financed by a mortgage in favour of the Westminster Trust Co. However, in 1932 the Company found itself in default of the Trust Indenture. W.D. Bowden was appointed Receiver by the Trustee, the Westminster Trust Co. One of the debenture holders was Alfred W. McLeod who subsequently became a director of Westminster Apartments Ltd. as did Bowden. Alfred W. McLeod Ltd also became the rental agent for the Company. The Company's debt was reorganized by means of a supplemental Trust Deed issued in 1934. The original outstanding debentures were called in and reissued. Presumably the Company continued in the property management business until it was amalgamated into Westminster Securities Ltd. in 1975. |
| Scope & Content |
Sous-fonds consists of records that pertain to the resolutions and decisions, and financial affairs of the business. The sous-fonds contains two series. |
| Accession No. |
IH 1985.1 |
| Name Access |
Westminster Apartments Ltd.
Alfred W. McLeod Ltd. |
| Subject Access |
Businesses |
|
|
| Title |
Dominion Trust Co. sous-fonds |
| Description Level |
Fonds |
| Fonds No. |
IH 1985.1.1 |
| Creator |
Dominion Trust Co. |
| Material Type |
textual record |
| Date Range |
1910-1913 |
| Title Source |
Title based on content of fonds. |
| Physical Description |
20 cm of textual records |
| History/Biographical |
In 1906 the Dominion Trust Co. had approached F.J. Hart, one of the directors of the Westminster Trust Co., with an offer to buy the Dominion Trust Co. However, Westminster Trust's directors declined to entertain the offer. The Dominion Trust Company failed in 1914 after several years of financial difficulties. The firm's general manager, W.R. Arnold, committed suicide in this same year. After the liquidation of the Dominion Trust Co., the wills in this series passed into the custody of the Westminster Trust Co. |
| Scope & Content |
Sous-fonds consists of records that pertain to the Dominion Trust Co.'s role as a trustee and/or executor of wills. Individuals deposited their wills with this company for safe-keeping. Sous-fonds contains one series. |
| Finding Aids |
File list available. |
| Accession No. |
IH 1985.1 |
| Name Access |
Dominion Trust Co.
Alfred W. McLeod Ltd. |
| Subject Access |
Businesses |
|
|
| Title |
F.J. Hart and Co. sous-fonds |
| Description Level |
Fonds |
| Fonds No. |
IH 1985.1.2 |
| Creator |
F.J. Hart and Co. |
| Material Type |
textual record |
| Date Range |
1860-1956, predominant 1910-1930 |
| Title Source |
Title based on content of fonds. |
| Physical Description |
36 cm of textual records |
| History/Biographical |
F.J. Hart and Co. was involved in some of the same business functions as the McLeod Company: insurance, real estate, mortgage loans and investments. The Company was incorporated by Frederick J. Hart in 1891.It had its head office in New Westminster, with branch offices in Vancouver, Victoria, Chilliwack, and Aldergrove.Although the original source of these records is known, the secondary source is not. That is, it cannot be determined with certainty what company was involved in settling the estates of the subjects of these files. The fact that within this series, there are a few letters authored by the F.J. Hart and Co., suggests the possibility that these records came from that source. |
| Scope & Content |
Sous-fonds consists of records that pertain to the business and personal activities of the subjects of estate files. Each estate file has its own unique collection of records. The original provenance of these records was the subjects of the files. Subsequently these records were used by another party in the course of settling these subjects' estates. Series contains three boxes of files. These files include deeds, correspondence, invoices, receipts, insurance policies, investment certificates, contracts, indentures, and other records. The series includes several files pertaining to early Sikh residents.The sous-fonds contains one series. |
| Finding Aids |
File list available. |
| Accession No. |
IH 1985.1 |
| Name Access |
F.J. Hart and Co. |
| Subject Access |
Businesses |
|
|