File contains letters written by Barlett McLennan, Lt.-Col. 5th Regiment Royal Highlanders of Canada, while on duty in Belgium.

The series consists of photographs and textual records spanning the period 1850-1984, predominantly 1880-1960, relating to the McLennan family as arranged by Hugh McLennan (1927-2004). The series also comprises records related to Hugh McLennan's work as a camp counsellor north of Montreal during the early 1940s.

The series includes photographs; incoming and outgoing correspondence; genealogical and family information; diaries, including World War I diaries, and remembrances; newspaper clippings and ephemera; official documents, including wills and marriage certificates; obituaries and tributes; drafts of writings, research notes, and sketches; McLennan's coil-bound notebooks about canoe trips, a typescript of one of McLennan's camping journals and accompanying photographs; a letter to a family member regarding McLennan family genealogy; and photocopies of birth, marriage, and death notes in the family Bible. Family members prominently represented include Hugh McLennan (1825-1899), John Stewart McLennan (1853-1939), Francis McLennan (1857-1940), Bartlett McLennan (1868-1918), Isabella Christine McLennan (1870-1960), Hugh McLennan (1887-1915), and William McLennan (1856-1904).

The fonds consists of photographs and textual records spanning the period 1710-1984, predominantly 1850-1940, related to business and personal lives of five generations of the McLennan family (immediate and extended), as well as to the work of Montreal lawyer, Frederick Griffin. McLennan family materials consist of photographs; incoming and outgoing correspondence; genealogical information and family histories; diaries and remembrances; newspaper clippings and ephemera; official documents; obituaries and tributes; drafts of writings, research notes, and sketches; and other documents.

The McLennan family materials includes a series reflecting William McLennan’s writing career, personal interests, and family life. William McLennan’s materials include full and partial drafts of published and unpublished works; research and reference materials; incoming and outgoing correspondence; legal and official documents; collected historical materials and documents; notes; sketches; journals; newspaper clippings and ephemera; photographs; and other materials.

The fonds also consists of a series reflecting Frederick Griffin’s occupation as a lawyer and his role as founder of the Canadian Loan Company. Frederick Griffin’s materials include incoming correspondence and draft responses; various financial and legal documents; legal research notes and drafts of legal documents; memoranda; meeting minutes; land and property documents and surveyors reports; newspaper clippings and ephemera; and other documents.

Finally, the fonds contains a series consisting of William Durie McLennan’s records, which were primarily created between 1914 and 1915 and pertain to his military service during the First World War. Record types in this series include the following: a handwritten, personal notebook; a typescript of this notebook; correspondence; service records from the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Forces; news clippings; black and white photographs; collected signatures from Canadian dignitaries; and materials from the 5th Battery Association of 1914.

The series contains textual records spanning the period 1908-1936 created by, collected by, or related to the immediate or extended McLennan family. This material might have been created and/or collected after the death of William McLennan, particularly by his son, William Durie McLennan, and does not appear to have been arranged by Hugh McLennan (1927-2004). Material includes correspondence, including a bound volume of World War I letters; histories of the MacLeod clan and William Stewart; and ephemera.

The series contains photographs, textual records, and original artwork spanning the period 1710-1904, predominantly 1880-1903, related to the personal lives and interests of William McLennan and his family, including interests in family and Canadian history. Additionally, a sub-series contains records related to William McLennan’s work as a writer from the 1880s-1903.

Materials include full and partial drafts of published and unpublished articles, short stories, novels, and non-fiction works; research and reference materials; incoming and outgoing correspondence; legal and official documents; collected historical materials and documents; notes; sketches and a sketchbook; journals; newspaper clippings and ephemera; photographs; and other materials. Notable correspondents include Gustavus George Stuart, Marion Paterson McLennan, William Durie McLennan, Edward William Thomson, Pemberton Paterson, John Stewart McLennan, Francis McLennan, Bartlett McLennan, Neil Stewart, Hugh McLennan, William Kingsford, and the Royal Society of Canada, among others. Legal and official documents include copies of wills, notarial exams, and a certification of graduation.

Collected historical materials include ephemeral materials such as plates of historical figures and plans of famous battle locations, as well as tracings of famous Canadian autographs, bookplates, and reproductions of historical documents. Many of the original historical documents are related to the McLennan and Stewart families, including correspondence, business and financial documents, and ephemera related to Neil Stewart (1793-1881) and legal and financial documents related to John McLennan (1789-1866). The historical documents related to John McLennan are primarily agreements for land sales in Glengarry County, Ontario, where McLennan was a conveyancer. Other historical documents do not appear to have any particular connection to the McLennan family but may have been collected out of general historical interest. These documents include correspondence, loan agreements, commissions, land grants, letters patent, and a journal / memoranda book. While many of the documents relate to individuals of limited historical importance, others are related to more notable historical subjects including François Desjordy Moreau de Cabanac, Sir John Johnson, Joseph-Maurice Lamothe, Francis Baby, Jenkins Williams, Herman Witsius Ryland, Pierre-Amable De Bonne, John Mure, William Bacheler Coltman, John Stewart, John Gray, and Thomas Dunn.

The series consists of William Durie McLennnan’s correspondence, notebooks, and objects from the First World War; collected correspondence addressed to McLennan’s father-in-law, Frederic Lumb Wanklyn; and photographs of McLennan’s farm near Saint-Placide, Quebec, which was a compensation given to him as a result of his health issues arising from wartime gassing.

The series includes the following records created or collected by McLennan pertaining to his wartime service: a leather-bound notebook used in 1914; a typescript of the 1914 notebook; typed and handwritten personal correspondence; an article McLennan authored about the 5th Battery Association of 1914, published in the Montreal Gazette; a discharge certificate from the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Forces and war service badge certificate; various news clippings; and a metal screw used to remove the hair trigger on a Mannlicher gun. Other records in the series include black and white photographs; correspondence addressed to Frederic Lumb Wanklyn and signed by Wilfrid Laurier; and a copy of McLennan’s obituary, likely created by the 5th Battery Association of 1915.

The series contains textual records spanning approximately 1802-1895, which reflect Frederick Griffin’s occupation as a lawyer, particularly his position as a solicitor for the Bank of Montreal and his role as counsel for the plaintiffs in Pierre v. Gabriel S. Chouteau and Mary Charlotte v. Gabriel Chouteau, as well as his role as founder of the Canadian Loan Company. Materials include incoming correspondence and draft responses; various financial and legal documents; legal research notes and drafts of legal documents; memoranda; meeting minutes; land and property documents and surveyors reports; newspaper clippings and ephemera; and other documents. Legal and financial documents include bank deposit receipts; property tax assessments and receipts; promissory notes; powers of attorney; copies of historical legal documents; summaries of evidence; depositions; questionnaires from Pierre v. Gabriel S. Chouteau and Mary Charlotte v. Gabriel Chouteau; a copy of a judgement; procès-verbaux; releases of dower; extracts of burials; and a declaration of Tiers-Saisis. Legal research notes and drafts of legal documents include notes on legal precedent and timelines of case histories and drafts of motions, deeds, petitions, charters, opinions, among other documents. Much of the correspondence in the fonds is related to Griffin’s position as solicitor for the Bank of Montreal. Notable correspondents include F.W. Primrose, E.H. King, Lewis T. Drummond, Richard Bladworth Angus, George O'kill Stuart, Hewitt Bernard, Frédéric-Eugène Globensky, David James Greenshields, Ogilvy Moffat, Robert LeMoine, John Greenshields, Hew Ramsay, William Walker, William Rhodes, Henry John Noad, Andrew Balfour, Charles R. Ogden, Timothy Tyrell, Benjamin Holmes, William Badgley, Stewart Derbishire, Alexander J.P. Garesche, Alexander P. Field, David N. Hall, Richard Alexander Tucker, the office of the Governor General, Christopher Dunkin, James Reid, Samuel Gale, Jacques Viger, George Moffatt, Henry Starnes, William Robb, Louis Andre Ducheny, August Belmont, Robert Milroy, and Georges-Barthélemi Faribault, among others.

The sub-series consists of textual records related to William McLennan’s work as a writer from the 1880s-1903. The series includes full and partial drafts of published and unpublished articles, short stories, novels, and non-fiction works; research and reference materials; incoming correspondence; and other materials. Writings are primarily about Montreal, including its history, physical environment, and historical figures. Historical figures treated include Raphael-Lambert Closse, Bénigne Basset, François Dollier de Casson, George Hardy, Pehr Kalm, Medar Jalot, Louis Juchereau de Saint-Denis, Richard Hamilton, Louis de Montéléon, Marie-Anne-Josette L’Estringant de Saint-Martin, Jean-Baptiste Migeon de Branssat, Daniel Greysolon Dulhut, Benedict XIII, Octave Crémazie, James Johnstone, and John McDonell. Research and reference materials include notes from historical sources, character sketches and timelines, and copies of archival documents, as well as original historical documents. Among the historical documents, the series includes a copy of Daniel Greysolon Dulhut's will and testament dated 1710 and signed by Dulhut. Correspondence relates to the writing, research, and publication of McLennan’s works. Notable correspondents include Jean Newton McIlwraith, co-author of "The Span o’ Life: A Tale of Louisbourg and Quebec," historian Joseph-Edmond Roy, archivist Douglas Brymner, journalist and historian Ernest Myrand, and John S. McLennan, among others.

Picture of building facade viewed through closed iron gate. Sign reading "Lamb's Cottage" is visible hanging from the gate.

Picture of unknown dining room with framed pictures and various furnishings visible.

Picture of unknown dining room, with fireplace, china cabinet, small table, and a chair visible.

Picture of an unknown library with bookcase, chairs, and end tables.

Portrait of William McLennan standing, reading a document with a monocle or magnifying lens.

Portrait of William McLennan seated, with a monocle in his right hand and an open document on his lap.

Picture of memorial cross in Forceville Communal Cemetery and Extension. A stamp on the verso of the photograph reads "Denhams, Albert. Somme."

Picture of Forceville Communal Cemetery and Extension from a distance. A stamp on the verso of the photograph reads "Denhams, Albert. Somme."

Picture of Forceville Communal Cemetery and Extension in Somme, France. A stamp on the verso of the photograph reads "Denhams, Albert. Somme."

Picture of two men in uniform. Bartlett McLennan is on the left.

Portrait of Francis McLennan, seated with a book open in front of him.

Picture of Longueau British Cemetery from across the road.

Picture of Longueau British Cemetery with memorial cross on the right.

Picture of Bartlett McLennan's grave from a distance, with bottom of memorial cross on the left side.

Picture of Longueau British Cemetery, surrounded by a low wall.

Picture of Longueau British Cemetery from across the road. Cemetery is surrounded by a wood and wire fence and a sign reading "Longueau Military Cemetery" is visible in the centre. A woman is walking up the road is visible on the right.