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 William McLennan’s materials include full and partial drafts of published and unpublished works; research and reference materials; incoming and outgoing correspondence; legal and official documents; collected historical materials and documents;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 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 The series includes full and partial drafts of published and unpublished articles, short stories, novels, and non-fiction works; research and reference materials; incoming correspondence; and other materials.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.

File contains research materials on Daniel Greysolon Dulhut and drafts of "The Death of Dulhut," published in "Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada" in 1903. Research materials include copies of documents from the archives of the Superior Court in Montreal, including copies of a post-mortem inventory of Dulhut's possessions (L'apposition des scellés), his will and codicils, contracts, and other documents. Materials also include genealogical information and correspondence from historian Joseph-Edmond Roy. The file also contains a notarial copy of Dulhut's will and codicil dated 1710 and signed multiple times by Royal Notary Michel Lepallieur, each with his elaborate flourish or "paraph."

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.

File contains historical documents presumably collected by William McLennan. Folder one contain a letter from [DesGatines?] to [François Desjordy Moreau de Cabanac?] and documentation of a loan agreement between Sir John Johnson and Joseph-Maurice Lamothe.

File contains various historical documents presumably collected by William McLennan. Folder four contains letters patent assigning the management of John Gray's estate to Thomas Dunn, his business partner. The manuscript on vellum is signed by Guy Carleton, Governor of the Province of Quebec from 1768-1778.

File contains plates of historical figures and scenes; reproductions of historical documents; reproductions of maps and plans famous battles locations; and a printed list of those killed, wounded and missing during the siege of Quebec and Plains of Abraham .

File contains legal documents, incoming correspondence and draft responses, notes, and ephemera. Legal documents include a release of dower from Jane Eliza Bethune and Alexander Neil Bethune to his brother John Bethune; power of attorney from J. August Belmont to William Brown Junior; Cadastre Abrégé (land ownership list) for the Jenison (or Jennison) fief; draft of an "Abstract from the Books of the Bank of Montreal, exhibiting a general Statement of the affairs of that Institution on the 1st of February 1831, as required by the Act of the Provincial Parliament;" a legal notice issued to John Rose and Thomas Ryan by Griffin and [William F. Coffin?] regarding a legal case involving Edward Ellice, John Forsyth, William Forsyth Grant, and John Blackwood Forsyth; and a power of attorney from Edmond Goebel de Harrant to Frederick Griffin. Incoming correspondence is largely related to Bank of Montreal business. Correspondents include Louis Andre Ducheny, August Belmont, and Robert Milroy, Georges-Barthélemi Faribault, among others.

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.

File contains a notebook, presumably owned by John McLennan (1789-1866), containing account balance sheets of various individuals in Glengarry County, Ontario.

File contains historical documents presumably collected by William McLennan. Folder two contains a commission appointing commissioners for the management of the Jesuit Estates. The document lists existing commissioners, Francis Baby, Thomas Dunn, Jenkins Williams, and Herman Witsius Ryland, along with the dates of their original appointment, and names new appointees Pierre-Amable De Bonne, John Mure, William Bacheler Coltman, and John Stewart.

File contains historical documents presumably collected by William McLennan. Folder three contains a grant of 200 acres of land in the District of Newcastle in the county of Durham, Ontario, to Margery McIntosh, wife of Alexander McIntosh and daughter of Charles Rose.

File contains financial documents related to the account of Captain John H. Campbell, managed by John McLennan (1789-1866). Documents include an account balance sheet (addressed to Sir Peregrine Maitland), a statement of expenses and credits, and promissory notes and receipts of payments received.

File contains financial documents primarily related to John McLeod, including promissory notes and receipts of payments received, account statements, and correspondence regarding monies owed. Other parties in these financial matters include George McBean, John McLennan, Thomas McPherson, John Anderson, Joseph Davidson, and the firm of Desrivieres, Blackwood & Co.

File contains correspondence to Stephen Sewell regarding a legal dispute between John Dimond and R. Olcott.

File contains financial documents related to the estate of the late Donald McLaren of which John McLennan (1789-1866) was executor. Documents include account balance sheets, an indenture for the lease of land, and promissory notes and receipts of payments received.

The file contains legal documents related to King's Bench cases. Documents include extracts of the burials of Thomas Peck and Gabriel Christie and a declaration of Tiers-Saisis (garnishees) in a case between Ebenezer Baird and William Douglas.

File contains land sale agreements for properties in Glengarry County, Ontario. Parties to the agreements include Dougald Cameron and Allan Morrison; Michael Duncan and John and Mary Hart; Malcolm McKellep and William McLennan; Walter and Moses Sutherland and John McBean; and Samuel Falkner and James Falkner. Many of the documents are witnesses by conveyancer John McLennan (1789-1866).

File contains a journal and memoranda book belonging to Edward Vennor. Vennor was a provincial customs clerk in Montreal and was married to Harriet Ann Hall. The book contains memoranda of letters received from England; addresses of family and acquaintances; a diary of a sea voyage from Portsmouth; various account balances for the years 1838-1864; assorted memoranda; and notes on the weather and temperature in August 1873. A number of items are interleaved throughout the journal, including a copy of the 1844 annual report of the British American Land Company; a 1838 list of special councillors present at an unknown meeting; lists of expenses; notes; loose account balance sheets; and a Montreal City & District Savings Bank deposit book dating 1882-1884.

File contains correspondence and documents primarily related to Griffin's role as solicitor for the Bank of Montreal and his partnership in the firm of Sewell & Griffin. Documents include correspondence to the firm of Sewell & Griffin; a draft of a petition to extend and modify the charter of the Bank of Montreal and a draft charter; correspondence authorizing Edwin Henry King to act as temporary city treasurer; a recipe for J.W. Stevenson's salve; and various ephemera. Notable correspondents include George Moffatt, Henry Starnes, and William Robb.

File contains surveyor reports and other documents related to a case in the Court of King's Bench for the District of Montreal regarding a legal dispute between the Crown and four defendants over the dividing lines between properties in southwestern Quebec. The properties concerned in the case were the augmentation / second concession of Mille-Isles, the first concession of Mille-Isles (Blainville and Riviere du Chene), the seigniory of the Lake of the Two Mountains (Lac des Deux Montagnes), the seigniory of Argenteuil, and Chatham Gore (Gore de Chatham). The defendants named in the case were Eustache-Nicolas Lambert Dumont, Jean-Henry-Auguste Roux for the Seminary of Montreal, Janvier-Domptail Lacroix, and Catherine Jordan (widow of William Claus). The Crown was represented by Charles R. Ogden. Documents include a copy of the judgement, surveyors reports, procès-verbaux, accounting of costs owed for survey work, and an inventory of documents.

File contains business correspondence addressed to Frederick Griffin in his capacity as a lawyer and solicitor. Some correspondence is annotated in Griffin's hand with the date and details of receipt, draft responses, or other notes. Much of the correspondence is from the Bank of Montreal and 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 Moffatt, Robert LeMoine, among others. File also contains financial and legal documents related to Griffin's work as solicitor and executor of estates, including bank deposit receipts; property tax assessments and receipts; promissory notes; powers of attorney assigned to Griffin by the St. Lawrence Inland Marine Assurance Company and the Bank of Montreal; bills of exchange and protests of bills of exchange; among other documents.

File contains documents related to legal issues arising out of the settlement of Dr. Edward Black's estate and properties. Documents include notes on legal precedent and timelines of case histories; drafts of motions, correspondence, opinions, and other documents; directions for deeds to be drafted and receipts for the creation of the deeds, among other documents. The file also includes correspondence to Frederick Griffin from John Greenshields, Edward Black's son-in-law, and Hew Ramsay, seeking legal advice and opinions. Other individuals mentioned as parties to the legal actions surrounding the Black estate include John Black, Charles Tait, Alexander McKenzie, Hugh McGillis, Ann Kittson Morrison, John Redpath, and Nancy McKenzie, among others. Documents refer to notarial duties performed by Henry Griffin and John C. Griffin, Frederick Griffin's brother and nephew, both of whom were notary publics. Some of the notes in the file are dated 1895, 18 years after Frederick Griffin's death. It is unknown who made these later notes.

File contains documentation of official complaints made before justice of the peace Neil Stewart. The file also contains Stewart's account summary from Armour and Ramsay booksellers and stationers.

File contains documents and correspondence related to Neil Stewart, including incoming business correspondence; incoming and outgoing personal correspondence, including letters to Isabella Stewart McLennan and from Hugh McLennan; Stewart's insurance policies with Phoenix Fire Office and St. Lawrence Mutual Insurance Co.; an annual report of the Life Association of Scotland; and a partial legal document.

File contains documents relating to the court cases of Pierre v. Gabriel S. Chouteau and Mary Charlotte v. Gabriel S. Chouteau, which were heard in St. Louis, Missouri, and the resulting examinations of prominent Montreal judges James Reid, Samuel Gale, and William Badgley. The file notably contains investigative research on the legality of slavery in Canada under French rule and subsequent British rule, with a particular focus on the transition of laws and customs between the two periods during the 1760s-1790s. Documents relate to Griffin's role as counsel for the plaintiffs in Montreal during these examinations and include notes on legal history and precedent; incoming correspondence; drafts of outgoing correspondence; draft memos; questionnaires completed by Samuel Gale, James Reid, and William Badgley; copies of historical legal documents and correspondence relating to the history of slavery in Canada; summaries of evidence on the subject of slavery in Canada; the deposition of Samuel Wentworth Monk; newspaper clippings regarding the cases; and other documents. The majority of incoming correspondence is from Alexander J.P. Garesche, a St. Louis attorney and counsel for the plaintiff in Mary Charlotte v. Gabriel S. Chouteau. Other notable correspondents include Alexander P. Field, David N. Hall, Richard Alexander Tucker, the office of the Governor General, William Badgley, Christopher Dunkin, James Reid, Samuel Gale, and Jacques Viger.

File contains personal correspondence from Hugh McLennan to Isabella Stewart McLennan; a 1875 diary; remembrances and recollections; marriage certificates for Hugh McLennan and Isabella Stewart and Mary Anne Stewart and Gavin Walker; copy of Hugh McLennan's will; privately printed monograph on Hugh McLennan and his family; and recollections of the S.S. Sardinian wreck.

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).

File contains incoming and outgoing correspondence regarding the formation and prospects for success of the Canadian Loan Company. Correspondence includes a letter from Charles Ogden to Benjamin Holmes, forwarded to Frederick Griffin, regarding a reluctance to participate in the Canadian Loan Company after the start of the Crimean War, and draft correspondence from Frederick Griffin to Charles Ogden and William Badgley. The file also contains unrelated bills of exchange.

File contains documents related to the Canadian Loan Company, including draft correspondence to William Walker, William Rhodes, and Henry John Noad regarding the appointment of the company's directors: William Walker, Benjamin Holmes, George E. Cartier, Charles R. Ogden, William Badgley, Thomas Anderson, Henry John Noad, William Rhodes, and Thomas Ryan. The file also contains bills for advertisements and notices printed in several publications regarding the company's directors, share offerings, and general meetings, as well as related correspondence regarding bill payment.

File contains a letter from the Reverend Andrew Balfour regarding the purchase of shares in the Canadian Loan Company.

File contains correspondence relating to the Act to Incorporate the Canadian Loan Company, including two letters about typos in the Act, as well as minutes of a meeting to elect a chairman and otherwise organize the company. Notable correspondents include William Badgley and Stewart Derbishire.

File contains original and copied correspondence regarding the appointment of the Canadian Loan Company's board of directors, its prospects for success, and other company business. Correspondents include Charles R. Ogden, Timothy Tyrell, Benjamin Holmes, and William Badgley.

File contains a letter to Neil Stewart; sketches and poems to William McLennan's children; incoming and outgoing correspondence; William McLennan and Marion Paterson's marriage certificate; photographs; drafts of writings and research notes; newspaper clippings; and diary pages.

File contains miscellaneous correspondence, ephemera, and photographs. Materials include plan of Fort Senneville; photos of an unknown house interior; correspondence from William Kingsford regarding a Shakespeare club; photo of Charles Lamb's cottage; Numismatic and Antiquarian Society event invitations and related correspondence; newspaper clippings; a sketch of an unknown house exterior; a letter from Betty McLennan to her grandfather Hugh McLennan written on birch bark; a sample of Henri Georges Stephane Adolphe Opper de Blowitz's notepaper; a collection of bookplates; certification of Christopher McLennan's graduation from McGill University; and notes on the history of Vankleek Hill, Ontario.

Portrait of an unidentified boy, possibly Bartlett McLennan, sitting in a chair.

File contains personal correspondence from Pemberton Paterson to Marion Paterson.

File contains drafts in French and English, including various short stories, works on Richard Hamilton and French Canadian folks songs, as well as notes, recollections of a dream, and a copy of the political poem "The Meeting of the Magi."

File contains a phrenological chart for Marion Paterson completed by Edwin Leighton.

File contains a partial draft of a work on Old Montreal.

File contains a draft sketch of Raphael-Lambert Closse.

File contains letters written by William Durie McLennan to Marion Paterson McLennan; a billet d'affiliation and pressed flowers; notes written by Marion McLennan and others; a handwritten copy of John Greenleaf Whittier's "Marguerite;" sketches, ephemeral materials, and tracings of famous Canadian autographs.

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

File contains drafts writings about Montreal, including its historical sites and figures, and sketches in the voices of Raphael-Lambert Closse and Pehr Kalm.

Portrait of Hugh S. McLennan with a newspaper clipping on the back regarding his death.

File contains a draft of a work on Old Montreal.

File contains personal correspondence written to Marion Paterson by family friend Gustavus George Stuart, her future brother-in-law.