Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
- Textual records
- Graphic materials
- Sound recordings
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
1909-2007 (Creation)
- Creator
- Brown, Hilary
Physical description area
Physical description
2.21 m of textual records and other material
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Joan Hilary Brown (nee Newitt) was born on March 21, 1909 in Helensburg, Scotland. Like many of her peers she went by her middle name and was known to all as Hilary Brown. Upon completion of her school studies Brown studied French and German in Geneva and Frankfurt with the aim of becoming an interpreter. During her time at the University of Frankfurt (1929 -1932) Hilary met Harrison Brown, a journalist, who would become her lifelong partner.
In 1937 Brown’s book "Women Must Choose", a study of women in democratic, socialist, and fascist states was published. Brown undertook several lectures tours throughout the US to promote the book. She received a contract for a second book, "Half of Humanity", which was never published due to the publisher’s demands that the manuscript be diluted to make it more appealing for a female audience. The same year she moved permanently to Hornby Island, British Columbia, with Harrison Brown. Throughout the 1950’s Brown was a regular contributor to CBC Radio, producing broadcasts on an array of subjects.
Brown was to become an active member of the Hornby Island community and became a founder of many of the Island’s landmarks such as the Hornby Island Co-op, Hornby Island Credit Union, New Horizons, and the Heron Rocks Friendship Society.
In 1973, the governing New Democratic Party passed legislation to create an Island’s Trust to oversee the island’s located in the Strait of Georgia and Howe Sound. The following year Brown was appointed as the inaugural Director and Chair of the Islands Trust for a two year period.
The death of Harrison in 1977 did not slow Brown down. In the late 1970’s and 1980’s Brown embarked on a series of trips to China and produced an unpublished study "Tomorrow’s Ancestors" which examined the plight of the elderly. The venture was supported by the Canada Council and the National Film Board.
In 1991 Brown became one of the founders of the "Gulf Island Guardian" and in 1992 received the Governor General’s Medal in honour of the 125th anniversary of the confederation of Canada.
On September 28th 2007, at the age of the 98, Brown died on Hornby Island, her home of seventy years.
Custodial history
The material was collected and maintained by Hilary Brown until her death in 2007. Simon Fraser University Library, Special Collections and Rare Books acquired the materials in several accruals from 2007-2010.
Scope and content
The fonds consists mainly of textual materials, including correspondence and diaries. Also present are photo albums, scrapbooks, photographs, slides, and audio cassettes. The fonds has been arranged into the following eighteen series: Heron Rocks Friendship Centre Society (1968-2005), Heron Rocks Camping Co-op (1952-2007), Tomorrows Ancestors (1964-1985), China (1936-1996), Personal correspondence (1932-2005), Island’s Trust (1970-2002), Community activities and interests (1942-2004), Women’s issues (1938-2003), Writing, lecturing and broadcasting (1933-2000), Memoirs (1909-2000), Diaries (1929-1984), Notebooks (1930-1990), Address books (1970-1980), Correspondence to Harrison Brown (1935-1971), Correspondence from Harrison Brown (1931-1975), Photographs and slides (1909-2007), Audio cassettes (1974-1992), and Ephemera (1910-2003).
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
The materials were arranged according to the original filling system of the creator and to facilitate research.
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Reproduction of material subject to approval by a Special Collections and Rare Books Librarian.
Finding aids
Finding aid
Associated materials
Also see the Harrison Brown Fonds located at Simon Fraser University Library’s Special Collections and Rare Books department.
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
Physical description
Includes 6 diaries, 5 notebooks, 3 address books, 8 photograph albums (ca.1000 photographs), 19 negative sheets, 1 scrap book, 604 slides and 57 audio cassettes.
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Brown, Hilary (Subject)
Genre access points
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Description record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules or conventions
Rules for Archival Description
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Arranged and described by Jamie Sanford (Summer 2010)
Language of description
- English