Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1880

Date Range To

1900

Materials

SILK, LACE, COTTON

No. Pieces

2

Length

50

Width

47

Description

1. BLACK SILK BLOUSE IS WAIST-LENGTH. ROUND NECK COLLAR HAS RUFFLE AND FLORAL LACE PATTERN AROUND ENTIRE NECK. THIS RUFFLE COLLAR IS SUPPORTED UNDERNEATH WITH STITCH PATTERNED FABRIC WHICH ATTACHES TO THE BODY OF THE SHIRT WITH METAL HOOKS AND THREAD CLASPS. HORIZONTAL RUFFLES AROUND MIDDLE OF THE SHIRT IN THE FRONT AND THE BACK. THE SLEEVES ARE GATHERED AND BILLOW AT THE SHOULDER. BELOW THE ELBOW THE SLEEVE IS FITTED AND HAS SIMILAR RUFFLES AS ON BODY AND ENDS WITH SIMILAR STITCHED RUFFLE AS ON COLLAR. THE BLOUSE HAS A SECOND LAYER OF FABRIC WHICH HAS THICK MATERIAL SUPPORTS ON THE SEAMS FROM THE WAIST TO PART WAY UP THE SHIRT, THIS SERVES FOR A BILLOWING EFFECT OF THE BLOUSE. BLOUSE FASTENS WITH METAL HOOKS AND EYES ON THE UNDERLAYER OF MATERIAL UP THE MIDDLE OF THE BLOUSE, AND WITH METAL HOOKS AND THREAD EYES ALONG THE LEFT SIDE OF THE UPPER LAYER AND COLLAR. BLOUSE IS FRAGILE WITH MANY TEARS AND FRAYING OF FABRIC THROUGHOUT. 2. RIBBON: 184CM (L) X 36CM (W). BLACK SILK STRIP WITH SEAM AROUND THREE SIDES, OF WHICH THE TWO CORNERS ARE ROUNDED. OTHER SIDE UNFINISHED. SEAM IS COMING UNDONE IN PLACES; UNFINISHED SIDE FRAYING. FORMED BOW WHICH WAS PART OF OUTFIT.

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

OWNED BY MRS. MURDOCH, PREVIOUSLY OWNED BY MRS. WILLIAM HENDERSON. SEE ATTACHED PHOTO FOR VIEW OF GARMENT BEING WORN. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON DEVELOPED THE FOLLOWING BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HENDERSON FAMILY WITH INFORMATION FROM THE BOOK ‘PIONEER PEMMICAN CLUB ROUND-UP, 1885 – 1985’ BY A.P. BAINES, AND THE GALT ARCHIVES. WILLIAM HENDERSON CAME TO CANADA FROM EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND IN 1879, WHEN HE WAS 22. A CARPENTER BY TRADE, HENDERSON MADE HIS WAY WESTWARD, BUILDING THE FIRST HOUSE IN MEDICINE HAT IN 1881, THE BARRACKS OF THE NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE AND THE HUDSON BAY COMPANY STORE IN FORT MACLEOD, AND ENDING UP IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1885 WHERE HE WORKED FOR THE NORTH WEST COAL & NAVIGATION COMPANY. HE WORKED ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF LETHBRIDGE’S FIRST SCHOOL, THE COMPANY HOSPITAL AND COTTAGES, AND LETHBRIDGE HOUSE (LATER KNOWN AS THE LETHBRIDGE HOTEL), WHERE HE REMAINED AS PROPRIETOR. IN 1887 HE MARRIED MARGARET THOMPSON LUNDY, A SCOTTISH WOMAN WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN WIDOWED IN DUNMORE, NWT. THE CEREMONY TOOK PLACE AT THE HOME OF WILLIAM STAFFORD AND WAS PERFORMED BY REVEREND CHARLES MCKILLOP. HENDERSON WAS VERY ACTIVE IN THE GROWING COMMUNITY OF LETHBRIDGE – HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE FIRST TOWN COUNCIL, THE MASONS AND ODDFELLOWS, A FOUNDER OF THE PEMMICAN CLUB, AND MEMBER OF KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. IN 1897 HE BUILT A BRICK DUPLEX AT THE CORNER OF 7 AVE AND 5 ST SOUTH AND THOUGH THE STRUCTURE HAS UNDERGONE RENOVATIONS, IT STILL STANDS IN 2014. WILLIAM AND MARGARET HAD SIX CHILDREN – HAROLD, ETTA, EDNA, WILLIAM, ADELINE AND FRED. ALL SIX RECEIVED THEIR EARLY EDUCATION IN LETHBRIDGE, BUT WERE LATER SENT TO BOARDING SCHOOLS – THE BOYS TO UPPER CANADA COLLEGE IN TORONTO, THE GIRLS TO HAVERGAL COLLEGE IN WINNIPEG. IN 1908 HENDERSON SR. WAS ELECTED MAYOR OF LETHBRIDGE, BUT DIED OF PNEUMONIA IN DECEMBER 1909 WHILE STILL IN OFFICE. HIS THREE SONS ALL SERVED IN WORLD WAR I, AND HAROLD WAS KILLED IN ACTION IN 1917. THE REMAINING SONS AND DAUGHTERS WERE ALL MARRIED AND RAISED FAMILIES. ETTA MARRIED LOCAL FARMER ALBERT ELI IVES, AND HAD THREE CHILDREN, MARGARET, KATHARINE, AND THADDEUS. ADELINE MARRIED JACK KANE AND LIVED IN BARONS. EDNA OBTAINED HER NURSING DEGREE AT QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY, MARRIED DR. ATKINSON, AND SETTLED IN MASSACHUSETTS. MARGARET HENDERSON SR. LIVED IN THE FAMILY HOME BUILT BY HER HUSBAND FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH, AND WAS ACTIVE IN THE PEMMICAN CLUB AND I.O.D.E. UNTIL HER DEATH IN 1933. SEE PERMANENT FILE P20140012002 FOR THE OBITUARIES OF WILLIAM AND MARGARET HENDERSON, AND HENDERSON FAMILY HISTORY EXCERPT FROM BAINES’ BOOK. *UPDATE* IN 2017 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING A SCARF, PETTICOAT, AND BLOUSE DONATED BY JEAN WESTFALL. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS COMPILED USING ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. JEAN WESTFALL WAS BORN ANNA JEAN MURDOCH ON AUGUST 31, 1927, THE DAUGHTER OF PERCY MURDOCH AND ANNA MURDOCH (NEE SMITH). ACCORDING TO HER OBITUARY, JEAN “WAS A DESCENDANT OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA PIONEERS. THE SMITHS AND LAYNES, HER MOTHER’S FAMILY, WERE AMONG THE FIRST TO SETTLE CARDSTON AND RAYMOND. ON HER FATHER’S SIDE, THE MURDOCH FAMILY HOMESTEADED NEAR MILK RIVER EARLY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AND LATER FARMED IN WARNER AND WILSON SIDING BEFORE MOVING TO LETHBRIDGE. … IN 1947 SHE MOVED TO VALLEJO, CA … [WHERE] SHE MET TOM WESTFALL. THEY WERE MARRIED IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1948 … TOM PASSED AWAY IN 1986 AND IN 1987 JEAN RETURNED TO LETHBRIDGE … AMONG THOSE RENEWED LCI CONNECTIONS WAS CALE HARRIS, A FAMILY FRIEND SINCE CHILDHOOD AND A SOMETIME BEAU IN THEIR TEEN YEARS. NOT LONG AFTER JEAN RETURNED TO LETHBRIDGE, SHE AND CALE BECAME AN ‘ITEM’. AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER IT WAS CLEAR THAT HE WAS THE LOVE OF HER LIFE, HER STRONG RIGHT ARM, AND BEST FRIEND. THEY WERE MARRIED QUIETLY ON JULY 22, 1994. … JEAN’S GENTLE MANNER BELIED A SHARP INTELLECT AND SENSE OF THE COMEDY IN EVERYDAY LIFE … AND SHE COULD BE OUTRAGEOUS ENOUGH TO MAKE GRANDCHILDREN EXCLAIM ‘GRANDMA, I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT!’”. JEAN PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 85 ON DECEMBER 4, 2012. PERCY DONALD MURDOCH WAS BORN ON JULY 20, 1908 IN COURTENAY, ND, THE SON OF GEORGE DONALD AND JESSIE NEILSON MURDOCH (MAIDEN NAME UNKNOWN). IN 1910, THE FAMILY HOMESTEADED IN THE PENDANT D’ORIELLE AREA OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA. IN 1920 PERCY MARRIED ANNA LAYNE SMITH IN WILSON SIDING. THE COUPLE THEN MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE. HE PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 84 ON MARCH 22, 1985. ANNA LAYNE MURDOCH (NEE SMITH) WAS BORN IN 1903 IN RAYMOND, AB TO HENRY SMITH AND EMMA LAYE SMITH (MAIDEN NAME UNKNOWN). ANNA WAS THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF THOMAS SASSON SMITH AND JONATHAN ELLIS LAYNE. A PHOTOGRAPH PUBLISHED DECEMBER 31, 1960 IN THE HERALD SHOWS ANNA WEARING A DRESS THAT WAS WORN IN 1890 BY MRS. WILLIAM HENDERSON. SHE WAS WEARING THE DRESS AS PART OF THE PEMMICAN CLUB’S 75TH ANNIVERSARY BALL. ANNA PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 91 ON MAY 18, 1994. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR COPIES OF THE ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD.

Catalogue Number

P19930071005

Acquisition Date

1993-11

Collection

Museum

Less detail