Material Type

Artifact

Date

1904

Materials

COTTON, BRASS

No. Pieces

2

Length

12.0

Width

5.75

Description

MEN'S REMOVABLE COLLAR. BRASS COLLAR STUD OR PIN. WHITE, ROUNDED CORNERS. "SHAMROCK 2 1/4 14 1/2 1ST QUALITY INDUSTRUCTABLE". BUTTON READS "PREMIUM". JAPANESE/CHINESE (?) CHARACTER ON INSIDE OF COLLAR.

Subjects

CLOTHING-ACCESSORY

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

STORE STAMP INSIDE COLLAR "A.J. SMITH MENS OUTFITTER LETH: ALBERTA". A.J. SMITH BORN MONTREAL, 1864. MEMBER NORTH WEST MOUNTED POLICE 1881-1883. LIVED IN MAPLE CREEK UNTIL 1903, ARRIVED IN LETHBRIDGE, ESTABLISHED BUSINESS. D. 1904, ACCIDENTAL DEATH. *UPDATE* IN 2015 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON DEVELOPED A BIOGRAPHY OF AB CHERVINSKI, THE DONOR OF THIS OBJECT, WITH INFORMATION FROM LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES FROM 1982, 1989, AND 2011. ADAM ABRAHAM 'AB" CHERVINSKI WAS BORN ON FEBRUARY 24, 1920 IN LETHBRIDGE. AS A TEENAGER HE WORKED AS A MESSENGER BOY FOR THE CPR TELEGRAPH OFFICE. CHERVINSKI BRIEFLY LIVED IN ONTARIO DURING HIS SERVICE WITH THE AIR FORCE, BUT RETURNED TO LETHBRIDGE WHERE HE WORKED FOR ALBERTA GOVERNMENT TELEPHONES FOR 37 YEARS. HE WAS A LIFELONG COLLECTOR OF ANTIQUES, AVID LOCAL HISTORIAN, AND HEAVILY INVOLVED IN MUSICAL THEATRE. AB CHERVINSKI DIED ON JUNE 2, 2011. SEE PERMANENT FILE P19970107001-GA FOR HARDCOPIES OF NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ABOUT CHERVINSKI. *UPDATE* IN 2016 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING A COLLAR DONATED BY A.A. CHERVINSKI. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS COMPILED USING AN ARTICLE FROM THE LETHBRIDGE NEWS. A.J. (ALBERT JAMES) SMITH WAS BORN IN MONTREAL IN 1864 AND LEFT HOME AT THE AGE OF 17 AND JOINED THE NWMP IN FORT WALSH IN 1891 FOR TWO YEARS. FOLLOWING THIS, A.J. ESTABLISHED A GENERAL STORE IN MAPLE CREEK, SK. HE ARRIVED IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1903, WHERE HE OPENED A “GENTS’ FURNISHINGS STORE”. HE DIED IN 1904, THE RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT. THE OCTOBER 6, 1904 EDITION OF THE LETHBRIDGE NEWS RECOUNTED THE ACCIDENT: “FOR SOME TIME SEVERAL CATS HAD MADE THEIR HOME UNDER THE HOUSE AND ON WEDNESDAY MR. SMITH DECIDED TO GET RID OF THEM; LOADING A REVOLVER AND TAKING IT HOME WITH HIM. … HE BELIEVED IT WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT THING TO GET UP EARLY EVERY MORNING, TOOK THE REVOLVER AND STARTED FOR THE CELLAR. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS MRS. SMITH HEARD A SHOT AND A NOISE AS IF A CHAIR WAS PUSHED ALONG, BUT THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT FOR THE MOMENT. ON GOING INTO THE ROOM HOWEVER, SHE SAW MR. SMITH SITTING IN A CHAIR HOLDING ONE OF HIS HANDS TO HIS ABDOMEN. HE SAID ‘BETTY, I AM AFRAID I’VE HURT MYSELF’ AND IMMEDIATELY FELL OVER ONTO THE FLOOR. DRS. MEWBURN AND GALBRAITH WERE SOON IN ATTENDANCE, BUT COULD DO NOTHING, DEATH ENSUING FROM HEMORRHAGE SHORTLY AFTER THEIR ARRIVAL.” THE ARTICLE CONTINUED, SAYING THAT SMITH LEFT BEHIND A WIDOW AND SIX CHILDREN, THE ELDEST BEING ABOUT 14 YEARS OLD. THE ARTICLE CONTINUED: “SMITH WAS A PROMINENT MASON, BEING D.D.G.M. FOR THE MAPLE CREEK DISTRICT” AN INQUEST INTO SMITH’S DEATH DETERMINED IT WAS AN ACCIDENT. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR A COPY OF THE ARTICLE FROM THE LETHBRIDGE NEWS. *UPDATE* IN 2018, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED AN ARTIFACT SURVEY, WHICH INCLUDED A NUMBER OF ARTIFACTS DONATED BY ADAM ABRAHAM CHERVINSKI. EXTENSIVE RESEARCH CONDUCTED TO LOCATE THE DONOR'S LIVING NEXT-OF-KIN WAS UNSUCCESSFUL.

Catalogue Number

P19880035004

Acquisition Date

1988-06

Collection

Museum

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