Fonds 660 Kirkness – Steinhauer – Testawich Family fonds

Summary information

Repository:	South Peace Regional Archives
Title:	Kirkness – Steinhauer – Testawich Family fonds
Reference code:	0660
Date:	1905-2007 (date of creation)
Physical description:	0.5 cm textual records 31 photographs
Dates of creation, revision and deletion:	Added to new database Nov. 2023 – TD
Note:	This fonds has been identified as having Indigenous related content. Researchers may encounter language that is outdated and offensive. To learn more about Indigenous records at the South Peace Regional Archives please see our guide.

Administrative history / Biographical sketch

Kirkness Family

James Kirkness was born in the Birsay Parish of Orkney Island, Scotland in 1837. He was the sixth child and third son of Robert and Christiana (nee Sinclair) who were married in 1827 in Harray Parsh. He grew up in a farming and fishing community and was listed as a farmer in the 1861 Scottish census. He entered in the Hudson’s Bay Company service in 1864 at the age of 27 years, taking the path of many Orkney men. After an eventful voyage on the Prince of Wales from Stromness, he landed at York Factory, Canada.

Steinhauer Family

The Ojibway minister, Henry Bird Steinhauer was the first Steinhauer in his family. Born ca. 1818 in Ontario near the present day Rama Indian Reserve, Sowengisik [Shauwanegezhick] was the oldest son of Bigwind and Mary Kachenooting. The young Sowengisik converted to Methodism during a mass baptism conducted by William Case and Peter Jones in 1828. It was at this time that he adopted the surname Steinhauer, the surname of the American who sponsored his education. He attended the Grape Island School from 1829 to 1832 and the Cazenovia Seminary in Cazenovia, NY from 1832-1835. Following that, he taught for two years at the Credit River mission on Lake Ontario. He studied at the Upper Canada Academy in Cobourg, Ontario starting in 1836. Despite taking a year off to teach at the Alderville mission school in Northumberland County, Steinhauer graduated in 1839 at the head of his class.

Steinhauer started missionary work at Lac La Pluie before moving to Norway House. There he met his future wife, Jessie Joyful [Erasmus?] (Seeseeb Mamanuwartum). Jessie was born in 1818 to a Swampy Cree family. Jessie was considered a strong woman with a sphere of influence separate from her husband’s. She and Steinhauer married on 5 August 1846 and went on to have eleven children together: William (who died in infancy); Abigail (married John McDougall); Eliza Ann; Samuel; Arthur; Sarah Jane (b. 1855, Norway House); Evangeline; Egerton (became a missionary); Robert (became a missionary); Morley; and Augustine.

Steinhauer travelled to England with Egerton Ryerson to raise awareness of missionary work in the West. He returned to begin work at Whitefish Lake in what would become Alberta. In his later years, Steinhauer became more involved in addressing issues related to First Nations people. He never changed his religious beliefs or discontinued his religious work as he asserted his First Nations identity. Steinhauer died 30 December 1884 from influenza. Jessie died in 1910 at the age of 92.

Henry and Jessie’s daughter, Sarah Jane, married James Kirkness ca. 1873 or 1874.

Kirkness-Steinhauer Family

James Kirkness married Sarah Jane Steinhauer, daughter of the prominent Ojibway Methodist minister, Henry Bird Steinhauer, sometime during 1873 or 1874.

Up until 1882, while James still worked for the HBC, their first five children, Henry James (1873), John (1875), William (1878), Robert (1880), and George (1882), were born. In 1882, James and Sarah moved to their River Lot 26 and began homesteading. They cleared and cultivated the land, growing crops like potatoes and raising chickens. These were not auspicious years for the family. While three more children were born here – Mary Jane (1885), Edith (1887, m. John Heron approx. 1920), and Charles (1890) – five died. John, William, Robert, and George died in May 1886 during a diphtheria outbreak. Mary Jane died the next year.

In 1890, James acquired the land titles for River Lot 26 (now part of Virginia Park) and also for two westerly chains of River Lot 24 (now part of Cromdale). James and Sarah moved the family to Fort Dunvegan where he, Sarah, and oldest son Henry, worked for the HBC as labourers and stock keepers in the White Mountain area. During the three years they lived there, son Samuel and daughter Jessie were born (1891 and 1893 respectively). Sadly, they both died during this period – Samuel in 1892 and Jessie in 1893. Of all their children, only Henry, Edith and Charles would live to adulthood. James and Sarah returned to their Edmonton river lots with Edith and Charles in 1893. Henry stayed behind at Dunvegan and later homesteaded in the area.

James and Sarah, together and separately after James’ death in 1911, sold portions of their property to the City of Edmonton. Developments at East End Park and Virginia Park, and the Premier Coal Mining Co. (1924-1936) were all part of their original holdings. Sarah died in 1929 and was remembered fondly as one of the “oldest of the old-timers.”

Testawich Family

Mary Louise Testawich was born 20 April 1878 at Egg Lake. Her parents were listed as Francois Tastawitz (Metis) and Josephte Iskewais (Indian) on her Metis scrip application. She may have been related to the Testawich family from the Peace River area. The headman, Duncan Testawich who was one of the signatories to Treaty 8 in 1899, was likely a grandson of Francois Tustawitz, an Iroquois who had come to Peace River with George Simpson in 1828. Despite his Iroquois ancestry, Duncan Testawich was identified as Cree and leader of the Cree people in the Treaty 8 documents.

Kirkness-Steinhauer-Testawich Family

Henry Kirkness, oldest surviving son of James and Sarah Kirkness, continued in his father’s family tradition, working several years for the HBC at Dunvegan, trapping and working as an interpreter for the local Cree and Beaver people. He remained there in 1893 after his parents and younger siblings returned to Edmonton. On 1 Nov 1897 at Dunvegan, he married Mary Louise Testawich. They had nine children together while farming in the Spirit River area: Flora (1898-1913), Helen Marie (Mary Ellen) (1901-1937, married to Claude Watkins), Annie (1904-?, married to Zacceus Jackson), Sara Jane (1906-1991; married to Howard Pegg), Edmond Charles (1907-1909), Gordon Maxwell (1909-1976), Wilfred Richard (1911-1912), Robert Hector (1915-2001), Edith Elsie (1918-2007). All their children were registered as being of Cree ancestry on the 1916 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Sadly, Louise died from the flu in 1918, along with her cousin, Joseph Testawich.

Henry later married Joseph Testawich’s widow, Genevieve (La Petre) and in 1926, they sold the farm and, along with Henry’s daughter Helen and her husband, established a stopping place at Moose Creek, SE 6-79-11. Moose Creek was renamed Gordondale in 1933 after Henry and Louise’s son Gordon. The homestead and stopping place provided a respite for travelers going to and from the Spirit River and points west. The Kirkness place was large enough to handle dances and town meetings, including a meeting held in 1940 to determine if Gordondale should have a cemetery. Henry died of cancer in 1941 and was buried in that cemetery.

Of his and Louise’s surviving children, Gordon remained in Gordondale until his death in 1976. Hector lived in a cabin near the highway in Gordondale. Annie married Zaccheus Jackson and lived in Ashmont, AB. Sara Jane (Jean) married Howard Pegg and moved to farm at Blueberry Mountain. Edith moved to Edmonton. All Henry’s children are now deceased.

Kirkness School in Edmonton is named in honour of Henry’s father, James Kirkness. Ralph Steinhauer, former Lt Gov for Alberta, is the great-grandson of Henry Bird Steinhauer.

Custodial history

Records donated to the archives by Louise Schultz of Canmore, AB, through Melanie Moore, Highlands Historical Society, Edmonton, AB on 28 June 2016. Louise Schultz is the daughter of Sarah Jane Pegg.

Scope and content

The fonds consists of Kirkness family photographs and personal papers depicting their life and their impact on the development of the Edmonton and Peace River areas. Several of the personal documents belonged to Edith Heron.

Notes

Title notes

Source of title proper: Title of fonds based on contents.

Access points

Textual record (documentary form)
Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)
Indigenous peoples (subject)
Family and personal life* (subject)
Women (subject)

Table of contents

0660.01, Family Photographs series, 1905-2007

0660.02, Family Documents series, 1913-2001

Series descriptions

Series 0660.01: Family Photographs series Date: 1905-2007 (date of creation) Scope and content: The series consists of photographs of Henry Kirkness and his children. The photographs document the family homestead in Gordondale, his children’s homes in Edmonton, the funerals of two of his daughters, and celebrations in Gordondale in 2007. Physical description: 31 photographs Access points: • Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)
File / item list
Reference code	Title	Dates	Physical description
0660.01.01	Item – Henry and Charles Kirkness	1905	1 photograph : b&w ; 2 1/2 x 4 in.
	Scope and content: Henry (b. 1873) is seated and his brother Charles (b. 1890) is standing in this studio photograph.
0660.01.02	Item – Edith, Gordon, and Henry Kirkness	1938	1 photograph : b&w ; 2 1/2 x 2 in.
	Scope and content: Edith, Gordon, and Henry Kirkness stand on the front porch of the stopping place in Gordondale. A note on the back of the photograph reads “Edith Gordon Henry Kirkness.”
0660.01.03	Item – Helen and Edith (Heron)	ca. 1940	1 photograph : b&w ; 4 x 2 1/2 in.
	Scope and content: Two young women are standing next to a wagon with a log building in the backgroundCaption on the back reads: “Sister Helen. Aunt Edith Heron [Henry’s sister] in Gordondale area (Bremner’s). Aunt Edith was 11 or 12.”
0660.01.04	Item – Edith Kirkness with four older Pegg children	ca. 1940	1 photograph : b&w ; 4 x 6 in.
	Scope and content: Copy of a photograph showing Edith [Henry and Louise’s daughter] with her nieces and nephews Vera, Richard, Vern, and Melba at Blueberry Mountain. They are standing on a road. Buildings can be seen in the background.
0660.01.05	Item – Edith and Donald Heron (?)	ca. 1939	1 photograph : b&w ; 2 1/2 x 4 1/2 in.
	Scope and content: Donald [John most likely] and Edith [Henry’s sister] (?) are standing at the doorstep of a house. He is possibly wearing a regimental kilt. A note on the back of the photograph reads “Edith & Donald Heron?”
0660.01.06	Item – Baby Louise Pegg and Aunt Edith Kirkness	1941	1 photograph : b&w ; 4 x 6 in.
	Scope and content: Copy of a photograph showing Edith [Henry’s daughter] holding the baby Louise at the doorstep of a house. A note on the back of the photograph reads “Baby Louise Pegg Aunt Edith Kirkness”
0660.01.07	Item – Louise and Jean Pegg, and Edith, Annie, and Hector Kirkness	1941	1 photograph : b&w ; 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 in.
	Scope and content: Caption reads, “Baby Louise Pegg (Schultz), Aunt Jean Pegg, Aunt Edith Kirkness [Henry’s daughter], Annie hiding (Jackson), Uncle Hector Kirkness.”
0660.01.08	Item – Jean and Louise Pegg, and Edith Kirkness	1957	1 photograph : b&w ; 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.
	Scope and content: The three women are standing on a porch. A note on the back reads “Jean Pegg, Louise Pegg 1957 – Univ., Edith Kirkness.”
0660.01.09	Item – May White, Edith Kirkness, and Louise and Jean Pegg	1957	1 photograph : b&w ; 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.
	Scope and content: The four women are standing on a porch. A note on the back reads “10863 – 74 Street Edmonton. May White – high school friend Spirit River, Edith Kirkness, Louise Pegg – university year, Jean (Sarah Jane) Pegg.”
0660.01.10	Item – Sarah Jane Pegg, Hector Kirkness, Annie Jackson	1976	1 photograph : colour ; 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.
	Scope and content: The three siblings are standing on a sidewalk at the front of a house. The photograph was likely taken at the time of Gordon’s funeral. A note on the back reads “Sarah Jane Pegg, Hector Kirkness, Annie Jackson.”
0660.01.11	Item – Annie Jackson family	1976	1 photograph : colour ; 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.
	Scope and content: Annie is with her six children on a sidewalk at the front of a house. The photograph was likely taken at the time of Gordon’s funeral. A note on the back reads “Annie Jackson family.”
0660.01.12	Item – Louise Pegg, Edith Dalle Costa, Eunice Steinhauer?	1976	1 photograph : colour ; 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.
	Scope and content: The three women are at the front step of a house. The photograph was likely taken at the time of Gordon’s funeral. A note on the back reads “Louise Pegg, Edith Dalla Costa, Eunice Steinhauer?”
0660.01.13	Item – Annie Jackson’s boys	1976	1 photograph : colour ; 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.
	Scope and content: The four men are standing on a sidewalk at the font of a house. The photograph was likely taken at the time of Gordon’s funeral. A note on the back reads “Annie Jackson’s boys.”
0660.01.14	Item – Sarah Jane Pegg, Hector Kirkness, Annie Jackson	1976	1 photograph : colour ; 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.
	Scope and content: The three siblings are standing in front of a house. The photograph was likely taken at the time of Gordon’s funeral. The caption on the back of the photograph reads “Sarah Jane (Jean), Hector Kirkness, Annie Jackson.”
0660.01.15	Item – Aunt Annie and Aunt Edith	1985	1 photograph : colour ; 4 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.
	Scope and content: Portrait of Annie Jackson and Edith Kirkness.
0660.01.16	Item – Aunts Annie and Edith	1985	1 photograph : colour ; 4 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.
	Scope and content: Annie Jackson and Edith Kirkness appear to be at a special event. The caption on the back of the photograph reads “Aunts Annie & Edith”
0660.01.17	Item – Dressed for a wedding	1985	1 photograph : colour ; 5 x 7 in.
	Scope and content: Copy of a photograph showing Annie Jackson, Edith Kirkness, Sarah Jane Pegg, and Bella Fildes standing together outside. The caption on the back of the photograph reads “dressed for a wedding Annie Jackson, Edith Kirkness, Sarah Jane Pegg, Cousin Bella Fildes.”
0660.01.18	Item – Hector Kirkness in front of his log cabin.	ca. 1990	1 photograph ; colour ; 5 1/2 x 8 in.
	Scope and content: Copy of a photograph showing Hector Kirkness in front of his log cabin in Gordondale. The caption on the back of the photograph reads “Hector Kirkness – cabin in Gordondale.”
0660.01.19	Item – Annie Jackson, Hector Kirkness, Edith Kirkness	1991	1 photograph : colour ; 4 x 6 in.
	Scope and content: The three siblings are at the funeral of their sister, Sarah Jane (Jean) Pegg. The caption on the back of the photograph reads “Annie Jackson, Hector Kirkness, Edith Kirkness.”
0660.01.20	Item – Jackson family at funeral of Jean Pegg	1991	1 photograph : colour ; 4 x 6 in.
	Scope and content: Annie Jackson, Hector Kirkness, and Edith Kirkness stand in front of Annie’s seven children at the funeral of their sister, Sarah Jane (Jean) Pegg. The caption on the back of the photograph reads “Jackson family at funeral of Jean Pegg. In front Edith, Annie, Hector.”
0660.01.21	Item – Kirkness residence on Ada Boulevard	2006	1 photograph : colour ; 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 in.
	Scope and content: Photocopy of a photograph showing someone standing on the porch of the house on Ada Boulevard in Edmonton.
0660.01.22	Item – Melba, Aunt Edith Kirkness, Louise	2006	1 photograph : colour ; 8 1/2 x 6 1/2 in.
	Scope and content: Photocopy of a photograph showing Melba, Edith, and Louise standing in front of a gate.
0660.01.23	Item – Burial for Edith Kirkness	2007	1 photograph : colour ; 6 x 4 in.
	Scope and content: Mourners attending the burial for Edith, July 2007, in Gordondale. The caption on the back of the photograph reads “Burial – Gordondale. Edith Kirkness.”
0660.01.24	Item – Burial for Edith Kirkness	2007	1 photograph : colour ; 6 x 4 in.
	Scope and content: Preparing the casket for burial. The woman in pants holding a bouquet may be her niece, Louise. The caption the back of the photograph reads “Burial – Gordondale. Edith Kirkness. 2007.”
0660.01.25a & b	Item – Gordondale Cemetery	2007	2 photographs : colour ; 6 x 4 in.
	Scope and content: The headstone at Gordondale showing the names for Gorden, Hector, Henry, and Edith. One version appears to have been taken at Edith’s burial.
0660.01.26	Item – Gordon and Hector Kirkness’ yard	2007	1 photograph : colour ; 6 x 4 in.
	Scope and content: The yard shared by Gordon and Hector in Gordondale. The caption on the back of the photograph reads “Yard – Kirkness boys (Gordon & Hector). Gordondale.”
0660.01.27	Item – Hector Kirkness’ barn	2007	1 photograph : colour ; 6 x 4 in.
	Scope and content: The barn at Hector’s place in Gordondale. Hector lived there most of his life. The caption on the back reads “Barn – Hector Kirkness place Gordondale.”
0660.01.28	Item – Gordondale Celebration	2007	1 photograph : colour ; 6 x 4 in.
	Scope and content: Photograph shows a sign reading “Welcome Trailriders to Moose Creek.” The caption on the back of the photograph reads “Gordondale Celebration.”
0660.01.29	Item – Hector Kirkness’ cabin	2007	1 photograph : colour ; 6 x 4 in.
	Scope and content: The home in Gordondale where Hector lived for most of his life. The caption on the back of the photograph reads “Hector Kirkness’ cabin.”
0660.01.30	Item – Hector Kirkness’ cabin	2007	1 photograph : colour ; 6 x 4 in.
	Scope and content: The home in Gordondale where Hector lived for most of his life.

Series 0660.02: Family Documents series Date: 1913-2001 (date of creation) Scope and content: The series consists of legal documents relating to the sale of lands and disposition of Henry Kirkness’s estate; correspondence related to births and baptisms; obituaries and cards of condolences; and other personal documents. Most of the items relate to the children of Henry Kirkness. A large number belonged to Edith Heron, including her last will and testament. Physical description: 0.5 cm textual records Access points: • Textual record (documentary form)

Fonds 660 Kirkness – Steinhauer – Testawich Family fonds

Contact Us