Alvin McCurdy was a tireless collector of documentation about the lives and activities of the black people of south-western Ontario. His interests were both narrow and wide, extending from his own family history and genealogy, to the broader story of all the black families in and around Essex County. His collection includes physical evidence of all aspects of social, cultural and economic life, and his thorough research notes add a layer of valuable interpretation and insight.

His Resource Files (F 2076-3) and Genealogical Files (F 2076-4) include the results of decades of laborious research. These files consist of newspaper clippings, transcriptions of various documents (that might otherwise have been lost), analyses of assessment rolls, detailed biographical sketches, index cards sketching various people and subjects, genealogical research, and alphabetical death notice clippings.

Comme il a été mentionné, Alvin McCurdy s’intéressait particulièrement à collectionner tous les documents possibles sur ses propres ancêtres. Il a eu la chance de trouver des images de sa famille qui datent de l’époque de ses arrière-grands-parents maternels et paternels. Sa collection contient plusieurs centaines de photos de sa famille et nous en avons choisi quelques-unes que vous pouvez voir ici.

In addition to his own family, McCurdy was interested in telling the stories of his friends and neighbours. Generations of local black dynasties are represented in photographs in his collection, including members of the Adams, Banks, Stokes and Thomas families, as well as many others.