Document Box

A large wooden box. On the front it says 1833. and 1834. In the background there are books and in the foreground writing tables.
John's document box in the Eldon House collection

Country of Origin: Canada 
Year: ca. 1840 
Materials: Wood and Paint  

The Harris Family left behind a great amount of written material in the form of diaries and letters. This document box is a legacy of John Harris’ work as Treasurer of the London District, where he collected annual documentation as well a fees from taxpayers.   This box is a historical equivalent of a file cabinet, but designed for an individual who had a huge area to travel – In John Harris’s case from the shore of Lake Erie in the south all the way to the tip of the Bruce Peninsula in the north. 

We acknowledge that we are on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron. We honour and respect the history, languages and culture of the diverse Indigenous people who call this territory home.

We acknowledge all the treaties that are specific to this area: the Two Row Wampum Belt Treaty of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy/Silver Covenant Chain; the Beaver Hunting Grounds of the Haudenosaunee NANFAN Treaty of 1701; the McKee Treaty of 1790, the London Township Treaty of 1796, the Huron Tract Treaty of 1827, with the Anishinaabeg, and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum of the Anishnaabek and Haudenosaunee.

The three Indigenous Nations that are neighbours to London are the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation; Oneida Nation of the Thames; and the Munsee-Delaware Nation who all continue to live as sovereign Nations with individual and unique languages, cultures, and customs.