Letter and envelope marked “private” addressed to S.D. Woodruff from William Turner of Port Maitland

Letter and envelope marked “private” addressed to S.D. Woodruff from William Turner of Port Maitland. He says that he has enclosed a bill for all the trouble and fatigue that he has had since he saw Mr. Woodruff. He states that it has been a tiresome job wading through the books for 1857 and 1858, Feb. 5, 1862.

Letter to S.D. Woodruff from William Turner, collector at Port Maitland

Letter to S.D. Woodruff from William Turner, collector at Port Maitland. This letter notes the enclosure of the yearly returns of 1857 and 1858, Feb. 5, 1862.

Bill no.71: An act respecting the Public Works of Ontario

Bill no.71: An act respecting the Public Works of Ontario (10 ½ pages, printed). S.D. Woodruff has signed this copy of the bill and has made a note in pension “regulations for management”, 1868.

Chart of final estimate of work done between Port Dalhousie and lock no.2 by Robert Jobson

Chart of final estimate of work done between Port Dalhousie and lock no.2 by Robert Jobson, contractor. The work commenced Nov. 1846 and was finished April 1847 on sections A and B, July 1847.

General return (copy) showing the quantity of each article transported on the Welland Canal during the year ending January 5th 1857 (Port Robinson)

General return (copy) showing the quantity of each article transported on the Welland Canal during the year ending January 5th 1857 (Port Robinson) (2 pages), 1857.

General return showing the quantity of each article transported on the Welland Canal during the year ending 1857 and the amount of tolls collected thereon (Port of Maitland)

General return showing the quantity of each article transported on the Welland Canal during the year ending 1857 and the amount of tolls collected thereon (Port of Maitland) (2 page, printed blank), 1857.

General return showing the quantity of each article transported on the Welland Canal (Port Robinson)

General return showing the quantity of each article transported on the Welland Canal (Port Robinson) during the year ending on the 31st of December 1860 and the amount of tolls collected thereon, 1860.

Office at Port Dalhousie statement of trade upwards on the Welland Canal during the years, 1857-1861

Office at Port Dalhousie statement of trade upwards on the Welland Canal during the years (10 pages of hand drawn charts), 1857-1861.

Receipt from John Brown, contractor of Thorold, Ontario

Receipt from John Brown, contractor of Thorold, Ontario for cement, Aug. 8, 1876.

List of inventory of goods in the dwelling of S. D. Woodruff, Ontario Street, St. Catharines

List of inventory (5 pages, handwritten) of goods in the dwelling of S. D. Woodruff, Ontario Street, St. Catharines, n.d.

Memorandum of S.D. Woodruff’s property on Ontario Street

Memorandum (1 page, handwritten) of S.D. Woodruff’s property on Ontario Street, Jul. 25, 1901.

Indenture of agreement between the Great Western Railway Company and the Erie and Ontario Railway Company

Indenture of agreement between the Great Western Railway Company and the Erie and Ontario Railway Company in order for the companies to unite, March 20, 1854.

Volunteering and Social Capital: A Case Study of Older Hospital Volunteers in Southern Ontario

Volunteering as a form of social activity can facilitate older adults’ active aging through community engagement. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the views on older adults’ volunteerism in a community hospital network in Southern Ontario. Utilizing in-depth interviews with 10 older volunteers (over the age of 65), document analysis, and a key informant interview, I explored their experiences of volunteering and social capital development at six hospitals in the network. Data analyses included open and axial coding, and conceptualization of the themes. Four major themes emerged from the data: reasons to volunteer, management’s influence, negative experiences of volunteering, and connections with others. The findings of this research emphasized older volunteers’ strong commitment and enthusiasm to support the hospital in their own communities, the power of volunteering to enhance the development of bonding, bridging, and linking social capital, and the influence of two major contextual factors (i.e. the Auxiliary Factor and the Change Factor) to facilitate or hinder older volunteers’ social capital development in the hospitals. Future research directions should focus on further unpacking the different degrees to which each type of social capital is developed, placing emphasis on the benefits of social capital development for volunteers in healthcare settings. The implications for practice include the targeted recruitment of older adults as healthcare volunteers while creating volunteer positions and environments in which they can develop social capital with their peer volunteers, hospital staff, patients, and people in surrounding communities. To sustain their existing dedicated long-term volunteers, in particular their Auxiliary groups, the community hospital network can enhance facilitating factors such as the Auxiliary Factor while mitigating the negative effects of the Change Factor. By developing social capital through volunteering in their own communities, older adults can engage in active aging, while participating in the development of an age-friendly community.

Receipt from the Bell Telephone Co. for telephone apparatus at Ontario Street

Receipt from the Bell Telephone Co. for telephone apparatus at Ontario Street, Jan 9, 1887.

Receipt from the City of St. Catharines to Robert Stanley, occupant and Mary Shickluna, owner of Lots 44 and 45 on Ontario Street

Receipt from the City of St. Catharines to Robert Stanley, occupant and Mary Shickluna, owner of Lots 44 and 45 on Ontario Street for taxes, Aug. 8, 1887.