Collection Acc2561 - Townsend Coffin Muncey collection

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Townsend Coffin Muncey collection

General material designation

  • Textual record

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  • Source of title proper: Title based on provenance of collection

Level of description

Collection

Reference code

CA PCA Acc2561

Edition area

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

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Statement of scale (cartographic)

Statement of projection (cartographic)

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Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1886-1903 (Creation)
    Creator
    Muncey, Townsend Coffin

Physical description area

Physical description

.035 m of textual records

Publisher's series area

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Archival description area

Name of creator

Muncey, Townsend Coffin (1847-1904)

Biographical history

Townsend Coffin Muncey, youngest child of John Frances and Ann (Madden) Muncey was born on 2 January 1847, on the Magdalene Islands, Quebec. In 1865, Townsend moved with his family to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, where his father opened a store. Townsend and his brother Singleton were employed by a telegraph company in Charlottetown before Townsend moved to Cape Traverse to work as a linesman. He learned telegraphy at the cable hut in Cape Traverse on the farm of Captain Lewis Muttart, married Muttart's daughter Anne, and became the third telegraphic operator at Cape Traverse. Townsend and Anne had five children: Susan M. (1875-?), Frank E. (1878-?), Singleton W. (1880-?), Leigh (1885-?), and Nancy (1888-?). Townsend moved his family moved to Kensington in 1875 when the PEI Railway opened its first office there. They moved back to Cape Traverse in 1877, when the office of the Anglo American Telegraph Co. was moved to Carleton. This telegraph office was located within the Muncey home. Townsend died of pneumonia in 1904. The Anglo American Office at Carleton was sold by Anne Muncey in October of 1921, to Charles Doull.

Custodial history

Scope and content

The collection consists of a journal (1886-1895), and a letter book (1897-1903), which was collected at the Cape Traverse boat house and telegraph office by Townsend Muncey. The journal documents the winter mail service from Cape Traverse, PEI, to Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick. The weather, ice conditions, and the time of the ice boats arrival and departure with the mail were recorded by the individuals making the crossings and were kept at the boathouse by Townsend Muncey. The letter book contains copies of letters sent to the Marine and Fisheries Department in Charlottetown, lists of boatmen and their respective positions, statements of tickets, and financial statements of the boathouse and telegraph office.

Notes area

Arrangement

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

NO RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

PERMISSION FOR USE AND REPRODUCTION IS REQUIRED FROM THE PUBLIC ARCHIVES AND RECORDS OFFICE; QUESTIONS REGARDING COPYRIGHT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE USER

Finding aids

NO FURTHER FINDING AID AVAILABLE

Associated materials

See also: Acc2859; Acc4211

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Accruals

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Description record identifier

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Level of detail

Language of description

  • English

Script of description

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