Hello! My name is Jiselle and I am a senior student attending Stanley High School. Why am I writing on this blog, you ask? I was lucky enough to get the Fredericton Region Museum as my Co-operative Education placement. Basically, I get work experience from a place full of historical artefacts and great people!
Anyways, my goal today was to pick my favourite artefact in the museum and write about it. After getting a tour of the whole place, I knew right away what item I would pick. My choice is a lovely size 7 top hat received by the Fredericton Region Museum in 1976.
The black top hat is, to my recent surprise, made from beaver felt! According to Wikipedia, They were fashionable across much of Europe during the period 1550-1850 because the soft yet resilient material could be easily combed to make a variety of hat shapes.
The hat box underneath is made from brown leather and is lined on the inside with red velvet.
Thanks! The hat belonged to Major Frank Atwood Good, and was donated by his son’s wife, Dr. Ella Duff Good. Major Good was born in 1866 and became the first vice-president of the York-Sunbury Historical Society.
George Alvah Good, son of Frank Atwood Good and Mary Elizabeth Gilmore, would continue the family dedication to the society. During WWI, George Alvah served as a captain in the RAF until his plane crashed and the injuries required surgery. He contributed papers regularly to society meetings and collected historical records and artefacts. He died in 1962.
The 1911 Census has the Good family living on Regent St, Fredericton. We have many donations from Frank, Ella, and George Good, such as a collection of guns and pistols.
There is a makers label on the inside of the top hat that says the following:
Special Manufacture
D. Magee’s Sons.
63 King St.
Saint John, N.B.
Jiselle, good choice! I was wonderinf if there was any providence that accompanies the hat? And if there was a maker’s label in the hat or the box.. or an owner’s name? Artifacts are great things to work with.
All the best, Gary Campbell