This collection contains items related to the history of the Catholic Church in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, including a history of the Parish of St. Andrew by Reverend D. S. Gillis. The first Catholic Church in St. Andrews was erected in 1824, on the corner of Parr Street and Mary Street. The trustees for the Church at the time were Thomas Dunn, Peter Doran, Henry O’Neill, and John Lockary. As the congregation increased in size the small 28 by 40 foot original church proved to be too small, so a new church was erected in 1885 on the corner of Parr Street and King Street which remains to this day. The old church was sold to the restaurant “L’Europe” in 1914 and was repurposed as a stage at the back of the restaurant.

This collection contains correspondences, documents, photos, and other types of material related to Joseph and Effie Gibson and their descendants. Most of the correspondence in this collection concerns Joe Gibson, a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot and oldest son of Joseph and Effie Gibson. Many photos of him and his crewmates, his letters home from overseas, as well as his schoolwork and notes from leaning how to fly an aircraft are also included in this collection. Several items which concern the affairs of John Gibson, Joe Gibson’s younger brother, can be found in this collection. These include correspondences and legal documents related to the estate of Charlotte Gibson, his sister, as well as an agreement between John Gibson and the Canada Railroad Company concerning interest and his land. Most of the personal items and published material in this collection belonged to John Gibson as well, these include publications related to his position as a volunteer firefighter, reports of organizations he belonged to, maps of the Town of St. Andrews, notes related to his work as a stonemason, and other items.