This resource site was created and maintained by Vancouver Island Local History Society staff and volunteers during our time as managers at historic Point Ellice House Museum & Gardens (2019-2023). The amount of documentary evidence related to life at Point Ellice House is extensive and this is a space where we collect, organize, and share this information with the public.
The following content is for informational purposes only. Researchers interested in the documents within should consult the originals which, unless otherwise stated, are housed at the BC Archives (O’Reilly Family Fonds, MS-2984).
Letters
A collection of letters by the O’Reilly family during their occupation of the house (1867 to 1975).
This collection of letters and documents has been digitized from an earlier transcription project and is for informational purposes only. This transcription has not been verified against the originals. Researchers interested in these letters should consult the original documents housed at the BC Archives.
- Letters from 1867
- Letters from 1869
- Letters from the 1870s
- Letters from 1888-89
- O'Reilly Stanhope Correspondence
- Letters from 1896-97
- Select Letters by Person
Recipes
Point Ellice House has a collection of over 12,000 objects and documents – most of which belonged to the O’Reilly family. The recipes found here are transcribed from those found in the collection.
Peter O’Reilly Diaries
Some of Peter O’Reilly’s diary has been transcribed by past volunteers and staff at Point Ellice House Museum & Gardens and now volunteers of VILHS. The transcriptions are intended for informational purposes only. Researchers interested in the diaries are advised to consult the original document housed at the Royal British Columbia Museum & Archives, found in MS-2894, the O’Reilly family fonds.
The diaries are now hosted by UVic on their digital repository site: The link is below:
Peter O’Reilly Diaries
Visitor Calling Cards
The Point Ellice House collection contains hundreds of calling cards left for the O’Reilly family by visitors. This initial research was conducted by students in the 2021 HSTR 515A: Public History course at the University of Victoria, and these short biographies constitute only a portion of the individuals represented by the calling cards within the collection.
Search the Resource Site
The following search box allows you to search the documents contained within the Historic Resource portion of our web site.