In January, the Musée de la Gaspésie obtained the archives of the Robin store of Bonaventure. Mrs. Josée Barette, daughter of Juliette Gauthier and Douglas Barette, generously offered the documents to the Centre d’archives de la Musée de la Gaspésie.
The Centre is the only private centre in the Gaspé region to be accredited by the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. The Centre preserves documents of a regional interest, and is accessible to the general public of the region.
The newly acquired documents highlight the functioning of the general store of the Robin, Jones and Whitman Company in the Acadian town of Bonaventure, between 1906 and 1960 and details the store's accounting methods, the network of suppliers and business profitability.The documets also detail fishermen's catches as well as the products consumed by inhabitants of the area.
The collection is a fine addition to any study of the Robin Company during the first half of the twentieth century.In the Gaspé, this period is marked by a decline in the influence of Jersey companies, when fishing cooperatives were beginning to take ownership of the market.
Anyone who wishes to consultthe collection in person can do so at the museum under the name "Funds Juliette Gauthier / Douglas Barette".