Blog | Playing with archives files

In the Spring of 1919, in the small but growing city of Edmonton, Alberta, the distraught and very pregnant Laura Stradwick stood before the court to explain how the father of her child had betrayed her. The trial was Donald Finley's, conducted to determine if he had seduced Laura, and yet her own actions and character became the subject of the investigation. In front of her closest family and friends, the defence’s attorney painted her as foolish and lacking morality, thus undermining the victim's credibility before the court through humiliation. Afraid for her and her baby’s future, she fiercely defended herself. The surviving file at the Provincial Archives of Alberta tells us a great deal about our own history here in Alberta. It highlights the enduring gender assumptions that unwed mothers had moral defects. This case and its implications are made easy to uncover through the file, especially because of its full transcript of witness testimonies in court. The preservation of Rex v Donald Finley allows for reflection on Canada’s legal priorities during that time, and provides an understanding of dated gender norms and expectations.