Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Moirs Limited fonds
General material designation
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Fonds
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
1.1 m of textual records and other material
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Moir family business was established under Benjamin Moir, a native of Scotland, who opened a bakery shop on Brunswick Street, Halifax, N.S. in 1830. After his death in 1845, his son William C. Moir took over the bakery. Between 1862 and 1869 Moir built a five-story plant occupying Grafton, Argyle, and Duke Streets featuring a steam bakery, flour mill and retail store which originally operated under the name Moir and Co. A confectionery plant was opened in 1873 managed by William's son, James W. Moir, who introduced the production of chocolates. In 1875 the name of the firm became William C. Moir and Son. James W. Moir succeeded his father as head of the business in 1896 and his brother, William C. Moir Jr., also joined the firm as an associate. In 1903 the firm known as Moir Son and Co. was incorporated as a joint stock company under the name Moirs Limited. A paper box plant was added to the establishment at Halifax, and a chocolate refining plant, saw mill and wooden box (shook) manufacturing plant were constructed in Bedford where the company later established its own hydro power station. On 29 December 1925, Moirs Limited was incorporated to acquire the old firm. The company was reorganized in 1926 and established branch sales offices and warehouses across Canada and foreign agencies in the West Indies, Central and South America, South Africa, and New Zealand. In 1956 the company left family hands and was reorganized under new president F.M. Covert. Standard Brands Canada Limited acquired Moirs in 1967. The Moirs plant continued in Dartmouth as part of Hershey Foods Corporation.
Custodial history
Scope and content
Fonds consists of legal and financial records, correspondence, and resolutions, mostly relating to property transactions of Moirs Limited and Moir family members as well as Supreme Court suits involving the company; periodicals relating to Moirs and the candy industry; scrapbooks of advertisements; reports, correspondence, press clippings, broadcast scripts, and notices relating to marketing and advertising; journals and daily sales figures; newspaper clippings and essays on the history and activities of Moirs; printed ephemera; photographs of the Moirs plant, personnel, social events, and exhibitions; painting by R.H. Ellis in the 1880s and watercolour by John L. Darby, both depicting Moirs mill and box factory in Bedford; and map of Moirs property in downtown Halifax, 1927.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Donated by the company in several accessions between 1975 and 1979.
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Partial item list and box list available.
Associated materials
Accruals
Physical description
Fonds also includes: 172 graphic items (mostly photographs), 1 painting, 1 watercolour, 1 map.