Fonds P193 - Kelen Family Fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Kelen Family Fonds

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  • Source of title proper: Title is based on the content of the fonds.

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Fonds

Repository

Reference code

CA OSLER P193

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1676-2004 (Creation)
    Creator
    Kelen family
  • 1676-2004 (Creation)
    Creator
    Francis, William Willoughby, 1878-1959

Physical description area

Physical description

83 books. -- 34 cm of textual records. -- approx. 50 photographs. -- 10 artifacts.

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Archival description area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Born in Montreal in 1878, William Willoughby Francis was named after his mother's cousin, Sir William Osler. As Osler's namesake, and also his godson, Francis decided to pursue a medical degree and graduated in 1902 from Johns Hopkins University. After interning at the Royal Victoria Hospital and spending time in Europe to pursue post-graduate studies, Francis started his own practice in Montreal in 1906. He was also appointed Demonstrator in Pathology at McGill University under the direction of Dr. Maude Abbott. For some time, Francis served as Secretary-Treasurer and Assistant Editor of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. His career was briefly interrupted when he fell ill with pulmonary tuberculosis, and he was admitted to St. Agathe Sanatorium where he regained his health in 1911. During World War One, Francis went overseas with No.3 Canadian General Hospital. After the war, Francis remained in Europe and took a position in Geneva as Assistant Editor – eventually Editor – of the International Journal of Public Health. Upon the death Sir William Osler in 1919, Francis relocated to Oxford where he began cataloguing Osler's extensive collection of books that had been bequeathed to McGill University. Francis was the principal editor of the Bibliotheca Osleriana with the help of co-editors Archibald Malloch and Reginald Hill. The Osler Library of the History of Medicine opened its doors at McGill University in 1929 and Francis served as the library's dedicated librarian until his death in 1959.

In 1921, W. W. Francis married Hilda Colley and they had one daughter who was born in Oxford, Marian Francis Kelen (1922-2014). The family spent nearly seven years living in England while Francis catalogued Osler's bequest. Upon completion of the work, the family returned to Montreal with eighty-six large packing cases of books. Marian Francis pursued a medical degree and graduated from McGill in 1945 with an M.D.C.M. It was at McGill where she met her husband, and fellow medical student, Andrew Kelen. Upon graduation, Andrew, who was part of the ROTC (Regular Officers' Training Corps), was stationed in London and elsewhere in western Europe with the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps until the end of the Second World War (1944-1945). After Andrew was discharged from the RCAMC and returned home, Marian and Andrew were married (1946) and pursued residencies at the Montreal General Hospital, Royal Victoria Hospital, and the former Montreal Homeopathic Hospital (later Queen Elizabeth Hospital of Montreal) before practicing medicine at the Ormstown Medical Centre in southern Quebec. Marian and Andrew Kelen had five children together: Michael (born 1948), Sari, Steve, Susan, and Wendy. Marian Kelen stopped practicing medicine for 18 years while raising the growing family.

Name of creator

(1878-1959)

Biographical history

Born in Montreal in 1878, William Willoughby Francis earned his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in 1902. After interning at Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital and spending some time in Europe to pursue postgraduate studies, Francis came back to Montreal where he opened a practice in 1906. He later became editor of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, then Registrar of the No.3 Canadian General Hospital in France during the First World War. When his second cousin Sir William Osler died in 1919, he donated his library to McGill University. Francis co-edited the catalogue of Sir William Osler's library, the Bibliotheca Osleriana, and ran the Osler Library of the History of Medicine until his death in 1959.

Custodial history

The fonds was collected primarily by W. W. Francis and given to his daughter, Marian Francis Kelen, in 1963. The fonds was passed to W. W. Francis’ granddaughter Susan Kelen in 2014, and then donated by Susan Kelen to the Osler Library in 2015. A second accrual was donated to the Osler Library in 2022.

Scope and content

The fonds consists of books, letters, documents, drafts, publications, photographs, and several artifacts collected by W. W. Francis and Marian Francis Kelen over the course of their lifetimes. Many books and documents relate to Sir William Osler and the Osler family including several personal letters, the Deed of Trust documents regarding the Bibliotheca Osleriana, drafts of Osler's works, and a wooden travelling trunk that belonged to Edward Revere Osler. The fonds also includes original poetry written by Marian Osborne, W. W. Francis, and Marian Francis Kelen.

Notes area

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Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Language and script note

Documents are in English.

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Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Items can be requested for consultation online via the Library Catalogue or by email at osler.library@mcgill.ca. Advance notice is recommended.

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Alternative identifier(s)

Osler Database ID

4716

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