File 101 - Reel 56.

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Reel 56.

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File

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SCA258-GA270-101

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Physical description

1 audio reel (2 hrs., 3 min., 26 sec.)

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Name of creator

(1895-1966)

Biographical history

Thomas Lacey, a trance and direct voice medium, was born in Glossop, Derbyshire England on November 4, 1895.

Thomas married Edith Emma Lomas on March 18, 1918 in Whitfield. Edith was born in Whitfield, Derbyshire England on September 28, 1895.

Thomas and Edith immigrated to Canada in March 1923 and April 1924 respectively. Thomas worked as a mechanical engineer at companies including Dominion Rubber and Sutherland and Schultz.

Records of Thomas conducting séances in the Kitchener-Waterloo region begin in 1924. Edith, although not a medium, was an active participant in the séances. Thomas and Edith moved to Hamilton in the 1950s before returning to Kitchener-Waterloo in the 1960's. The séances recorded in the 1960s were held in the home of Otto and Nelda Smith in Kitchener. Otto Smith, a local businessman, played the organ at St. Matthews Lutheran Church in Kitchener and his organ playing can be heard throughout the séances.

Thomas and the séance sitters believed his main control during the 1960s was a spirit named Amirah and they maintained that his younger brother Walter, who died at a young age, acted as his gate keeper. Thomas Lacey purportedly channeled the spirits of Thomas Edison, Emmanuel Swedenborg, and John Wesley, amongst others. Sitters at the séances were said to have experienced apports, materializations, and automatic writing. One séance recording also contains what is believed to be an example of Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP).

The séances fall into three general categorizations: Masters Night when philosophical discussions took place; Visiting Night when spirits of friends and family were welcomed; and Rescue Night when the sitters would help spirits who had not crossed over the veil to do so.

Thomas Lacey died on June 17, 1966 at age 70. Edith Lacey died in 1993 at age 97. Thomas and Edith Lacey were buried in Parkview Cemetery, Waterloo, Ontario.

Custodial history

Scope and content

One audio reel recording of séances held under the supervision of medium Thomas Lacey. A handwritten note on the original audio reel box provides the following descriptions for each side of the reel:

Side 1. April 2/64 Thurs. visiting night. Music - whispering hope; Amirah - great pleasure for him to cross threshold after a great crisis which has a purpose; Dr. Hoffman & Dr. Hall - both amazed and pleased at the good recovery; Nelda Smith - reviewed preparatory work for rescue night. Referred to Anna Olson; Dt. Still - apologized for interruptions. Marvelled at skill of the surgeons; Mrs. Schultz - hello Garnet, pleased with way everything is going; Happy Wolfe - referred to activity at cottage; Mrs. Massel - spoke of spring and flowers; C. S. Smith - have had exciting few weeks keeping power alive; Billy Snow - to Mrs. Lacey. Glad to see Tom again; Golden Star - many lessons were learned; Margurite - expressed full appreciation of efforts to keep channel open.

Side 2. Wed. April 8/64 rescue night. Music - it is no secret; Amirah - aware of efforts to help those in darkness and sufferers; Miko Potluk - Eskimo - spoke in English. Referred to earthquake and destruction by tidal wave at Anchorage; Captain Chisholm - spoke at length. Outlining the condition of what he believed to be survivors; Nelda Smith - wasn't that something explained how they operate in the rescue work; Jennie Fotheringham - explained how plane hit mountain. Came from Suffolk, England; General Douglas McArthur - deplores all the ceremony and pomp. Does not wish to be hurried wants peace and quietness. you indeed are the real generals to command; Walter - closes with appropriate remarks; Closing paragraph - M. Ghandi by Sheen.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Donated by Stanley McMullin in 2015.

Arrangement

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  • English

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This audio reel was digitized in 2022 and access copies are available for research purposes. Transcription not available.

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General note

This audio reel recording contains the term Eskimo. “Eskimo” is an outdated and pejorative term used historically to refer to Indigenous peoples who inhabit the Arctic. In Canada these peoples are known as the Inuit. The use of the term in the Scope and content note has been maintained in keeping with Special Collections & Archives’ approach to language in archival descriptions, which prioritizes speaking openly about and clearly identifying problematic, harmful, and otherwise offensive records in the department’s holdings. This approach, while potentially upsetting, allows for the critical assessment and questioning of historical material by contemporary researchers.

General note

The dates listed in the handwritten note on the original audio reel box differ from the dates cited in the audio recording. Subsequently, it is possible that the subjects listed in the note are incorrect.

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Described by JB in 2015.
Revised by NM in 2024.

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  • English

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