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Reel 53.
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1 audio reel (2 hrs., 39 min., 45 sec.)
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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.
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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. Wed. Jan. 15/64 rescue night. Music - beyond the sunset; Amirah - some words of encouragement. Three separate groups enjoyed our help of rescue; John Andrews - the experience of a searcher for gold in the gold rush to Alaska. Lost in snow drift in 1879; Mary Judd - waiting in railroad station in Amarillo, Texas for her sister and brother in 1958; Eloise Judd - speaks of herself and brother caught in tidal wave; Henry Judd - with sisters; Jim Robinson - mountain slide. Relates experience while trying to rescue a train of passengers buried in mountain slide. His helper Indian Cheyenne helped be his knowledge of spirit; Johnny Longbranch - speaks at length in appreciative terms; Walter - closes gratifying to know that work is not in vain.
Side 2. Tues. Jan. 22/64 master's night. Music - the lord's prayer sung by Nelson Eddy; Amirah - spoke at length on dream manifestations. Described interestingly what actual takes place. Questions and answers followed; Rama Mandato - talks of his relationship with distant past; Golden Star - dressed in her magnificent robes of golden stars brightened the floor. A lot of activity coming in the next few months; Happy Wolfe - came from tremendous gathering of the hosts to say a few works. Spoke of the activities of the masters; Dr. Hoffman - listened attentively to all that was said. Can bear all this out by experiences recorded; Dr. Hall - agrees heartily with all that has been said; Walter - closes with appropriate remarks.
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Donated by Stanley McMullin in 2015.
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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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This audio reel recording and box note contain language that is outdated, racist or otherwise harmful. This has been flagged 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.
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Described by JB in 2015.
Revised by NM in 2024.
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- English