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Mooney Stitt
- Accession Number
- 2022-3-11
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2022-3-11
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- object
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- ca. 200 photographs (15 negatives): b&w ; 25 x 20 cm or smaller
- 1 small metal pendant
- Date
- [ca. 1900]-[ca. 1943]
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of photographs, textual records, and an artifact relating to or collected by Mooney Stitt. Textual records include receipts, correspondence, immigration documents, a trademark certificate issued by the United States Patent Office, material related to Mooney’s municipal election in Sioux Lookout, and Mooney’s British Columbia free miner’s certificate. Photographs make up the majority of this accession, featuring Mooney’s family and personal life. Also included is a small metal pendant with Russian inscriptions.
- Custodial History
- Records were in the possession of Peter Marcovitz’s mother, Lillian Averson, until her death in 1965. Since then, the records have been stored possibly in the family house until being found and gifted to the Ontario Jewish Archives in 2021 by Peter and his wife, Joyce Borenstein.
- Administrative History
- Mooney Stitt (1904-1943), also known as Munya Studnitz, was born in 1904 in Poland to Simcha Studnitz and Miriam Woyler. He might also be referred to as Chaim Studnic or Hiame Studnitz. Mooney had four siblings: David, Dina (Dinah/Diana), Dora, and Miron. In 1923, Mooney and Dina Studnitz immigrated to Canada from Poland under the sponsorship of their uncle, Nathan Stitt, who resided in the City of Fort William (now Thunder Bay) and had a clothing store named Stitt & Sons. Mooney and Dina lived in the City of Lemberg (now Lviv) before moving to Canada. By taking the ship Laconia, Mooney landed in Halifax in 1923; then he made his way to Thunder Bay and started working on a farm of David J. Piper in the Township of Paipoonge. Later, he moved to Sioux Lookout, where he presented himself in a municipal election. Mooney relocated to Montreal in the mid-1930s and founded a company called Canadian Art Studios, which manufactured silk scarves. In 1939, he married Lillian Averson (1916-1965). It is possible that Lillian also helped him operate the business. On March 13, 1943, Mooney passed away of heart ailments in Montreal. Upon his death, one of Lillian’s brothers-in-law joined the company, and a children’s wear division was launched shortly afterwards. The company ceased manufacturing scarves in the early 1950s and grew into a successful children’s wear manufacturer under the name Tam O’Shanter (spelling uncertain). Lillian was bought out by her brother-in-law in the late 1950s. The company finally ceased operating in the late 1980s. Mooney and Lillian did not have children together. In 1945, Lillian married her second husband, Joel Marcovitz. Peter Marcovitz was born in 1947 to Lillian and Joel.
- Use Conditions
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Descriptive Notes
- Availability of other formats: photographs and documents have been scanned and are available in PDF, TIF, and JPG formats.
- LANGUAGE NOTE: A small number of records are in Russian and Polish.
- RELATED MATERIAL NOTE: See accession 2008-7-13 and OH 308 for additional information on the Stitt family and the Stitt & Sons clothing store.
- Subjects
- Families
- Name Access
- Stitt, Mooney, 1904-1943
- Places
- Fort William (Ont.)
- Sioux Lookout (Ont.)
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Montréal (Québec)
- Poland
- Source
- Archival Accessions