John Diefenbaker (1895-1979) and his brother, Elmer (1897-1971), were born in Ontario. Their parents, William T. Diefenbaker (1868-1945) and Mary Florence nee Bannerman (1872-1961), brought them to Saskatchewan in 1903 to homestead in the Prince Albert region. They were followed by William’s brother, Edward (1875-1960), who took up the neighbouring homestead. John married Edna Brower (1899-1951) in 1929; following her death, he married Olive Freeman Palmer (1902-1975) in 1953. John had no children, but his step-daughter, Carolyn Weir (1934- ), has several children. As the last survivor of his immediate family, John Diefenbaker inherited their papers, providing researchers with an opportunity to study both sides of the family correspondence. Olive Diefenbaker’s correspondence exceeds 13,000 pages, making it one of the largest collections of any Canadian political wife.