Oxford Branch of Ontario Ancestors May 8th Meeting: The Hawke Papers!

Hello Everyone,

Please see this guest post from Oxford Branch of Ontario Ancestors:

“Please join the Oxford Branch of Ontario Ancestors for a Zoom meeting on Monday, May 8th at 7 pm for the presentation: The Hawke Papers and Anthony Hawke, Chief Emigrant Agent 1833-1864

Speaker Wendy Cameron will begin an introduction to the Hawke Papers with their 21st century return to Ontario, a wonderful tale of archival good fortune. A highlight is six large volumes of letters chronicling government aid to immigrants in every year from 1835 into 1869. Other treasures include ten volumes of registers (lists) kept at Toronto. They record immigrants as they arrived in the city and left for a next destination in Canada West/Ontario, and they date between 1857 and 1892.

Please visit our website at https:\\oxford.ogs.on.ca to pre-register.  Everyone is welcome.”

Liz Buchanan
Oxford Branch Publicity Coordinator Ontario Ancestors

Oxford Branch Ontario Ancestors April’s Zoom Presentation – Barn Raising, Threshing & Quilting Bees!

Hello Everyone,

please see this guest post from the Oxford County Branch of Ontario Ancestors:

Barn Raising, Threshing and Quilting Bees: The Stories Farm Diaries Tell, will be presented by Catharine Wilson, with stories from her recent book, “Being Neighbours,” about barn raisings and quilting bees in Ontario, 1830-1960.
Employing farm diaries, she takes the audience into families’ daily lives, the intricacies of the labour exchange, their workways, feasts, and hospitality to uncover the subtle social politics of mutual dependency, the expectations neighbours had of each other, their relationships, and ways of managing conflict and crisis. 
Dr. Wilson is a History Professor, University of Guelph, and Director of the Rural Diary Archive website.

This meeting will be a virtual Zoom meeting on Monday, April 10, 2023 at 7pm.

All are welcome to attend. Pre-registration is required.

To register for this event click on this link: Zoom Meeting Registration for Oxford County Branch Ontario Ancestors.

Middlesex Centre Archives Heritage Fair!

Hello Everyone,

This guest post is provided by the Middlesex Centre Archives.

There annual Heritage Fair will be held on Saturday, April 1, 2023 from 10am – 4pm.
The event will take place at the Delaware Community Centre, 2652 Gideon Dr., Delaware ON N0l 1E0

If you wish to participate in the fair complete the Registration Form.

For information about the event contact the Middlesex Centre Archives.

Celebrate Emancipation Day 2022!

Heritage Singers Canada

Hello Everyone,

This guest post is provided by Ontario Heritage Trust.

Join us for Emancipation Day at Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site – an annual celebration of hope and freedom commemorating the end of slavery in the British Empire. This year is extra special as we unveil a new name that better reflects the true history of the site – don’t miss out!

Date: Saturday, July 30, 2022

Time: 10:30am to 2:30pm

Location: Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site
29251 Freedom Rd., Dresden ON N0P 1M0 (formerly 29251 Uncle Tom’s Road)

Everyone is welcome for this free, fun and educational day featuring music, poetry and presentations. Seating is available or you can bring your own lawn chair. 

Can’t join in person? We’ll be sharing a livestream on the Ontario Heritage Trust’s social media platforms on FacebookInstagram and Twitter


Speakers and Performers:

Debut of new name  Join us for the unveiling of the new site name at Noon 

Tracy Cain – Gospel musician Tracy Cain is a fifth-generation Black Canadian with roots in North Buxton, St. Catharines and the Queen’s Bush settlement. Her warm, smooth vocal stylings are influenced by gospel, jazz and R&B. 

Amaria Phillips  Amaria Phillips is the co-founder and President of Concordia University’s Black Student Union. She’ll present two original works of poetry. 

Terrence Vick  Great-great-grandson of Josiah Henson, Reverend Terrence Vick will bring remarks on behalf of the Henson family. 

Kwame Delfish  An artist and designer commissioned by the Royal Canadian Mint to design the Underground Railroad commemorative coin for Black History Month 2022, Delfish will speak about his creative process and his work in commemorating Black history and the Underground Railroad. 

Susan Cooke Soderberg  A public historian and freelance writer from Maryland, Soderberg is the author of an upcoming biography entitled The Real Josiah Henson: One Man’s Journey from Enslavement to Celebrity. 

Heritage Singers Canada  A crowd favourite, Heritage Singers Canada return to Emancipation Day to conduct a musical journey from slavery to freedom. 

An Enduring Dawn: Dresden’s Black presence in the 19th century  A photographic exhibit highlighting the role people of African descent have played in the early development of the town of Dresden. 

Culture Craft  An art activity for kids. 

Lunch available for purchase, with food and desserts from Dresden Sidestreets Youth Centre. 


About the Ontario Heritage Trust

The Ontario Heritage Trust (the Trust) is an agency of the Government of Ontario. The Trust conserves, interprets and shares Ontario’s heritage. We conserve provincially significant cultural and natural, tangible and intangible heritage, interpret Ontario’s history, celebrate its diversity and educate Ontarians of its importance in our society. The Trust envisions an Ontario where we conserve, value and share the places and landscapes, histories, traditions and stories that embody our heritage, now and for future generations.

Oxford Local History Day 2022!

Hello Everyone,
This guest post is provided by Oxford County Libraries.

Please join the Oxford County Libraries as the once again celebrate Oxford County’s Local History!

Mark Saturday, April 23, 2022 as the day to enjoy seminars, presentations and stories from Oxford County.

Experience collections, exhibits & featured stories from archives, museums & heritage groups from around Oxford County, as we celebrate our local history.  Watch Oxford County Library Facebook Live & YouTube Channel throughout the day as focused presentations bring to light the story of Oxford.

Oxford County. We’ve made history!