Historic Sources

OxHS Presents – Dam Busters! On Wednesday, October 25, 2023

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Dam Busters 1943, photo courtesy of the Canadian Warplane Museum

Please join us for a special presentation by John Bullen, from the Canadian Warplane Museum, for the 80th Anniversary of the Dam Busters. John will discuss the daring raids launched by Bomber Command in WWII. Learn about Canadian’s involvement in these missions, crew training and the challenges that they overcame to complete their missions.

This presentation will take place at the Woodstock Museum, NHS. Doors open at 6:30pm and the meeting will start at 6:45pm. This is a free public meeting, all are welcome to attend.

New Publication: Bodwells of Elgin Hall

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Hello Everyone

The information for George Emery’s newest publication is provided by Debbie Kasman, co-author of:

THE BODWELLS OF ELGIN HALL: MOUNT ELGIN HAMLET, DEREHAM TOWNSHIP, OXFORD COUNTY, 1848-2023

BY GEORGE EMERY PH. D. (UBC) PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF HISTORY, WESTERN UNIVERSITY AND DEBBIE L. KASMAN, M. ED.

Is now available for pre-order – CA$50.00

This 8 1/2 “ x 11” 260 page authoritative, evidence-based study memorializes Elgin Hall, a stately home and landmark in Mount Elgin hamlet, Dereham Township, Oxford County, the Honourable Garth Turner’s ancestral home, from its construction in 1849 to its demolition in 2023. This book also explores the history of descendants of James Bodwell, Sr. (1764-1853), the family’s pioneer settler in Dereham Township, and his roots in 17th Wales, through New England, Stanstead, Nissouri, and eventually Dereham Township.

The book evolved from our “Save Elgin Hall from Demolition” Project. Debbie L. Kasman was the project’s leader; the Hon. Garth Turner, its patron; George Emery, its Historian; and Cody Groat, its expert on heritage designation.

We offer this book as a tribute to Garth Turner PC, Patron of the Elgin Hall Project, and to anyone with a love of history.

The book makes an excellent coffee table book, with its detailed studies, its rich stories, and its 125 images, 62 of which are colour.

To pre-order a copy click on this link: Bodwells of Elgin Hall

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

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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!

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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.