OxHS Presentation on Wednesday, October 29, 2025!

by

Condemned Woodstock!

Hello Everyone,
Please join the OxHS in welcoming our special guest Jennie Grevers, for an evening filled with dramatic tales and historical accounts of the executions that shaped Woodstock, people who faced the gallows and how their lives and deaths impacted Oxford County!

‼️Reminder- we have a new venue for our meetings ‼️Chartwell Oxford Gardens at 423 Devonshire Ave, Woodstock is our new location. We are grateful that they offered the space and the opportunity to keep our Historical presentations available with no cost to the public- whether you are a member or not.

To download and share this event, click on this link to: Condemned Woodstock!

This presentation will take place at the Chartwell Oxford Gardens at 6:30pm!

This is a free event and open to all!

The OxHS is now on Facebook and Instagram, to like us search: OxfordHistoricalSociety1897
Or click on the FB or Instagram symbol on the right hand side of our website!

If you would like your event or article published (relating to Oxford County ON or South-Western ON), on the Society’s blog please email us at info@oxhs.ca

October is Family History Month!

by

Hello Everyone,
Please see this guest post from the Ontario Ancestors:

You, your friends and colleagues are cordially invited to attend the launch of Family History Month by the Oxford County Branch of Ontario Ancestors.  

This Open House event is being held on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at The Governor’s House (Oxford Genealogical Society) 82 Light Street, Woodstock ON from 10 am until noon.

Dedicated to supporting and promoting genealogical and family history research since 1979, we focus on collecting and preserving information that will be useful for anyone researching ancestors who lived in Oxford County and beyond its borders.  

The Mary Liley Reading Room Resource Library, located in the Governor’s House, is open to the public on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 am to 4 pm.  

During Family History Month, new researchers will be given a starter kit with tips for finding their ancestors and essential forms to keep all the names and dates organized.  Opportunities for signing up for genealogy classes or exploring your DNA results will be available.

Staffed by experienced volunteers who can demonstrate finding obituaries, wills, land records, township history books, church histories, historical atlases, Tweedsmuir Local Histories, military,
cemetery transcriptions for the 102 cemeteries in Oxford County, over 500 family histories, specific to Oxford County families and much more. The volunteers are available to answer questions and help visitors locate information to fill in the branches of their family tree or use the computers and microfilm reader.  During Family History Month, we are offering free scanning of albums or scrapbooks (bring your own USB).

We would appreciate your help in promoting this event by posting the attached flyer: Family History Month on your community bulletin board and spreading the event by word-of-mouth.
If you have any questions, please contact us at oxford@ogs.on.ca or call 519-421-1700.

The OxHS is now on Facebook and Instagram, to like us search: OxfordHistoricalSociety1897
Or click on the FB or Instagram symbol on the right hand side of our website!

If you would like your event or article published (relating to Oxford County ON or South-Western ON), on the Society’s blog please email us at info@oxhs.ca

OxHS Presentation on Wednesday, September 24, 2025!

by

Industrial Woodstock!

Hello Everyone,
please join us for Wes Magill’s presentation as he takes us through the history of “Industrial Woodstock”.
To download and share this event, click on this link to: Industrial Woodstock
This presentation will take place at the Woodstock Museum, NHS. Doors open at 6:15, meeting starts at 6:30pm. This is a free event and open to all!

The OxHS is now on Facebook and Instagram, to like us search: OxfordHistoricalSociety1897
Or click on the FB or Instagram symbol on the right hand side of our website!

If you would like your event or article published (relating to Oxford County ON or South-Western ON), on the Society’s blog please email us at info@oxhs.ca

Writing History: A Conversation Between Two Storytellers

by

Hello Everyone,

Please see this guest post from the Canadian Institute for Historical Education (CIHE):

“Writing History: A Conversation Between Two Storytellers”

In partnership with the Yorkminster Park Speakers Series, the CIHE is pleased to present two of Canada’s best known writers on stage together this coming Friday, September 26th at 7PM at Yorkminster Park Church in Midtown Toronto.  

Charlotte Gray is a prolific popular historian and the author of a dozen books including The Massey Murder, Sisters in the Wilderness, and Passionate Mothers, Powerful Sons, as
well as biographies of Alexander Graham Bell, Nellie McClung and Pauline Johnson.

Maureen Jennings has published eighteen crime fiction novels in four different series, each set in a different historical era.  She is best known for her Detective Murdoch Books, which inspired the
popular Murdoch Mysteries television series which has now been broadcast in over 150 countries and territories worldwide.  


Maureen Jennings and Charlotte Gray’s presentation is entitled “Writing History: A
Conversation Between Two Storytellers” and promises to be an entertaining and insightful evening.  This event will also be live streamed so that you can watch online wherever you happen to be.
You can learn more at the link below and register to attend either in person or online, and you will receive a reminder email before the event.

Join award-winning author and historian Charlotte Gray and Maureen Jennings  for a powerful discussion about the future of Canada’s national archives — and what’s at stake if we fail to act.

Canada’s national archives preserve our collective memory — yet chronic underfunding, bureaucratic roadblocks, and limited public access threaten their ability to do so.

This thought-provoking talk will examine:

  • Why Canada’s archives matter more than ever
  • The real impact of years-long research delays and restrictive access laws
  • Why new buildings aren’t enough to fix the deeper problems
  • What citizens can do to ensure Canada’s history remains accessible

This event builds on her recent Globe & Mail article, Canada’s National Archives Need More Than Just a Facelift.

Whether you’re a historian, researcher, educator, or a concerned citizen who cares about preserving Canada’s past, you won’t want to miss this engaging evening.

Seats are limited — reserve yours now.

To register for the event follow this link: “Writing History: A Conversation Between Two Storytellers”

The OxHS is now on Facebook and Instagram, to like us search: OxfordHistoricalSociety1897
Or click on the FB or Instagram symbol on the right hand side of our website!

If you would like your event or article published (relating to Oxford County ON or South-Western ON), on the Society’s blog please email us at info@oxhs.ca

OxHS Presentation on Wednesday, September 24, 2025!

by

Industrial Woodstock!

Hello Everyone,
please join us for Wes Magill’s presentation as he takes us through the history of “Industrial Woodstock”.
To download and share this event, click on this link to: Industrial Woodstock
This presentation will take place at the Woodstock Museum, NHS. Doors open at 6:15, meeting starts at 6:30pm. This is a free event and open to all!

The OxHS is now on Facebook and Instagram, to like us search: OxfordHistoricalSociety1897
Or click on the FB or Instagram symbol on the right hand side of our website!

If you would like your event or article published (relating to Oxford County ON or South-Western ON), on the Society’s blog please email us at info@oxhs.ca