Glanbrook Heritage Society

Not dead yet!!! It was just over a year ago that we sent our last email to canadianheadstones.ca with a copy to all members. We appreciate the responses from members about the possible demise of the headstone photography project. The letter that was sent ended with : “It's been a lesson in history of earlier generations and institutions, past and present. It may not be quite finished but the lights are slowly going out.” The phrase “not be quite finished yet” left the door open a crack. It appears now that the door has opened somewhat with the receipt of an email this week, basically the following: “Art: Our sincere apologies. As you will have surmised, our small team has gone through some difficulties. We are trying to reorganize and resurrect the site so as to preserve everything. The site itself is now back up and 'partly' functioning. The photos were on another server, separate from the website. We were unable to access that server for some time, however we are taking steps to restore our control and access to that server so as to be able to link the photos back to the main site. We are working as best we can with our limited resources at the moment, and are working on a plan to protect and preserve the site for the longer term as well we hope to restore fully to life. Regards, David Thompson, Director”

We still have all the photos (25,000+), all the hard copies of the cemeteries (103) from5 counties and associated paper work. More (hopefully good news) in the coming weeks.

OK, which are you - a hoarder or a collector? This is a sequel to the last correspondence from me on the great barn-raising photo in Norfolk County. To recap, a barn-raising photo was found in Baxter, Simcoe County with a name and a date, nothing more. After research, the location of the barn was found in Houghton Township, Norfolk County, over 200 km away as the proverbial crow flies. Owner at the time was Andrew Hazen. Yesterday, May 19, we delivered the original framed photo to the Norfolk County Archives and the appropriate paperwork was finalized. Everyone was happy! Was the photo’s final resting place a result of a hoarder or a collector? Perhaps both. A broad definition (my own) of a hoarder is one who “hoards” for the sake of owning stuff and squirrels things away, just to have. A collector may collect items for personal enjoyment and future reference for information, ultimately passing them on and sharing with others, quite often family members. There’s a place for both in our lives, perhaps not to excess. There was an instance years ago in Hamilton where a true hoarder’s home was filled with old papers and unknown items of dubious historical value. After the owner died, the task of clearing and sorting the contents ended up with the Hamilton Public Library. Our Society was among many who were asked if there was any local interest in the house contents. There were no takers and the result was two tractor trailer loads, off to the Ottawa area, fate unknown.

Motto: keep on hoarding and collecting but with moderation. There’s a place for all of us, just know where that is.

We’re now in the last stages of the inventory update of the Society’s acquisitions and assets, probably long overdue. It was always one of those things “we’ll do it next week” or as an infamous man to the south has said, “likely in two weeks.” No great startling discoveries but a few interesting items that have lain dormant for some time. One was the 1935 booklet, “Selected Recipes, Glanford Women’s Institute.” It’s a 5" x 8", 91 page publication, printed by Sachem Print, Caledonia. At a rough guess, one third of the pages are advertisements, a source of historical interest to some, irritating to others. The top recipes were breads and cakes, 35 pages, puddings, 8, tied with pickles and relishes. There were some recipes that will not be found in present-day cook books; “Good Pudding for Threshers”; Ten Cent Pudding”; “Beefsteak and Oyster Pie.” It makes for a good read, especially before supper.

The Laidman family were big contributors to the collection. Letters from WWI soldiers, personal diaries from the early 1900's, news clippings and other papers have been donated. Other families that have substantial material are Whitwell, Barlow and Weylie. It’s been an interesting time and we’re not done yet. Four shelves and some floor storage to go and we’ll be done the “initial” recording. We’re storing, on loan, a dozen or more banker boxes worth of various Women’s Institute records, scrapbooks and photographs. We’ve been in touch with the Ontario WI office, Erland Lee home, for possible repatriation of the material. Still waiting for a reply. More if we find more items of interest.

Villages of Glanbrook