Special Notice
This site has recently been expanded to include historical information from the Cobourg History site. All information previously on this site is still here. Some Google searches may now end up here - use the site search box if you don't immediately find what you are looking for.
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For Genealogists
There is quite a bit of Information for genealogists on this site - it is best accessed using the search feature above. The best additional source of info for researchers is at the Cobourg Library where they have a local history room stocked with many historical books and documents. They do have some photos on-line but not much more - you need to visit.
Meetings
Monthly meetings are held in Cobourg's Victoria Hall.
Cobourg and District Historical Society Meetings are held every month except May, June, July, August and December. Meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday in the Month. Meetings start at 7:30 pm but coffee and cookies are available starting at 7:00 pm. Meetings are $5 for non-members and free for members of the society and students.
More on our About page.
Cobourg and District Historical Society
Mission
The Cobourg and District Historical Society promotes interest in the history of Cobourg and district and beyond, encourages the preservation of historical, archaeological and architectural heritage through meetings featuring speakers, the publication of presentations and organizing and participating in special events.
Meetings
Monthly meetings are held in the Citizens' Forum, Victoria Hall on the fourth Tuesday from September to May, excluding December. The doors open at 7:00pm and people enjoy this opportunity to socialize before the meeting convenes at 7:30 p.m. Meetings are free for members of the society and students.
Programmes include topics of local interest e.g. The American Summer Colony, Cobourg-Rochester ferries as well as subjects of more general interest e.g. The Barnardo Children or Preserving Your Family Archives. An annual dinner or bus trip is held alternately in May.
For more about the Cobourg and District Historical Society, go here.
Monthly meetings are held in Cobourg’s Victoria Hall.
Delicious Mirth: Life of James McCarroll
- Details
Our speaker for Tuesday, February 25, is Michael Peterman, Professor Emeritus at Trent University. He taught at Trent for 37 years. He and his wife Cara live in Peterborough but spend time in Nova Scotia each year. He currently writes a fortnightly column called “Culture Matters” for the Peterborough Examiner and continues to write books on early Canadian authors and their achievements. His subjects have included Susanna Moodie, Catharine Parr Traill, Isabella Valancy Crawford, Robertson Davies, Timothy Findley, Margaret Laurence, and John Craig. His biography of James McCarroll, entitled Delicious Mirth, was published in 2018 to excellent reviews.
James McCarroll came to Canada in 1831 as an Irish teenager from county Leitrim and settled in the Peterborough area. Dr. Peterman will focus on McCarroll’s time in Cobourg (1847-1851) where he taught music, edited a newspaper and worked for the Customs Department. His experiences provide insights into the life of the Cobourg community and local luminaries including William Weller and Henry Ruttan.
Doors open at 7:00 PM for coffee and cookies. The meeting begins at 7:30 PM. Guests are always welcome. Admission, including refreshments, is free for members and $5 for non-members. All are welcome so bring a friend or two! See you on Tuesday, February 25.
Finding a Forgotten Father of Confederation: Rediscovering the Hon. James Cockburn
- Details
On Tuesday, January 28, Professor Robert Washburn and Cobourg Town Planner Rob Franklin will present new information on Cobourg lawyer and Father of Confederation James Cockburn.
Professor Washburn is an award-winning educator in the Journalism program at Loyalist College and is also a lecturer in the joint Trent-Loyalist Journalism program. A practicing journalist for nearly 40 years, he is known locally for his current affairs radio show every Friday at noon on Northumberland 89.7 FM. Prof. Washburn has worked as a reporter, columnist, and contributor to newspapers, magazines, and radio. His website https://consider-this.ca is an archive of his journalism and academic work. Washburn is the author of two one-person plays about Cockburn and contributed to a children’s book on Cockburn.
Rob Franklin is a graduate of Trent University, is a Registered Professional Planner and is currently Manager of Planning Services for the Town of Cobourg. Franklin is well known to Cobourgians for his stirring, in-costume, reenactments of important aspects of Cockburn’s life.
Doors open at 7:00 PM for coffee and cookies. The meeting begins at 7:30 PM. Admission, including refreshments, is free for members and $5 for non-members. Guests are always welcome so bring a friend or two! See you on Tuesday, January 28.