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
Based on the advice from the Town of Cobourg and the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, face to face meetings at Victoria Hall have been cancelled until further notice. In order to stay connected and to keep you safe during the pandemic, monthly meetings are taking place by Virtual Zoom webinars. You can join by desktop or a laptop computer, tablet or smart phone!
Cobourg and District Historical Society Meetings are held every month except May, June, July, August and December. Meetings are held in the Citizen's Forum in Victoria Hall on the fourth Tuesday in the Month. Meetings start at 7:30pm but coffee and cookies are available starting at 7:00pm. 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.
Based on the advice from the Town of Cobourg and the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, face to face meetings at Victoria Hall have been cancelled until further notice. In order to stay connected and to keep you safe during the pandemic, monthly meetings are taking place by Virtual Zoom webinars. You can join by desktop or a laptop computer, tablet or smart phone!
Mechanics Institute to Public Library
- Details
On March 23 Heather Viscount will explain how a Mechanics Institute, formed in the 1830s to provide educational opportunities for workmen and tradesmen through books and lectures, became the Cobourg Public Library. Heather is currently the Manager of Support Services for the Cobourg Public Library. Part of her her duties includes the upkeep and maintenance of the special collections of the Library, including local history and genealogical materials.
Heather ViscountHeather was born and raised in Eddystone. After graduating from Lakehead University as a Library Technician, she began working part-time at her local Library in Centreton. In the years following she moved up from Assistant, then to Branch Manager, and then to CEO of the Alnwick/Haldimand Public Library. Heather was hired to work part-time at the Cobourg Library in October 1993 in the Reference Department. This is where her interest in Local History and Genealogy began. Her ancestors came to Haldimand Township in the early 1800s, mostly settling in the areas of Centreton, Eddystone and Vernonville. She has spent many lunch hours (and after hours) researching her family.
She continued working in both locations until she was hired full-time in Cobourg in 2004. Her interest in Local History and Genealogy continues today. The availability of online resources, and the Library’s subscription to Ancestry, have opened more doors, lead to more questions, and keep the search alive.
All CDHS members are invited to join us electronically on Tuesday, March 23 at 07:30 PM. Please register in advance by visiting: (zoom link no longer valid).
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. If you have any questions concerning registration, please contact Brian Murphy, Membership Chair at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
We look forward to you joining our upcoming CDHS webinar!
Mina Benson Hubbard: Trek Across Labrador
- Details
A plaque erected in 1996 by the Township of Hamilton with the assistance of the Ontario Heritage Foundation and the Cobourg and District Historical Society reads:
MINA BENSON (1870 – 1956) AN EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY CANADIAN FEMALE EXPLORER OF LABRADOR AND WRITER, MINA BENSON WAS BORN ON THIS PROPERTY, LOT 28, CONCESSION 7, TOWNSHIP OF HAMILTON, COUNTY OF NORTHUMBERLAND. FROM JUNE 27 TO AUGUST 27, 1905, BENSON COMPLETED THE ILL-FATED 1903 LABRADOR EXPEDITION OF HER LATE HUSBAND, LEONIDAS HUBBARD JR., A DISTANCE OF 576 MILES FROM THE NORTHWEST RIVER TO UNGAVA BAY. HER MAPS, ACCEPTED BY THE AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, WERE SOME OF THE FIRST TO RECORD THE NASKAUPI RIVER AND GEORGE RIVER SYSTEMS. IN 1908 SHE PUBLISHED AN ACCOUNT OF HER TRIP, A WOMAN’S WAY THROUGH UNKNOWN LABRADOR. LATER SHE REMARRIED, HAD THREE CHILDREN AND MOVED TO ENGLAND, WHERE SHE DIED.
Our October meeting will be presented by Karin Wells, an internationally recognized CBC radio documentary maker with a long and varied career. Trained as a lawyer, Karin has produced documentaries on subjects as varied as post conflict resolution in Mozambique and victim rights to opera in the English countryside. She has reported from more than 50 countries and was regularly heard on CBC Radio’s The Sunday Edition as both a guest host and documentary maker. All members are invited to join us electronically on Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at 07:30 PM. Please register in advance by visiting (zoom link no longer valid).
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about watching the webinar. If you have any questions concerning registration, please contact Brian Murphy, Membership Chair at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.