What’s in our Collection?

On Our Shelves

Our local history collection is located at the Fonthill Branch and contains both copies of books that were professionally published and books that were self-published. Included in this collection are materials that either deal with Pelham history directly or Pelham’s surrounding communities. These materials are non-circulating and must be used in the library.

Pelham’s Local History Collection

In Our File Cabinets

The Pelham Historical Society maintains a file cabinet of genealogical resources. Access to these cabinets can be obtained by requesting the key from Library Staff.

Contents of the Files (card index for many of the documents in the cabinet, not updated):

Pre-1850

  • Assessment rolls – land holdings recorded for taxes, indexed, lot/concession
  • 1828 Pelham Township census, indexed
  • 1851 census
  • 1864 Municipal Electors, Pelham Township

1870

  • Birth, marriage, death records for Pelham
  • 1881 census
  • Church rolls for Methodist Church, Fenwick Baptist, and Fonthill Baptist

Calendar Index (not all is online) – names and places mentioned in calendar articles, 1977-2001

Family Files – files may contain newspaper clippings, other have family tree documents, letters, pictures.

Online

The digitization of the Pnyx Collection and the Calendar was a joint project of the Pelham Historical Society and the Town of the Pelham Public Library.

The Calendar was published annually from 1977-2001 by the Pelham Historical Society. Local artists, photographers and residents contributed information about the history of Pelham, Ontario.

The Pynx Collection presents student articles and photographs from 1933-1950 issues of the magazine of Pelham Continuation School, from 1949, Pelham District High School.

While the Calendar describes the homes, families and communities of nineteenth century Pelham, the Pynx shows students adapting to the changes and challenges of the 1930s and 40s.

Persons using the historical material in this collection should be aware that it was never intended to be a complete history of Pelham. All the material – articles, photographs and art – was contributed by past and present residents of the Town. They were invited to record their stories, family histories, memories and traditions. What they recorded was accurate to the best of their knowledge at the time. It should not be treated as established fact. Persons using this material are encouraged to do additional research using reputable sources to determine the accuracy of the information.