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Research at the Archives

Preserving and Sharing Grimsby's Past for the Future

Grimsby Historical Society Archives is located on the main level of the 1912 Carnegie Library building at the corner of Adelaide and Ontario Streets, just one block north of Main Street

begun briefly in 1913, the present-day Grimsby Historical Society was formed in 1949 and since has been collecting archival material relating to the history and people of Grimsby

Archives Committee was established in 1999 to organize and preserve this material to make accessible to the public.

collection includes diaries, local historical publications, Grimsby Directories, scrapbooks, school yearbooks, family documents, material of the government of North Grimsby Township and Ontario Land Records

over 100 family histories housed at the Archives including: Bingle, Bowslaugh, Cline, Gibson, Green, Grout, Hysert, Livingston, Mabey, Nash, Nelles, Poole, Russ, Woolverton........and many, many more!

over 100 Special Collections are perserved including: Margaret Gibson Collection, Florence Martin Collection, William Poole Collection, Ada Bromley Collection and many other interesting collections of photos, yearbooks, scrapbooks, journals, and maps! Updated Feb 2018

an extensive database of obituaries available at the Archives

all surviving copies of the Grimsby Independent from 1885-1949 can be viewed in full-text, and indexing of births, deaths and marriages published in The Grimsby Independent (and other local newspapers) from the 1880s to the present can be accessed on Our Ontario Newspapers website.

a growing collection of resources relative to Grimsby streets and homes - ever wondered what your home looked like when it was built or what your neighbourhood looked like in the past

an extensive collection of newspaper articles and photographs are also available

our WWI collection includes detailed information of local soldiers, including a listing of soldiers from Grimsby that is updated quarterly. Updated Feb 2018

The Grimsby Chautauqua Online Portal Project is a partnership of the Grimsby Public Library, Grimsby Art Gallery, Grimsby Historical Society and the Town of Grimsby. The project was made possible thanks to generous funding from the Government of Ontario

If you're interested in purchasing an image for the GHS collection, please complete and submit an Image Request Form

2019 Archives Awareness Week profiles here!

In preparation of your visit or call to the Archives please review the Reference Policy which outlines our services & fees.

Monday - 9am-3pm

Wednesday 9am-3pm

Friday- 9am-noon

other times by appointment

Grimsby Historical Society

P.O. Box 294

Grimsby, Ontario

L3M-4G5

Carnegie Building

25 Adelaide Street

Grimsby, Ontario

Don't Throw it Out

Donations of old documents, photographs, letters, diaries, scrapbooks and deeds relating to Grimsby are always welcome - whether they are ten years old or one hundred years old!

All materials will assist us in preserving and sharing the history of Grimsby for generations to come!

Genealogy Specialists available to assist you discover your family history

The Archives maintains an expanding collection of books pertaining to items of regional interest.

The selection of books is in keeping with the GHS approach in its earliest works T he Annals of the Forty. The Annals documented the patterns and times of generations of Loyalists and settlers as they located in Grimsby and the surrounding newly surveyed districts.

Seventy years on, the scope taken with the Annals continues to benefit not just the families and researchers in Grimsby, but it is known as a "go-to" source for researchers in the region, throughout the province and beyond.

Similarly, the book holdings collect and preserve material that reflects the history, genealogy and interwoven facets of Grimsby, Niagara and the Head of the Lake.

It is available in-house to all researchers.

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