Series at St. Catharines oldest home tells residents the history of their property

Curious to see the history behind your residence in St. Catharines – or even what used to be on your lot?

Participants will have to go to the house that has the most history in the city – The Brown Homestead – to discover their past.

Together with the expertise of established local historian Brian Narhi, “The Ontario Land Registry: Introductory Workshop Series” is a multi-session workshop geared to providing participants with the hands-on knowledge and resources to conduct historical research of properties in Ontario, including their own.

The Brown Homestead (1317 Pelham Rd.) developed this instructional workshop series equipping historical researchers and genealogists researching properties in Ontario with essential tools and skills, including:

• An overview of Ontario’s land registry system and structure

• Best practices for using the OnLand database

• How to trace the history of any given parcel of land from its Crown patent back to the present time

This in-person introductory workshop series takes place throughout three Thursday evenings – Oct. 12, 19, and 26 – all running from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

“All participants will receive hands-on learning, along with take-home workbooks and resources,” says organizers.

The Brown Homestead was settled around 1785 by Loyalist John Brown and his family. This historic site features the John Brown House, the oldest home in St. Catharines, a two-storey stone house built in 1802 and incorporating an earlier 1-1/2 storey house (ca. 1796).

The land is also the home of the Norton Cabin (ca. 1817), built by Mohawk chief Teyoninhokarawen (John Norton), which was moved to the homestead in 1997 to save it from demolition.

To book your place, click HERE.