Members of Historical Society of St. Catharines may be available to assist with historical research requests within reason. In depth genealogical queries are better answered by a local genealogical group. If you have a question, please submit it to this page. Please ensure that your questions are very clearly stated, that you provide us with any supporting information possible and that you leave us with some contact information.
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The Historical Society of St. Catharines 
I was wondering what year 185 Queenston street in St.Catharines was built & if it has any historical significance, thank you.
185 Queenston St. Was built and owned by Sam and Lilly Backus (spelling)
He had his barber shop and Lily her beauty salon. With apartments Lily and Sam lived there as well.not sure what year it was built but maybe in the 60’s or before
Strange question, but do you know the name of the store on St Paul’s that sold wedding dresses in the 1970’s?
What’s bridal shop it was near beatties book store
Herzogs sold them as well
There was another one besides Herzogs. My sister bought her gown there in 1995. Just can’t remember the name, near the old theatre. Why does “The Bridal Shop” come to mind?
Fay Jackson sold bridal wear at 108 St. Paul St. across from Diana Sweets and down from Beatties.
Hi there I am doing some research on my great grandfather … In the 1940,s he owned a large fruit farm in Louth ont now Jordan station . He owned at least 90 acres in the 40 to the 60,s and sold most off in late 1960 and 1970 his name was John kump Sr. Any info on this would be great I have one of the lot numbers its lot 18 concession 5 ? Thanks Tim battrick . Tbattrick@hotmail.com
Hi
I was hoping that you might be able to help me.
I need to look at newspapers in the Niagara region, hopefully St. Catharines specifically, from October – Dec. 1850 to confirm if the number of refugees (Black Americans) predicted to leave due to the Fugitive Slave actually did. There were reports from anti-slavery supporters that indicated that 1000’s were landing in St. Catharines and I need to verify if the predicted was actual. I would guess that if there were thousands that the need would have resulted in concerns in print. I know that there is an abolitionist paper in Sandwich, Windsor but am looking for newspapers after the Fugitive slave act to determine migration.
Public library has a genealogy area plus micro film
Shirley, this question has nothing to do with this query, but I’m looking into folks who had anything to do with my grandmothers house and the name Vaillancourt comes up ( I see various spellings ..Valencourt, Vallencourt). Do you have any relatives from Welland especially married to a Hoban in the early 1900s?
Hi there my husband is a Vaillancourt.there are many variations of Vaillancourt. We don’t know any relations from Welland. Are you on ancestry. If not I could possibly do some research but try the public library directories and see if you can find anything
Anna I went into the directories and on I think it was aqaduct street in Welland this could be the wrong spelling of the street there was a mrs Frank Vaillancourt widow and underneath a William Hoban and a miss Minnie Hoban. I hope this helps.
There seemed to be more then 50 Vaillancourt families in Welland at the time it must have been a French community.
Thank you. Yes i have checked the City directory for Welland as well as newspaper notices. was just taking a shot in the dark to see if you were related. !
Where does the name Louth street come from as in seventh street Louth
the current city of St. Catharines comprises portions of Louth and Grantham townships which were two of the original townships in Niagara surveyed in the 1780s-1790s… in order to denote that that portion of Louth township became part of St. Catharines during amalgamation in 1876, the “Louth” suffix was attached to the street name…
Hello,
I am looking to find some old photos of St. Catherine’s that I could have digital copies of and frame them as a gift. Could you point me in the right direction of any services in St. Catherine’s that might be able to help?
Hello, lately I’ve been doing some research into haunted areas of the Niagara region. I have been a resident on Page street for roughly 8 years and our house has some strange things happening in it. Called in a paranormal investigative team as well. Upon talking with other neighbours I’ve come to learn that many houses on my street (located on the side of Page street connecting to Manning) seem to be haunted, some not so bad like mine and others severely. One of my neighbours had informed me that Page street and Manning were originally built for workers from the the railway to live, both management (page St) and labourers (Manning). What I want to know is first- is that true of my neighbourhood? Second- did they have anything to do with the building and construction of “Merrit tunnel” better known as “Blue Ghost Tunnel”. I understand many graves were desecrated in the construction of the second and third canals as well as the creation of that tunnel as some grave stones can still be found in that area.
Any info regarding my neighbourhood would be appreciated!
Where does the name Louth come from as in seventh street Louth
Feedback really appreciated as I can’t find the answer
http://www.exploringniagara.com/all_about_niagara/the_history_of_niagara/niagara_townships.html Each township was named after a counterpart in the UK.
Was there a train station in the 1960’s located near the current Geneva Square?And what other buildings were,formerly, in that area,around that same time period?
There was tracks that ran down Geneva no station went down passed Tim Hortons it went all the way to Niagra Falls and on to the States it ran car parts from Gm on Ontario Street
Hello. There was a train station, actually a street car station, located exactly where the Geneva Square is now. It was for the Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Street Railway company (NS&T) Passengers would buy tickets for streetcars going to Port Dalhousie, Niagara Falls, Welland, Fonthill, Port Colborne, Thorold, and Merritton there. They would board streetcars there and transfer from one to another as well, going to all these different destinations. Really cool stuff. We could use that today.
My dad was born in 1934. He said the streetcar in St. Catharines cost 5 cents a ride.
I am researching the Gardiners of St Catharines – especially Captain Henry Gardiner. He lived at Grove Cottage – probably on Vannatta or Venetta Farm near present day Gardiner Place. His son Edward was the Ontario Land surveyor and planted many of the trees that gave the city the title of a garden city. I have an article about this from the Standard 18.4.1959. The Captain wrote his life to 1812 in the Anglo-American. His daughter Julia (Fairfield) sketched the Gardiner farm – I would be interested to know if she did any other drawings of her home. I gather a history of the town was written in 1876 but I cannot find it online. Any help much appreciated. Thank you.