Family History Research 
Interest Finder

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Reverend Daniel Lochner's children, ca 1893 L-R Eugene, Walter, Paula, Ruth, Clemens, Gerhard, Cordelia Accession Number 79-10-85 B
Are you working on your Wellesley Township family history or want to start? Would you be interested in a casual get together with like-minded people to discuss how you started, dead ends you have encountered and resources you have found helpful? 

If interested, please contact us indicating your topics of interest, questions you have and when it would best suit for you to meet - day or evening.

Based on the response, we hope to arrange the get-together in late June 2019. 

Charles F. Ottman jr Inducted
​into the Waterloo Region
​Hall of Fame

Wellesley photographer, Charles F. Ottman jr (1879-1906) was inducted into the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame on April 28, 2019. 

Charles developed tuberculosis in 1901 and had to find a less strenuous occupation than working in his father's harness business. In his short career, he documented many aspects of village life. His legacy to us is a fine collection of images which he produced and sold as postcards. Click here to see some of his images. 
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Skating on the Pond, Accession #2015-07-17
Past Hall of Fame inductees from Wellesley include:
Stan Deckert, Paul Frey, Deborah Glaister Hannay, Elmer Hohl, John George Reiner, James Sims, and J. E. Wallace Sterling. 
Click here to read about these inductees. 
Click here to read the article about the Hall of Fame ceremony in the "Woolwich Observer." 

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 WTHHS Meeting and Minutes
Our next meeting and AGM will be held on  Monday, June 10, 2019, 2:00 p.m. (please note the change in time, we are now meeting during the day)  in the Historical Room, upstairs at the library - 1137 Henry Street, Wellesley, N0B 2T0. 

To read minutes of our past meetings after they have been approved by the board, click here

Please join the historical society - it's free!! The membership application form is here.

NEW! Online Donations - We don't charge for our research services, but if you would like to make a contribution to thank us for our work, it would be most appreciated! ​Please visit the Township's donation page to make a secure online donation. Select Wellesley Township Heritage and Historical Society from the drop down menu. 

OnLand - A new web site for researching historical land records

Teranet, in partnership with ServiceOntario has created a new web site to provide access to land and property  ownership records in Ontario. The first phase of the project allows users search and view historical land registration books. You will still have to to visit a land registry office to print the results of your search. For more information, please click here. 

Here are some simple instructions to get you started:
  • Search for Wellesley in the main search box.
  • At the next screen select the Historical Books option on the far right.
  • Leave Book category as Parcel/Abstract Register Book
  • Select the type of plan such as "concession"  and then typed in a number to see rural properties on that line.
  • Then select Search Books.

​We're on Facebook and Instagram!

We now have a Facebook page. Please have a look and like us! ​ www.facebook.com/wellesleytownshiphistory
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​Don't forget to follow us on Instagram - wellesleyhistory

Wellesley Women's Institute

The Wellesley Women's Institute was active from 1903-2008. We have created a new page for information about it. The earliest documents are lost to us, but we do have their minute books from 1919-2008. 

These records give a detailed account of issues facing the village in the post-World War I era, the Depression, World War II and beyond. They have been scanned and are available here. ​.