Lambton County Archives Blog

Gallery Lambton is physically changing locations and adopting a new name; the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery is slated to open later in 2012. Have you ever wondered where and when Sarnians first had an opportunity to be inspired by great art? The answer lies in the efforts of a local women's group who fund-raised for Red Cross during WWI and the networking skills of local lawyer Norman Gurd.

Gurd followed his father Robert Gurd into legal practice, pursuing his studies in Toronto and returning...

In this blog post, we'll take a quick look at the Village of Sombra and its earliest settlers/growth and take a look at the Sombra ferry's history.

The village wasn't always known as Sombra; in its earliest inception, the village was called "Lewisville." The earliest settler were Abraham Smith and Samuel H. Burnham in 1821. Lela Sutcliff related in an article in the London Free Presson March 11, 1961 that "1835 was the year the nucleus of the present village began and the first few houses to...

The Ontario Genealogical Society celebrated its 50th birthday on October 15. Here is some background and history on the non-profit corporation that promotes the study of genealogy across Ontario.

Founded in 1961, the Ontario Genealogical Society developed with the sponsorship of the Pennsylvania German Folklore Society of Ontario at the University of Waterloo. Dr. G.E. Reaman served as the OGS's first president. The society published its first newsletter, Bulletin, in August of 1962; it would...

The Lambton County Library Bookmobile has a storied and intriguing past which began in the early 1930s. Sarnia librarian Dorothy Carlisle initiated a book-van ("trailer attached to an auto") to circulate new and interesting books between Lambton's library branches. An article that appeared in the Windsor Daily Star on September 11, 1937 proclaimed, "Circulation of books in Lambton County and other districts that have...