About this Course

Stories of Love & Loss: Farm Diaries April 6 | 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM Explore the lives of historic rural residents and farmers with Catharine A. Wilson, who is the Francis and Ruth Redelmeier Professor of Rural History at the University of Guelph and founder of the Rural Diary Archive. Catharine will discuss the importance of nineteenth- and twentieth- century rural diaries as a window to the past, allowing a peek into the daily social and work life of rural families and their neighbourhoods. She will highlight some of the Bruce County diarists and their interesting stories, as well as other diaries included in the University of Guelph’s online Rural Diary Archive and demonstrate how you can use the Rural Diary Archive from home. Following the presentation and intermission: Join Catharine if you would like to learn how to become a volunteer transcriber with the Rural Diary Archive. If you bring your own laptop, you can begin transcribing a Bruce County Diary with Catharine! Or join Archives staff for a behind-the-scenes tour of the archival storage area and an opportunity to view a selection of archival items not often on display. Presented by Bruce County Historical Society Admission to the Archives & Research Room will be free all week, April 1-6.