Pelham Historical Group

09/05/2026

1977 Pelham White Sox Peewee Team

Fonthill White Sox PeeWees.
Back row L to R - Cathy Karner, Coach Mary Kehoe, Chris Caldwell and Debbie Kehoe. Second row L to R
Carol Lysick, Jennifer Karner, Jodi Daboll, Vicky Young and Tina Osterlund. Front Standing - Julie Caldwell and Sheryl Kehoe. Absent -
Kathy Hansen, Kelly Horvath, Lori Chrysler and Laurie Nicholas.

09/04/2026

🚗 Pelham Roads in 1913 — Make Way for the Automobile!

Imagine travelling through Pelham in 1913. Roads such as Canboro, Pelham and Effingham were well established, but pavement as we know it was still in the future. Depending on the road, travellers encountered packed earth, gravel or improved stone surfaces. In dry summer weather, dust could be considerable; after heavy rain and during the spring thaw, mud and ruts made travelling much more difficult. Horses, wagons and buggies still ruled the road.

Then along came C.R. Brown. Brown owned Pelham’s first automobile in 1913 — an REO. Imagine seeing that machine coming down a Pelham country road for the first time! REO was the company established by automobile pioneer Ransom E. Olds, and interestingly, REO automobiles were also being manufactured in nearby St. Catharines during this period.

The arrival of the automobile marked the beginning of a tremendous change. Roads that had served generations of horses and wagons now had to accommodate faster, heavier motor vehicles. Pelham had already been improving its roads with gravel and stone, but automobiles would eventually bring demands for better grading, drainage and increasingly improved road surfaces.

It’s remarkable to think that just over a century ago, one REO travelling along a Pelham road would have been something worth stopping to watch. 🚗🐴

Sources & Resources:
• Town of Pelham Heritage Master Plan — Town of Pelham, 2012
• Pelham Historical Society — historical articles concerning early Pelham roads, transportation and township development
• Welland Tribune historical material concerning Welland County road improvements, including discussions of stone and gravel roads, c.1910
• Parks Canada historical research on early Canadian road construction and transportation
• REO Motor Car Company historical records/background — Ransom E. Olds and the development of REO
• The Herald identifying C.R. Brown’s 1913 REO as Pelham’s first automobile

09/03/2026

Brown’s Cemetery Walking Tour (Fonthill Cemetery)
I noticed this walking tour for October 16, 2026 that is put on by the Town of Pelham. I am not sure what they will be discussing but this seems like an interesting tour.

Fonthill Cemetery Historical Guided Tours Friday, October 16th, 2026 Fonthill Cemetery (25 Highland Ave, Ridgeville, ON).

09/02/2026

🌳 Large Families, Large Trees — Pelham Has Grown a Lot of Both!

There was a time when large families were simply part of life in Pelham, particularly in our farming communities. The Eybel family of the Effingham area is a wonderful example- 11 children. Imagine that family tree! 🌳 (photo 1930-1940 courtesy of Jimmy Eybel. This tree, while no longer there, was located on the west side on Effingham between Killman and Metler. It depicts just some of the Eybel children dancing around it)

Pelham has some impressive real trees. Beyond our famous Comfort Maple, there are old giants quietly growing throughout the town. A Black Oak at Hillside Cemetery measures an incredible 118 cm across its trunk, while Fonthill Cemetery has a large American Basswood measuring about 95 cm. Some of these trees have stood through generations of Pelham families — watching farms change hands, children grow up and the little villages around them become the Pelham we know today. (Resource: Pelham Today)

The Town of Pelham now has a program that allows residents to nominate notable trees on private property as Heritage Trees or Significant Community Trees. So take a look around your property. That enormous old tree your grandparents talked about might be more special than you realize!

🌳 Big families. Big trees. Lots of branches. All part of Pelham’s story.

Do you know of an unusually old or large tree somewhere in Pelham? Tell us where it is — we’d love to hear about it! Let’s see who had the biggest family in their tree. 😊

09/01/2026

F. Tunnacliffe of Fenwick

This wonderful advertising page introduces us to Frank J. Tunnacliffe, a familiar figure in early Fenwick. From his business on Canboro Road, Frank sold Fleury plows, Bissell and Cockshutt farm implements, fencing and fertilizer—practical necessities in a community surrounded by farms. He also represented several Canadian fire and casualty insurance companies.

Frank’s involvement extended well beyond business. In 1915, he served as Warden of Welland County, and the official portrait preserved by the Welland Public Library confirms that he is the same gentleman pictured here. He later operated the Fenwick Post Office from 1924 until 1949, living above the small shop at the northwest corner of Maple Street and Canboro Road.

For many Pelham residents, Frank would have been the person who supplied their farm equipment, insured their property and handled their mail—a wonderful example of how one trusted village businessman could become woven into nearly every part of community life.

Resource: NIAGARA DISTRICT PORTRAIT ALBUM
AND SOUVENIR 1932

08/31/2026

⛪ A Big Part of Ridgeville Life

Just look at the size of this crowd! This wonderful 1931 photograph shows the annual picnic of the United Evangelical Sunday School of Ridgeville, held at Humberstone Community Park. With dozens of men, women and children gathered together, it gives us a great sense of just how important the church was within the community.

The church was along Canboro Road near Ridgeville, and its roots stretched back into the 1800s. In those days, a church was much more than somewhere to attend Sunday services — it was a place to socialize, raise families, make friendships and bring neighbours together. Sunday School picnics were big community occasions, and judging by this turnout, Ridgeville certainly knew how to have one!

The 1967 Fonthill Herald challenged its readers to identify the faces, giving us one clue: Harry Lindsay and his son Howard are in the centre back. Now, nearly a century after the photograph was taken, perhaps some Pelham families will recognize a grandparent or great-grandparent. 😊

Do you recognize anyone?



Back Row: Harry and son Howard Lindsay

08/29/2026

📖 A Glimpse into the Faith of George Hansler (one of Pelham’s first 5 settlers)

At first glance, I believed this little German book was a Bible. It is actually something quite different—and perhaps even more personal.

Titled Weg der Wahrheit (The Way of Truth), it is a German Protestant devotional book written by Gerhard Tersteegen. This first American edition was printed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, around 1801. It contains twelve religious writings intended to help Christians understand Scripture and live their faith through prayer, humility, simplicity, self-examination and a personal relationship with God.

This copy belonged to early Pelham settler and minister George Hansler. George was associated with the Dunkard, or Tunker, faith—a German-speaking peace church that practised adult baptism, simple living and opposition to bearing arms. Although Tersteegen was not a Dunkard himself, his teachings would have closely reflected many of the beliefs George held dear.

George arrived from New Jersey before this edition was printed, so he could not have carried this particular copy into Canada during his original migration. It was likely brought to Pelham later through the network of German-speaking settlers, ministers and religious communities connecting Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Upper Canada.

It is easy to imagine George holding this small book more than two centuries ago—reading it by firelight, reflecting upon its lessons and perhaps using its writings in his own ministry. More than an old book, it offers a personal connection to the faith that guided one of Pelham’s earliest settlers.

Not that I would sell this treasure but its value is close to $800.

08/28/2026

✉️ A Little Pelham News from 1945

I recently discovered a fascinating five-page letter written by Mildred Jacobs in 1945, and it was simply too interesting not to share!

It appears Mildred had been entrusted with overseeing a farm while its owner was away in California. Her letter provides a wonderfully detailed account of farm life, neighbourhood happenings and all the latest local news—the kind of everyday details that rarely get recorded in official histories.

Mildred mentions an impressive number of familiar Pelham names, including Clarence Gilbert, Gordon Jacobs, Mrs. Biggar, the Chryslers, Mrs. Crossley, Miss Delameter, Marjorie and Mr. Berg, Wray Horton, Jimmie James and Aubrey Swayze. She even records the sad news of Mrs. Crossley’s passing.

How she managed to squeeze the farm report, community news and what feels like half of Pelham’s social life into five small pages is beyond me! This letter is more than correspondence—it is a delightful little time capsule filled with the names, worries and everyday happenings of Pelham in 1945.

Photo: Mildred Jacobs
Copyright2026 Pelham History and Home “all rights reserved”

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08/27/2026

🍒 A Taste of Effingham’s Past — J. A. Daboll & Son

There was a time when tins of fruit and vegetables bearing the name J. A. Daboll & Son (Harry) carried a little piece of Effingham far beyond Pelham. Established during the 1920s, the family-run canning factory preserved locally grown cherries, berries, tomatoes and other produce at the height of freshness. Its colourful labels transformed ordinary tin cans into bright advertisements for the abundance of the Niagara district.

The group photograph is especially meaningful. Standing together are the owners and employees (noted in photo #3) whose long days kept the factory operating during the busy harvest season. Behind every tin were local farmers growing the crops and workers sorting, preparing, cooking, sealing and packing the produce. For many Effingham families, the cannery provided welcome seasonal employment as well as a strong local market for their harvests.

The company’s canned fruit and vegetables also earned recognition beyond the community. As shown in the accompanying advertisement, J. A. Daboll’s products were recommended by the Tribune Cooking School—an impressive endorsement at a time when newspaper cooking schools helped introduce families to new recipes, household techniques and trusted food products.

These photographs and wonderfully colourful labels preserve more than the story of a business. They remind us of the people, farms and shared labour that once made food processing an important part of everyday life in Effingham—and sent the flavours of Pelham to tables well beyond our community.

Photos: used by permission from Jimmy Eybel
The people are identified in the 3rd photo.

08/26/2026

✂️ Remembering Sid’s Barber Shop in Fonthill

In 1967, as Canada celebrated its Centennial, Sid’s Barber Shop at 33 Pelham Street marked a milestone of its own—12 years in business!

The shop was operated by Sidney “Sid” Veldstra, an experienced barber who had already been cutting hair for 37 years. Sid had immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands with his wife, Hilda, and their family during the early 1950s. By the time this advertisement appeared, his son Harry had joined him in the shop and had four years of barbering experience.

Opened around 1955, Sid’s was part of downtown Fonthill’s small-business community—a traditional neighbourhood barbershop where local news was likely exchanged as often as haircuts were given. The number 33 shown beside the doorway belongs to Fonthill’s former Pelham Street numbering system. I am going by memory but I think this may be where Gelatos is currently. If anyone knows for sure please add it in comments 😊

Do you remember getting your hair cut by Sid or Harry Veldstra? Perhaps you recognize the building or know what business later occupied this location. We would love to hear your memories!
Photo: Pelham Herald Centennial Edition.