Quietly occupying two rooms of the former Ecole Ste. Croix in the city’s east end, La Régionale St. Laurent is a group dedicated to the history and genealogy of this region, and to the preservation of resource materials, artifacts and documents from our generations past.
With 14,000 books and countless other history and genealogy materials, their resources cover the history and ancestry of the five United Counties, as well as Akwesasne and Québec—particularly the counties that border the Saint Laurent and Ottawa rivers. Although not exclusively, their collection primarily reflects this area’s rich francophone and Catholic population.
Founded in 1986, this non-profit group relies mostly on grants, memberships and fundraisers to pay for their operation costs. Their knowledgeable volunteers are passionate about history and genealogy and are available to help you discover your ancestry. You never know what you will find. If you don’t have time, for a fee—which is returned to the society—their volunteers will be glad to do your digging for you. “I refuse to surrender,” says Annette Grégoire-Pickering, vice president of the group and volunteer sleuth, who thrives on the research it takes to trace a family tree.
Always wanting to add to their collection, the centre will gladly find a place on their shelves for safe keeping, any historical documentation, literature or old photographs and such that you have and don’t know what to do with, or may want to get rid of.
L’histoire de la femme, an exhibit of artifacts and documents depicting the history of women in the last century, will be on display until Sunday, Oct. 25. Also coming up, La Régionale St Laurent will be hosting a “tea and treats of yesteryear” on Sunday, Nov. 29, from 11:30 to 2:30.
The bilingual centre is open Monday to Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. as well as Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings by appointment. The general public is always welcome to drop by. For further information call 613-932-1320.
A look into our past
A look into our past
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