OCL Announces First Speaker Series of 2025

Monday, 10 March 2025 16:15

By Dave Brown

The first speaker series event of 2025 is called So They Came: Young Men Farmers.

OXFORD COUNTY - The Oxford County Library and Oxford County Archives are proud to present their first event for the Local History Speaker Series for 2025: So They Came: Young Men Farmers

The event is being held at the Tillsonburg location of the Oxford County Library on March 22nd from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The lead organizer Matthew Griffis says local historian and author Dr. Elaine Becker will be there to tell the story of the young men who helped shape Oxford County’s agricultural history.

"It is about a youth immigration program that was sponsored by the Salvation Army in the 1920s, and the program's centre was a home in the Woodstock Area called Burnside Lodge."

Hundreds of teenage boys, Mostly from the United Kingdom, came to Canada. Grffis says the program offered them training in essential farming skills, including milking, plowing, and horse handling, and passage to Canada.

"This program helped with farming activities at the time. These young boys played a crucial role in the harvest. they were needed'

Many of these boys sought to escape hardship, poverty, or illness, hoping for a fresh start and a better future.

After completing their training, these juvenile farmers, aged 14 to 19, traveled overseas and arrived at Burnside Lodge in Woodstock. There, they were placed with local farmers in communities such as Salford, Embro, and Curries. Their contributions became an essential part of the region's agricultural workforce.

If you're interested in attending the speaker series to learn more, Griffis says you have to sign up in advance

"Registration for this event is required. we offer two formats for that. there is an in-person format, here at the library. we have very limited spots for that. you can also register for the live stream over Zoom."

You can register for the in-person event at the Tillsonburg branch of Oxford County Library here

Saturday, March 22, 2025 | 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Oxford County Library – Tillsonburg branch