This photo of an unknown woman and child, evidently taken at a christening, indicates that this was an important event for the family in question. Did such rituals continue to be important in the early 20th century?

Family Rituals

"Family and Community Life in Early 20th Century Canada: Rituals, Celebrations and Social Networks" is a SSHRC funded project which will examine aspects of family life and community formation. How communities are formed, the nature of family rituals, and the links between family and community (schools, churches, sports, community organizations etc.) will be explored for the period from 1920 to 1960.

The research for this project will focus on the section of Northeastern Ontario around North Bay and will include the rural areas to the east such as Corbeil, Astorville, Bonfield and Mattawa. Approximately forty oral history interviews will be conducted. As well, newspapers and other local sources will be examined.

In the process of doing this research, material on the history of North Bay and area will also be collected. This material as well as the interviews (upon completion of the project) will be deposited in the archives of the Institute for Community Studies and Oral History at Nipissing University.

Françoise Noël
Professor of History
Nipissing University
frann@nipissingu.ca