Welcome to the database website of the Postal History Society of Canada.

This website, postalhistorycanada.net, houses Canadian postal history databases and other records of the Postal History Society of Canada. Most of what appears here are parts of ongoing research projects and thus are constantly evolving. Links for all membership-related topics may be found by clicking the "Contact Us" link above, or by going directly to the Membership Page. The site consists of three main sections.

PHSC Library

The PHSC has published the Journal since its inception in 1972. We will provide scans and a searchable index of all past issues of the Journal. Look for what we have so far on the Library page.

PHSC Study Groups

The study groups of the PHSC are devoted to in-depth study of particular aspects of Canadian postal history. You can find information about each of the study groups, and in some cases past issues of the study group newsletters, on this website. In addition, some study groups develop databases of postal history information.

The website of the International Machine Cancel Research Society of Canada is now on-line here. The IMCRSC is developing an illustrated database of the uses of International machines in Canada and Newfoundland. This is now open to all PHSC members, and your information is avidly sought.

An archive of the back issues of the Grey, Bruce, Dufferin and Simcoe study group are now on-line, available to study group members. All back issues of The Northerner, the newsletter of the Northern Canada Study Group, are also now on-line, with an index to the first 65 issues.

A new book, published in CD format, titled Early Saskatchewan Post Cards is now available! This is an effort of several members of the Northern Canada Study Group.

Postal History Databases

The primary database being developed here concerns a record of all post-offices in Canada and former colonies. At present, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island are complete, and Ontario is nearly so. This database contains Bob Smith's Ontario Post Offices publication and is being brought up to date. If you are interested in helping out with other provinces and territories, please contact us!

Tied in to the post-office database are a number of databases of postmarks. At present, the duplex cancellations are complete (containing the data from the book Canada Duplex Cancellations, presented by Stéphane Cloutier), early broken circle cancellations are being worked on, and modern POCON cancellations are being contemplated. In addition, International machine cancels will appear on the IMCRSC study group pages. We are in need of people to take charge of many aspects of these projects, so if you are interested please let us know.

We are now in possession of the data from Bruce Graham's book Ontario Broken Circles, courtesy of D. Handelman. At present, it is being processed to bring it in to a form that can be read into our database. The updates collected by Bob Smith over the past nine years will also be included when we make the database available here. This is now only days away!

Contact us!

If you would like to volunteer your services or propose new projects, please contact the webmaster. There is a link to contact information on the button-bar above. All databases are continuously updated with new information. If you have something to report, no matter how small or large, contacts for each existing project can be found on the project pages, or the webmaster can forward information to the relevant parties. Look around this website to see the progress we have made on these projects. Start by exploring the links on the button bar above. You are invited and encouraged to share your knowledge with us. These efforts are only at a very beginning stage, and we need YOUR help!

Some of the content on this site are reserved for PHSC members only. If you are already a member, please register with this site (a link is to the upper right), or log in if you have already registered. Information about PHSC membership and a membership application form may be found here.