Beginning your Research

At the Library

First Steps

First, determine the location in which to search (local? Other county? Outside of Ontario?) and approximately the time period. Based on this, we can help you decide what kind of records are available and which might be most useful for you to begin with.

If unsure, start with the known, eg. grandfather’s name and approximate birth or death date and where he lived, then search a record that would take you one generation further back. For example, his birth registration or baptismal record would tell the names of both his parents.

Ancestry Library  (a subscription database available only at a library location) – a very useful database that is one of the most important genealogical collections available today. It has unparalleled coverage of the United States and the United Kingdom, including census, vital, church, court, and immigration records, as well as record collections from Canada and other areas. Available only in Library (all locations). It is an excellent tool to use to find names and dates and locations to get the search started. Tip: click on Search and choose the geographic area, eg. Ontario, so there is a manageable number of databases.

How to Books on researching Family History

Where to Look for Local Information

• census indexes, cemetery transcriptions, marriages records (late 1700s to 1869 in book form)
• church records – for some London and Middlesex County churches; also a few from other counties in Ontario. May include births, marriages, deaths, baptisms…
• local indexes: for quite prominent people - analytics to books, genealogy index to periodical source; for anyone local – scrapbook indexes
• early settlers project
• newspapers – obituaries, marriages, death notices, births. The London Free Press Indexes 1849-1880 (obituaries, births, marriages), 1977-1995 (obituaries, births): London Advertiser 1864-1936 – some births/marriages/deaths have been extracted and indexed. Also other local newspapers, eg. Strathroy, Glencoe…
• elected church histories and school histories
• township histories, eg. London Township, West Nissouri Township have published histories with an incredible amount of information on families
• historical atlases – 1870’s for most Ontario counties; show names of landowners of individual lots (available online). We also have earlier atlases for Middlesex (1862) and Elgin (1864)
• wills of Middlesex County – we have the index for 1846 to 1980 (wills are at Ontario Archives) and have the actual wills on microfilm for some of the early 1800’s
• Archives index (card file in Closed Stacks in the London Room) – for more information on local people and families

Where to Look for Ontario-wide Information

• Census for all of Ontario – on microfilm; some have name indexes. First try the online versions of the Ontario censuses for 1871, 1881, 1901 and 1911.
• Upper Canada Land Index – for early people, i.e. crown lands
• Vital Statistics Index on microfilm: 1869 – 1911 (births)1869-1926 (marriages)1869-1936 (deaths).
  These records are available on Ancestry Library*, except 2 years behind the microfilm version; Ancestry includes complete records, not just index.
• Wesleyan Methodist Baptisms: for most counties in Ontario. Especially useful in the absence of birth registrations, since the information given is similar.
• Catholic Record – 1878-1948
• Browse the shelves in the London Room for the county you need; may find: birth/marriage/death extracts from local newspapers, county histories, church histories, gazetteers, various local indexes…

Where to Look for Canada-wide Information

• online version of census available for all of Canada: 1871, 1881, 1901, 1911
• online version of census for Canada East (now Quebec), Canada West (now Ontario), New Brunswick and Nova Scotia for 1851
• for other years, Canadian census from anywhere outside of Ontario, on microfilm; can be ordered via Interlibrary Loan
• native records - Records of the Department of Indian Affairs at Library and Archives Canada: a source for Genealogical Research (r929.108997 Rus). Also, try links for native genealogy on Archives Canada website.
• passenger lists – see our passenger lists page. We have lists for the ports of Quebec and Halifax for some dates. Other dates can be ordered through Interlibrary Loan.

Where to Look for Worldwide Information

• Ancestry Library database (see description above under At the Library)
• See our "How To" books on many countries of the world, which describe records and how they can be accessed.

Websites

Archives of Ontario
This Genealogical Research section includes Family History Centers in Ontario, Getting Started in Genealogical Research, Major Genealogical Holdings at the Archives, Microfilm Loan Service, Preparing for Your Visit to the Archives, Reference List of Researchers, and more.

Canadian County Atlas Digital Project
This resource allows you to view historical atlases of various counties in Ontario. Searchable by name, county, township, town, birthplace or occupation.

Canadian Genealogy Centre (Library and Archives Canada)
The Canadian Genealogy Centre is an Internet resource that provides access to numerous genealogical websites across Canada. It acts as both directory and database in order to help you search for the genealogical information you need, be it cemetery records, parish records, historical newspapers or archival fonds. Under Databases, ArchiviaNet is an online research tool developed by Library and Archives Canada. It includes the 1871 Census of Ontario and the 1901 and 1911 Census of Canada; information on home children, immigration records and post offices; and an index to soldiers of the First World War, in many cases containing the scanned documents of enlistment.

Cyndi's List
One of the largest collections of genealogy links anywhere on the Web, Cyndi's List is a searchable, cross-referenced index of more than 180 categories. It provides an easy-to-access reference guide to the most useful genealogy websites

FamilySearch.Org (Church of the Latter Day Saints - Mormons)
The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world; includes a list of the Family History Centers.

Genealogy Register
Get started with the surname finder or read messages posted on their message board

Ontario Genealogical Society
Contains information about OGS-sponsored events and publications, contact information for useful research aids, links to other genealogical sites, list of  its 31 branches and a "How to Start Your Family History" section.

Our Roots/Nos Racines
Our Roots is a library, archive, museum and school all in one. Check the collection to find Canadian local histories in French and English. Check Educational Resources for learning packages for students and teachers.

Rootsweb
Bills itself as the Internet's oldest and largest genealogy site, offering a variety of services to the genealogical community. The searchable Rootsweb Surname List has surnames, dates and locations with contact e-mail addresses for contributors. Also includes Canada Genweb, designed to assist researchers in locating Canadian genealogical information on the Internet

Cemeteries

Websites

Cemetery addresses of Ontario
This is a work in progress to list the addresses of the more than 2000 registered cemeteries in Ontario, active or inactive.  Those cemeteries whose name begins with A to N are completed. 

Interment.net
This website offers links to cemetery records around the world. Also includes guides and articles of use to those conducting cemetery research

Ontario Archives - Cemetery Transcriptions Available for InterLibrary Loan
This is a listing of cemetery transcriptions available for interlibrary loan

Ontario Cemetery Ancestor Index and Cemetery Locator - OGS
Welcome to the Ontario Genealogical Society Cemetery Collection, which now includes a personal name index. This index was begun in 2003 and includes names taken from transcriptions of the monumental inscriptions, cemetery records, and other sources that have been identified by Ontario Genealogical Society members and members of other historical groups.

Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid
A searchable database of over three million Ontario cemetery records.  This database gives the location of the burial but NOT the date of burial.

Census

Websites

1852 Census of the Province of Canada
The census planned for 1851 was not carried out until 1852, so it is variously referred to as the 1851 Census and the 1852 Census. It is important to note that many parts of the 1851/1852 Census were lost or destroyed and are therefore missing from the indices.

 1871 Canada Census (Ontario Genealogical Society)
Personal name index to the head of households of the Ontario portion of the 1871 census.

1881 Canada Census (FamilySearch.Org)
This site allows you to search, by last name and household,  the 1881 Census of Canada, the 1881 British Census and the 1880 US Census.

1901 Canada Census (Automated Genealogy)
The site hosts a free, volunteer-produced online index to the 1901 Census of Canada. Transcription of the index is complete with over 5.6 million lines transcribed. The index has links to the images of the original census forms, over 60,000 links to related records, and is completely free to browse or search.

1901 Canada Census (Library and Archives Canada)
Geographic name index for the 1901 census. Data allows researchers to search by geographic location only. As this is not a nominally indexed database, it is not searchable by family name. Includes scanned images of original census sheets.

1901 Census for England and Wales
The official genealogy website of English and Welsh census information for 1901.

1911 Census of Canada (Automated Genealogy)
There is free access to the national surname index and the surname index by census district for the 1911 Census.

1911 Census of Canada (Library and Archives Canada)
Geographic name index for the 1911 census. Data allows researchers to search by geographic location only. As this is not a nominally indexed database, it is not searchable by family name. Includes scanned images of original census sheets.

UK Census Online
Hosted by RootsWeb, this website provides free access to 19th century UK census records including 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, and 1891. Transcription is ongoing.

Church records

Websites

Anglican Diocese of Huron
This is the website for The Cronyn Memorial Archives of the Anglican Diocese of Huron located at Huron University College, 1349 Western Road in London. The Diocese of Huron, Church of England in Canada (now the Anglican Church of Canada)was established on October 2, 1857 and includes the counties of Brant, Bruce, Elgin, Essex, Grey, Huron, Kent, Lambton, Middlesex, Oxford, Perth and Waterloo. The Archives contains parish histories and parish registers. Searches of records are possible for a fee. Contact by mail; telephone: 519-645-7956; or email:archives@huron.anglican.ca

Canadian Baptist Archives
Located at McMaster University, Divinity College, Room 152, Hamilton, Ontario; telephone: 905-525-9140, ext. 23511 or 23512; email: cbarch@mcmaster.ca There is a fee for genealogical research.

Canadian Quaker Genealogical Index
The Quaker Archives and Library of Canada maintains this index which contains over 12,000 names of people mentioned in the Canadian Quaker minute books up to about 1900. Information ranges from births, deaths, and marriages to membership transfers, appointments and travels in the ministry (including Friends from the United Kingdom and the United States who visited Meetings in Canada).

Presbyterian Church in Canada Archives
The Archives and Records Office has a large number of resources that are helpful to family historians and genealogists, from local church records and microfilmed registers from across the country, to reference books and biographical files.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of London
The Roman Catholic Diocese of London is located at 1070 Waterloo Street in London (on the grounds of St. Peter's Seminary). The Diocesan Archives holds a variety of records of Roman Catholic churches for the counties of Elgin, Essex, Huron, Kent, Lambton, Middlesex, Norfolk, Oxford and Perth within Southwestern Ontario.

The United Church of Canada Archives
The United Church of Canada Archives houses the historical records of The United Church of Canada and its antecedent denominations: The Methodist Church (Canada), The Presbyterian Church in Canada, The Congregational Union of Canada, Local Union Churches, and the Canada Conference of the Evangelical United Brethren Church

Europeans & United Empire Loyalists

At the Library

Books about researching United Empire Loyalists

Books about researching British Family History

Books about researching Dutch Family History

Books about researching French Canadian Family History

Books about researching German Family History

Books about researching Irish Family History

Books about researching Scottish Family History

Books about researching Welsh Family History

Websites

Federation of Eastern European Family History Societies
The Federation is an umbrella organization promoting family research in Eastern and Central Europe. Provides links to member websites, surname databases, and an extensive list of maps.

Genealogy.net
This site contains a great deal of information to help find ancestors from German-speaking areas of Europe.

Genuki
A gateway to resources for genealogy in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies
It is the goal of this website to provide reliable, high quality material on the Loyalists in the fields of genealogy, living history and military research. While the material contained herein is for use by anyone interested in this aspect of the American Revolution, it is primarily intended for those with a working background in Loyalist studies.

Ireland GenWeb
This site is part of the World GenWeb Project and is the local resource index page for Ireland research. It covers all the counties and is a great place to learn new research methods and make connections.

Scotland's people
First-stop resources that should be used in Scottish genealogical research including births, marriages, deaths and censuses.

United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada - London & Western Ontario Branch
One of 27 branches of the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada, the London and Western Ontario Branch of the UELAC celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2003. As well as holding meetings, the branch conducts tours of Loyalist areas, presents Loyalist flags to churches and organizations with Loyalist connections, carries its message to the public at local and regional genealogical fairs and at Canada day celebrations, and conducts educational outreach sessions in local and regional elementary and high schools.

Wales GenWeb
The WalesGenWeb Project is committed to providing free access to resource and reference information for Wales.

First Peoples

At the Library

Books about researching First Peoples family history

Websites

Canadian Geneaolgy Centre - Aboriginal Peoples
Library and Archives Canada holds records of the Department of Indian Affairs (RG 10) dating mainly from the late 1800s. The records are usually arranged by band, agency and district.

Department of Indian and Northern Affairs
A list of questions related to Status.

Six Nations Council (Ohsweken, Ontario)
The Council's purpose is to assist applicants in obtaining status as a Six Nations member and thus maintains a membership office where applicants can check details (band number, birth and death dates, family relationships and tribe) of individuals who were registered Six Nations members from the late 1880s to the present.

Woodland Cultural Centre (Brantford, Ontario)
The Woodland Cultural Centre Library promotes the culture, heritage and history of the First Nation people, particularly the Eastern Woodland area. Most books in this collection are out-of-print or in fragile format requiring special storage conditions.

London & area newspapers

Websites

B-M-D Etc.  
Indexes births, marriages and deaths, etc. which appeared in Norfolk County newspapers from 1870 to 1914.

Elgin County Newspapers
Indexes Aylmer Express, Dutton Advance and St. Thomas Times-Journal.

Obituary Daily Times
Obituary index published on a daily basis, 1998-2006. The obituaries are not online. Tip: to narrow the search to London Free Press obituaries, enter the person's name and 'London'.

Ontario Genealogical Society - London And Middlesex County Branch
If you are looking for obituaries from The London Free Press, the OGS library has alphabetically indexed scrapbooks of obituary clippings from 1969-1971, 1973-74, 1977, 1981-2008. They also house the Totten collection, which contains numerous death notices and obituaries for the London area from 1945 to 1950.

University of Western Ontario - London Free Press Negative Collection
The J.J. Talman Regional Collection within the University of Western Ontario Archives houses over 1.6 million negatives of photographs taken by London Free Press photographers during the period from September 1, 1938 to December 31, 1992. Negatives of individuals or portraits are available for the period December 1949 to 1989. If you are looking for a photo from a wedding announcement, special event or news story, it may be possible to order a reproduction. Contact the Archives at 519- 661-2111 ext 81111.

Woodstock Newspaper Indexes
Indexes births, marriages and deaths from 16 newspapers published in Woodstock from 1840 to the present.

Military records

Websites

British military records - About website
Looking for genealogical information about persons who have served in the British military? These websites will help.

Canadian Forces after 1918 (includes WWII)
Military personnel files include documentation about enlistment, discharge, military units served with, and may also include other documents concerning medical history, medals awarded, personal evaluation reports and dental charts. There is no online database for these records held by Library and Archives Canada.

Canadian Military Records at the Library and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada holds extensive collections of military records. Use the left-hand menu to select the period or type of records of interest to you. Each section provides information about available sources, links to relevant databases and links to Web sites of other institutions that hold military records.

Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Excellent site that provides information about the more than 116,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders who fought and died while representing their country. Included on this site are the memorials of more than 1,500 soldiers who died in service to Canada since the Korean War, including peacekeeping and other operations. The site also contains digital images of photographs and personal memorabilia about individual Canadians.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission
This website allows you to search for individuals who died in World War I or World War II as part of the Commonwealth Forces (Australia, Britain, Canada, India , New Zealand, South Africa, and other former colonies).

Last Post - Legion Magazine
Legion Magazine's historical archive database goes back to January 1987.  It contains almost 170,000 short death notices for Royal Canadian Legion members with military backgrounds.

Soldiers of the First World War, 1914-1918
Over 600,000 Canadians enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the First World War (1914-1918). The CEF database is an index to those personnel files, which are held by Library and Archives Canada. To date, over 800,000 images of attestation papers have been scanned and are being made available on-line.

U.K. and Ireland Genealogy - Military records
A description of how to locate British military records

Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS)

In My Community

London & Middlesex County Branch of the OGS
Resources, publications and links for genealogical research for the city of London and Middlesex County, Ontario.

Websites

Elgin County Branch of the OGS
Resources, publications and links for genealogical research for the city of St. Thomas and Elgin County, Ontario.

Essex County Branch of the OGS
Resources, publications and links for genealogical research for the city of Windsor and Essex County, Ontario.

Huron County Branch of the OGS
Resources, publications and links for genealogical research in Huron County, Ontario.

Kent County Branch of the OGS
Resources, publications and links for genealogical research for the city of Chatham and Kent County, Ontario.

Lambton County Branch of the OGS
Resources, publications and links for genealogical research for the city of Sarnia and Lambton County, Ontario.

Norfolk County Branch of the OGS
Resources, publications and links for genealogical research in Norfolk County, Ontario.

Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS)
Major Ontario organization established to help people research their family history.

Oxford County Branch of the OGS
Resources, publications and links for genealogical research for the city of Woodstock and Oxford County, Ontario.

Perth County Branch of the OGS
Resources, publications and links for genealogical research for the city of Stratford and Perth County, Ontario.

Passenger Lists

Websites

Home Children, 1869-1930
Between 1869 and the early 1930s, over 100,000 children were sent to Canada from Great Britain during the child emigration movement. Members of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa are locating and indexing the names of these Home Children found in passenger lists in the custody of the National Archives of Canada.

 Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild
The Compass is a guide to assist you in your search for immigrant related information. Our aim is to provide you with the best and most up-to-date information available with special emphasis on passenger lists, ships, ship images and descriptions. There are descriptions of each site, and some, due to the extensive amount of information, are listed under more than one topic.

InGeneas - National Archives of Canada Miscellaneous Immigration Index
A free searchable index of passenger lists in the National Archives of Canada, 1800-1849. The database contains approximately 15,000 names. A list of sources is also provided, which gives a brief description of the information that can be found in each record. InGeneas also has another searchable index of other passenger lists and genealogical records which can be ordered for a fee.

The National Archives of Canada - Immigration Records
This is a helpful link to all information regarding Passenger Lists in Canada, including a searchable database for Passenger Lists 1925-1935.

The ShipsList
TheShipsList website, online since August 1999, will help you find your ancestors on ships' passenger lists.We also have immigration reports, newspaper records, shipwreck information, ship pictures, ship descriptions, shipping-line fleet lists and more; as well as hundreds of passenger lists to Canada, USA, Australia and even some for South Africa.

Vital Statistics

Websites

British Columbia Archives' Vital Events
The British Columbia Vital Event indexes contain index information to historical birth, marriage, and death registrations for British Columbia, but not the actual registrations, and are being made available for the purposes of research.

Manitoba Vital Statistics
This searchable database provides unrestricted access to births more than 100 years ago, marriages more than 80 years ago and deaths more than 70 years ago.

New Brunswick Provincial Archives
The Provincial Archives website provides access to a searchable index of New Brunswick births (1800-1914), marriages (1847-1959) and deaths (1815-1960).

Ontario Ministry of Government Services/Service Ontario
This ministry holds records of Ontario vital statistics for: births that occurred during the past 95 years; deaths that occurred during the past 70 years and marriages that occurred during the past 80 years. Application forms for these records can be downloaded from the site.

Ontario Vital Statistics Project
Includes births from 1869 to 1909; marriages from 1800 to 1925 (there are gaps pre-1869) and deaths from 1869 to 1932. This is a work in progress and will take some time to complete since transcriptions are done by volunteers.

Registrations of Births, Marriages and Deaths at the Ontario Archives
A companion to Ontario Vital Statistics - Index Books, this website describes how to order microfilm reels through the Ontario Archives. It provides additional information on the registration of births, marriages and deaths as well as other sources of information.

Saskatchewan Vital Statistics
The legislation governing births registered with Saskatchewan Vital Statistics allows Vital Statistics to publish a genealogical index of those births that occurred more than 100 years ago. Deaths (more than 70 years ago)and marriages (more than 75 years ago) are not yet available.

United States Vital Records Information
Visit this site for information regarding the types of records available and the guidelines for obtaining them. Includes birth certificates, death records, marriage licenses, and divorce decrees. Also provides the address of state and county vital records offices, online applications, and links to overseas information

Wills

In My Community

J.J. Talman Regional Collection, The University of Western Ontario
The J.J. Talman Regional Collection carries Probates for a wide range of dates. Consult their collection by calling (519) 661-2111 ext 81111.

Websites

Archives of Ontario: Probate and Surrogate Court Records
Use this resource to locate wills from anywhere in Ontario. Microfilm is available through interlibrary loan.

Elgin County Surrogate Court Records
Volunteers at the Elgin County Library have indexed the Surrogate Court Records for the London District and Elgin County from 1800 to 1900. For the London District, all the available records were indexed. Elgin County was formed in 1853; thereafter only Elgin County residents appear in the index.