Archives
of Ontario
Research Guide 201
This document provides an overview of our collections and
how to get more information about them. It also includes
a list of some of the most commonly requested records in
our custody, as well as those that are accessible at other
government offices.
Ontario Government Records
- Most of the records held by the Archives were created
by the government of Ontario and its predecessors. They
date from the 1700s to the present era.
- These records provide:
- documentation on political and legal decisions
- an account of the evolution of provincial administration
- a record of the interaction between the government
and its citizens
- key evidence of the rights and responsibilities
of Ontarians.
- Most of these records are accessed through the Archives'
Main Reading Room.
Private Sector Records
- The Archives holds the records of over 2600 private
individuals, businesses, clubs and associations, labour
and political organizations.
- Most of these records are accessed through the Archives'
Main Reading Room.
Special Collections
(Photographs, Documentary Art, Architectural Drawings, and
Maps)
- The Archives holds photographs, documentary art, and
architectural and cartographic records that have been
created and collected by both private individuals and
the Government of Ontario documenting the people, places
and events in the province from as early as the 1600s
to the present era.
Sound and Moving Images
- The Archives holds audio and video recordings and motion
picture film material created and collected by both private
individuals and the Government of Ontario, dating from
the 1920s to the present era.
Archives of Ontario Library
- The Archives of Ontario Library is a non-circulating
research and reference collection of approximately 70,000
items, relating primarily to the history of Ontario.
- Library items are accessed through the Archives' Main
Reading Room.
How To Get More Information About These Records
You can get more information about these records from the
following sources:
- The Archives' website at www.archives.gov.on.ca.
The website contains up to date information about our
collections and services, and includes the following databases:
- Archives
Descriptive Database (ADD): descriptions
of Ontario Government Records, Private Sector Records,
Special Collections, and Sound and Moving Images.
- BIBLiON:
our library catalogue.
- Visual
Database: includes images of selected
items from our Special Collections (photographs, documentary
art, maps and architectural records).
- Paper Finding Aids, Inventories, and Card Catalogues
in our Reading Rooms.
- Archives Staff, who can be contacted by phone, fax,
mail, e-mail, or in person (see contact
information).
| Type of Record |
Available
at the
Archives of Ontario |
Available Only
at Other
Government Offices |
Vital
Statistics | The Archives holds indexes
and registrations of:
- Births, 1869-1911
- Marriages, 1801-1926 (predominantly 1869-1926)
- Deaths, 1869-1936
Note: Births, 1911; Marriages, 1926; and
Deaths, 1936 are closed until they
are available on microfilm later in 2008.
|
The Office
of the Registrar General holds indexes and registrations
of:
- Births, 1912-present
- Deaths, 1937-present
- Marriages, 1927-present
|
For further
details and contact information for the Office of the
Registrar General, see:
Research
Guide 202: Ontario Vital Statistics Bulletin |
| |
Divorce
Files
| The Archives holds:
- Divorce Files for all of Ontario, 1931-1978.
- In addition: microfilm copies of Decrees
- Absolute and Nisi from York County (including
Toronto), 1959-1978.
|
The local
Courthouses of the Superior Court of Justice hold:
- Divorce Files, 1979-present.
The Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel
holds:
- Resolutions or Acts of Parliament re: divorces,
1867-1930
|
For
further details and contact information for local
Courthouses and the Office of the Law Clerk, see:
Research
Guide 210: Finding Divorce Files in Ontario
Research Guide 211:
Finding York County Divorce Files |
| |
|
Estate Files (including Wills) |
The Archives holds:
- Estate Files for most of Ontario, ca.1793-1963
(except Prince Edward County, which is on microfilm
up to 1930 only).
- In addition: York County (including Toronto)
Estate Files on microfilm up to 1967.
|
The County and District Surrogate Courthouses
hold:
- Estate Files, 1964-present (except for York County
which is available at the Archives on microfilm
until 1967).
Note: The Prince Edward County Archives
in Picton holds original estate files for Prince Edward
County up to 1963.
|
For further
details and contact information for local Courthouses,
see:
Research
Guide 206: How To Find A Will |
| |
|
Partnership/ Sole-Proprietorship Registrations |
The Archives holds:
- Registrations for all of Ontario, 1855-1991 (predominantly
1870-1991).
For details, see Inventory 55, vol. 1, available
in the Main Reading Room.
|
The Companies
Branch of the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services
holds:
- Registrations, 1992-present
Contact:
Companies Branch
393 University Ave., 2nd Floor, Suite 200
Toronto, ON, M5G 2M2
Phone: 416-314-8880 |
| |
|
Corporations Files |
The Archives holds:
- Corporations Files and Charter Books for companies
that were defunct as of 1907.
- Post-1907 files: only files of defunct companies
with Corporations File Numbers TC1 to TC3155.
- Charter Books, 1907-1971. (Note: the
more complete corporations files from Companies
Branch should be used in preference to the Charter
Books).
For details, see Inventory 55, vol. 2, available
in the Main Reading Room.
|
The Companies
Branch of the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services
holds:
- Corporations Files, 1907-present
- Corporations Files of defunct companies beginning
with file number TC3156.
Contact:
Companies Branch
393 University Ave., 2nd Floor, Suite 200
Toronto, ON, M5G 2M2
Phone: 416-314-8880 |
| |
| Crown
Land Records |
The Archives
holds extensive Crown Land records, including those
relating to the granting of Crown Land to private
citizens. Commonly requested records include:
- Ontario Land Records Index, ca.1780-ca.1920
- Land petition
- Land patent indexes
- Patent plans, [178-]-1977
- Township papers, ca.1783-ca.1870
- Survey diaries, field notes, reports [incomplete],
1780-1930
For more information on using these and other Crown
Land records for genealogical research, consult Information
Research
Guide 299: Sources of Family History, section 11. |
The Ministry of Natural Resources:
- issues copies of patents
- has within its holdings a large quantity of Crown
land survey diaries, field notes and reports, in
addition to the ones held by the Archives
|
For copies
of patents, contact:
Ministry of Natural Resources
Lands and Waters Branch
Crown Land Registry
300 Water Street, P.O. Box 7000
Peterborough ON, K9J 8M5
Phone: 705-755-2104
Fax: 705-755-2181 |
For information
on survey diaries, field notes and reports, contact:
Ministry of Natural Resources
Information Resource and Management Branch
Crown Land Surveys
300 Water Street, P.O. Box 7000
Peterborough ON, K9J 8M5
Phone: 705-755-2100
Fax: 705-755-2149 |
| |
|
Land Registry Offices Records |
The records of Land Registry
Offices (LROs) document transactions relating to privately
owned land. The Archives holds the following LRO records:
- Original Records
-instruments and deeds up to 1867
-copybooks up to 1955 (many have been placed on
long- term loan with local repositories)
-some post-1867 instruments and deeds, where the
copybooks are missing
- Microfilm Copies
-copybooks, abstract indexes, and alphabetical indexes,
ca.1795-ca.1960, predominantly to ca.1880
Original records are closed for
conservation reasons. Microfilm only can be used.
For details on our microfilm holdings, see Inventory
61, or the Land, Church, and Municipal Records
Card Catalogue, both of which are available in
the Main Reading Room.
|
Land Registry
Offices (LROs):
- LROs are responsible for maintaining a complete
set of land registry records.
- In cases where the LRO has transferred original
records to the Archives or to a local institution,
the LRO should have copies of those records on microfilm.
- LRO addresses and phone numbers can be found
in the "Blue Pages" of Telephone Directories,
the Government of Ontario Telephone Directory, or
the Government of Ontario website www.gov.on.ca
Note: Some original copybooks, abstract
indexes, and other documents have been placed by the
Archives or by the LROs in local archives, museums,
and other repositories
|
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