Sources Of Religious Records In Ontario
Religious denominations within the province have their own hierarchy which must be understood if you want the best chance of finding religious records. Many individual denominations and even dioceses within a particular faith have their own archives.
Some religious archives will serve research requests, usually charging a fee for work done. Others place severe restrictions on releasing any personal information. Religious archives have limited staff, operating hours, and duplication services. Call before visiting to insure the records you require are available.
- Anglican
- Anglican Orders and Agencies
- Baptist
- Episcopal Methodists (see United)
- Evangelical
- Society of Friends (see Quaker)
- Huguenot
- Jewish
- Lutheran
- Mennonite
- Methodist (see United)
- Presbyterian (also see United)
- Protestant Orders and Agencies
- Quaker
- Roman Catholic
- Roman Catholic Orders and Agencies
- United
Anglican
The Anglican Church in Ontario maintains a regional archives system. Their "Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario" has no relation to the territorial boundaries of the "political" Province of Ontario. For example, Northwestern Ontario is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Rupert's Land, based in Winnipeg. Always check the geographical collecting boundary for each archive. For detailed information, see their Guide to the Holdings of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario. (Agincourt: Generation Press, 1990)
Anglican Church of Canada General Synod Archives
600 Jarvis Street
Toronto, Ontario
M4Y 2J6, 416-924-9192 x 278/279
Mon.-Fri. 9:00am - 4:30pm
Administration records for the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada. Holds no genealogical or biographical material; contact the diocesan Anglican Archive of the geographical area you are interested in.
Anglican Diocese of Huron Archives
Huron College
1349 Western Road
London, Ontario
N6G 1H3, 519-438-7224 x 284
By appointment Tues. 9:00am - 4:30pm
Records related to the Counties of Bruce, Grey, Huron, Perth, Waterloo, Lambton, Middlesex, Oxford, Brant, Essex, Kent, Elgin, and Norfolk.
Anglican Diocese of Keewatin
c/o Business Administrator, Synod Office
915 Ottawa Street
Keewatin, Ontario
P0X 1C0, 807-547-3353
By appointment.
Records related to lands west of a line from the City of Thunder Bay to the settlement of Winisk on Hudson's Bay including the Districts of Rainy River, and the western halves of Kenora and Thunder Bay.
Anglican Diocese of Moosonee
Marthe Brown
Laurentian University Archives
Laurentian University
935 Ramsey Lake Road
Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6
(705) 675-1151 ext.3306
Website:
http://laurentian.ca/Laurentian/Home/Departments/Library/
MBrown@laurentian.ca
By appointment only
Anglican Diocese of Niagara Repository
c/o Division of Archives and Research Collections
McMaster University Library
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, Ontario
L8S 4L6, 905-525-9140 x 2079; 905-546-0625 fax
Mon.-Fri. 9:00am - 5:00pm Otherwise by appointment
Records related to the Counties of Wellington, Halton, Wentworth, Haldimand, Lincoln, and Welland.
Anglican Diocese of Ontario Archives
90 Johnson Street
Kingston, Ontario
K7L 1X7, 613-544-4774; 613-547-3745 fax
Tues. & Thur. 1:15pm - 4:30pm or by appointment
Website: http://ontario.anglican.ca/wp/the-anglican-diocese-of-ontario-archives-adoa/
Records related to the Counties of Hastings, Prince Edward, Lennox and Addington, Frontenac, Leeds and Grenville.
Anglican Diocese of Ottawa Archives
71 Bronson Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
K1R 6G6, 613-232-7124; 613-232-7088 fax
Mon. & Wed. 9:00am - 12:00pm, 1:00am - 4:30am; Tues.
& Thur. by appointment
Website: http://www.ottawa.anglican.ca/Archives.html
Records related to the Counties of Renfrew, Lanark, Carleton, Russell, Prescott, Dundas, Stormont, Glengarry, and the District of Nipissing east of North Bay. Fees are charged for certified copies, reproductions, and genealogical research. Photocopying of Parish Registers is not permitted.
Anglican Diocese of Toronto Archives
Synod House, 135 Adelaide Street East
Toronto, Ontario
M5C 1L8, 1-800-668-8932 or 416-363-6021; 416-363-7678 fax
Hours: Tues. and Wed. 9:00am - 4:00pm
Website: http://www.toronto.anglican.ca/parish-administration/archives/
Records related to the Counties of Simcoe, Peel, York, Ontario, Victoria, Durham, Haliburton, Peterborough, Northumberland, and the east third of Dufferin.
Provincial Archives of Manitoba
200 Vaughan Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3C 1T5, 204-945-3971; 204-948-2008 fax
June-Labour Day: Mon.-Fri. 9:00am - 4:00pm
Mid-Sept.-May: Tues.- Sat. 9:00am - 4:00pm
Website: http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/
Records of administration for the General Synod for the Ecclesiastical Province of Rupert's Land. Holdings contain no genealogical material. For listing of their holdings, see their Guide to the Holdings of the Archives of Rupert's land. (Winnipeg, St. John's College Press, 1986).
Anglican Orders and Agencies
Cathedral Church of St. James Archives
65 Church Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5C 2E9, 416-364-7865
By appointment
Website: http://www.stjamescathedral.on.ca/HistorybrArchitecture/ArchivesCommittee/tabid/92/Default.aspx
Archive contains only records of that cathedral.
Trinity College Archives
6 Hoskins Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 1H8, 416-978-2019
Mon. 9:00am - 12:30pm and by appointment
Website: http://www.trinity.utoronto.ca/Library_Archives/Archives/
Baptist
Be aware that, as with other Anabaptist faiths, people are only baptized as adults; there are no infant baptisms. In addition, marriage records are extremely limited for many Baptist churches because, as one author was told when enquiring of a marriage in the Ottawa area, "the Baptist church fully recognizes the separation of church and state and since it is the states' responsibility to keep official marriage records, the church did not see the need to do so themselves."
Canadian Baptist Archives
McMaster Divinity College
McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario
L8S 4K1, 905-525-9140 x 3511
Mon.-Fri. 9:00am - 4:00pm
Records of the Canadian Baptist federation, including the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Québec, the Baptist Union of Western Canada, and the Union d'églises baptistes françaises; records of McMaster University (to 1957); John Milton Society for the Blind; Plymouth Bretheren (19th Cent.); limited personal papers.
Evangelical
Ontario Bible College/ Ontario Theological Seminary
Archives
J. Wm. Horsey Library
25 Ballyconnor Court
North York, Ontario
M2M 4B3, 416-226-6380; 416-226-6746 fax
By appointment.
Records of the College and its predecessors; records of the Seminary.
Huguenot
Huguenot Society of Canada/ Société huguenote du Canada
4936 Yonge Street, Suite 105
North York, Ontario
M2N 6S3, 416-220-1967
By appointment.
Records of the society; material relating to Huguenot surnames and lineages.
Jewish
Besides the archives listed below, see also the Canadian Jewish Congress/ Congrès Juif canadien, National Archives, 1590 avenue Docteur Penfield, Montréal, Québec, H3G 1C5, 514-931-7531, Mon.-Thur. 9:00-16:30, Fri. 9:00-13:30; By appointment.
Ottawa Jewish Historical Society
151 Chapel Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 7Y2, 613-789-7306; 613-563-4593 fax
Mon. & Wed. 10:00am - 4:30pm or by appointment
Website: http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/
Records and other media relating to the Jewish community in the Ottawa region primarily as an ethnic group. Religious records form a fraction of their holdings.
Ontario Jewish Archives
4600 Bathurst Street
Willowdale, Ontario
M2R 3V2, 416-635-2883 x 170; 416-635-1408 fax
By appointment during Mon.-Thur. 9:00am - 4:45pm, Fri.
9:00am - 2:00pm
Website: http://www.ottawajewishhistorical.ca/
Records of the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto and the Canadian Jewish Congress (Ontario Region); other material relating to the Jewish community in Ontario.
Lutheran
Wilfrid Laurier University Archives and Special Collections
75 University Avenue West
Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5
519.884.0710 x3906
libarch@wlu.ca
http://library.wlu.ca/research-materials/archives
Mon.-Fri. 8:30 am-4:30 pm
The Archives holds the records of the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (and predecessors) and also the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (and predecessors). Holdings include the records of hundreds of Lutheran congregations across Canada.
Mennonite
Essex-Kent Mennonite Historical Association
31 Pickwick Drive
Leamington, Ontario
N8H 4T5, 519-322-0456
Website: http://www.EKMHA.ca
Mennonite Archives of Ontario
Conrad Grebel College
Waterloo, Ontario
N2L 3G6, 519-885-0220
By appointment during Mon.-Fri. 9:00am - 5:00pm
Website: http://grebel.uwaterloo.ca/mao/
Presbyterian (see United)
This archives holds the records only for those Presbyterian churches which did not join with other churches & denominations to form the United Church in 1925. It is important to know whether the early Presbyterian Church you are interested in is still a Presbyterian Church today.
Presbyterian Church in Canada Archives & Records Office
50 Wynford Drive,
Toronto, Ontario
MM3C 1J7, 416-441-1111 or toll-free at 1-800-619-7301
Mon.-Fri. 9:00am - 4:45pm
Website: http://www.presbyterianarchives.ca/
Protestant Orders and Agencies
Christian Labour Association of Canada Archives
5920 Atlantic Drive
Mississauga, Ontario
L4W 1N6, 905-670-7383
By appointment.
Records of the Association. This is a labour archives with a "Christian" orientation, not a religious repository. Access to personal information is by permission only.
Salvation Army Archives
George Scott Railton Heritage Centre
2130 Bayview Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
M4N 3K6, 416-481-4441
Records of the Salvation Army throughout Canada and Bermuda; related material.
Quaker
Quaker Archives
Pickering College
16945 Bayview Avenue
Newmarket, Ontario
L3Y 4X2, 905-895-1700
By appointment.
Records of the faith in Canada beginning 1798.
Roman Catholic
The Roman Catholic Church in Ontario maintains a regional archives system. Always check the geographical collecting boundary for each archive. The holdings of each archives go back only to when that Diocese was formed. For earlier records, check the archives for the Diocese that originally administered that region (e.g. Diocese of Hamilton material before 1856 is at the Toronto or Kingston Diocesan Archives).
Most of the sacramental registers (baptisms, marriage, burial and confirmation registers) have been filmed by the Latter Day Saints (with the exception of the Hamilton diocese) and are available up to 1910 on loan through the various LDS family history centres. The microfilming was done so that priests in the local churches did not have to deal with genealogical inquiries. Individual churches do not have the staff to cope with genealogical requests.
Diocese of Hamilton Archives
700 King Street West
Hamilton, Ontario
L8P 1C7, 905-528-7988; 905-528-1088 fax
Chancery Off hours, Summer: 9:00am - 4:00; Winter: 9:00am
- 4:30pm
Archivist usually available Mon.-Thur. mornings.
Records related to the Counties of Brant, Bruce, Grey, Halton, Waterloo, Wentworth, and four Townships from Dufferin County, beginning 1856; limited records of religious activity to 1850s.
Diocese of Hearst Archives
Boìte 1300
Hearst, Ontario
P0L 1N0, 705-362-4903
Access is restricted due to limited staff. Call for details.
Records comprising mainly the southwestern part of the District of Cochrane beginning 1917.
Archdiocese of Kingston Archives
St. Mary's Cathedral
279 Johnson Street
Kingston, Ontario
K7L 1Y5, 613-546-5521
Website: http://www.romancatholic.kingston.on.ca/
Records related to the Counties of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, Leeds, Grenville, Dundas, Prince Edward, the southern half of Hastings, and the southwestern part of Lanark beginning 1800. Sacramental Registers up to 1910 available from the L.D.S. Family History Centers.
Diocese of London Archives
1070 Waterloo Street North
London, Ontario
N6A 3Y2, 519-433-0658; 519-433-0011 fax
Mon. Fri. 9:00am - 3:00pm
Records related to the Counties of Middlesex, Elgin, Norfolk, Oxford, Perth, Huron, Lambton, Kent, and Essex beginning 1767. Sacramental Registers 1767-1910 available from the L.D.S. Family History Centers. Diocesan Archivist will do limited genealogical research on a fee for hours-of-research basis.
Diocese of Moosonee
Archives
Chris Burke, Administrator
Catholic Diocese of Moosonee
2 Bay Rd., Box 40
Moosonee, Ont.
P0L 1Y0
(705) 336-2908
Records date from about 1900 and are for
the northern parts of Ontario and Qubec around James and
Hudson Bays. Recent records are in Moosonee. Older records
are at our archive in the Archives Deshtelets in Ottawa.
Contact the above with any requests for information or
access.
The Oblate Missionaries also have a relevant archive.
Contacts are the archives of the Oblate Province of St.
Joseph (Oblats de Marie Immacule, 3456, av. du Muse,
Montral, Qubec, H3G 2C7), and the Archives Deshtelets
(Oblate Central Archives) in Ottawa.
Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall Archives
1247 Kilborn Place
Ottawa, Ontario
K1H 6K9, 613-738-5025
E-mail: Archiviste@archottawa.ca
Records related to the Counties of Carleton, Russell, Prescott, the Townships of Darling, Pakenham, Ramsay and Lavant of Lanark County, and the City of Ottawa for beginning in 1802; St. Regis Parish Records (Akwasasne First Nation) 1765-1992. Majority of the Sacramental Registers have been copied by Brother Herbert Houle, Brother of the Sacred Heart, 2240, rue Fullum, Montréal, Québec, H2K 3N9.
Diocese of Pembroke Archives
Box 7
188 Renfrew Street
Pembroke, Ontario
K8A 6X1, 613-732-7933
Website: www.pembrokediocese.com
Records related to the Counties of Renfrew and neighbouring portions of Ontario and Pontiac Counties within Québec beginning 1850. All Sacramental Registers available from the L.D.S. Family History Centers.
Diocese of Peterborough Archives
350 Hunter Street West
Peterborough, Ontario
K9J 6Y8, 705-745-5123
By appointment.
Records related to the Counties of Peterborough, Northumberland, Victoria, part of Haliburton County, part of the Region of Durham, and the Districts of Parry Sound and Muskoka beginning 1840.
Diocese of St. Catharines Archives
122 Riverdale Drive
St. Catharines, Ontario
L2R 4C2, 905-648-0154
Website: http://www.romancatholic.niagara.on.ca/historye.htm
Records related to the Counties of Haldimand, Lincoln, and Welland beginning 1858; limited records of religious activity to 1840s.
Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie - Diocesan Archives
30 Ste. Anne Rd
Sudbury, ON
P3C 5E1, 705-674-2727
Records related to the Districts of Sudbury, Algoma, Manitoulin, and portions of the District of Nipissing north and west of Lake Nipissing beginning 1880. Sacramental Registers up to 1910 available from the L.D.S. Family History Centers.
Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto
Catholic Pastoral Centre
1155 Yonge Street, Suite 505
Toronto, Ontario
M4T 1W2, 416-934-0606
By appointment only
Website: https://www.archtoronto.org/archives
Records related to the Counties of York, Peel, Simcoe, Metropolitan Toronto, the Regional Municipalities of York, Peel, and part of Durham, part of Dufferin County, and the remainder of Dufferin County, beginning 1830. Sacramental Registers up to 1910 available from the L.D.S. Family History Centers. Holds Burial Registers for St. Paul's and St. Michael's Cemeteries; part of the Diocese of Upper Canada 1826-1841 records from which the Dioceses of Kingston, Toronto (1841), Hamilton (1856), and St. Catharines (1858) were created.
Diocese of Thunder Bay Archives
1306 Ridgeway Street East
Thunder Bay, Ontario
P7E 5J5, 807-622-8144 or 807-343-9313
Records related to the Districts of Thunder Bay, Kenora, and Rainy River beginning 1952; limited records of religious activity to 1890.
Diocese of Timmins Archives
65 Jubilee Avenue East
Timmins, Ontario
P4N 5W4, 705-267-6224; 705-267-6226
Records related to the District of Timiskaming and the southeastern part of Cochrane. Material before 4 October 1922 was destroyed by the Haileybury Fire. No genealogical material in collection.
Roman Catholic Orders and Agencies
The ecclesiastical "province" or "provincialate" of an Order has no relation to the territorial boundaries of the "political" Province of Ontario. Check that the geographical area you are interested in falls within their collecting boundary.
Archives, Society of Jesus, Upper Canada Province
Regis College, 15 St. Mary Street
Toronto, Ontario
M4Y 2R5, 416-922-5474; 416-922-2898 fax
Mon. Fri. 9:00am - 16:30pm, by appointment
Records of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in Canada.
Congregation of Christian Brothers Canadian Archives
R.R. 8
Orangeville, Ontario
L9W 3T5, 519-941-4882
By appointment.
Records of the Congregations and related material.
Grey Sisters of the Immaculate Conception
700 McKay Street
Pembroke, Ontario
K8A 1G6, 613-732-9925, 992
By appointment.
Records of the Order and related material.
Jesuit Fathers of the University of Sudbury Archives/
Archives des Pères Jésuites de l'Université
de Sudbury
University of Sudbury
Ramsey Lake Road
Sudbury, Ontario
P3E 2C6, 705-673-5661
By appointment.
Records of the Jesuit Fathers in the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, the Collège du Sacré-Coeur de Sudbury; related material.
Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph
St. Joseph Province Archives
16 Manitou Crescent East
Kingston, Ontario
K7N 1B2, 613-389-0275 x 116
By appointment.
Records of the communities and hospitals administered by St. Joseph Province.
United
City of Ottawa Archives
100 Tallwood Dr,
Nepean, ON K2G 4R7 (613) 580-2857
Mon. - Fri. 8:30am - 4:30pm
Website: https://ottawa.ca/en/arts-heritage-and-events/city-ottawa-archives
Records of the Ontario portion of the Montréal/ Ottawa Conference (Carleton, Dundas, Glengarry, Grenville, Prescott, Russell, and Stormont counties),For a list of their holdings, see their Guide to the Local Church Records, Montréal/ Ottawa Conference, United Church of Canada. 2 Vols. (Ottawa, Montréal/ Ottawa Conference Archives committee, 1986).
United Church of Canada Archives, Manitoba and
Northwestern Ontario Conference
c/o Rare Book Room
University of Winnipeg Library
515 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3B 2E9, 204-783-0708
By appointment.
Website: http://www.united-church.ca/local/archives/
Records of the Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario Conference including the pre-1925 Presbyterian, Methodists, and Congregational records.
United Church of Canada Archives, Montréal/
Ottawa Conference
Bishop's University Library
Lennoxville, Québec
J1M 1Z7, 819-821-0204, 514-288-6862
Mon. - Fri. 9:00am - 5:00pm
Website: http://www.montrealandottawaconference.ca/
Records of the Montréal/ Ottawa Conference (see above) including the pre-1925 Presbyterian, Methodists, and Congregational records.
The United Church Archives
40 Oak Street
Toronto, ON M5A 2C6
Tel: 416-644-3140 ext. 101
Fax: 416-231-3103 attn: Archives
E-mail: archives@united-church.ca
Website: http://www.united-church.ca/local/archives/on
Records of the national courts of the United Church and its united denominations (Methodist, Congregational, many Presbyterian, and Evangelical United Brethren; regional courts and local Ontario churches (excludes Carleton, Dundas, Glengarry, Grenville, Prescott, Russell, and Stormont at City of Ottawa Archives); related material. For more information on the United Church of Canada Archives’ holdings, search the online databases at http://archives.united-church.ca/archives.htm.
