The Archives of Ontario holds Canada’s largest collection of judicial records.  Spanning from Upper Canada’s creation to the 1980’s, these records contain information on thousands of individuals.  However, for most genealogical researchers, these records are a maze of long vanished courts, confusing procedures and restrictions, and record streams numbering into the thousands.

This course will:

• Present an overview of Canadian law and the development of Ontario’s court system
• Give an introduction to the records of:
  • Supreme and County/District Courts (civil, criminal, and divorce proceedings),
  • Courts of Probate and Surrogate (wills, estate files, and guardianships),
  • Family Court (child welfare, support, and custody), and,
  • Related materials (judges’ benchbooks, and court reporters’ recordings)
• Discuss the legislation and legal considerations that open, obscure, or restrict court records
• Outline the nature and content of various non-judicial records (OPP, Fire Marshal, and coroner investigation files; Correctional Services records)