Church Records in Ontario, Canada

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by M. Diane Rogers on July 28, 2009 at 9:11am

The United Church Archives in Toronto now has its Archives database and Graphics databases available on-line in beta versions.

If you live in the Toronto area or will be travelling there soon, there are tours of the Archives scheduled for August 4-6. But, the Archives will be closed August 10-13. See the home page for details.

Home page: http://www.united-church.ca/local/archives/on

The Archives is responsible for the archival records of Bay of Quinte, Hamilton, London, Manitou, and Toronto Conferences and for the United Church's national records. These can include records from Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregational, and Evangelical United Brethren congregations that became part of the United Church. Many of the older church records are microfilmed and available on Inter Library loan.

Archives database - fonds-level descriptions of records from the 5 Ontario Conferences and General Council: :
http://archives.united-church.ca/dbtw-wpd/textbase/ucc%20archives/a...
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Graphics database - item-level descriptions of graphic images:
http://archives.united-church.ca/dbtw-wpd/textbase/ucc%20archives/g...
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See also the "Archives Collections" page link to "Searching Our Collections"

For other United Church of Canada Archives, see this link: http://www.united-church.ca/en/local/archives#directory

Permalink Reply by William Bruce Hillman on July 28, 2009 at 9:17am

Of great value to the genealogist and historian. My experiences with the Baptist Church is several years old. My impression at the time was that they were difficult to get to, not well valued, not indexed, dusty. In may ways these are the last great data bases yet to go online. I have often wondered why Ancestry.ca have not gotten involved earlier. Perhaps due to the expense.

Permalink Reply by Debbie Burr on August 1, 2009 at 10:10pm

Isn't the main problem that there are no records. Baptists don't baptize children so there are no infant baptismal or christening records. It is my experience with Baptists (and my husband's family were Baptists for generations. As a matter of fact one of his ancestors, Stukely Westcott, helped start the first Baptist church in NA in Providence Rhode Island.) that in many areas Baptist ministers were not allowed to perform marriages so the marriages were performed in other churches. As well they were not good record keepers. Try doing research in NS/NB where many Loyalists were Baptists. Records are pretty hit and miss. Although there are often records of church members there is no identifying information with the name. Rather frustrating.

Permalink Reply by Lorine McGinnis Schulze on July 28, 2009 at 9:55am

I have used Ontario Archives microfilm for their miscellaneous Methodist/United Church church records, also McMaster University in Hamilton.

For Catholic Church records it seems to be hit and miss. Many churches won't let you access their records, nor do they offer fee-based searches. Some do have a pay-for-service option, but I've had to write/contact individual churches to find out if and how I can obtain records.

In most cases I've been refused. In the case of one Catholic church in the Niagara region of Ontario, the priest refuses to open the books (even though they have been open in the past!!), nor will he let anyone in his parish search on my behalf (and yes, I have offered payment, in fact my inital letter of inquiry included a nice donation to the church....) I have been trying for 12 years to have a search made for one of my Irish Catholic ancestors who married and baptised children there.

And yet the Catholic Church in another part of Ontario where this same ancestor later baptised children, has a very reasonable hourly rate to have the church secretary look on your behalf.

Permalink Reply by William Bruce Hillman on July 30, 2009 at 2:53pm

For the Mennonites in Ontario
http://grebel.uwaterloo.ca/mao/index.html

Permalink Reply by Debbie Burr on August 1, 2009 at 10:13pm

I had an interesting thing happen to me with regards to Presbyterian records in Strathroy Ontario. I was seeking records for a fellow whose ancestor was amongst the earliest settlers of Strathroy. After a lot of searching and phone calls I was told by an archivist that back in the mid 19th century some of the preachers in the Presbyterian Church took their church ledgers with them when they left for another church. In the case of the preacher at the church in Strathroy, he left and moved to the US and the records have been lost forever.

Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Kipp nee Blake on August 4, 2009 at 6:21am

Anglican Diocese of Ottawa Archives has a database which includes all of their Parish Registers (limited by the Personal Information restriction). It is an excellent resource and they permit you to search it for an hourly fee onsite. There is a charge for each Register which they bring to you from the vault. The Archives is centrally located in Ottawa within walking distance of Library and Archives Canada. I do not have any Ottawa Diocese names but my husband has a number and searching on one of his surnames "LINK" revealed nearly 100 entries (baptisms, marriages and burials). This particular line is United Empire Loyalist and has been in Canada (Upper Canada and Lower Canada later Canada West and then Ontario) since the early 1780s.

Permalink Reply by M. Diane Rogers on August 4, 2009 at 8:17am

Thanks for the info, Elizabeth. The Anglican Church Archives has a directory page with contact info for all its Canadian Archives. This has a map showing the Dioceses and Ecclesiastical Provinces in Canada: http://www.anglican.ca/about/departments/gso/archives/archives-list...