Ontario Municipal Records

Municipal Records
Municipalities keep minutes and business records. Many county records begin in 1850, at the time of the Municipalities Act. Records for the cities, towns, and villages begin whenever the community was incorporated and began its own activities separate from the county.

The Archives of Ontario and the Family History Library have microfilm copies of minutes and some other municipal records dating before 1900 for more than 200 communities in Ontario. Records for the rest of the more than 800 municipalities in the province must be obtained from the municipal offices or regional archives holding them.

A discussion of ways to use municipal records in family history research is in:


 * Walsh, Mark. Municipal Archives and Genealogy, pp. 67-75, in Debra Butler Honor, editor. In the Footsteps of the Habitants. Toronto, Ontario: The Ontario Genealogical Society, 1986. (FHL book ; not on microfilm.)

Addresses for all incorporated municipalities and some archives and government offices in Ontario are in the appropriate sections of:


 * Canadian Almanac and Directory. Toronto, Ontario: Canadian Almanac &amp; Directory Publishing Company, annual. (FHL book ; not on microfilm.)