St Catharines Ontario FamilySearch Centre

We are an authorized FamilySearch center and serve the Niagara area of southern Ontario, with many resources available for the area as space allows.

Centre Contacts
Location


 * 351 Glenridge Ave, St. Catharines ON, L2T 3K5, Canada
 * We are located on the east side of Glenridge Avenue, south of  Glendale Avenue (below the rise of the escarpment).
 * For Google map Location on Google Map ((GPS): N43 9.56574 - W79 14.81244)
 * WE DO NOT HAVE A PHONE

E-mail:[mailto:on_stcatharines@familyhistorymail.org on_stcatharines@familyhistorymail.org] or on our Facebook page

Centre Hours
THE ST. CATHARINES FAMILY HISTORY CENTER IS OPEN EVERY THURSDAY FROM 10:00AM to 1:00PM.


 * IF SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED OR IF THERE IS A TRAVEL ADVISORY DUE TO BAD WEATHER, WE WILL PROBABLY NOT BE OPEN; WATCH OUR FACEBOOK PAGE OR THIS SPACE
 * WE STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT BEFORE ATTENDING THE CENTER YOU OPEN A "FREE" ACCOUNT WITH www.familysearch.org SO THAT YOU CAN EASILY ACCESS ALL OF THE ONLINE RESOURCES OFFERED BY FAMILYSEARCH. 
 * WE STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT BEFORE ATTENDING THE CENTER YOU OPEN A "FREE" ACCOUNT WITH www.familysearch.org SO THAT YOU CAN EASILY ACCESS ALL OF THE ONLINE RESOURCES OFFERED BY FAMILYSEARCH. 
 * WE STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT BEFORE ATTENDING THE CENTER YOU OPEN A "FREE" ACCOUNT WITH www.familysearch.org SO THAT YOU CAN EASILY ACCESS ALL OF THE ONLINE RESOURCES OFFERED BY FAMILYSEARCH. 

Collections at St. Catharines FamilySearch Centre - Books, Films, Fiche

 * Biographies &amp; Genealogies


 * Books


 * Cemetery Transcripts


 * Census Records


 * British Isles
 * Canada and North America


 * Church Records


 * Canada
 * Central South America
 * Central Europe
 * Eastern Europe Russia
 * England Wales
 * Ireland, North South
 * Scotland
 * Scandanavia
 * U.S.A.


 * Civil Registrations and Vitals Statistics


 * British Isles
 * Canada
 * Central America
 * Europe
 * U.S.A.


 * Family History Society Journals


 * Land, Estate &amp; Manorial Records


 * Monumental Inscriptions


 * Passenger Lists


 * Will Probate Indices

Numerical Microfilm List  Numerical Microfiche List 

Databases and Software

 * FamilySearch Center Portal This centre has access to the FamilySearch Center Portal page which gives free access in the centre to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.

Equipment
5 computers, 3 microfilm readers (35 mm and 16 mm), 2 microfiche reader, photocopier

You are invited to bring your laptop which can be connected to our portal page so you can access the premium pages; as well you can bring your digital camera to use.

Centre Services
1. FamilySearch Centre In-House Resources - table of typical resources found at most, if not all FamilySearch Centres. These resources are all located at our centre.

2. FamilySearch has arranged for several premium online research services to be available at FamilySearch Centers through their Portal. Below is a list of those websites:


 * 19th Century British Library Newspaper - British Victorian newspapers held at the British Library
 * Alexander Street Press - American Civil War
 * American Ancestors - from the New England Genealogical Society primarily focused on American records
 * Ancestry - Institution Version
 * ArkivDigital - the largest private provider of Swedish church and other historical records
 * FamNet - network for those with roots in New Zealand
 * Findmypast - great resource for British ancestry but not all offerings are available via the Portal
 * Fold 3 - great resource for military records
 * My Heritage - Library Edition - this web site has recently purchased the whole of the French archival records held by Filae, a must for anyone with French ancestry.  Otherwise, this site has much in the way of European archival records.
 * Newspaper Archives - historical newspapers around the U.S.A. and the world
 * Newspapers.com - worldwide collection of 12,100 newspapers dating from the 1700s to the 2000s.
 * Paper Trail - access 19th-century westward American migration documents
 * Puzzilla - Premium Services - find new research opportunities on descendant lines in Family Tree

Staff Research Specialties
Leonard Swift

Stake Temple and Family History Consultant (Centre director)

Karen Fraser

Ward Temple and Family History Consultant email:   iamkarenfraser@gmail.com

Susan D. Young

Volunteer librarian, Temple and Family History Consultant and British and European Research Specialist. Please see her user page here

Resources in the Local Area
1.Centennial Public Library Special Collections 68 Church Street, St. Catharines (905) 688-6103 Our Centennial Public Library has extensive information for the Niagara area; Ontario civil registration indices of birth, marriage and death; province-wide early marriage, baptism, burial and probate  records; extensive collection of local genealogies and much more.

2.James A. Gibson Library, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, Ontario (905) 688-5550 Ext. 4335

This special collections' library holds many records for genealogy and historical research of ancestors in the Niagara peninsula including the following collections: •The Niagara Collection - covering all aspects of life and history in the Niagara area from the earliest times to the present, including the extant St. Catharines Assessment Rolls and the original Land Memorial books for Lincoln County  •The Loyalist Collection - primary source materials for the study of the United Empire Loyalists  •The Masonic Book Collection - one of the largest collections of books on Freemasonry in a Canadian university •War of 1812 Collections - a repository of 1812 era records, books and newspapers

3.St. Catharines Museum 1932 Welland Canals Pkwy. St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 7K6 Tel: 905.984.8880 or 1-800-305-5134 Fax: 905.984.6910 email: museum@stcatharines.ca Our purpose is to collect, preserve, research, exhibit and interpret artifacts and archival records, along with their associated information relative to the history of St. Catharines and the Welland Canals, including  • Girl Guides, • Fred Pattison Aviation Collection (BCAPT), • St. Lawrence Seaway, • family papers, • marine photographs, • Ferranti-Packard, and • the DeCew Falls Waterworks Collection.

4.Historical Society of St. Catharines

Its mission is to increase the knowledge and appreciation of the history of St. Catharines and vicinity.

5.Mayholme Foundation, 525 Ontario Street, St. Catharines, Ontario (905) 934-1173

Mayholme Foundation is a non-profit charitable group dedicated to the study and collection of family history and to preserve the heritage of families in the areas of Old Lincoln and Welland counties and may have information you could use.

Links
(Include links to other websites of interest to those who visit your centre such as links to the city, county and state wiki pages where your centre is located.)

1. City of St. Catharines information for visitors and residents

2. Tourism St. Catharines includes listings for local hotels and motels

3. Victoria Lawn Cemetery - index and photographs of approximately 2077 headstones located in the primary cemetery of St. Catharines.

Volunteer at the Centre
(Include information here about the volunteers you are looking for.)