Canada, Locating Local Histories - International Institute

The libraries which form a rich resource in most provincial archives are prime repositories for local histories. The obvious choice for researchers is to consult the catalogue for the library looking under the name of the town which is needed. If something is found, the problem is solved. But can a researcher be sure that the library really does not have a local history which will help them?

The cataloguing of any book is only as adequate as the policies of the library concerned and the viewpoint of the cataloguer allow. In the case of some volumes, which cover a number of places, the cataloguing might be quite lacking. The huge local histories from the Prairies, for instance, are very valuable genealogically as most include family histories and biographies. The titles of many of these histories are often vague, almost valueless (e.g., Their hopes, our heritage; A harvest of memories).

A bibliography of local history is a good alternative, because the places will be listed by name. The first hurdle to locating the history of the place which interests you is discovering that one exists and what it is called. A bibliography will solve the problem.

Ask the archivist if a suitable bibliography exists. It may well be on the reference shelf with the dictionaries. Once you have it, scour it thoroughly. In the provinces without township names or counties, you may need to check not only the locality, but also the rural or regional municipality’s name, the school district or parish. If there have been name changes over the years, be aware of them.

The local history, once discovered, may well point you to archival resources which you may find at the local archives, provincially, or in a special archives somewhere.

A few bibliographies of local histories:
Barbara B. Aitken. Local histories of Ontario municipalities. 3 v. covering 1951-1998. 1978-1998.

Melvin Baker. Bibliography of Newfoundland history books in print. 6th ed. 1991. Earlier editions entitled Bibliography of Newfoundland history.

Christopher Hackett. A Bibliography of Manitoba local history: a guide to local and regional histories written about communities in Manitoba. 2nd ed. 1989.

Linda L. Hale and Jean Barman. British Columbia local histories: a bibliography. 1991.

Joanna E. Krotki. Local histories of Alberta: an annotated bibliography. 1983.

Sharon Maier. Saskatchewan local history directory: a locality guide to community and church histories in the Prairie History Room, Regina Public Library. 1999.

Bruce Peel. A bibliography of the Prairie Provinces to 1953, with biographical index. 2d edition. 1973.

Leonard H. Smith, Jr. Nova Scotia, genealogy and local history: a trial bibliography. 1984.

Hugh A. Taylor. New Brunswick history: a checklist of secondary sources. 1968, further edition 1971, supplement 1974, second supplement 1984.

The search for local histories might profitably take place before you visit the archives, if you have resources in your home libraries. Another possible resource is the Internet. Try entering the place name preceded by the term “local history” into your search engine. For example, such a search for Collingwood local history quickly results in Butcher, Baker and Building the Lakers: Voices of Collingwood by Christine Cowley. This is a collection of stories from local residents about Collingwood’s past that will surely interest anyone with family connections to the town.

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