Finding Aids

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The lists below have been prepared to aid researchers in learning more about the resources available in the Archives and Reading Room.

A small, but growing, number of items in the Bruce County Archives are also described on the Archives Association of Ontario archival network database: Archeion – Ontario’s Archival Network . These include the following fonds not listed below:

Brant Agricultural Society, Colpoy’s Bay United Church, Donald Cameron fonds, McInnes General Store fonds, Sauble Falls Telephone Company fonds, and Whitford Vandusen fonds

Collections and Fonds Finding Aids

These finding aids describe in some detail the contents of select large fonds or collections available for review in the Reading Room. Researchers should call ahead to arrange for items listed in these aids to be retrieved from the archival storage area.

A fonds is a body of records that were created, used and retained by a person or organization during the course of personal or business activities. A collection is a body of materials brought together with some unifying characteristic, such as a postcard collection.

Alexander Vidal fonds
Alexander Vidal was a Provincial Land Surveyor from 1843 to 1852 in the area of Canada West (Ontario). He was responsible for surveying the township of Saugeen, Bruce County in 1851 and participated in the survey of parts of Bentinck and Glenelg townships in Grey County in 1845.

County of Bruce fonds
This Finding Aid lists a portion of the materials held by the Archives for the County of Bruce. Contact Archives or County Staff for more information if the resource you are seeking is not listed here. The Bruce County Fonds consists of Administrative records for the United Counties of Huron, Perth and Bruce (1850-1852), the United Counties of Huron and Bruce (1853-1866), the County of Bruce Provisional Council (1857-1866), and the County of Bruce (1867-2008). The fonds includes departmental records for the County of Bruce from 1850-2008 and comprises the following series: Administration, Council & Legislative Services, Development & Planning, Finance & Accounting, Human Resources, Justice, Legal, Protection & Enforcement Services, Social & Health Care Services, Transportation Services.

Country Sisters Community Club fonds
The Country Sisters Club was established in late 1919 by women in the vicinity of S.S. #1,
Saugeen Township. The Club was formed as part of the United Farm Women of Ontario, a
women’s auxiliary to the United Farmers of Ontario.

Harold Button’s Orchestra fonds
Harold Robert Button, was born on September 15, 1916 in Kinloss Township,on the north-west edge of the Village of Lucknow. As a young man, Harold played his E-flat alto saxophone at over 400 engagements with local bands from 1936-1940.

John Peirson fonds
John Peirson (1839 – 1934) and his wife and Sarah Barkley (1838 – 1916) moved to Bruce County in or around 1863, settling near Burgoyne, on lots 2 and 3, River Range B, Saugeen Township. John Peirson was a farmer and local politician. His diary entries include information related to his family, political life, rural life, personal financial information, social engagements, church meetings, weather and farm operations and activities.

John Spence family fonds
Captain John Spence (1814-1904) was one of the first settlers in Southampton, Ontario, in or around 1849. Captain Spence and his sons engaged in a coastal trading and lumber business businesses in the 1880s and 1890s. They also kept general stores in Pike Bay, Dyer’s Bay and Tobermory.

John Weichel Research files index
These research files consist primarily of notes and copies of newspapers and other published materials collected by author and historian, John Weichel.

Leeder family fonds
This fonds consists chiefly of personal correspondence between the family members over five generations (1834 – 1937) from Saugeen Township in Bruce County, Ontario, to England, America, Cuba and wartime France; the personal journals of Nathaniel Leeder and Ed Leeder (1854 – 1904) detailing their experiences in Saugeen Township; and over one hundred years of Leeder family accounts and business transactions in England and Ontario (1830 – 1949).

Southampton Marine Heritage Society scrapbooks index

Orange Lodges of Bruce County collection

Orange Lodges of Bruce County collection – Membership Certificates

Port Elgin Senior Citizens Friendship Club #976 fonds

Robert Digby Belcher fonds
Robert Digby Belcher (b. 1951) was the great-grandson of Augusta Lucinda Barnes (1843-1905) and Col. Alexander Emerson Belcher (1844-1926) who resided in Southampton and was active in politics in the area. This fonds consists chiefly of records created and collected by Robert Belcher, during the course of his Belcher family genealogy research.

Thomas Vance family fonds
This fonds consists of records of Thomas Vance which provide some details of his fifteen year military career in the 31st Regiment of Foot in the British Army (1851 – 1866).

Resource Lists

These finding aids list an inventory of a particular type of resource available in the Reading Room.

Cemetery Locator & Finding Aid
The Bruce County Genealogical Society and the Bruce & Grey Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society have transcribed tombstones in many of the cemeteries in Bruce County. Click on the link to find which cemeteries have been transcribed and where they are.

Census and Vital Statistics Records
Microfilm copies of Census Records and Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes and Registrations.

Directories and Telephone Books

Family Histories Guide
The Bruce County Reading Room has a host of Family Histories. Please use the find feature in Adobe to see if your family name is mentioned

Genealogy Resource Checklist
A checklist of materials in the Research Room & Archives that may be useful to family historians.

Military Oral History Interviews
List of interviews completed since 2005 of local veterans around Bruce and Grey Counties. These videos are available to be viewed at the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre in the Reading Room.

Local Newspaper Holdings
List of microfilm copies of local newspapers

Kincardine Newspapers
Inventory of original Kincardine Newspapers at the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre

Primary Resources by Township
A list providing a sample of some of the primary resources held in the Archives, organized by Municipality. For more information about primary resources, please contact the Archives.