Genealogy

The Audrey Webster Underwood Library of the Bruce County Genealogical Society is housed in the Research Room. These materials, combined with other records supplied by the BCM&CC and the Bruce & Grey Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, make our Research Room an ideal place for genealogical research.

Interested in your family history but don’t know where to start?  We have helpful staff to guide you through the research process.  There is also a Genealogy Workshop offered by the Bruce County Genealogical Society, generally every spring. 

Some of the items in the Research Room and Archives are searchable through our Online Collections database. 

Also check out our Genealogy Resource Checklist for a list of items frequently used by genealogists. 

Some of the genealogical resources available in the Research Room and Archives include:

• Census records on microfilm, through Ancestry.com, and transcribed specifically for the County of Bruce
• Family Histories:  Search our Online Collections for family history books and family trees. Also browse the Collection by Name.
• Cemetery transcriptions:  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 the Bruce County Genealogical Society website to discover tools to help locate cemeteries.   The Bruce & Grey Branch O.G.S. transcriptions are now available online for free.
• Bruce County directories
• Land record abstracts and registry copy books
• Ontario Birth / Marriage / Death Indexes and Registrations for Bruce County on microfilm: 1869 – 1914 (births), 1858 – 1929 (marriages) and 1869 – 1939 (deaths)
• Ancestory.com Library Edition, including census information, birth, marriage, and death registrations, and more
• Local town and township histories
• Genealogy Resource Checklist
• Newspaper indexes – mainly births / marriages / deaths from Wiarton, Chesley, Paisley, Lucknow and Port Elgin
• Birth / Marriage / Death newspaper clippings organized alphabetically
• Books on Scottish, Irish and English genealogy
• Copies of Women’s Institute Tweedsmuir Community Histories (compiled local histories)
• Assessment rolls

The Research Information Page also contains more information about resources in our Collection.

If you are planning several hours of research or require materials to be retrieved from the archival storage area on a Saturday, please call the Research Room (519-797-2080) in advance to make an appointment.  If you require a microfilm reader or use of a computer, please call ahead to reserve one. Otherwise, they operate on a first come, first served basis.