Research Information
Research Topics
- Businesses and organizations
- Homes and properties
- Natural history, marine history, military history and many local topics of interest
- People and family history
Start by checking out our Online Collections database. Currently, a portion of the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre’s Collection is searchable through this site. We are always adding records, so check back often!
During your research process, you may also wish to consult Bruce Remembers Virtual War Memorial, Historic Photographs, and Research Links for other resources related to the history of Bruce County and its residents.
The Bruce County Archives is grateful for the partnership and support of Bruce County Historical Society, Bruce County Genealogical Society, and Bruce & Grey Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society.
Visit us in person!
The Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre is home to a wonderful Research Room and Archives, housed in the 1878 Southampton Public School part of the Museum. The Research Room includes the Bruce County Genealogical Society’s “Audrey Webster Underwood Library.”
Knowledgeable archives staff supervise the Research Room and are available to provide guidance concerning the most appropriate resources and/or research methods to use to achieve your goals. Published books and secondary sources are available for access in the Research Room. Upon consultation with staff, researchers may also be provided access to documents stored in our archival storage area. Stored on the shelves in the Archives is every kind of record imaginable. These records tell the story of Bruce County – both past and present – including:
- Municipal and County Government Records, including minutes, by-laws and tax rolls;
- Education Records, including minute books, financial records, and early attendance registers;
- Business/Organizational Records, including minutes, financial records and publicity records;
- Personal Papers, including letters, diaries, family histories, and more;
- Photographs and postcards
- Maps
Online Collections Tutorial
Finding Aids
The finding aids and links below were prepared for researchers to learn about the resources available in the Archives and Research Room. These lists only reflect a selection of our collection. Researchers are encouraged to call ahead to arrange for items in these aids to be retrieved from the archival storage area, and to ask whether there may be other items in the collection relevant to their research topic. These are generally only descriptions of the items and not digital copies of them.
Large stands of forests used to cover much of what is now Bruce County. The diversity and number of trees made this area an ideal place for talented and industrious individuals to create a living working with this rich resource.
- Brief History of Bruce County Furniture Factories
- Furniture Catalogues of Bruce County and Grey County
- Krug Bros. Co. Ltd. Furniture Catalogues (Krug family fonds, series 1, subseries 8, file 1)
- American and Canadian Furniture Company Catalogues, not including Bruce & Grey Counties (Krug farmly fonds, series 1, subseries 6
- Krug Bros. Ltd. Co. Business Records (Series 1 of Krug family fonds)
- Krug Farms and Chesley Chair Company Limited (Series 2 of Krug family fonds)
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. The Bruce & Grey Branch O.G.S. transcriptions are now available online for free.
Census and Vital Statistics Records
Microfilm copies of census records and birth, marriage and death indexes and registrations.
Directories and Telephone Books
Directories list names, occupations and other information about residents of towns/townships
Telephone books have similar information, without the occupation, in more recent times.
Family Histories
Search our Online Collections for family history books and family trees. Also browse the collection by name using the Term Search page of Online Collections
Genealogy Resource Checklist
A checklist of materials in the Research Room & Archives that may be useful to family historians.
Newspaper Holdings
List of microfilm copies of local newspapers.
Newspapers during the First World War period (1914-1918)
The Paisley Advocate, Port Elgin Times, Walkerton Telescope, and the Canadian Echo (Wiarton) newspapers have been digitized in a PDF searchable format and are available through our Online Collections site. This project was completed by the Bruce County Genealogy Society, in partnership with the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre, with assistance from a Trillium Grant.
Newspapers – Inventory of Kincardine Newspapers on Microfilm, 1877-1932
Inventory of Kincardine Newspapers (1877-1932) on microfilm at the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre. The BCM&CC also holds more complete microfilm of the Kincardine News issues from 1934-1971.
Personal Papers
As the years go by, everyone amasses a great amount of records in the form of personal and business letters, journals, diaries, photographs and the like. Often, these materials are passed on from generation to generation and can find their way into the Archives. These records give us a first- hand account of what life was like in the past. See our Online Collections to view descriptions, and in some cases images, of a selection of personal papers.
Online Collections – People Search
Visit the “Term Search” page of our Online Collections to see a list of people known to be associated with records currently described online. As this represents only a small percentage of our records, visit the Archives & Research room to continue your research.
The Archives are the official repository for many of the permanently retained records of the Corporation of the County of Bruce. As well, other Bruce County municipalities have transferred some of their archival materials to the Archives. These records include Land Transfer Copy Books, Assessment and Collector’s Rolls, Voters’ Lists, Minutes, By-Laws, correspondence and more.
County of Bruce
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.
Municipality of Arran-Elderslie (including the former Arran Township, Elderslie Township, Chesley, Paisley, and Tara)
Municipality of Brockton (including the former Brant Township, Greenock Township, and Walkerton)
Township of Huron-Kinloss (including the former Huron Township, Kinloss Township, Lucknow, and Ripley)
Municipality of Kincardine (including the former Bruce Township, Kincardine Township, Kincardine, and Tiverton)
Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula (including the former Eastnor Township, Lindsay Township, St. Edmunds Township, Lion’s Head, and Tobermory)
Town of Saugeen Shores (including the former Saugeen Township, Port Elgin, and Southampton)
Municipality of South Bruce (including the former Carrick Township, Culross Township, Mildmay, and Teeswater)
Town of South Bruce Peninsula (including the former Albemarle Township, Amabel Township, Hepworth and Wiarton)
Many published resources about various geographical parts of Bruce County are available in the Research Room. Try entering your location in the “Place” field in the Online Collections advanced search page, with the “Library” catalogue checked at the top of that page.
Bruce Krug Local History Scrapbooks
Bruce Krug created scrapbooks for every former township of Bruce County, consisting of newspaper clippings, historical notes, photographs, and summaries of interviews he conducted with Bruce County residents. Indices of the scrapbooks are available in the Finding Aid Links field in the Online Collections descriptions of each scrapbook.
For Southampton information and people, also consider reviewing the John B. Weichel research collection inventory, consisting primarily of notes and copies of newspapers and other published materials collected by author and historian, John Weichel.
For information about First Nations, check out the Peter Schmalz fonds or use “First Nation*” as a keyword search in our Online Collections.
Newspaper Holdings
List of microfilm copies of local newspapers.
Newspapers – Inventory of Kincardine Newspapers on Microfilm, 1877-1932
Inventory of Kincardine Newspapers (1877-1932) on microfilm at the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre. The BCM&CC also holds more complete microfilm of the Kincardine News issues from 1934-1971.
Newspapers during the First World War period (1914-1918)
The Paisley Advocate, Port Elgin Times, Walkerton Telescope, and the Canadian Echo (Wiarton) newspapers have been digitized in a PDF searchable format and are available through our Online Collections site. This project was completed by the Bruce County Genealogy Society, in partnership with the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre, with assistance from a Trillium Grant.
The Research Room and Archives contain a variety of marine related resources. These include books on the maritime history of Bruce County, microfilm of Marine Casualties on the Great Lakes 1863-1873, Lighthouse Keepers logs, Marine Heritage scrapbooks, and more. For more photographs see the Historic Photo Gallery.
Search images from our collection pertaining to the military history of the people of Bruce County. Want to know more? Visit Bruce Remembers Virtual War Memorial or the Research Room to learn about Bruce County’s military involvement. General military history books are available as well as microfilm reels from pre 1900 involvement in the 32nd Bruce Battalion. Most of our Area Histories have a chapter on the military involvement of their community. We have a variety of newspapers that cover the war years. Our collection boasts both audio and video oral histories of local veterans.
Our collection also features soldiers’ letters and diaries.
Military Oral History Interviews
Video interviews completed since 2005 of local veterans around Bruce and Grey Counties, available to be viewed at the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre in the Research Room.
Newspapers during the First World War period (1914-1918)
The Paisley Advocate, Port Elgin Times, Walkerton Telescope, and the Canadian Echo (Wiarton) newspapers have been digitized in a PDF searchable format and are available through our Online Collections site. This project was completed by the Bruce County Genealogy Society, in partnership with the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre, with assistance from a Trillium Grant.
Unable to visit in person? We offer a fee-based research service for some types of research requests. Fill out the form below and we will contact you about your request. *Please note, the minimum fee for completing a research request is $30.00, payable in advance.
- Research fee: $30.00 per hour, in increments of 1 hour, with a minimum fee of $30.00 + HST, payable in advance. If no resources are available relating to the request, you will be so advised in the initial ‘time/cost’ assessment, and no fee will be charged
- Photocopies: 25 cents per page (legal/letter) – 50 cents per page (ledger/tabloid)
- Shipping & Handling: Minimum $5.00
- Fax: $2.00 minimum
- E-mail: $2.00 per e-mail
- Plus HST
Once your information is submitted, we will contact you via email of phone to confirm payment arrangements.
Research Request Form
