Research My Family Tree

Ancestry Library Edition

You can use this tool to access census records, city directories, passenger lists, maps, immigration lists and more. You may view records from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. You may use Ancestry Library Edition remotely.

FamilySearch

FamilySearch contains documents such as civil registration records; church records; and probate, census, land, tax, and military records. The collection also contains compiled sources such as family histories, clan and lineage genealogies, oral pedigrees, and local histories. Create a FamilySearch account to access the records. Only accessible within the Main Library.

Yearbooks

You can view a collection of yearbooks from Guelph schools. Available yearbooks:

Newspapers

You may use newspapers to find death, birth or marriage notices. We also have some of the photographs from the Guelph Mercury and Guelph Tribune. You can search for images of weddings and events that may include a family member.

Local histories

We have books on local history that can give background to your family's story. Some examples include:

• Guelph: A People's Heritage, 1827-1927
• A History of Guelph 1827-1927
• Guelph: Perspectives on a century of change 1900-2000

Vital statistics

You may be aware of births, marriages, and death records. You will find indexes for:

• Births 1869 to 1914
• Marriages 1869 to 1929
• Deaths 1869 to 1939

Census records

You might want to use census returns. Censuses are government records that provides information about age, occupation or ethnic origin of a country's population. We have census returns on microfilm for:

• Gore District 1818 to 1845
• Wellington County 1851 except Guelph, 1861, and 1881.
• all of Ontario 1871, 1891, 1901

Non vital statistics

We hold records from the Wellington County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical society. You will find:

• cemetery records for Guelph and Wellington County
• indexes to the Guelph Herald
• family histories
• books about genealogy

Municipal records

You can find clues about a person's age, faith or job. You can do this by using assessment rolls. The assessment rolls are organised by year, then alphabetically by ward name. We have 1852 to 1898 available on microfilm. Additional records are stored offsite.

Additional Local History Resources

View the Genealogy Resources document for more detail on the many genealogical resources available at the Guelph Public Library.