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The Archives of Ontario (French: Archives publiques de l'Ontario) are the archives for the province of Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1903 as the "Bureau of Archives", the archives are now under the responsibility of the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services. The main offices of the archive are located at York University in the northwest sector of Toronto. (Source: Wikipedia)
Usage Tips
- All visitors to the Archives require an Archives of Ontario Researcher (AOR) card. This can be ordered in advance (online) to save time when you arrive. Registering in person requires one piece of Government issued identification to be presented (such as a Driver’s Licence, Passport, or a Government photo identification card).
- The potential user is well-advised to consult the Archives' website before visiting the facility. The website provides a great deal of background information about what records are held. For a further description of the Archives of Ontario, its holdings and how they are organized, see the blog Where the Story Takes Me by Jane E. Macnamara.
- Archives of Ontario is the official holder of publicly available registrations of births, marriages and deaths for the province. Registrations are withheld for more recent events. The website lists the availability dates. The Archives only provide this information within their headquarters, formerly it was also available through them online, but now can only be obtained through Ancestry and FamilySearch.
- Records of land ownership, wills and the census are also available at the Archives.
- Ontario Archives, as it is also known, is now located on the edge of Toronto within the campus of York University. Public transportation is available, not only by subway from the centre of the city, but also by bus from smaller towns and cities in the immediate vicinity, even those on the other side of Toronto.
- The Changing Shape of Ontario is an online exhibition that is not easily found by following the headings on the left of the pages of the Archives' website. It is a history based on maps illustrating the evolution of the province from its inception in 1791 through to the late 20th century. A series of county maps from the period 1945-52 are well worth examining to understand the township structure as it was originally organized when the counties were first settled. (Commencing in the early 1970s, this structure has been reorganized on a county by county basis. In some cases the reorganization has happened twice.)
- Further topics can be found from the headings on the left of all website pages:
- A series of "online exhibits" --a long series of collections of historic materials dealing with events and people in Ontario's past.
- Professional Development leads to further exhibitions covering French Ontario in the 17th and 18th Centuries, The War of 1812, The Black Canadian Experience in Ontario 1834-1914, and Canadian Posters from the First World War.
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