Focus on an Archive: Lindsay Public Library Reference Section

When you think of great research places, a place like the Lindsay Branch of the City of Kawartha Lakes Public Library system would not immediately come to mind. With a population of just over 20,000, Lindsay is part of the amalgamated City of Kawartha Lakes (formerly Victoria County). It has a unique combination of both small city and small town feel. The library building itself is a historic building, built in 1902. An addition was added in 1977. The reference section is located on the second floor. You can see a history timeline of the library here.

Onsite Holdings

What I love the most about the Lindsay Library is they love genealogy and genealogists. A large section of the reference section's shelves are devoted to genealogy and history. Because it is the reference section, these items are not available to take home. But trust me, you can easily spend a happy few hours here and not even realize it. Take a look at a few of what they offer in the way of books:

• Donald A. McKenzie's book series of notices from the Christian Guardian and the Canada Christian Advocate. They also have his collection of Notices from Methodists Papers
• Books on local history and provincial history
• Many different books of passenger lists from the 1800's
• Books on Genealogy Methodology
• Many Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) publications
• William Reids books "Death Notices of Ontario", "Loyalists in Ontario", Marriage Notices of Ontario"
• Linda and Gary Coupe's books on the early Assize Court records and Heir and Devisee Commission records
• Multiple volumes of The Ontario Register
• Family histories of several surnames. Some of the names I saw were Tripp, Quibell, Lamb and Logan.
• The series of Wesleyan Methodist Baptismal Registers

The Lindsay Library participates in inter library loan. I have used them in the past to obtain reels from both the Archives of Ontario and the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. They have a microfilm section onsite as well. There are two microfilm readers there that you can print from. A third reader that is USB capable is in the works. On microfilm you can find the following:

• Victoria/Watchman Warder (newspaper) 1976-1933
• Canada/Evening/Lindsay Post (newspaper)1861-1933
• Lindsay Daily Post (newspaper)1933-1997
• Lindsay Post (newspaper)1998-2013
• Fenelon Gazette (newspaper)
• Beaverton Express (newspaper)
• Peterborough Examiner/Dispatch/Review (newspaper)
• Ontario Civil Registration Indexes
• Peter Robinson Settlers Returns and Land Grants
• Assessments
• Census Records

There is a huge section of binders. Some of these compiled collections are transcriptions only, while some have photocopied images as well. There are Lindsay city directories, business directories for Victoria County, and cemetery transcriptions from around the province. There are transcriptions of local newspapers, census records, and voter's lists for Victoria County. Here's some of the more unique items I found within the binders:

• A transcription of the index for the Peterborough County and Lindsay area inquests covering years from the 1840's to the 1930's 
• Land record collections for Ops Township and for the Peter Robinson Settlers
• The Surrogate Court Index for Peterborough and Victoria Counties
• Transcriptions of Marriage Registrations for various parts of Ontario from 1792-1900
• The Mariposa Census of 1839
• McCarty Jewellers Marriage License Records, Lindsay Sept 1905-1921
• Pioneer Businesses and Proprietors. This is a collection of photos and clippings relating to some of the first businesses and business owners in the local area 

They also have a huge collection of genealogy newsletters from branches of the OGS, the Haliburton Highlands Genealogy Group, Trent Valley Archives, and the Kawartha Ancestral Research Group.

The library has several computers that you can use on site with a library card. Using these you can access Ancestry Library Edition, Gale Genealogy Connect, and Find My Past. You can also access Toronto Star's Pages of the Past and the Globe and Mail Canada's Heritage. It's best to call a reserve a computer, as these are a very popular feature of the library. Wifi connection if you want to bring your laptop is free. If you are not a Kawartha Lakes resident, you can get a guest pass. 

One really unique thing I found at the library was actually on the walls. They are three maps. One is a plan of the Town of Lindsay itself from 1860:

There are two land owner maps as well, dated 1916. One is for Ops Township, and the other is for Fenelon Township. If you had land owning ancestors in either of these two townships in 1916, you can see their name on these maps:

Online presence

The City of Kawartha Lakes Library system has a website. You can access their section on genealogy and local history here. On the site are digitized Vernon's City Directories, some newspapers, and a collection of photographs and clippings. In fact, through the section of the website here, you can access many historical and genealogical resources from the comfort of your own home, as long as you have a valid library card. Ancestry and Find My Past are only available at the library itself, but you can access Gale, the Toronto Star, and The Globe and Mail from home. 

Through their website you can also look at their complete holdings. The page to access their catalogue is here.

Research Services

Can't make the trip to Lindsay? Well staff will do research for you! The first half hour of research is free, and $40.00 per hour after that. The research request form is here. Don't worry about any expensive surprises though. If the staff feels the research will take longer than the free half hour, they will contact you and you can discuss details before they proceed. 

The Library hours are 10 am - 8 pm Monday to Thursday, 10am - 5pm Friday and Saturday. They are open 1pm - 4 pm on Sundays, but only from mid October to mid May. Their contact information is:

Lindsay Administration

P.O. Box 9000

Lindsay, Ontario

K9V 2Y6

Phone: 705-324-9411 ext. 1291 or 1-888-822-2225 ext.1291

Fax: 705-878-1859

Focus on an Archive: Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, NWT

On my recent trip to the Northwest Territories, I made sure I made a visit to the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (PWNHC). I'm very lucky in that my significant other is a history buff like me. He was all for taking a look with me. We made a point of planning our trip in such a way that we would be able to have lots of time to spend there.

Built in 1979, it is the Territorial Government's archive and museum.Now, unlike some of the Government Archives around the country, the PWNHC does not hold those usual records that we as genealogists crave, such as BMD's and land records. The reason for this is that these records are just too new to be publicly available. They are still held in the custody of the particular government department they belong to. Older records that don't fall under privacy legislation are most likely held in the Archives in the Prairie Provinces, all of which used to be part of the Northwest Territories.

The PWNHC instead focuses on a general history of the Territories. They do have some government records that relate more to the running of the Territory. They also have private collections of records from both individuals and businesses. There's an extensive photo collection, audio and visual files, and maps. You can also take a look at their collection of publications on the history of the Territory. For a more detailed explanation of their holdings, you can check their website here.

The jewel in the crown though is the museum. We spent a long time going through the building. I was very impressed with how interactive all the displays were. They have dioramas of all the various arctic animals. In front of each animal was a information stand, with statistics on the animal's size, habitat, etc. Many of them had pelts attached that you could touch. In a glass case beside each diorama were example of all the products that were made from that animal and tools. At the bottom of each case was the name of the animal in English, French, and several of the indigenous languages. You can also listen to audio files, some with elders talking about their experiences

There are also displays telling the history of the many different Native groups, and a general history of the Northwest Territories. There are displays of clothing, furniture, and an absolutely huge mooseskin boat. I learned a great deal in just a couple of hours.

Along with their permanent displays, the PWNHC have travelling exhibits available for NWT communities to display. They also have virtual exhibits online here.

The museum is open daily from 1030 a.m.-5 p.m. and until 9 p.m. on Thursdays. There's a cafe onsite that is open the same hours. The archive is open Monday to Friday 9 a.m.-12 noon and 1 p.m. to 430 p.m. If you have mobility problems, both levels are designed to accommodate.