Archives of Ontario (AO) – Toronto
The Archives of Ontario collects public and private sector documentation that supports research into Ontario families and history. A key resource are its holdings of Ontario’s vital statistics records, with a new year released annually. The large and extensive collection provides a rich resource for those undertaking research into their Jewish families in Ontario. The AO has published many research guides that provide clear explanations of the various collections and how they can be used. A general guide to resources available for family research at the Archives of Ontario can be found in Research Guide 299.
The Archives of Ontario has produced a video and instructions for those who wish to start their genealogical research at the Archives of Ontario.
There are also 28 specialized online research guides or pathfinders that provide additional details about specific types of records in the Archives. The list of all these guides is found on the Research Guides and Tools page of their website. Research guides and pathfinders, which are available in Word and PDF formats, provide step-by-step instructions to help you find these related records.
Of interest are government records related to adoption and guardianship, bankruptcy, birth, changes of name, citizenship and naturalization, criminal justice, directories, death, divorce, education, health, immigration, land records (crown and land registry), marriage, military, municipal, probate/estates, voters’ lists, wills and estates. Also available are maps, plans and atlases related to land ownership, occupancy, and use, as well as federal census records, federal passenger lists, library materials, and newspapers.
A guide that provides information about collections of particular interest for Jewish genealogy is Research Guide 235, for Multiculturalism and Ethno-Cultural Communities in Ontario.
