Contact

General Inquiries
Huntsville Public Library
7 Minerva Street East, Huntsville, ON, P1H 1W4

Phone: 705-789-5232

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Local History and Genealogy Resources

We welcome all visitors to our Muskoka Room.  We have a wealth of materials to help with local history or genealogical searches.  Please come and browse the following resources.

Local History Collection

  • The Muskoka Collection includes local histories of Muskoka, Parry Sound, Algonquin Park and the Almaguin Highlands. 
  • The Muskoka File cabinet includes histories of churches, schools, families, small local villages, steam navigation, the Portage Railway, the Anglo-Canadian Leather Company (the tannery), maps and other historical and current materials.
  • Dave and Jan Fisher's collection contains biographies of noteworthy citizens of the area, both past and present.
  • Local histories written by Joe Cookson, Susan Pryke, George Hutcheson and others tell Muskoka's history - view the Muskoka Collection Bibliography

Genealogy Collection 

Cemetery Records

  • These Our Ancestors Were: Records of Those Buried in Public Cemeteries and Private Plots in the District of Muskoka
  • Maps of local cemetery sites.
  • Links to scanned cemeteries in our genealogy links.

Newspapers

  • The Huntsville Forester, Huntsville's weekly newspaper available in microform format, 1895 to the present.  Index of births, deaths & marriages available in print format. 
  • StarGazing: Reflections from the Parry Sound North Star: A Collection of Birth, Marriage and Death Notices, 1874-1904.  
  • Brian Gilchrist's Inventory of Ontario Newspapers: 1793-1986

Census Records

  • Microfilm for the 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 Canada Census for Muskoka (also including the townships of Strong, Jolly, Armour, Kearney, Burk's Falls)
  • 1911 Canada Census available through Ancestry.com
  • Transcriptions of Chaffey Twp. 1881, Lake Vernon 1871 and Stisted 1881.
  • Assessment Rolls for Huntsville 1890-1926 and early Bell Canada Phone Directories 1906-1920 for Huntsville
  • 1851 and 1881 British Census [CD-ROM]

Vital Statistics

  • Indexes to the holdings of birth, marriage and death records from the Archives of Ontario. 
  • Access to birth, marriage and death records for Ontario are available through Ancestry.com at the library
  • County Marriage Registers of Ontario, 1858-1869 - Index.
  • Vital Records Index [CD-ROM] - British Isles 1538-1888
  • Vital Records Index [CD-ROM] - North America 1631-1888

Maps & Atlases

  • Guide Book and Atlas of Muskoka & Parry Sound Districts 1879.
  • 1879 Historical Atlases for most of Ontario
  • Maps for Huntsville and Muskoka in the Muskoka File.

General Guides

  • Angus Baxter's In Search of Your Roots (Canadian, British and European)
  • People of Ontario: 1600-1900
  • The Central Canadians: 1600-1900
  • The French Canadians: 1600-1900
  • Barbara Aiken's Local Histories of Ontario Municipalities: 1951-1977, 1977-1987, 1987-1997.
  • Ryan Taylor's Books You Need to do Genealogy in Ontario.
  • Places in Ontario: Their Name Origins & History  by Nick & Helma Mika
  • Genealogical Research Directory, 2000.
  • Full listing in the bibliography Genealogy Collection

Periodicals

  • Families and Newsleaf O.G.S.
  • Muskoka Parry Sound Genealogical Group Newsletter.
  • Family Chronicle Magazine.
  • Internet Genealogy Magazine.
  • Interlibrary Loan  Available to members of the Huntsville Library to borrow microfilm, books, videos, sound recordings and articles.

Internet Resources

Genealogy Help

  • Come to the library Thursday afternoons from 1-3 p.m. for one-on-one expert advice from a member of the Muskoka Parry Sound Genealogy Group.
  • Please ask at the Info Desk at the library at any time for assistance with the materials in the Muskoka Room.