Huntsville Public Library


7 Minerva St.
Huntsville, Ontario   P1H 1W4
705-789-5232
infodesk@huntsvillelibrary.net

 Picture of the Huntsville Public Library, red brick facade, single story with ramp, steps and flower and shrubbery planters at the entrance

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    Researching Your Family
    in The Muskoka Room at Huntsville Public Library

    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:

      Researching In The Muskoka Room
      The green binder on the top of the Genealogy Shelf has been prepared by the Muskoka Parry Sound Genealogy Group

      Muskoka Collection

      • Local histories of Muskoka, Algonquin Park and the Almaguin Highlands.  A full listing is available in the bibliography Muskoka Collection on top of the genealogy shelf  It is also available on-line by searching the Huntsville Public Library catalogue.
      • The collection includes histories of churches, schools, steam navigation, the Portage Railway, the Anglo-Canadian Leather Company (the tannery), and other historical and current materials.
      • Dave and Jan Fisher have donated their collection of  Huntsville Profiles--biographies of noteworthy  citizens of the area, both past and present.
      • Local histories written by Joe Cookson,  Susan Pryke, George Hutcheson and others, tell the story of Huntsville’s past.

      Muskoka File
      Two filing cabinets containing newspaper clippings, brochures, donated  autobiographies and pamphlets, tell the history  of Huntsville and of  Algonquin  Park .

      • Check for family histories by surname. (eg. Fetterly, Howland, Scarlett...)
      • Check for histories by geographic area. (eg. Stephenson Township,  Almaguin Highlands)
      • The collection includes subjects such as Churches, Schools, Maps of  the area.
      • All of the files are listed in the HPL catalogue -- try by title or subject keyword.

      Research Directory - Muskoka Parry Sound Genealogy Group
      This is a listing of family names being researched in our area.

      Cemetery Records

      • These Our Ancestors Were: Records of Those Buried in Public Cemeteries and Private Plots in the District of Muskoka (REF 971.3  The)
      • Use the index of names to locate the cemetery listing in either Parry Sound or Muskoka.  Check the Huntsville Forester microform collection for that date for a possible obituary.
      • Hekkla Cemetery has been scanned onto the Internet (SEE: small cemeteries link listed below)  and is also in  print form in the Muskoka file under Hekkla.
      • Maps of local cemetery sites are in the Muskoka File under "Cemeteries"
      • Places of Worship Index: Muskoka, Parry Sound, Nipissing Districts:  Before 1900  (REF 254.7 Pla) lists churches of that time period and those that are still active.
      • Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid -- CD-ROM or Internet version at www.islandnet.com/ocfa  lists 1.2 million names from 2100 cemeteries.
      • Useful sites
        Small Cemeteries in the Districts of Muskoka and Parry Sound
        Gravemarker Gallery

      Newspapers

      • The Huntsville Forester, Huntsville's  weekly newspaper is available in microform format, 1895 to the present.  Indexing of births, deaths & marriages is a work-in-progress.  Index for completed years is available in print format at the library or online at the Ontario Genealogical Society  Provincial Index
      • Full-text obituaries with index for the Almaguin News, Huntsville Herald, Muskoka  Advance and Huntsville Forester, 1985-2000. (REF 929.37135)
      • StarGazing: Reflections from the Parry Sound North Star: A Collection of Birth, Marriage and Death Notices, 1874-1904.   (REF 929.371315)
      • Brian Gilchrist’s Inventory of Ontario Newspapers: 1793-1986 (REF 071.12 Inv)

      Census Records

      •  Microfilm for the 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 Canada Census for Muskoka (including the townships of Strong, Jolly, Armour, Kearney, Burk’s Falls)
      •  Indexes for the 1851 Census of Ontario (Wellington, Hastings, Grey Bruce)
      •  Indexes for the 1871 Census of Ontario (see Renfrew and the North for Muskoka area.)
      • 1911 Canada Census available through Ancestry.com
      •  In the Princeton File Finding Aid: Census  we have transcriptions of Chaffey Twp. 1881, Lake Vernon 1871 and Stisted 1881.
      •  Use the Catalogues Canada Census 1666-1891 and Canada Census 1901 to look up the microfilm reels for census data out of our region  (interloan)
      •  There are also some Assessment Rolls for Huntsville 1890-1926 and early Bell Canada Phone Directories 1906-1920 for Huntsville
      •  1851 and 1881 British Census [CD-ROM] --( Finding Aids-Family History)

      Vital Statistics

      • Indexes to the holdings of birth, marriage and death records from the Archives of Ontario.  (Finding Aid - Ontario Archives)
      •  To access microfilm numbers, visit the Ontario Archives web-site
      • Birth, marriage and death records for Ontario are available through Ancestry.com at the library
      •  County Marriage Registers of Ontario, 1858-1869 - Index.
      • O.G.S. Provincial Index Site
      • Vital Records Index [CD-ROM] - British Isles 1538-1888 -- (Finding Aids - Family History).
      • Vital Records Index [CD-ROM] - North America 1631-1888 -- (Finding Aids - Family History)

        • Wesleyan Methodist Baptismal Records transcribed by Ida Reed

      Maps & Atlases

      • Guide Book and Atlas of Muskoka & Parry Sound Districts 1879.
      • 1879 Historical Atlases for most of Ontario
      • Map Collection of the MPSGG - binder near the Finding Aids.
      • Maps in the Muskoka File under Huntsville (Ont). Maps and Muskoka (District Municipality) Maps.

      General Guides

      • Angus Baxter’s In Search of Your Roots (Canadian,British, 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 on top of the genealogy shelf and on the Huntsville Public Library Web .

      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, articles.
      • To find  Ontario Library Holdings, click on Search.  Search by title, author or subject.  Most libraries will lend most of their materials.

      Internet Resources

      • Search the at the library or at home via  Internet.  Search for subjects (Muskoka Collection, Genealogy Collection) or family name, township, keyword census, or marriages etc.
      • On the HPL webpage, click on Ready Reference and then Genealogy for links to the Archives, Cemeteries, Cyndi’s List etc.
      • Visit the Muskoka Parry Sound Genealogy Group website:

      Genealogy Help

      • Come to the library Thursday afternoons from 1-3 p.m. for one-on-one expert advise 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.