Branch resources

Our collection of materials can be accessed at Brodie Resource Library at 216 S. Brodie Street, in the reference room.

Collections
Come browse our collections!

Branch member Paul McAlister did a complete inventory, catalogue, and finding aid of the collection in December 2016.  Browse it in the window below, or CLICK HERE  to download it to your computer.

Ancestry Library Edition

Remember, you can access the complete Ancestry Library Edition free at any Library Community Hub.

Family search logo

In addition, the Thunder Bay Public Library is a FamilySearch Affiliate Library, providing more complete access to their collections than is available on FamilySearch.org!

Thunder Bay District Branch OGS Catalogue.

You are welcome to use the materials during regular library hours – and we’d love to hear from you when you find something! Here’s a quick overview of our collections.

(Please note – we are working on updating the reference numbers to correspond with our updated inventory.  When in doubt, consult the catalogue above.)

Cemetery records

We have burial indexes for most cemeteries in the Thunder Bay District, as well as many more from northwestern Ontario, southern Ontario, and across Canada.  Click on the link above to see detailed holdings.

In addition, several cemetery transcriptions are for sale and can be purchased by contacting the branch.

You will want to search The Ontario Name Index (“TONI”) on the Ontario Ancestors website for any ancestors buried in Ontario.

Our cemetery coordinator has an extensive collection of gravestone photographs in digital format.  A search with any results, including transcription and photograph, is available. All work is done on a volunteer basis, but we ask that you consider a nominal donation to the branch to help support our continued work.

Census materials

Census records are now available digitally on Ancestry Library Edition (available at all of the Thunder Bay Public Library locations, free of charge), and on the FamilySearch Affiliate Library Computer stations.

Church Records

Includes information about the records, local histories of a number of local churches, and a few parish records that have been published.

Family Histories

Check here to see if the family you are researching has been written about.

Local History

Local history books often mention individuals in their working, civic, religious, or other day-to-day life.  They are also wonderful for helping us to understand the context in which our ancestors lived.

Research aids

Includes guides to research in the area as well as indexes for a number of published books and newspapers.  Great resources!