Local History and Genealogy
Curious about the history of Thunder Bay, local businesses, schools, or even your house? Are you researching your family tree? The local history and genealogy collections at the Thunder Bay Public Library have been in development since the early 1900s.
The collections include everything from newspapers on microfilm (dating back to 1875), city directories, maps, rare books, and photographs. The library also has helpful pathfinders to assist locating the information you are after with our social notices and obituary indexes. You can browse these indexes as well as other virtual historical resources online. You can also choose to access these resources in person at the Brodie Resource Library. Still have questions about local history and genealogy? Feel free to Ask Us and our friendly and knowledgeable staff would be happy to help you.
Murphy Mansion: A History | TBPL Research Blog
Gateway to Northwestern Ontario History
Murphy Mansion: A History | TBPL Research Blog
Gateway to Northwestern Ontario History
Indexes
A index is the entry point to our newspaper collections. It is a reference tool that can assist with finding information on local history such as names, subject, places, events and more. We offer five different indexes that can be found below.
Online Indexes
Thunder Bay Index
Social News and Notices
Birth, Marriage, & Death Indexes
Gateway to Northwestern Ontario History
Thunder Bay Index
Social News and Notices
Birth, Marriage, & Death Indexes
Gateway to Northwestern Ontario History
Collections
Ontario Genealogical Society Collection
Special Collections
Photograph Collection
Map Collection
Online Resources
Gateway to Northwestern Ontario History
Ancestry Library Edition
Birth, Marriage, Death, Social News and Notices Indexes
World War One Thunder Bay Centennial Project
Gateway to Northwestern Ontario History
Ancestry Library Edition
Birth, Marriage, Death, Social News and Notices Indexes
World War One Thunder Bay Centennial Project
Need Help Researching Local History and Genealogy?
We support local and non resident researchers.
Indigenous Genealogy Resources
Researching Aboriginal Ancestors in Ontario
Anishinaabek Research
Library & Archives Canada's Indigenous Heritage Initiatives
Archives of Ontario - Records Relating to Indigenous Peoples
Reference
Copyright
Research Basics
Government and Legal Information
Frequently Asked Questions
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Our Brodie location houses our collection of the Henderson Directories that span between 1884-2004. The Henderson Directories are like phone books but include additional information about the residents of a house, like occupation. This collection is only available for in-branch use at Brodie.Â
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Our friendly Reference Staff would be happy to help you research your family tree! Visit the Ask Us page for more information.Â
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An index is what we use to find articles in our collections. Indexes list key information about an article like the paper it appeared, the page number, the headline, and the date as well as subject listings. You can think of it as the basic information for search engines. Our staff currently index newspaper articles into our database, the Gateway to Northwestern Ontario History.Â
Indexing newspaper articles goes all the way back to the 1920s when staff at the Fort William Public Library (now the Brodie Library) started indexing local newspaper articles.Â
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Microfilm are long strips of film that have either negatives or positives of documents, typically newspaper collections. The Thunder Bay Public Library, has microfilm copies of newspapers from Thunder Bay, Port Arthur, and Fort William from the late 1800s to the mid 2010s. All of our microfilms are available at our Brodie Location. Newer editions of newspapers are available at Brodie in PDF format.Â
To view microfilm, you have to use a machine called a microfilm reader. Brodie has two microfilm readers attached to computers that allows you to export pdf versions of articles or print them out. If you'd like a demonstration on how to use our microfilm readers, please contact our staff by emailing research@tbpl.ca. For more information on how are staff can help you with your research you can also visit our Ask Us page.Â
Other Resources
- Archives of Ontario, opens a new window
- CanadaGenWeb Project, opens a new window
- CanadaGenWeb's Cemetery Project, opens a new window
- Canadian Military Memorials Database, opens a new window
- City of Thunder Bay Archives, opens a new window
- Founders Pioneer Village, opens a new window
- HathiTrust Digital Library, opens a new window
- Heritage properties in Thunder Bay, opens a new window
- Hot Rods and Jalopies - Photos, Stories & Memories, opens a new window
- Immigration Direct, opens a new window
- Library & Archives Canada - Genealogy and Family History, opens a new window
- Library & Archives Canada - Immigrants to Canada Before 1865 Database, opens a new window
- Naturalization Lists, 1915 - 1951 - Library and Archives Canada, opens a new window
- Ontario Genealogical Society - Thunder Bay Branch, opens a new window
- Ontario Heritage Toolkit, opens a new window offers a series of guides that explain different aspects the Ontario Heritage Act, the Planning Act, the Historic Places Initiative, and related programs.
- Ontario Historical Society, opens a new window
- The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Genealogy, opens a new window
- Thunder Bay Field Naturalists - Nature Northwest Newsletters, opens a new window
We acknowledge that the City of Thunder Bay has been built on the traditional territory of Fort William First Nation, signatory to the Robinson Superior Treaty of 1850. We also recognize the contributions made to our community by the Métis people.