The following records are publicly available on microfilm and can be accessed through the Archives of Ontario:
- Births: 1869-1917
- Marriages: 1801-1932 (Note: There are many gaps in marriage records before 1869)
- Deaths: 1869-1942, plus deaths of Ontarians overseas 1939-1947
Every year the Office of the Registrar General makes another year of records available to the public.
Birth registrations after 1917, marriage registrations after 1935 and death registrations after 1945 must be requested through the Office of the Registrar General.
Office of the Registrar General
P.O. Box 4600
189 Red River Road, 3rd Floor
Thunder Bay ON P7B 6L8
Telephone: 416.325.8305 or 800.461.2156
Fax: 807.343.7459
Website:
https://www.orgforms.gov.on.ca/eForms/start.do
You can access indexes for Kent County at the
Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) Kent Branch, located on the second floor of the Chatham Library.
Indexes are also accessible through
Ancestry.ca (although gaps in indexes do occur). If you do not have access to Ancestry.ca, you can access
Ancestry Library Edition through one of CKPL’s public computer workstations or use your own device through CKPL's public WiFi.
Once you have found the Registration Number and Registration Year from the index, CKPL can request the desired microfilm for you as an inter-library loan from the
Archives of Ontario (maximum 3 reels).
You can search for or inquire about other microfilms currently held at the Archives of Ontario by contacting the Archives directly.
The Archives of Ontario
134 Ian Macdonald Boulevard
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M7A 2C5
Telephone: 416.327.1600 or 800.668.9933 (toll free in Ontario)
Email:
reference@ontario.ca
Website:
www.archives.gov.on.ca
You can also access indexes and records for vital statistics at the
Family History Centre of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Family History Centres are unable to respond to mail inquiries, however you can contact them by phone or in person.
Chatham’s Family History Centre is located at 23 Detroit Drive. It is open Tuesdays from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm and Wednesdays from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Telephone: 519.352.6226
Birth, Marriage and Death Records outside Ontario
To access other Canadian registry offices, refer to the Library and Archives Canada guide to
Genealogy and Family History.
Birth, Marriage and Death Records outside Canada
To search vital records internationally, get started with
International Vital Records Information.
