Collections and Research

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Explore our online collection

The Lambton County Archive collection consists of archival documents that share the stories of the people and places of Lambton County. We have primary and secondary sources to help you with your genealogy and local history research.

While we have some reference books and indexes publicly accessible in the Reading Room, some documents such as letters, photos, and unique books are held in the vault. Staff will happily retrieve documents for you to access during your visit. 

Maps are fragile however they are significant to us understanding changing population patterns from the past. Maps are made available upon request and date as far back as the 1830's in Lambton.

Key Items in Our Collection

• Family Files: thousands of family surname files which may contain family trees, family group sheets, letters, wills, photographs, and newspaper clippings.
• Local Newspapers: dozens of local newspapers, including the Sarnia Observer from 1853-present, Petrolia Topic from 1874-present, and Watford Guide-Advocate from 1878-present. For a full listing, visit Newspapers at the Lambton County Archives.
• Land Records: land abstracts and instruments (deeds, mortgages, bargain and sales, wills) for Lambton County
• Cemetery Records: transcriptions for cemeteries in Lambton, Kent, Middlesex, and Huron Counties
• Directories: city and telephone directories for Lambton can be used to locate individuals geographically at a certain point in time
• Municipal Records: local government records including by-laws, council minutes, assessment and collectors rolls
• Historical Atlases: originally published in the late 19th century, these historical atlases for Ontario counties were edited and reprinted in the 1970s. Maps, directories, and historical sketches of townships provide great insight into local history
• Census Records: microfilm reels of Canadian census records for all of Ontario and most of Canada
  (early censuses, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, and 1911)
• Ontario Vital Statistics: microfilm reels containing registrations of Ontario births (1869-1914,) marriages (1869-1929), and deaths (1869-1939), as well as Overseas Death Registrations of Ontarians who died in military service during 1939-1947
• Lambton Branch of Ontario Genealogical Society Library: reference books, indexes, and family histories housed in the Archives' reading room and accessible to the public. For a full listing of their library holdings, please visit their website. 

Interested in material not listed above? Please contact us and we are happy to help.

Donations

If you want to donate to the Archives, please visit Donate to LCA for information on how to give your support.