Genealogy Research Checklist for Toronto

This checklist suggests where to look for a record of a birth, marriage, death, census entry, land holding, arrival or military service in Toronto and Ontario. Choose the event, add a year if known, and the tool lists the repositories whose coverage includes that year, each with a link.

Using the list

The list names record sets and the institutions that hold them. It does not search the records. Coverage years are the years the institution states for the record set, and rules about access to recent records change, so check each institution’s page before a visit or a request. Fees and forms are not given here.

Where to start

Begin with the surname search on this site if the family lived in York County in the 1880s: the 1885 biographical sketches can supply a place and a trade. Then use the guide to historical newspapers and archives for newspaper searches, and the genealogy links page for further sites.

Last verified: October 2026

Record sets by event as plain text

Birth, baptism

Archives of Ontario: birth registrations (to 1917): Holds Ontario birth registrations transferred from the Office of the Registrar General; the Archives states the public cut-off year, so confirm it on its page before ordering a copy.
ServiceOntario: birth certificates and registrations (from 1918): Issues certificates and certified copies of Ontario birth registrations; the Archives of Ontario directs requests for births after 1917 here.
Archdiocese of Toronto Archives: parish registers (to 1910): Offers digitized pre-1910 Roman Catholic parish registers, mainly baptisms and marriages, for Toronto, Peel, York, Durham and Simcoe County, with some gaps.
Anglican Diocese of Toronto Archives: parish registers: Holds baptism, marriage and burial registers of current and closed Anglican parishes in the diocese; research is by appointment, and requests can be sent by email, phone or mail.
Toronto Public Library: Globe and Mail and Toronto Star archives (from 1844): Searchable page scans of the Globe and Mail (from 1844) and the Toronto Star (from 1894), useful for birth notices; an active library card is needed.

Marriage

Archives of Ontario: marriage registrations (to 1938): Holds Ontario marriage registrations transferred from the Office of the Registrar General; the Archives states the public cut-off year, so confirm it on its page.
ServiceOntario: marriage certificates and registrations (from 1939): Issues certificates and certified copies of marriages registered in Ontario, ordered with both names, birth dates, the date and the place; the Archives directs marriages after 1938 here.
Archdiocese of Toronto Archives: parish registers (to 1910): Offers digitized pre-1910 Roman Catholic parish registers that mainly record baptisms and marriages.
Anglican Diocese of Toronto Archives: parish registers: Holds marriage registers of current and closed Anglican parishes in the diocese; ask by email, phone or mail, or book an appointment.
Toronto Public Library: Globe and Mail and Toronto Star archives (from 1844): Searchable page scans of the Globe and Mail (from 1844) and the Toronto Star (from 1894), useful for marriage notices; an active library card is needed.

Death, burial

Archives of Ontario: death registrations (from 1869 to 1948): Holds Ontario death registrations transferred from the Office of the Registrar General; the Archives states the public cut-off year, so confirm it on its page.
ServiceOntario: death certificates and registrations (from 1949): Issues certificates and certified copies of Ontario death registrations, and a search letter when the exact date is unknown; the Archives directs deaths after 1948 here.
City of Toronto Archives: coroner's inquest records (from 1893 to 1961): Lists coroner's inquest records of the former City of Toronto among its government records; search the Archives catalogue linked from the page.
Mount Pleasant Group: Toronto cemeteries (from 1850): Operates Toronto Necropolis (opened 1850) and Mount Pleasant Cemetery (opened 1876); contact the cemetery office for burial information.
FamilySearch: Toronto Trust Cemeteries, 1826-1989 (from 1826 to 1989): Gives an index and images of burial registers of the York General Burying Ground, Toronto Necropolis, Mount Pleasant and Prospect cemeteries; the index runs only to 1935.
Toronto Public Library: Globe and Mail and Toronto Star archives (from 1844): Searchable page scans of the Globe and Mail (from 1844) and the Toronto Star (from 1894), useful for obituaries and death notices; an active library card is needed.

Census

Library and Archives Canada: censuses (from 1851 to 1931): Holds the named returns for the 1851 and 1861 censuses and the national censuses from 1871 to 1931; digitized returns can be searched online.
Toronto Public Library: census records guide (from 1825 to 1921): Describes census microfilm at the Toronto Reference Library and the Ancestry Library Edition database (Canadian censuses 1825 to 1921), usable inside library branches.
City of Toronto Archives: assessment rolls (from 1834 to 1997): Holds assessment rolls of the former City of Toronto, which can fill the years between censuses; search the catalogue linked from the page.
City of Toronto Archives: city directories (from 1834 to 2001): Holds Toronto city directories on microfilm, with a few gaps; Toronto Public Library hosts a complete digitized set.
Ontario Genealogical Society: research resources: Provides indexes, a library catalogue and branch contacts for Ontario family history, which help trace a family between census years.

Land, property

Ontario Land Registry: Holds the registered records of ownership, mortgages, transfers and leases for Ontario land, including historical records, which are searched through OnLand.
OnLand: Ontario's online land registration portal: Gives online search of land registry records for Ontario properties; ServiceOntario does not interpret the records for researchers.
Library and Archives Canada: Upper Canada land petitions (from 1763 to 1865): Holds petitions for Crown land in Upper Canada, mostly from 1783 to 1841, searchable by surname in Collection Search.
City of Toronto Archives: assessment rolls and building permits (from 1834 to 1997): Holds assessment rolls and building permit applications and indices for the former City of Toronto.
Archives of Ontario: Ontario Land Records Index: Indexes the original Crown grants and patents of land in Ontario by settler and by township; later sales are recorded in the local registry office.

Immigration, naturalization

Library and Archives Canada: passenger lists (from 1865 to 1935): Holds ship passenger lists for Quebec and Montreal, Halifax and other ports, searchable by name or ship with date filters.
Library and Archives Canada: citizenship and naturalization (from 1828 to 1951): Holds Upper Canada naturalization registers, Montreal citizenship files and indexed naturalization lists; most later files are held by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21: Offers a ship arrival database, a passenger list database and a family history centre for immigrants who arrived at Halifax.
Library and Archives Canada: 1921 census (from 1921 to 1921): The 1921 census schedule records birthplace and year of immigration, which can date an arrival.
Toronto Public Library: Globe and Mail and Toronto Star archives (from 1844): Searchable page scans of the Globe and Mail (from 1844) and the Toronto Star (from 1894), useful for arrival and naturalization notices; an active library card is needed.

Military service

Library and Archives Canada: First World War personnel records (from 1914 to 1918): Holds about 622,000 Canadian Expeditionary Force service files, almost all digitized and searched by name in Collection Search.
Library and Archives Canada: Second World War records (from 1939 to 1947): Holds Second World War service files; those of the war dead are open in a database, and files of survivors are requested through an access to information request.
Veterans Affairs Canada: Canadian Virtual War Memorial: Registers the graves and memorials of more than 118,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders who died in service, searched by surname.
Toronto Public Library: Globe and Mail and Toronto Star archives (from 1844): Searchable page scans of the Globe and Mail (from 1844) and the Toronto Star (from 1894), useful for casualty lists and local war reports; an active library card is needed.