What is microfilm?
Microfilm reels consist of very small photographs of records. Reels of film take up much less space than original records and also allow researchers to have access to information not in our collection.
Research Tip: Newspapers!
Newspapers are a valuable resource when conducting genealogical and local history research. Articles and announcements in newspapers are often the only surviving historical record of an event. The information they contain is directly from the past and can be extremely useful when conducting historical research.
Resources at LCA
Vital Statistics: Marriage Registrations
Marriage Registrations and Indexes: 1869-1929 on microfilm.
1930 and 1931 birth registration reels can be ordered from the Archives of Ontario through our Interlibrary Loan service.
Family Surname Files
These files contain records and documents on a particular family surname. Contact us to determine if the we have a file on the surname you are researching.
Family files may contain family trees and copies of marriage certificates or registrations.
Local newspapers and indexes
We have many local newspapers in our collection which can be consulted for marriage announcements. The following are the main papers and their corresponding indexes. We have many other newspapers and indexes, so please contact us to check if we have the time period you are looking for.
- Sarnia Observer: 1853 - Present
The index is available in bound volumes from 1853-2004. From 2005 to the present, the index is available online in the Museum's catalogue. (Search for "marriage" under "Object Name" and type person's name under "Subject/Image".) The index will point you to the date and page of the issue in which the marriage announcement appeared. You can then look at the microfilm for that issue and page to find the original notice in the newspaper.
- Petrolia Advertiser Topic: 1874 - Present
This newspaper is being indexed by volunteers from the Lambton County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. They have currently indexed up to 1924 marriages, but the index is continually being updated.
This book is an index of Lambton County and Ontario residents who were married in St. Clair County, Michigan.
Being a border county, Lambton has a great history of cross-border migration. Often in the early years of settling the county, many couples chose to cross the border and get married in Michigan so they wouldn't have to wait as long for the travelling minister to reach Lambton.
This book is a great resource for early marriages or as an alternative if you can't find someone in the Ontario Marriage Registrations.
The Marriage Registers of Upper Canada/ Canada West
This series of bound books contain transcriptions of district marriage registers from the 1830s to the 1850s. These are very useful since they contain details of marriages submitted by the clergy to the Clerk of the Peace prior to the province-wide system implemented in 1869.
The most useful volume for Lambton County marriages is Volume 14, which covers the area of the Western District (early name for the area which includes present-day Lambton, Kent, and Essex Counties) for 1786-1856.
