Local History and Genealogy

Access Ancestry Library Edition

Note: Ancestry is available for use only in the library

Genealogy resource, especially for U.S. and Canadian records. Ancestry includes census, birth, marriage, death, immigration, military records and more. It also has some European, Australian and New Zealand records.

For extra information about how to use Ancestry, visit ProQuest Libguides for videos and step-by-step instructions.

Access Canadiana Online

Canadiana Online is a digitized collection of books, government publications, periodicals, annuals and newspapers about Canada published from European contact to the early 20th century.

Access Digital Archive Ontario

Developed and managed with resources from the Toronto Public Library, Digital Archive Ontario provides free access to digital material of historical importance to Ontario and Canada.

Digital Archive Ontario is a unique and vast digital collection of high-quality images, including Ontario maps, fire insurance plans and views of towns and cities over time, culled from Toronto Public Library's collection and dating back to the 1880s.

Access Huntsville Forester Online

Explore the Huntsville Forester newspaper from 1895 to 2018.
Learn more about the local area, people, events, and local merchants and businesses. Find photographs, classified ads, birth notices and obituaries.

Hosted by the Canadian Community Digital Archives.

Access the Huntsville Heritage Walking Tour

Welcome to the Huntsville Heritage Walking Tour, curated by the Huntsville and Area Historical Society, a local not-for-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of our local history and built heritage.

Download the App

• STQRY App for Android
• STQRY App for Apple

Once the app has downloaded, search for and download the Huntsville Heritage Walking Tour.

More Information

• The app is free to download and use on Apple and Android.
• Once downloaded, you don't need Wi-Fi/data to run it.
• The app uses GPS to alert you to heritage stops and automatically plays the audio and brings up pictures of the location when you reach that location.

Access Muskoka Digital Archives

This online collection offers a snapshot into Muskoka's origins, development, culture, and people. Though predominately indexes, there are 500+ images available. The indexes link out to the Online Huntsville Forester for quick and easy access to more details.

Access Ontario Genealogical Society Library Collection

Get access to books, family histories, cemetery records, and more. A great resource for everyone whether you are beginning your journey to find family trees or are an expert researcher.

Access Toronto Star: ProQuest Historical Newspapers

Toronto Star: ProQuest Historical Newspapers is a fully digitized and searchable database of every issue of the Toronto Star from 1894 to 2021. Every page is included, from the headlines to the classifieds. It is an excellent resource for genealogists and history projects.

• Architectural Conservancy of Ontario Muskoka
• Archives of Ontario
• Dictionary of Canadian Biography
• Family Search
• Huntsville and Area Historical Society
• Muskoka Parry Sound Genealogy Group
• National Archives of Canada
• Ontario County Atlases

• District Municipality of Muskoka Story Map (Muskoka Atlas 1879)
• Historical Library Locations Map
• Muskoka GeoHub (Muskoka Maps)
• Town of Huntsville Interactive Map
• Cemeteries Map (JPG)

Our microfilm collection can only be used in the library. The Muskoka Room has a ScanPro microfilm scanner that has the ability to scan microfilm images to a USB stick. Our collection includes:

• The Huntsville Forester from 1895-2018 (also available online)
• Census of Canada for Parry Sound and Muskoka from 1851-1901
• Assessment Rolls Town of Huntsville from 1890-1946
• Bell Phone Directory from 1906-1917
• Free Grant and Homestead from 1868-1888
• Minutes and Bylaws of Brunel Township from 1877-1943
• Post Office Inspection Reports from 1876-1879
• Marriage and Death Indices Archives of Ontario
• Land Records Index
• Surrogate Court Records from 1793-1858

You can also make an Interlibrary Loan request to the Archives of Ontario to bring in microfilm from their collection. *Please Note* Not all interlibrary loan requests may be accepted by the Archives of Ontario.