Local History and Genealogy

As part of Milton Public Library’s ongoing efforts to empower the community to learn, create, and connect, MPL has recently acquired a state-of-the-art bookscanner, which will be used to digitize and preserve items in our local history collection. Digitizing local history records provides a new way to share our town’s past, and will allow the library to:

• Make fragile materials available without risking damage to the originals
• Make materials available to anyone, anywhere in the world, and at any time of day
• Keep digital copies in case something happens to the originals

As we scan records we will be making them available on Milton Digital, where you can access digital newspaper pages and index entries from the Milton Canadian Champion. Some digital pages from the Milton Weekly Tribune and Nassagaweya Country News are also available.

MPL’s new state-of-the-art bookscanner is now available for public use! Equipped with optical character recognition so your documents are fully searchable, this is a perfect way to preserve history and make it accessible for future generations.

Connect with us at local.history@beinspired.ca to learn more about scanning your photographs, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, or other ephemera.

The library has a selection of older newspapers on Microfilm and Microfiche. Most of these are available digitally through our website in the Milton Digital Newspaper Archive. If you would prefer to see the microfilm please visit Main Library. The microfilm reader is on the second floor.

Lifescapes was a 10-week guided memoir writing program offered by the library from 2012 to 2017. At the end of each program, an anthology of each participant’s stories was published. Print copies of the anthologies may be borrowed from the library or viewed online:

• 2012: Through the Rear View Mirror
• 2013: Backward Glances
• 2014: Echoes From the Past
• 2015: Meaningful Memories Book
• 2016: Once Upon A Memory
• 2017: Reflections

FamilySearch is a free family history research tool that provides online access to billions of genealogical resources. The Milton Public Library is a FamilySearch Affiliate Library, offering in-library access to additional FamilySearch databases on library computers.

Tracing your family’s history is a fascinating journey. Who will you discover? Genealogy Basics will help you understand the genealogy research process and the way we interpret the information we find. This course guides you through the search process for family names using several subscription-based Web sites which you can access while you’re enrolled in the class. When you are finished the course, you may continue your research at the library using Ancestry Library Edition. This free online course runs for 6 weeks with new sessions beginning every month. Enroll today!

Access a rich collection of early Canadian print heritage featuring works published from the time of the first European settlers up to the early 20th century. Some content may be restricted to in library use only.

Start exploring Early Canadiana Online now.

Access a vast and unique collection chronicling Canada and its people from the 1600s to the mid-1900s. The genealogy collection includes a number of resources including:

• Homestead grant registers
• Naturalization certificates from the Upper and Lower Canada, the Province of Canada and Canada
• Parish registers
• Upper Canada Land Books
• Upper Canada Sundries

Start exploring Héritage now.