09 April 2019

Carleton County Wills at LAC

At her Gene-O-Rama presentation on Ottawa area genealogical resources at Library and Archives Canada Mary Munk mentioned an exceptional holding. While provincial records are generally not held at LAC an exception is a collection of microfilms for the Surrogate Court of Carleton County, Ontario from 1840 to 1902. They are numbers M-5477 to M-5504 and available self-service.

Otherwise, it's a matter of resorting to the Archives of Ontario, either by visiting or ordering in a microfilm copy. Confirmation of how backward the AO is in making these files available is at www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/microfilm/court_estate_wills_faq.aspx.

Mary also mentioned a published index to part of those records available on the open shelves in the Genealogy and Family History Room on the 3rd floor at 395 Wellington. It's the Carleton County volume in the series Surrogate Court Index of Ontario, Canada 1859-1900 ( Wills ) published by Global Heritage Press.

All 27 county volumes of this index are available at the Ottawa Public Library Main and Nepean Centrepointe Libraries, the volumes for Carleton and surrounding counties are in the Ottawa Branch OGS library collection at the City Archives.

3 comments:

Glenn W said...

If my memory is intact, I believe that the same Carleton County probate records microfilm is available at the City of Ottawa Archives and has been for many years.

Lynn Cunningham said...

Wow, thanks John! I'm researching ancestors in South Gloucester/Bowesville & hope I may find some info here. My GGGGrandfather John Cunningham passed in 1871 without a will, but I may find the wills of other ancestors here. Cheers!

Jane E. MacNamara said...

John, don't forget FamilySearch filmed most of the Ontario Surrogate Court records. For those lucky people with Carleton County ancestors, all the estate files and associated indexes have now been digitized and can be viewed at any Family History Centre or affiliate library. To find them, go to https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/search/. Search for Carleton. Select Canada, Ontario, Carleton. Then select Probate Records.