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Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society

An organization of family historians, some with Toronto roots, others who live in Toronto, we have ancestors around the world.

Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society

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    • Research Guide
    • Research Services
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Sandy cliffs of the Scarborough Bluffs with Lake Ontario in the foreground
Houses on brow of hill overlooking Withrow Park.
Roofline of the south St. Lawrence Market building
Gothic arches of the main door of the yellow brick Cathedral Church of St. James.
Light filtering through mature trees on a wide variety of grave markers in St. James Cemetery and Crematorium.
Skyline of downtown Toronto from Riverdale Park in evening light. Shows CN Tower and skyscrapers.
Red and white streetcar passing under the steel superstructure of the bridge at Queen Street and the Don River. The superstructure has a big clock and a sign that says: This river I step in is not the river I stand in.
Screenshot of webpage

Toronto Branch is hosting a celebration in January and you’re invited to join in the fun! Almost 50 years ago, in 1979, staff of the Archives of Ontario created the Ontario Land Records Index—a massive index connecting settlers who were allocated Crown land in Upper Canada/Canada West/Ontario to specific properties. Until the fall of 2025, this wonderful research aid was only found on microfiche in a few locations. But now, it is available worldwide online […]

Join our OLRI celebration!

Postcard illustration of large department store

The online Toronto Branch database of war memorials has grown again. We’ve now added three more memorials to the For King and Country collection, all tied to city landmarks.  A long and memorable chapter in Canadian history came to an end in 2025 when the Hudson’s Bay Company closed its doors. Many of its outlets, including the one at the corner of Queen and Yonge Streets in Toronto, had previously belonged to another of […]

For King and Country—honouring the dead

Silhouettes of people jumping

It’s November, and that means it’s time once again to celebrate our own members’ adventures in family history… On Monday November 24, eight Branch members shared some of their Great Moments in Genealogy! The meeting was recorded. Get set for some intriguing, thought-provoking and heart-stirring stories: Ann Brown—Dear Wife—Letters from the Front Beth Adams—A brick wall has fallen! Carol Ufford—Tracing troubled roots Melanie Parker—The Underhills of Hillsdale Avenue Mike Loader—The myth of the three […]

November 2025 meeting—great moments!

Poster for Victory Bonds showing soldier in poppy field

The Toronto Branch meeting took take place on the evening of Monday October 27, via Zoom. Many Toronto neighbourhoods were once home to soldiers who left to serve in the First World War and never returned. In our main October presentation, The Dead from Down the Street, lawyer, writer and lecturer Drew von Hasselbach showed us how to look up the addresses where they lived and bring their stories to life. In our “opening […]

October 2025 meeting—online

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Button reading: Need research help?

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Toronto research sources

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Related organizations

  • Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto
  • Ontario Genealogical Society (parent society)
  • United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada

Toronto Branch Meetings

Jan
26
Mon
7:30 pm Why I am (a bit of) a contrarian...
Why I am (a bit of) a contrarian...
Jan 26 @ 7:30 pm
Why I am (a bit of) a contrarian in genetic genealogy @ Online webinar
Our main speaker, Linda Reid, will share her views on making effective use of DNA testing for genealogy. This exciting addition to traditional documentary research is populated by many “experts”, with some strong and occasionally[...]
Feb
23
Mon
7:30 pm Top 10 Tips For Being a Better R...
Top 10 Tips For Being a Better R...
Feb 23 @ 7:30 pm
Top 10 Tips For Being a Better Researcher @ Online webinar
In this presentation, we’ll explore Ken McKinlay’s top ten tips and strategies for uncovering our ancestors’ stories. Instead of focusing on individual sites or specific search techniques, Ken highlights a broader approach our genealogy research,[...]
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Courses starting and Workshops

Jan
17
Sat
1:00 pm A Celebration for the OLRI
A Celebration for the OLRI
Jan 17 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
A Celebration for the OLRI @ Online webinar
In 1979, staff of the Archives of Ontario did a wonderful thing for Ontario researchers—creating a massive index to the settlers who were allocated Crown land in Upper Canada/Canada West/Ontario. It took five years and[...]
View Calendar
Add
  • Add to Timely Calendar
  • Add to Google
  • Add to Outlook
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  • Export to XML

Recent posts

  • Join our OLRI celebration!
  • For King and Country—honouring the dead
  • November 2025 meeting—great moments!
  • October 2025 meeting—online
  • Ontario Land Records Index—now online!
  • September 2025—fall launch!
  • Why Y-DNA? Find out!

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Toronto is situated on Indigenous land. This is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Wendat, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. This land is also part of the Dish with One Spoon territory, a treaty between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (aka Six Nations Confederacy), the Anishinaabek and allied nations, to peaceably share and care for this land, its waters, and all of the biodiversity in the Great Lakes region. We are all responsible for honouring this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship, and respect.

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