History and Genealogy

Illustration of a tree sprouting from a book.

Ottawa Public Library resources, services and programs help people explore their family history.

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Online Resources for History and Genealogy

  • Research

    Ancestry Library

    A collection of thousands of individual genealogy databases from many different institutions. It includes American, Canadian and U.K. sources as well as some for Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Canadian coverage includes major sources such as the censuses from 1851 to 1916, Ontario civil registration of births, marriages and deaths, and the Quebec Drouin Collection (courthouse copies of parish registers). German records include passenger lists for many people leaving Eastern Europe. New databases are constantly being added.  Many of the sources are digitized.  Bring a USB flash drive to download your records.

    Ancestry Library: available for in-library use only

    Important Notice: You can access Ancestry Library Edition in our library branches through desktop computers provided by our library or your own personal laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. (Remote access is not supported.) 

    Content Language
    English
    Privacy and Terms of Use
    Privacy Policy
    Terms of Use
  • Research

    Canadiana

    This bilingual online resource offers historical content about Canada from the first European settlers to the early 20th century. This includes digitized books, magazines and government documents and spans 21 languages.

    Content Language
    Bilingual
    Privacy and Terms of Use
    Privacy Policy
    Terms of Use
  • Research

    FamilySearch Affiliate Library

    FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history.

    Ottawa Public Library is now a FamilySearch Affiliate Library, this designation means library clients will now have greater and more convenient access to the wealth of genealogical resources available through FamilySearch at our 33 branches.

    Benefits of an Affiliate Library

    • Due to contractual obligations, some images are only viewable online through FamilySearch centers and Affiliate Libraries
    • Through the affiliate program, OPL customers have access to over 350 million additional records that are otherwise restricted

    This resource is available for in-library use only.

    Please note that each individual client must log into FamilySearch using their own unique username and password. There is no institutional login. 

     

    Beginning April 30, 2026, clients will be required to sign in to access the FamilySearch Catalog. To help prepare for this change, a notification banner has been added to the top of the FamilySearch Catalog landing page for clients who are not signed in.

    This update is being implemented as part of ongoing efforts to improve website security and ensure appropriate access to records.

    Content Language
    English
    Help Guide(s)
    Why do historical records have access limitations?
    What are the image restrictions in Historical Records?
    Affiliate Library Additional Resources
    Frequently asked questions
  • Research

    Généalogie Québec

    Provides access to over 42,000,000 images and files from the origins of New France to today, drawn from the search tools of the Drouin Genealogical Institute. Includes baptism and death certificates (1621-1849), the Fond Drouin registries from 1621 to 1967, and marriage and death certificates (1926-1997). Many digital documents are also available, such as notarized contracts, post cards, censuses, etc.


    This product is limited to 10 simultaneous users. Please log in to PRDH separately if you would like to use materials linked to both databases.

    Content Language
    Bilingual
  • Research

    Globe and Mail: ProQuest Historical Newspapers (1844-2019)

    This digitized version of The Globe and Mail includes all of the newspapers' sections, images, classifieds, advertisements, births, deaths, political cartoons and more for the dates covered.   Users can browse by date or perform a keyword search.

    Content Language
    English
    Privacy and Terms of Use
    Privacy Policy
    Terms of Use
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