Archives of the Anglican Diocese of Niagara

McMaster University holds the records of the churches in the diocese as well as the non-active docesan records. This includes marriage, birth, and burial records for more than 100 parishes.

Archives of the Anglican Diocese of Niagara Overview

Overview

The records of the churches are organized by city and then by church. Each church entry includes history of the church and a listing of the records we hold: Records of the Diocese and Individual Churches

Other useful starting points: Current map of the Diocese [PDF] 1961 map of the Diocese [PDF]

List of Individual Churches With Records Pre-dating 1869 Records from churches dated earlier than 1869.

List of Clergy (pre-1991) [XLSX] A list of past bishops and clergy.

Researchers should also be aware of the Gladys McAndrew fonds which relates to missionary work and residential schools undertaken by the Anglican Church in Canada from 1943 to 1954.

In 1975 McMaster University reached an agreement with the Anglican Diocese of Niagara to collect, describe and preserve the records of the churches in the diocese as well as the non-active diocesan records. Since that time the records of almost all of the churches in the diocese have been deposited at McMaster, amounting to more than 100 parishes. The Diocese covers approximately 3,320 square miles in the province of Ontario. The most northerly towns are Harriston and Mount Forest; the western boundary is Nanticoke; the eastern perimeter is marked by Oakville and the Diocese extends southwards to Fort Erie. The records are on deposit only and remain the property of the Anglican Church.

Helpful Information

Contact Us

Hours: William Ready Division Hours Email: archives@mcmaster.ca

Phone: 905-525-9140 ext 22789

Mills Memorial Library Lower Level, Room LB 101 McMaster University 1280 Main St. W. Hamilton, ON  L8S 4L6 Canada

Accessing the Archive

Accessing the Archive

Whether you are visiting us in person or farther afield, if you need help identifying information or have questions about visiting, please don't hesitate to send us an email: archives@mcmaster.ca

In Person

Before you arrive, identify which Church and which registers you will want to look at from the listing. If you know when you are visiting, please send us an email letting us know which registers and we will have them ready for you.

When you arrive, we will register you as a researcher and then set you up with your material. Many of the registers are fragile. You will be given microfilm copies to search for your records. Please bring a USB flash drive to save images from the microfilm.

Remote

None of the registers are digitally available online. For genealogical requests, staff at the William Ready Division can look up an entry and send a colour pdf, if you can provide the name, date, and parish for the event. For more detailed searches or for further assistance, we recommend you contact the parish directly, or try the local Ontario Genealogical Society.