Local History:
- Township of Wilmot: The Ralph Shantz Room
Heritage Wilmot c/o 60 Snyder’s Road West Baden, Ontario N3A 1A1
ph: 519.634.8444 Email: info@heritagewilmot.ca
Researchers must fill out a research request form or make an appointment in order to gain access to the Ralph Shantz Room. This resource room contains numerous texts on Wilmot Township, Waterloo Region, and selected local families. The resource room also contains a microfilm reader and printer, and researchers are encouraged to order microfilm and have it sent to this facility for viewing. The archives themselves hold the Livingston collection, assessment and collectors rolls, Township and Council records, service club records, business records, cemetery records, etc. In addition, the Heritage Wilmot staff can conduct a complementary ¼ hour of research on your behalf, or more detailed research for a paid fee of $25.00 an hour.
- The Kitchener Public Library: The Grace Schmidt Room of Local History
Second Level 85 Queen Street North Kitchener, ON N2H 2H1
ph: 519.743.0271, ext. 252 Website: http://kpl.org/ref/gsr.html
The Grace Schmidt Room is one of the best places to conduct research on Waterloo Region. The collection contains the Waterloo Historical Society collection, assessment rolls, census records, house history, photographs, newspapers, oral history tapes, extensive genealogical research aids, yearbooks, etc. Complete listings of the Grace Schmidt Room’s holdings and helpful research guides can be found on their website.
Genealogy:
* General Information on Researching Genealogy in the Waterloo Region.
German Block: When Wilmot Township was first settled, it was divided into three horizontal blocks of land: the German Block, Block A, and Block B. The German Block was Crown Land, and people of German Heritage were urged to settle in this area. Therefore, the first citizens of the German Block were Amish Mennonites (which are descendants of the conservative Swiss Mennonites) from Waterloo County, Pennsylvania, and Alsace-Lorraine. Germans also were the main inhabitants of Block A and B, but there were also immigrants in those blocks from the United Kingdom. In 1825, these three blocks joined to form the Township of Wilmot.
Mennonite Archives of Ontario house extensive archival collection of personal, conference, congregational, institutional oral history, and photographic materials. Extensive finding aids can be found online at their website, and the archives are open to researchers at the fee of $1/hour or $4/day per day
- Land Registry Office:
30 Duke Street West, 2nd Floor Kitchener, ON N2H 3W5
ph: 519.571.6043
The Land Registry Office allows you to trace the ownership of a piece of land from the time it was first issued by the Crown. In order to get this information you will need the lot and concession number, which can be obtained from a deed, assessment records, or a tax bill.
For a detailed guide on how to research your land or house, see the Grace Schmidt Room online guide “House history – How Old is my House?” at: www.kpl.org/gsr/house.shtml
This organization gives people access to the news occurring in the branch, birth, death, and marriage records, cemetery pages, publications and special events. Their website describes where these materials can be found, however, select resources can also be accessed directly from the web.
The Family History Centre prefers that researchers call and make appointments ahead of time. The Family History Centre contains numerous materials to help people research their genealogy. Their collections contain records from England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Ontario and Germany.
- Region of Waterloo Library, New Hamburg Branch
145 Huron Street New Hamburg, ON N3A 1K1
ph: 519.662.1112
The New Hamburg Branch offers access to Ancestry.ca free of charge. No appointments are necessary as access is granted through the use of the library’s public computers
Census:
*Censuses lists the inhabitants who live in a specific region, and serve as one of the most valuable genealogical resources.
- The Grace Schmidt Room contains censuses for Waterloo, Wellington, Huron, and Perth Counties http://www.kpl.org/ref/gsr.html
- Wilfrid Laurier University Library contains the censuses from all of Ontario. The Laurier Library can be found at:
75 University Avenue West
Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5 ph: 519.884.0710 x3999
- Censuses can also be searched online at www.familysearch.org Click on the top tab that says “search,” once in search, click “census” which is on the left hand side. *Note: although convenient, this website does not always prove as reliable as searching through the microfilm copies of the censuses.
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