Elgin County Branch
Ontario Genealogical Society

St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada

Our Research Assistance Policy

   The Elgin County Branch OGS has volunteers who will answer specific research questions and conduct limited research in our published Elgin County sources to the best of their ability, free of charge, for members and non-members. We accept research requests either through our postal mailing address, or through e-mail. We do ask, however, that the Branch be reimbursed for costs of photocopying and mailing costs. We gratefully accept donations made payable to Elgin County Branch OGS, in appreciation of research conducted.

Please note that this research policy does not extend beyond the material we have indexed or published.

If further research is required beyond what our volunteer can provide, Elgin OGS will supply a list of researchers for hire upon request. Elgin OGS assumes no responsibility for research requests arranged with these researchers.

Before contacting Elgin OGS for assistance, please review the content on our website thoroughly by following the links provided or by using the search engine(s). Many of your questions regarding availability and location of records will be answered in the online book, Discovering Your Roots in Elgin, which is displayed in the menu on the left. A separate lookup policy has been established to provide copies from several indexed newspapers which you will find by following that link.

To assist our volunteers in answering your query effectively, please give as much information as possible. Please indicate a time period (eg. 1850's, 1860's, etc.) and a location within Elgin County such as town or township. It is also helpful to list the resources you have already consulted, if any.

Email info@elginogs.ca for research assistance.

Please Note

To help us process the hundreds of email queries that we regularly receive please indicate the name you are inquiring about and the township (if known) in your email subject line. Please CAPITALIZE your surname.

For example:

Subject: John JOHNSON, Malahide Township

BIRTH, DEATH AND MARRIAGE LOOKUPS

The Elgin OGS has recently purchased the reels of microfilm containing birth, death and marriage registrations for Elgin County.

Time period currently available is:

Births 1869 to 1907

Deaths 1869 to 1932

Marriages 1869 to 1922

An additional year of Vital Statistics records is released by the Registrar General annually. Elgin OGS will continue to purchase the microfilm as it becomes available.

Indexes to these records are also in our holdings, and our volunteers will conduct lookups from this series of records and provide photocopies of the registration.

Our fees for lookups are $10 for the first item, and $5 for each additional item received in the same request. These fees include the cost of copying and postage.

Payment can be made by a cheque payable to Elgin OGS, and sent to our address, Box 20060, St. Thomas, ON N5P 4H4

Requests can be made by writing us at that address or via e-mail to: info@elginogs.ca

Please put "Vital Statistics Lookup" in the subject line of your e-mail.

Please include the following information in your request:

• Birth, Death, or Marriage

• Name of person

• Date of event (at least the year, or approximation; we will search the indexes two years before and after the date given in your request if not found in that year)

• Location (town or township if known; this will help us identify the correct person if requesting common names like Smith or Jones)

Remember to include your mailing address in your request so we can send the copies.   

Please be aware that not all births, deaths and marriages were registered, especially in the early years.

Please send corrections, comments and suggestions regarding the web site to the Elgin County Branch Web Publisher. We need your Support