Reading Room

The Reading Room is divided into two sections - the Non-circulating area, which is self-serve, and the Primary area where staff retrieve the original documents from storage. Our staff is happy to answer questions, or to point you in the right direction.

Some of the services available include photocopiers, microfilm/fiche reader/printers, digital photographic reproductions as well as Internet access for online resources including Ancestry.com Library Edition. 

Our primary area holdings include both municipal and private collections covering the history of Grey County. The Archives is now home to over 500 collections which compose over 3,600 linear feet of material. Each collection is accessioned, inventoried, cleaned, rehoused and entered into our database, which is available to search online. We also have Finding Aids for some more commonly-searched topics. 

  • Municipal records for Grey County and its townships
  • Over 80 Grey County Women's Institute branch collections
  • Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire Collections - Owen Sound and Durham branches
  • Index to Vital Statistics microfilm for Ontario and registration reels for Grey County, 1869-1913 (births), 1869-1911, 1920-1928 (marriages), 1869-1938 (deaths)
  • Cemetery transcriptions
  • Census information
  • Agnes Campbell Macphail Information
  • Information on local industries, particularly the William Kennedy & Sons Foundry from Owen Sound
  • Land Abstract and Copy Books, circa 1850-1956
  • Catharine Sutton Information
  • Local newspapers
  • Maps
  • Township histories (many are available for purchase in our Museum Store)
  • Bruce & Grey Branch Ontario Genealogical Society Surname Collection: local newspaper birth, death and marriage clippings covering most of the 20th century (also contains family histories)
  • Historic photographs
  • Information on Grey County's African-Canadian pioneers

We also offer research services to those patrons who are unable to visit Grey Roots in person. Requests should have a link to Grey County in some way. Submit a request online!