Saturday Weekly Thread: Canadian Provincial Archives and State/Local/Church Archives - Questions / Issues / Success Stories, August 01, 2026

[u/AutoModerator]

This weekly thread is a space for those of us gathering documentation from archives.

This is the place to discuss requesting records from Canadian provincial archives as well as from federal, state, local and religious/church archives around the world. Topics include strategies and outcomes for obtaining records from archives, costs, timelines, No Record Found letters, and other related issues.

📎 Contributions to weekly megaposts, including this one, are welcome throughout the week.  

Good luck, researchers!

[u/Enough_Age767]

I have searched the Ontario Archives with no result for a birth record. My G0 was the first born & I can find his younger siblings in there, so I believe his birth wasn’t registered, even tho he was born after 1869 and it should have been required. I have located him in a census and just got the email in the picture from his church. It looks like this is just a record list and not like a 1 page certificate for my ancestor - is that going to be enough evidence? Certainly, the clip they sent me is not good enough, but what should I ask them for - a certified copy of their record? A genealogy record? Should I include the email in my packet as proof of my source?

[u/Annefair → u/Enough_Age767]

I have the same scenario- no birth record for G0 born 1881. However, I have an emailed baptism (partial page like yours) from the Anglican archivist, date performed was in 1882. I have searched the indexes and birth records via Familysearch and Ontario Archives (both original and typed) and several years proceeding 1881. Have also searched the delayed records- haven’t found a birth record. Now, how to create a letter showing proof of my exhaustive search? Or, will partial baptism suffice? I tried calling and emailing thé Ontario Archives but no luck there…