History Comes Alive at the Archives . . .

Why Lanark has an Archives

Each year many patrons from Canada and the U.S. visit the Archives researching family roots and learning more about where their ancestors lived. Local historians and genealogists, families, church groups and school children use the Archives.

Intrigued? See for yourself.

As a volunteer agency and non-profit organization, all proceeds are used to further the aims and objectives of Archives Lanark.

The foundation of the Archive's collections is the land records for Lanark county. At the beginning of this millennium, the land abstracts along with the supporting deeds and legal documents for all land transactions from the 1860s to the mid 20th century were destined for destruction until a lobby group of historians and genealogists convinced Queen's Park to allow organizations in each of the Counties to take and preserve the records.

The Lanark Genealogical Society seized the opportunity and undertook to create a county Archives.

Resource Materials Available

The Lanark County Land Registry Abstract Books and Land Deeds dating from 1868 to 1955

Listings for local cemeteries, census records, early church records of baptisms and marriages

Scrap-books of births, deaths and marriages gleaned from local newspapers.

Compiled alphabetically, they complement the published indexes of the Almonte Gazette, Lanark Era and Perth Courier which cover the earlier years up to the 1930's

Original copies of The Almonte Gazette - 1920 - 1980 (also available on micro film);

Tweedsmuir History Books

Family histories

Collections Available

-  Viola Reid Collection, Pakenham Township
-  Early Photographs & Glass Slides - late 1800’s, by R.J. Stead, local photographer
-  The Poole Papers
-  The Geddes Diaries

Other resource materials are available, come in and see if we have the key to your past.