Contact Us For Research!

All Research Material must be used at the Museum. Researchers must agree to adhere to the Rules of the Museum before they will be provided with access to the material.

Research in Person

• The Museum welcomes anyone who wishes to make use of our records and artifacts for research purposes.
• The Museum does not require any certification or degree to access our collections.
• Researchers  must make an appointment in advance to access the collection.   Complete the form below and then use the button to set an appointment time.
• There is no charge for self-directed research (accessing finding aids and digitized material). 
• Staff may assist to identify suitable archival materials and must access and refile materials. 
• Staff are required to supervise any access to artifacts.
• Researchers may not operate vehicles. 
• Additional fees are charged  to reproduce and mail materials.  

Researching for you (Commissioned Research)

• We welcome research inquiries received by  email from the General Public.   See the email form below. 
• We will not charge fees if we can quickly answer a question or confirm whether we can otherwise assist with your research or question.  (maximum 30 minutes).  Time required after that are considered billable.
• Researchers  who are unable to visit in person can commission research at an hourly rate.   This research may be done by a curator or by a volunteer. 
• Research for you must be prepaid in advance by cheque, email transfer, Visa or Mastercard. 
• We recommend that researchers initially approve an hour or two of research time, which will allow us to survey the collection, advise what material is available and estimate costs to research an potentially copy material.   
• You must clearly define your research objectives and priorities in advance.  
• Research time will be prorated to the nearest half hour.  
• There is no guarantee that we will be able to answer your question or find your desired information.
• Additional fees are charged  to reproduce and mail materials.  

Researchers are reminded that they are working with historical records, artifacts, and vehicles  All of these are of historical and financial value.  As a researcher, you will have a moral and legal responsibility to treat these object with extreme care.  Please note that these rules apply to all researchers and staff of the Museum. 

• All researchers must fill out a Research Request Form email (see below) before accessing our collections.
• Care must be taken when working with the collections.  This may include not using flash photography, wearing appropriate gloves and hearing protection, etc.  A Museum resource will provide guidance.
• If working with vehicles, you are required to have a safety briefing prior to accessing the vehicles.
• Eating and drinking are prohibited while working with the collections. This includes chewing gum and candy.
• Working with any of the collection requires Museum supervision.
• Cotton gloves are required when handling records.   If gloves prove too cumbersome, thoroughly washing and drying hands immediately before use is an acceptable alternative. 
• No actions may be taken that will alter or harm any Museum object.  Breach of this rule may result in immediate suspension of the researcher.
• No copyright material should be used in any publication without first obtaining permission from the copyright holder.
• Copies of archival records or reference material for private study will only be made under the fair use provisions at the Copyright Act. Copies of records are not to be further reproduced, sold or published without permission.
• Established fees will be charged for the provision of copied materials. Please consult with a representative for rates.
• Researchers are permitted to quote the text of records for private research and study, within the fair use provisions of the Copyright Act.
• Researchers are expected to acknowledge the source of the documents.

Fees do not include HST

• Staff Assisted Research  $15.00 / hour
• Commissioned Research (External Research) $35.00 / hour
• Photocopies $.50 / copy
• Other Service please call before.
• Shipping and Handling – at cost

Unless your family member was a member of the 34th Battalion of Infantry, the 116th Battalion (Ontario County), CEF, the 182nd Battalion (Ontario County), CEF, or the Ontario Regiment R.C.A.C. – the Museum probably does not have many records that can assist you.  

There are a number of both pay-for-use and free websites that can provide a view of Canadian Servicemen and Servicewomen.  Similar services are available in most other countries.  

Some pay-for-use sites are ancestry.ca, MyHeritage.com, and familysearch.org.

Military records are held at Library and Archives Canada (bac-lac.gc.ca).  This is a great starting point for WW1 records.  Most records of WW2, Korea, and Cold war veterans are still held as being private.  You can send an Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) online request to either LAC or DND depending on when the member served. (https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/transparency/atippr/Pages/Online-requests-forms.aspx)

• Canadian Great War Project, index
• First World War
• Canada, War Graves Registers (Circumstances of Casualty), 1914-1948 ($). On Library and Archives Canada (free), images
• “Far From Home”, casualties sustained by the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Great Britain.

• Second World War (1939-1945)
• Royal Canadian Naval Reserve (RCNR) Officers 1939-1945, index
• Commomwealth War Graves Commission, index
• Service Files of the Second World War – War Dead, 1939-1947, index
• War Brides passenger Lists

• The Canadian Military Heritage Project
• Canadian Fallen Heroes, index

Military records at the National Archives of Canada are discussed in:

• Christie, Carl A. “Military Sources at the Public Archives of Canada,” Families.1977, 225–241 

For more information about military records, see:

• St-Louis-Harrison, Lorraine, and Mary Munk. Tracing Your Ancestors in Canada.12th ed. Ottawa: National Archives of Canada, 1997.
• Merriman, Brenda Dougall. Genealogy in Ontario: Searching the Records. 3rd ed. Toronto: Ontario Genealogical Society, 1996. 

The Museum does not support item or artifact valuation services to the public.