NEMI Public Library has a comprehensive Local History Collection, focusing on the town of Little Current, formerly Howland, and beyond, to other areas of Manitoulin Island and the North Shore. Rare and hard-to-find books and documents are available for in-library use. A smaller collection of books are available for check out. Our librarians are happy to help you find the resources you need for your research.
View our Reference Collection here.
Microfilm
NEMI Public Library is home to the Manitoulin Expositor archives on microfilm. Our microfilm reader is computer-integrated, making it easy to view, save and print what you find. Our librarians are happy to help get you started by showing you how to use the microfilm reader. For interested parties that do not live in our area, we suggest connecting with locals to find someone to come in and do the research for you. There are several groups on Facebook that may be able to help or connect you with those who can. Local students from Manitoulin Secondary School may also be interested in completing research for volunteer hours.
Local Resources
- Manitoulin Genealogy – a website dedicated to genealogy of Manitoulin Island
- Manitoulin Roots – a genealogical database dedicated to the memory of those brave pioneers who came to and settled on Manitoulin Island. Manitoulin Roots is also on Facebook.
- Manitoulin History – a Facebook group sharing Manitoulin history, including photos
- La Cloche History – a Facebook group sharing history of the La Cloche area
Online Resources
- Canadiana
- over 60 million pages of digitized heritage content
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography
- a biographical reference work for Canada
- Our Ontario Discovery Portal
- Find digital photos, maps, videos, podcasts, and documents about Ontario people, places, events, history and culture.
- Ontario Newspaper Index
- Community and historical newspapers of Ontario: Acton Free Press, British Whig, Canadian Illustrated News, Essex Free Press, Georgetown Herald, Kingston Chronicle, Kingston Gazette, Marine Record, Provincial Freeman, Stouffville Sun-Tribune, Voice of the Fugitive, and more.
- Ontario Government Documents
- Access 26,000 government documents from the collection of the Ontario Legislative Library. Simple searching, or browse by titles, by ministry/agency, authors, subjects, or years.
- Greater Sudbury Heritage Database
- Dgitally reproduced local and community publications
- Through the Years
- Through the Years began as a monthly publication produced in booklet format with the intention of recording the history of the entire Manitoulin District. Sources of information for the booklets were cited as museums and local newspapers; with Manitoulin residents invited and encouraged to contribute stories and photographs for publication.
- Government of Canada Genealogy and Family History Resources
- Provides links to many records that can help you learn more about your ancestor’s experiences, including the census, naturalization records, immigration records, and military records.
If you know of a reliable, free reference that might be of value to local residents in their search for regional history, we would love to consider it for addition to this list. Contact us here.