The Bruce & Grey region page offers access to rich genealogical resources, historical records, and local expertise for exploring family roots in Bruce and Grey Counties—an area shaped by early settlement, migration, and strong community ties across southwestern Ontario.
After more than 55 years of dedicated volunteer service, the Bruce & Grey Branch concluded its operations on December 2025. We extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported the branch over the decades, with special appreciation to its final executive team: Roberta Clark, Janet Iles, Kathleen Szakall, Carol Byrne, Art Harvey, and Marilyn Irish.
Discover family roots and local history through searchable records, maps, and archival resources from Bruce & Grey Area.
The Bruce & Grey Branch Surname Collection is a vast digitized archive of newspaper clippings documenting births, marriages, deaths, and other life events in Bruce and Grey Counties from the 1870s to 2010. Compiled and preserved by dedicated volunteers, it offers more than 140 years of local history organized alphabetically and chronologically. Each surname file ranges from a single page to hundreds, making it an invaluable resource for family history research. Access requires membership.
Bruce and Grey’s reference library is housed in the Ioleen A. Hawken Local History Collection.
The collection is located in the Local History and Genealogy Room on the west side of level 4 (Carnegie Room) in the Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library, which is located at 824 1st Ave. W., Owen Sound, ON, N4K 4K4. For items held in storage you will need to make a request at the Reference Desk.
Browse categorized collections of scanned books, periodicals, maps, and more.
Copyright statement: As the copyright status of these materials is not yet determined, their use is limited to your own personal research. Copies should not be shared unless it is indicated that copyright has expired (Public Domain) or you have been granted permission by the copyright holder. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] for further assistance.
This map illustrates the townships of Bruce and Grey counties on January 23, 1881.
On January 24, 1881 Melancthon Township was transferred from Grey County to the newly formed Dufferin County.
Many thanks to Gordon Torrie, former Technical Co-ordinator of Bruce & Grey Branch for producing this map.
Looking to dig deeper? These external resources can help you uncover more about your family history.
Grey County Links
Libraries & Museums
Directories & Genealogy
Local Histories & Digital Projects
Grey Highlands (Markdale and Flesherton) Digital Project
Our Roots Canada’s Local Histories Online
The Paths That Led to Holland, A History of Holland Township (pdf)
Split Rail Country, A History of Artemesia Township (pdf)
Beautiful Stoney Keppel, Keppel Township 1855 – 1986: including the village of Shallow Lake
A History of Sullivan Township, 1850 – 1975
A History of Sullivan Township, 1850 to 1975 Volume 2
History of Derby Township, 1839 to 1972
History of Sydenham Township: Centennial Project
Bruce County Links
Libraries & Museums
Bruce County Historical Society
Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre
Bruce Remembers presented by the Bruce County Museum
Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre Useful Links – Be sure to check out the Books that can be accessed online.
Bruce County Branch Libraries (Walkerton Branch, Cargill, Chesley, Hepworth, Kincardine, Lion’s Head, Lucknow, Mildmay Carrick, Paisley, Port Elgin, Ripley, Sauble Beach, Southampton, Tara, Teeswater, Tiverton, Tobermory, Wiarton)
Directories & Genealogy
Bruce County Genealogical Society
Gazetteer and Directory of Bruce County
Directory for the County of Bruce, Ontario, Canada, 1876: containing the names of all the residents in the county, no. of lot and con. of every farmer, also whether tenant or freeholder; a description of, and the names of residents in every town and village in the county (alphabetically arranged), besides other valuable information by J. H. Brownell