Bruce County Genealogical Society - Publications
BCGS logo
Serving Bruce County Families --past and present

Bruce County Genealogical Society

Box 1083, Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada N0H 2C0

Click to see larger Bruce County map
Home
Membership
Publications
Queries
Newsletter
Research
History
Projects & Events
Links

Publications

Publications that can be ordered from our society are listed below, followed by instructions on how to purchase these publications.

At the bottom of this page are other publications related to Bruce County genealogy and history, with separate purchasing instructions.

Go to Publications Order Form

Prices are subject to change without notice.

PUBLICATION

PRICE
(in Canadian Dollars)

MAPS

 

Grey Bruce (Ontario, Canada) Visitor's Map.
This map shows the lots and concessions of Grey and Bruce Counties, as well as the township boundaries pre 1998 amalgamation.

 not available

DIRECTORIES List the towns and villages with a brief history of each, including churches, schools, trades, etc., as well as the distance to the nearest larger centre. Also listed are residents and their occupations.

 

Lovell's 1871 Directory - Bruce County

out of print

Lovell's 1871 Directory - Bruce, Grey, HuronLovell's 1871 Directory - Bruce, Grey and Huron Counties




 

20.00

Bruce Co Gazetteer 1880-81William W. Evans Bruce County Gazetteer and Business Directory 1880 - 1881. Bruce County Genealogical Society reproduction. 214 pages. This is a complete reproduction of the original Gazetteer & Directory of Bruce County printed in 1880, with the addition of a Bruce County map of townships prior to the 1998 amalgamations showing location of all lots and concessions within the county as well as towns, villages and hamlets. There is a description of the political boundaries, topographical features, land cleared and value of crops. The townships are alphabetical with an historical sketch of both townships and villages, followed by owners or tenants on all farm lots, plus business people in said villages and towns. Included also are many business ads from that era.

40.00

CENSUS

 

1851 Bruce Co Census1851 Bruce County Census - all townships. Includes Bruce County map showing the townships prior to 1998 amalgamations. 




 

34.00

VOTERS LISTS
List of Voters' names, with their lot and concession number. A valuable 'between census' reference.

 

Bruce Township Voters' Lists 1865, 1867, 1869

16.00

Bruce Township Voters Lists' 1870 - 1874

28.00

Town of Walkerton Voters List' 1887

11.00

Teeswater Voters List 1897. Includes Bruce County map showing the townships prior to 1998 amalgamation. 

  9.00

CHURCH RECORDS

 

Baptisms - St. Andrew's Church, Saugeen Township and North Bruce Church, Bruce Township, 1872 - 1918

  5.00

Arkwright Methodist Church Register, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials

14.00

CHURCH HISTORY

 

St. Andrew's Church History - Saugeen Township, 1870 - 1962

 6.00

Invermay Methodist Cemetery - The Church and Local Settlement, by Doug Richards

out of print

VITAL STATISTICS

 

Bruce Township Death Registrations 1879 - 1899

12.00

LOCAL AND FAMILY HISTORIES

 

Forgotten Lives - Southampton historyForgotten Lives - Early History of a Coastal Village, by John Weichel. A history of Southampton.




 

30.00

Historic Album of PaisleyAn Historic Album of Paisley, Ontario, by the Paisley Centennial Book Committee, 1974




 

15.00

History of Elderslie TownshipThe History of Elderslie Township 1851 - 1977




 

not available

Tara Before 1981Tara Before 1981 - A history for Tara's 100th anniversary, by Bruce Miller




 

20.00

The Millers' Tale, by Bruce Miller of Tara, Ontario. This book is 250 pages long, spiral bound, has 195 pictures and other illustrations (about 30% in colour), 100 stories (the prime focus of the book) and a family tree for each line. The Millers' Tale starts with fourteen great great grandparents and traces each line down to the author and his siblings. Family names include Aiken / Moffet, Brown / Johnson, Greig / Calder, Langstaff / Morran, McLean / Follis, Miller / Langstaff, Tighe / Tighe. All books autographed.

35.00 + 10.00 postage

Chesley Past and Present 1880 - 1980, by Chesley Centennial Committee, 1980

not available

Independent Order of Oddfellows and Rebekahs, Port Elgin

12.00

NEWSLETTER

 

Bruce Bulletin (4 issues per year, 1990 - 2002). Specify year.

  5.00

NEWSPAPER TRANSCRIPTIONS

 

Lucknow Sentinel (newspaper) Births, marriages, deaths - 1875 - 1899. The town of Lucknow is in southern Bruce County, and the Lucknow Sentinel newspaper carries birth, marriage and death announcements for the surrounding area, which includes the northern part of Huron County as well as the southern part of Bruce County.

16.00

Lucknow Sentinel (newspaper) Births, marriages, deaths -  1890 - 1905.

20.00

Paisley Advocate (newspaper) Births, marriages, deaths - 1871 - 1900.

21.00

Paisley Advocate (newspaper) Births, marriages, deaths - 1901 - 1910. Includes Bruce County map showing the Townships prior to 1998 amalgamation.

 31.00

Paisley Advocate (newspaper) Births, marriages, deaths - 1911 - 1921. Back in print. Includes County map.

22.00

Paisley News (newspaper) Births, marriages, deaths - Sept. 1899 - Sept. 1900. 

17.00

CEMETERIES

 

Albemarle Township

 

   Edgehill Cemetery, Colpoy's Bay

16.00

   Red Bay

4.00

Amabel Township

 

   Allenford

 3.50

   Balsam Grove

 8.00

   Louck's

 2.50

   Spring Creek

 3.50

   St. Mary's Updated to the end of 2008

 4.00

   Zion Updated to the end of 2008

15.00

Arran Township

 

   Arkwright

 2.50

   Christ Church Anglican

 3.50

   Elsinore

 4.50

   Henderson

 7.00

  Hillcrest Tara Cemetery.  Updated to include burials from April, 2000 to April, 2004. Includes Bruce County map showing the townships prior to 1998 amalgamations.

34.50

   Invermay Methodist

 2.50

   Mausette Family

 2.50

   Mount Hope

 3.50

Brant Township

 

   Anglican Pioneer

 2.50

   Brocklebank German

 3.50

   Brocklebank Methodist

 2.50

  Calvary (R.C.), Walkerton

15.00

   Early German Baptist

 2.50

   North Brant Presbyterian

 3.00

   Old Presbyterian

 2.50

   Pioneer Presbyterian

 3.00

   Walkerton Cemetery

27.00

Bruce Township

 

   Evangelical United Brethren

 3.50

   Glammis Pioneer

 1.50

   Goodman

 1.50

   Inverhuron

 3.50

  Lovat Cemetery

7.50

   McLean Family

 2.50

   Port Bruce

 8.00

   Queen Hill

 3.50

   Smith Family

 1.50

   Willow Creek

 2.00

Culross Township

 

  Sacred Heart - Teeswater. Includes Bruce County map showing the townships prior to 1998 amalgamations.

9.00

  Smith's Cemetery

5.50

  Teeswater (Protestant). Includes Bruce County map showing the townships prior to 1998 amalgamations.

22.00

Eastnor Township

 

  New edition Eastnor Cemetery Transcribed in 2012

20.00

   Stokes Bay Cemetery

5.75

Elderslie Township

 

  New Chesley Cemetery Transcribed in 2012 25.00

   Ebenezer

 3.50

  Paisley Cemetery

10.00

   Rusk's Cemetery.  Researched by Mary I. MacKay

5.00

   St. Andrews

 8.00

   Vesta

2.75

Greenock Township

 

   Baptist

10.50

   Campbell-Thompson

 1.50

   Cargill-Pinkerton

 3.50

   Greenock Methodist

 1.50

   Greenwood

 2.50

   Holy Trinity Cargill

 3.50

   Jackson

 1.50

  Purdy

10.00

   Mary Immaculate

 7.00

   St. Anne's Riversdale

10.00

   Stark Vale Updated to the end of 2008

8.50

Huron Township

 

   Pine River Cemetery

7.00

   Ripley Cemetery  15.00

Kincardine Township

 

  Kincardine Township Small Cemeteries. Includes Bruce County map showing the townships prior to 1998 amalgamations.

6.00

   Armow now included in Kincardine Twp Small Cemeteries

 out of print

   St. John's Bervie now included in Kincardine Twp Small Cemeteries

 out of print

   Bervie Methodist now included in Kincardine Twp Small Cemeteries

 out of print

   Bervie Presbyterian now included in Kincardine Twp Small Cemeteries

 out of print

   Tiverton Cemetery

20.00

Kinloss Township  
   New South Kinloss Cemetery Transcribed in 2012 14.00

St. Edmunds Township

 

   Dunk's Bay Cemetery. Includes Bruce County map showing the townships prior to 1998 amalgamations. Revised in 2015.

7.50

  The History of the Crane River Settlement and McVicars Cemetery transcriptions. Includes Bruce County map showing the townships prior to 1998 amalgamations.

7.50

Saugeen Township

 

   Brown Family

 1.50

   Burgoyne

 5.00

   Rawn Family

 1.50

   St. Patrick's

 3.50

   Sanctuary Park (Port Elgin)

out of print

   Southampton New Revised 2011

20.00

   Southampton Pioneer

 8.00

CHARTS & TOOLS

 

Family Tree Scrapbook

  5.00

Pedigree Chart

 1.00

Family Sibling Chart (5 generations). This chart folds neatly into your 3 ring binder and consists of your ancestors and their siblings. It is a great way of displaying family (especially the brothers and sisters of your ancestors). This 17" x 22" chart could also be mounted on the wall.

 3.00

Family Group Records - package of 25

 3.00

Ancestral Research Register, Volume I. This is a compilation of surnames being researched by our members. The information is extracted from Members' Research Forms.

 4.00

Ancestral Research Register, Volume II. This is a compilation of surnames being researched by our members. The information is extracted from Members' Research Forms.

 out of print

If any publication listed above is no longer available we will return your cheque and provide you with an estimate of when the publication will be available again. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

How to Purchase Our Publications

Go to Publications Order Form

Please make your cheque or money order payable to:

Bruce County Genealogical Society,
P.O. Box 1083, Port Elgin, Ontario, N0H 2C0, Canada.

Postage and handling charges are as follows:

Within the province of Ontario:

  • 1 to 2 items $5.95

  • 3 to 4 items $6.95    

  • 5 to 6 items $8.95    

  • 7 to 8 items $9.95    

  • 9 or more items $10.95

Elsewhere in Canada, add $3.00.

U.S. orders please send in U.S. funds.
 


Other Publications

Note: The following publications cannot be ordered from the Bruce County Genealogical Society. Ordering information is included with each publication listed below. 

Loch Arran ResortADVENTURES AT LOCH ARRAN RESORT by Dianne J. Ferris. An historical fiction based on the experiences of Dianne Ferris (Cowtan) and family when they owned and operated Loch Arran Resort on Arran Lake in the 1980s. The book includes a history of Loch Arran Resort. Soft cover, 550 pages including 11 pages of colour photographs. Price: $25.00 - Shipping: To be determined, depending on destination. To order, please contact Dianne Ferris: [email protected]. "The call of the loon, the winter isolation and the shoreline of Arran Lake become backdrops to the Cowan family’s exciting journey in this historic Canadiana saga. The reader will relate to Joan and Dan Cowan, hard-working people who are dedicated to building a life for their children. But the Cowan’s are willing to take an extra risk, to gamble their finances, their love and even their sanity as they struggle to make a living off the land, providing a taste of nature to anyone who can pay. Adventures at Loch Arran Resort, is an historical fiction that will immerse the reader into the natural Canadian environment through vivid imagery and detail. Lively dialogue and intriguing experiences await the reader, who will be left hopeful for the tide to turn in this story of a Canadian family’s struggle."

Joseph Kieffer and Maria Magdalena Stutter Family History by Jerry and Helen Kieffer Nearly 400 years of history, almost 600 pages including an all name index; more than 300 photos, wills, marriage records from the 1860s, easy to follow trees, personal and family stories, newspaper articles and obituaries; histories of communities: Stoufflenheim, Alsace, France; New Germany (Maryhill), Waterloo County; and Pilkington Township; Bruce and Grey Counties. Softcover $35.00 and hardcover $43.00 plus shipping if applicable. To order contact Jerry and Helen Kieffer (519)925-9052 or [email protected].

All Our Yesterdays - Volume Two, 1854 - 2008 - A History of the Municipalities of Teeswater and Culross.  This book can be purchased at the South Bruce Municipal Office, Teeswater ON N0G 2S0. The price is $50, not including shipping. The book weighs about 5 pounds. All cheques should be made payable to: Teeswater-Culross Historical Committee. This is truly a beautiful book crammed with information and pictures. There are 684 pages.
 

Saugeen Metis Historic Saugeen & Its Métis People. Published (2006) by the Saguingue Métis Council (Chartered Community Council of the Métis Nation of Ontario). Edited by Patsy Lou Wilson McArthur. ISBN 0-9737620-0-4. Price $30.00 plus $8.00 shipping and handling, Canadian funds, by cheque or money order payable to Saguingue Métis Council. Copies available from The Saguingue Métis Council, Box 1582, Port Elgin, Ontario, N0H 2C0. Or contact for additional information: [email protected] (519-797-2160) or [email protected] (519-832-2183). A collection of articles and photos which includes the History of fur trading at Saugeen and in Lake Huron; Métis Family History, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Canada's Constitution of 1982; The Saugeen Territory - Early Explorers & Others To the Mid-19th Century; Families of Historic Saugeen; and Families of Historic Owen Sound and Big Bay. Contributors include Métis descendants of the Saugeen Territory's fur trade families - Dr. David T. McNab, Jim McLay, Pat McArthur, and others about the Great Lakes. (165 pages, bound, two-colour UV-coated cover)

History of Township of Brant The History of the Township of Brant 1854 - 1979. Published by the Brant Township Historical Society in 1979 to mark the 125th anniversary of the township. Edited by Laura Gateman. Price $12.00. Copies are still available and can be ordered from the Brockton Municipal Office, 100 Scott St. Box 68, Walkerton ON NOG 2V0, Tel. (519) 881-2223, Toll free (1-877-885-8084), or from Holst Office Supplies, 231 Durham St. East, Walkerton, ON NOG 2V0, Tel. (519) 881-0031. Includes list of Crown deeds, list of 1851 settlers and histories of several of the earliest families.
 

Connections, Centennial History of Municipality of La Vallee, Rainy River District. Order from Township of La Vallee, P.O. Box 99, Devlin, Ontario P0W 1C0. Phone 807-486-3452. Fax 807-486-3863. Price $80 ($70 for book + $10 for postage).
The Municipality of La Vallee in the Rainy River District celebrated its Centennial year in 2004. Though not incorporated until that year it was opened for settlement by the Dominion of Canada about 1892. Settlers from eastern Ontario began to flood into this area called New Ontario, described by some as a complete wilderness. The lure of free land was a major enticement.
To commemorate the settling of this land and honour the pioneers a centennial committee (most of them descendants of the early settlers) worked for several years to publish a history book telling the stories of as many of these people as possible. Many of these people came from the Ripley, Lucknow and Kincardine areas. Since some of the families were related, the book came to be called CONNECTIONS and many more family connections were discovered in its writing. These hardy people took up no easy task in taming this new land and the trip itself was difficult. Some travelled by train and boat to the Port Arthur region where they then journeyed over the historic Dawson Trail to Fort Frances, an early fur trading post, then finding their way to homesteads further down the Rainy River. Once the steamship routes became more common settlers travelled to Rat Portage (Kenora) by CPR rail. Some had boxcars full of goods; others came with just a few possessions and tools. They boarded steam-powered ships to travel across Lake of the Woods and down the Rainy River, encountering dangerous rapids and other hazards to dock at Emo or Big Fork. Barges towed behind carried household goods, farm machinery and animals. The story of these steamships themselves is exciting and interesting. Most of the earliest settlers were of British and Scottish descent. Some of them were descendants of the people that were part of the Lewis Settlement in Huron Township. Names of some of the settlers were: McLeod, McDonald, Matheson, McRitchie, McKay, McLay, McTavish, McLean, Nicholson, Smith, Saunders, Martin, McLennan, Roulston and others such as Strachan, Barker, Ross, Watson Hughes, McFayden, McNevin and Miller. It is interesting to note that Burriss, one of the townships, accepted only settlers from the United States for the first few years. Devlin and Woodyatt, the other two townships, were settled mainly by people from eastern Ontario of Methodist and Presbyterian background. "Connections" contains the local history as well as the stories of hardship, loss, disaster and ... triumph, determination and resourcefulness of people making new homes in anew land. There are many pictures throughout the book that help to tell the tale of clearing the land to make a living. Connections is a hard cover book containing over 400 pages and is beautifully bound with a burgundy cover and gold lettering.
 

1851 Exiles - Story of the Lewis Settlement in Huron Township. Victims of Scotland's infamous Highland Clearances, the settlers were evicted from their crofts on the Hebridean island of Lewis in 1851 by landlord James Matheson and then transported overseas where they put down roots together in a block of farms in the centre of Huron Township, Bruce County. The group was successful in maintaining their Gaelic language and culture well into the 20th century. Order from Torquil Productions, P.O. Box 303, Kincardine, Ontario N2Z 2Y8 Canada, WEBSITE: www.torquil.net, EMAIL: [email protected], Toll-Free Telephone: 1-877-489-4693

The Talking Bricks of John Hallman by Garn Karn.
Price $11.50. To order, please contact the author at: The Brick Guy, telephone (519) 422-3980, or (416) 466-3903.
The author collects and researches old bricks with names, initials or pictures, especially from Bruce and Grey Counties.
John Hallman operated a brickyard in Hanover, Ontario [in Grey County, near the southeast corner of Bruce County] in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His principal competition was the F. Riechan brickyard, also of Hanover. Within a 20 mile radius there were a dozen brickyards making brick for local construction. Many of the yellowish brick buildings of the 1875 - 1920 vintage in Hanover area were likely of brick produced locally by Hallman or Riechan. Many of the Hallman bricks have the Hallman name imprinted in the depression (frog) in the brick. Other bricks have a picture or design that is known to be a Hallman mark imprinted in the frog. These marked bricks turn up when a brick wall is torn down, as the marks cannot be seen on the exposed brick face. The book includes photographs of Hallman bricks from the author's collection.
 

Centreville Church, The Old Country Church. Book of Memories of the Centreville Church 1909 - 1970.
Includes the historical beginnings of Methodism in Eastnor Twp and Lions Head; a list of first members 1909 - 1911; many family photos, and Sunday school and other church photos; a list of weddings and known funerals.
Hardcover. 210 pages. Also available on CD. Price: book $49.00; CD $29.00. Order from: The Inside Story Bookstore, Box 219, 551 Berford Street, Wiarton ON N0H 2T0. Telephone (519) 534-0572.
 

Greenock Township 150 Years. A re-print of the original history, with corrections and additions. Price is $35.00 plus postage. To order, contact Ian Gibbons, R.R. # 4, Walkerton, Ontario, Canada N0G 2V0. Telephone (519) 881-1990.
 

Mary MacKay has just published her sixth book in a series about the lives of early Colonsay settlers in the Paisley, Elderslie Twp, Arran Twp & Saugeen Twp area of Bruce County, Ontario. The proceeds from the sale of these books has gone to the restoration of Rusk's Cemetery in Elderslie Township, where many of the Colonsay immigrants are buried. The restoration was completed in 2004. Mary is a past president of the Bruce County Genealogical Society, and is currently President of the Bruce County Historical Society.

Down Petticoat LaneDown Petticoat Lane” is the story of Kate McEachern Darroch and her neighbours, the Smiths, McNeills, McArthurs, McLeans, McDonalds and Galbraiths, who were pioneer settlers in the area.
 
Kate's father, Archie McEachern, left Colonsay when he was young and went to Prince Edward Island. When Kate was only three, Archie and his family came to Ontario to join his mother, brothers and sisters who had emigrated directly from Colonsay.
 
Kate's husband, Charles Darroch, also went to Prince Edward Island before joining other Colonsay families in this part of Ontario.
 
From the day of her marriage in 1872, Kate Darroch’s life was full of surprises and tragedies, clouded by an extremely reclusive husband and enriched by the neighbours who helped her. Her four children gave her a purpose in life and her friends gave her the will to live. It will bring a tear to your eye and a smile to your lips. The experiences of the women in this small pioneer settlement will keep you spell bound.
 
"Down Petticoat Lane" is a narrative and not intended to be a genealogy, however readers with an interest in any family chronicled in the book could contact the author at [email protected].
 
Other books in this series still available are:

Tatters in my LifeBook III  “Tatters In My Life” tells the very unusual story of Kirsty McCalder who left behind her husband and small daughter in Mariposa Township and came to Concession 1 Arran Township with her brother Donald Galbraith. The fact that she was pregnant when she came and that her husband signed an agreement and sent her money every year until 1894 adds to the puzzle. You must read the book to find the answer.

 


I Think We'll Go TooBook IV  “I Think We’ll Go Too” is the story of Flora McNeill, her children and grandchildren and the many lives she touched as a pioneer in Prince Edward Island and Elderslie Township. Widowed eight years after settling on Concession 13, Elderslie Township, her indomitable spirit sustained her through difficult times for ninety-three years.  Of her sixty-one grandchildren, only six remained in Ontario, and only one of them has descendants living in Elderslie today.

 

 
Scooptown DiaryBook V “The Scooptown Diary”. The diary of Hugh Blue opens the window and allows the reader to peek into the lives of the families of Hugh and Angus Blue and their four sisters who came with their spouses and divided a one hundred acre farm into five small units and lived there the rest of their days, clearing the land and raising their families.

 


 
Additional information about the Rusk Cemetery restoration project, and the earlier books in this series can be found here.

The books are available from the author at  519-353-5544 for $12 each plus $2 postage or $40 for the set. Mail requests may be sent to:
Mary MacKay 
Box 16,
Paisley, Ontario CANADA N0G 2N0
 

Kith and Kin of Kinloss: a history of the settlement of Kinloss Township Published as 2 volumes, over 1,100 pages long, and contains approximately 2,000 photos. Sold Out
 

Bruce County's Townships (before  1998 amalgamations)

Albemarle Township
Colpoy's Bay United Church, Colpoy's Bay, Albemarle Township, Bruce County

Amabel Township
Wiarton, Amabel Township, Bruce County

Arran Township
Christ Church Anglican Cemetery Record, Tara, Arran Township, Bruce County

Brant Township
Walkerton town clock, Walkerton, Brant Township, Bruce County

Bruce Township
Underwood United Church, Underwood, Bruce Township, Bruce County

Carrick Township
Mildmay church, Mildmay, Carrick Township, Bruce County

Culross Township
Salem United Church, Culross Township, Bruce County

Eastnor Township
Barrow Bay, Eastnor Township, Bruce County

Elderslie Township
Memorial plaque, hamlet of Williscroft, Elderslie Township, Bruce County

Greenock Township
Plaque, village of Pinkerton, Greenock Township, Bruce County

Huron Township
Huron Township Hall, Ripley, Huron Township, Bruce County

Kincardine Township
Mural, village of Tiverton, Kincardine Township, Bruce County

Kinloss Township
South Kinloss Presbyterian Church

Lindsay Township
War Memorial, Lindsay Township, Bruce County

Saugeen Township
Dunblane Presbyterian Church, Saugeen Township, Bruce County

St. Edmunds Township

Lighthouse, Tobermory, St. Edmunds Township, Bruce County
Bruce County Genealogical Society
PO Box 1083, Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada N0H 2C0
Copyright © 2003 - 2013
[email protected]