Ancaster Branch Accessible Door Out of Order

The accessibility door at Ancaster Branch is not working. We aim to fix it quickly.

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Published:
Saturday, November 8, 2025 - 9:45am
Concession Branch: Children's Area Renovations

Concession Branch's children area is closed for renovations. Please use the temporary space. Public computers are also affected. There are currently three available. We aim to have the branch back in order as soon as possible.

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Published:
Friday, November 7, 2025 - 9:30am
Odour at Carlisle Branch

Members visiting the Carlisle Branch may notice an unpleasant odour. We are working to identify the source and hope to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Published:
Thursday, November 6, 2025 - 5:30pm
Network Maintenance - Wednesday, November 12

HPL's WiFi, Catalogue and online resources will undergo network maintenance on Wednesday, November 12 from 5-8am. We apologize for the inconvenience.

All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Thursday, November 6, 2025 - 8:00am
Kenilworth Branch Reopening

Noise and limited parking continue at the Kenilworth Branch this week as renovations wrap up. Thank you for your understanding.

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Published:
Monday, October 27, 2025 - 3:00pm
Delayed Branch Openings 

The following locations have upcoming delayed openings due to Staff training drills. 

Monday, November 10 
Concession Branch, 10am

Thursday, November 13
Binbrook Branch, 10am

Friday, November 14
Valley Park Branch, 10am

Monday, November 24
Mount Hope, 2pm

Thursday, November 27
Stoney Creek, 10am

You may visit nearby Branches for your library needs. www.hpl.ca/hours

All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 - 2:00pm
Replacement and Damage Fees

Bring back your borrowed library items (due Oct 1 or later) within 28 days to avoid a replacement or lost fee. We'll remove the fee when you bring back your overdue items. 

All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Thursday, September 11, 2025 - 3:00pm

Vital Statistics for Ontario

Baptism at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
Baptism at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

Indexes are available on microfilm in Local History & Archives and to borrow from the Archives of Ontario.

The full registration record is available only on loan from the Archives of Ontario or by visiting the Archives of Ontario in Toronto.

The indexes for the following years have been released and are held by the department:

  • Births 1869 to 1915
  • Marriages [ca.1801] to 1931
  • Deaths 1869 to 1941 plus deaths of Ontarians overseas, 1939-1946

Later indexes and complete transcriptions are not available in the department but all currently available can be accessed through Ancestry.ca

Vital Statistics

Local History & Archives does have some original Vital Statistics:

Barton Township
1896 to 1924
microfilms 355 & 356

Beverly Township
1871 to 1948
microfilms 296, 297, 298 & 357 

Glanford Township
Archives File - Glanford Township
Volume 1, 1869 to 1877
Volume 2, 1879 to 1897
Volume 3, 1898 to 1903

Archives File - Glanford Township
Index of names that appear in Glanford Township birth, marriage and death records

Waterdown
Archives File - Waterdown
Volume 1, 1880 to 1894 (incomplete)

West Flamborough Township
Archives File - Flamborough, West Township
Birth & Death Certificates
1873 to 1875

Birth Records pre-1869 

Before 1869 there are two main sources of birth records: newspaper announcements and church baptismal records.

Some of these records are available in Local History & Archives:

Ancaster Township 
Ontario Historical Society
Papers & Records
971.3 ONT
Volume 5, pages 102 to 177
1830 to 1838 – Anglican

Dundas 
Dundas Warder & County of Halton General Advertiser
929.3713 DUN
1847 to 1857

Gore District 
Ontario Historical Society
Papers & Records
971.3 ONT
Volume 5, pages 92 to 96
1816-1824

Hamilton
Check our Where-to-Look in the department under the name of the person to see if there is a biographical file in the collection. This may include birth, death and/or marriage announcements.

Gordon Allison Collection
Transcriptions of deaths, marriages and births published in the Hamilton Spectator from 1846 to 1899
[missing July 1876 to October 1877]

Hamilton Evening Times
February 17, 1859 to December 30, 1869

Newspapers of the Western Gore
1831 to 1859

Gore Gazette
March 2, 1827 to June 8, 1829

Hamilton Express & Free Press, 1836

Hamilton Journal & Gore District Mercantile & Agricultural Intelligencer, 1839

Hamilton Express & Political & Commercial Journal, 1839

Journal & Express, 1841 to 1853

Birth, Marriage & Death Records
929.3 OGS
November 1854 to July 1857

Central Presbyterian Church
Baptismal Registers
Microfilm 539
1842 to 1877
1877 to 1954