Are you interested in the history of Windsor & Essex County? Have you been looking for information about your family’s past? The Local History Branch is a reference library containing visual, print, microfilm, maps and digital information of numerous resources to help you understand the history of this wonderful community. Below is a list of research materials and links available to assist you in your studies.
Local History encompasses photographs, Windsor/Essex yearbooks, census records, voting lists, historical maps dating from 1790 forward, scrapbooks, newsletters, ephemera and access to early newspapers including The Provincial Freeman and Voice of the Fugitive. Please note: all print items are only for use within the Local History Library branch.
Internet access to historical and genealogical resources are also provided, as is the ability to create, print, or examine digital copies from print and microfilm originals.
We are located at 3312 Sandwich St. amid historic Sandwich Towne! Drop by and let us help you find what you need. You can also reach us with questions at localhistory@windsorpubliclibrary.com or call 519-255-6770 Ext 4437
Recommended Reads – Black History (NF only)
Print Resources and E-resources
The titles listed below, are a sample of resources that focus mainly on black history from a local perspectives and experiences. Some recommended titles include:
Black Abolitionist Papers Vol 1-5
Record of Fugitives (Manuscript 1855) Vol 1-2
Black Moses: The Real Uncle Tom by Jessie L. Beattie
We’re Rooted Here and They Can’t Pull Us Up (essays by multiple authors)
Tour Essex/Kent County’s Heritage Trail: Early Settlement of African Canadians: starting in 1750 by Chris Carter
The Colours of Essex County: Historic African Canadian Cemeteries by Elise Harding-Davis
Our Own Two Hands: Black lives in Windsor from the 1700s by Irene Moore-Davis
Freedom-Seekers: Blacks in Early Canada by Daniel G. Hill
History of the Negro community in Essex County 1850—1860 by Carol Jenson
New Canaan: Freedom-Land: The Blacks of Colchester Township by Edward Johnson
To The River: The Remarkable Journey of Caroline Quarlls A Freedom Seeker on the Underground Railroad by Larry A. McClellan & Kimberly Simmons
Black Pentecostal Music in Windsor by Paul McIntyre
Black Names in America by Newbell Niles Puckett
Mary Ann Shadd Cary: The Black Press and Protest in the Nineteenth Century by Jane Rhodes
Unwelcome Guests: Canada West’s Response to American Fugitive Slaves 1800-1865 by Jason H. Silverman
The Black Presence in the War of 1812: Unsung Military Volunteers of North America by Elise Harding-Davis
Other Resources
The Marsh Historical Collection mandate is “to collect, preserve and encourage research into the heritage of Amherstburg and the lower Detroit River district.” The facility contains a large collection of photos, books, genealogical records, land instruments, maps, and reference files relating to the area. The office is open to visitors and researchers wishing to access the collection.
The Héritage project is a 10-year initiative to digitize and make accessible online some of Canada’s most popular archival collections encompassing roughly 40 million pages of primary-source documents.
Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive
The Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive is home to online archival collections developed at the University of Windsor. It contains records of our local history through images, publications, directories, newspapers, and other materials. It is committed to assisting researchers in their exploration of southwestern Ontario history, genealogy and culture.
The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. The archive provides free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the public.
War Museum and Canadian Great War Project
The Canadian Great War Project is intended to promote interest in Canada’s participation in World War 1 and to research the Canadians who participated in it.
Local Black History & Family Research
Numerous resources such as church records, cemetery locations i.e. (designated cemeteries/separated sections for black, slaves and indigenous peoples) family information are available. Here are some links for recently updated materials on genealogy and history:
Ancestry Library (available in library branches only)
Family Search (available at Local History Branch only)
Essex County Black Historical Research Society (ecbhrs@gmail.com)
Essex County Historical Research Society
The Amherstburg Freedom Museum
The Buxton National Historic Site and Museum
A Black People’s History of Canada
North Star: A Portal for Black History in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent
We Were Here: Documenting Windsor’s McDougall Street Corridor
Windsor Mosaic: African Canadian Community
Newspaper/Periodical Resources
Press Reader (1893-2010) library members only (online)
Press Reader (2011-Present) library members only (online)
Progress (Emancipation Day publication)
The ODW Newspaper Collection (please note this site is currently undergoing changes in design)
The collection brings together newspaper titles of communities outside the Windsor Essex area. Titles such as Voice of the Fugitive and the Provincial Freeman are available, as are community newspapers.
http://ink.ourontario.ca/titles
This section of Our Ontario provides information and access to historical documents and information.
Immigration Resources and Passenger Lists
Canadian Lists
Library and Archives Canada contains numerous resources about immigrants and their arrival. Passenger lists are available from to 1935. Other holdings include immigration records and guides, travel guides, letters, diaries, journals, memoirs, newspapers (some cultural titles), maps, art, photographs, music and film.
United States
Although this site focuses on American records, many immigrants that came to Canada arrived first in the United States. Many travelled to U.S. and Canadian border communities (i.e. Niagara Falls, Windsor). This website contains over 3,500 free access pages immigration reports, newspaper records, shipwreck information as well as pictures and descriptions of ships.
Microfilm
There numerous research documents, church histories, vital statistics and demographics available both in print, online and microfilm that date back as far the18th c. available Some microfilmed materials that may be of interest are the Alvin McCurdy Papers, Chatham Newspapers from 1844-1850, and several early county newspapers. The Voice of the Fugitive and the Provincial Freeman are also available on microfilm.
Digital, online, print and electronic resources can restrict usage due to licensing, subscription, migration, and other active digital audit activities. Be sure to check the copyright of the information you are using.
For more information, contact 519-255-6770, x 4437, or email mgelissen@windsorpubliclibrary.com or localhistory@windsorpubliclibrary.com
Written By:
Mary-Lou Gelissen MLIS (She/Her)
Librarian – Local History and Genealogy Branch
Windsor Public Library
3312 Sandwich St
Windsor On.
N9C 1B1
mgelissen@windsorpubliclibrary.com
Updated: July 2025