A selection of digital records from the Simcoe County Archives’ government and non-government collections are available to view online for purposes of research and private study. Content is being added on an ongoing basis and does not reflect the full scope of our holdings.
Certain records in our collections may not be available to view online due to privacy and/or copyright restrictions. Plan a visit to the Archives to access records in our reading room. Please review our Content and Historical Language Advisory to learn about the harmful historical content and language that may be present in our collections.
Browse our guide below to discover search tips and frequently asked questions relating to the SCA’s digital collections.
Navigating the Digital Collections
Frequently Asked Questions
You will find a selection of born-digital and digitized records donated or transferred to the Simcoe County Archives in accordance with our Collections Policy.
A born-digital record originated in an electronic environment (e.g. a photo taken on a Smart Phone). A digitized record is a physical record that has been transformed into digital form (e.g. a map from 1850 that has been scanned).
The Simcoe County Archives is intending to regularly update our digital collections site based on available staffing and resources. Announcements will be made on our homepage regarding major updates to the site.
The records available online represent a fraction of our entire collection. Many records remain in physical form only or cannot be made freely available online due to confidentiality, privacy, and/or Canadian copyright law, and can be viewed onsite instead.
Search our databases to learn more about the records in our collections.
Visit our Archives Services page to learn more about accessing records in our reading room.
When referencing materials on this site in academic research and other writing, please cite Simcoe County Archives as the source using the following template, based on Dalhousie University Libraries’ guide:
Chicago Manual of Style
Notes
Author or creator [if applicable], Title or description of item, date created [day, month, year], Accession Number, Collection or Fonds title, Repository, Location of Repository, URL.
Example:
First citation: 1. Doe, Jane. Photograph of a Blue Jay, 3 March 1877, 2010-001, Aviary collection, Simcoe County Archives, Minesing, Ontario, https://sample-url.ca.
Subsequent citation: Doe, Aviary collection.
Bibliography
Collection name. Repository, Location of Repository.
Example:
Doe, Jane. Aviary collection. Simcoe County Archives, Minesing, Ontario.
MLA
In-text citations
(Author or creator last name, Date created).
Example:
(Doe, 1870).
References page
Author or creator last name, first name. Title or description of item. Date created. Accession number. Collection or fonds title. Repository, Location of Repository. URL.
Example:
Doe, Jane. Photograph of a Blue Jay. 1877. 2010-001. Aviary collection. Simcoe County Archives, Minesing, Ontario. https://sample-url.ca.
APA
Author or creator last name, first initial if applicable. (Date created YYYY, MM DD). Title or description of item. Collection or Fonds title (Accession number). Repository, Location of Repository. Retrieved from URL.
Example:
Doe, J. (1877, March 3). Photograph of a Blue Jay. Aviary collection (2010-001). Simcoe County Archives, Minesing, Ontario. Retrieved from https://sample-url.ca.
Archives’ staff can be reached by email at archives@simcoe.ca, and by phone at 705-726-9331.