How do I find the marriage record of my father and mother's marriage in or around the year 1954 in Toronto, Ontario?

You can request a marriage records search from Service Ontario and can use the result to order a marriage certificate.

I would like to find a sibling placed for adoption. How would I go about locating this individual?

The first step for anyone seeking a sibling or child placed for adoption in Ontario is the website Access to Adoption Records Act maintained by the government. From there you can apply to the Adoption Disclosure Registry. This registry exists to bring together adoptees and birth relations and is free to use.

While awaiting a match, if the adoptee was placed through the Children's Aid Society you can apply for non-identifying information. There are also numerous internet sites set up for this type of search where you can post your information and hope the adoptee sees it and gets in touch. Be sure to also seek out local adoption groups (such as Parent Finders) for advice and support.

Is there a database/website in Canada similar to the Social Security Death Index in the USA, and if so what time period does it cover and where do I access it?

No, Canada does not have a similar database.  We do have Social Insurance but those records remain private.

I am looking for a death index for Welland County that covers 1947-1960. Where can I find this?

For the 1947-1960 time period the earliest you would be able to access a death index is 2019 and only for the year 1947 (1948 would be available in 2020, 1949 in 2021, and so on). As explained on our page for Death Records there is a privacy law restricting the release of death registrations for 72 years unless you are next-of-kin or the legal representative of the deceased.

An alternative would be to seek out cemetery records. See:

OCFA

Niagara Branch OGS

CanadaGenWeb's Cemetery Project

My great grandparents were Samuel May and Jane Sullivan. At one time, they resided in Renfrew County. Most of their children were born in the area, including my grandfather John Francis May. They also had a daughter named Margaret May. She was born on June 5 1877 and died in 1973. She is buried in Eganville. The story goes that my great-aunt Maggie married money. She married her husband Michael Roche June 17 1902 in Brudenell. During her life, she was said to have either built or contributed significantly to the building of a church in the Renfrew area. When I was a child, we toured the small town and have pictures of the church, but I do not have the name or exact location. Are you familiar with this church? It is quite large with grey brick and has a statue (shrine) on the grounds and something about stables. Any idea where that might have been as we are planning a visit to the area and would like to visit.

Help! Do you have an answer to this question? Please post a comment.

Where do I begin to seek to trace one of my relatives who was a senior police officer between 1940- 1965

If you know for what force, write to them (city police, write to the city force; rural police, write to the Ontario Provincial Police).

I have managed to have receive a copy of Mimico Correctional Centre Prison Records (RG20-43-1) for an uncle but unfortunately it seem there are no Inmate Case Files for the centre for 1950 onwards. The register tells me that he was sentenced in Peterboro by W R Philp on June 28 1950. He was sentenced to 5 mths and released Nov 27 1950. Can anyone tell me if there would be a record of the trial in Peterboro?

See Court Records

i have been researching my family tree. i live in scotland and am having great difficulty finding any information on the where adouts of the family i have over there. i have an address from 1957 names but still seem to get no where. i was wondering if you could give me any tips as all the ones i have tried are failing my and i would really like to get in touch with anyone who could help.

Given the 1957 time frame you're up against a challenge - Canada has privacy laws that don't allow access to certain genealogy records. However there are places you can look. Start with the address & time period you have and become familiar with the resources available in that area. What libraries and genealogy societies there can help you? What is available at your local library or LDS family history centre (it's surprising how many don't check their local resources - you can always request material from other countries if it's been microfilmed!). Check newspapers, city directories, and phone directories where they lived. Put an advertisement in the newspaper of that area - if there are any family members still living there they might spot it. Check Canada411 to see if anyone by that name still lives in or near the area.

Where would one look to find farms that were around in the 40' + 50's? Ont Fed Agri doesn't have that info.

It depends what you are looking for. If you're looking for a list of all farms in Ontario, you're out of luck. If you're looking for a specific farm and know the approximate area where it may be located, check the city directories of surrounding areas, check land records, and most of all check the libraries in the area for a history of that township. Some genealogy societies have compiled land histories that document whom has lived on what plot of land and when. Most of these publications are available in local libraries or through the genealogy society that published them.

Someone born in 1900 drops out of site in 1935. This person is last seen in 1954. You do not know if this person is dead or alive in 1999. How would you start to find out if that person is dead and where did they die.

Start with what you know. Where were they last seen? Who were their immediate relations (parents, siblings)? Track down these relations, through them you may find your missing person. Items such as obituaries, birth announcements, marriage announcements, wills, etc. may mention your missing person and their whereabouts. Try the Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid to see if your missing person is listed in a cemetery record.

Where can I get prison records from Mimico Reformatory in the 1950's?

Try the Archives of Ontario in the Preliminary Inventory of the Ministry of Correctional Services (RG20) area. There you can find jail files for inmates 1939-1957... also probation & parole files, adult & juvenile case files, records for industrial schools, jails, detention centres and industrial farms. There is a 30 year restriction on personal information and some files may be closed altogether.