Dundas County Archives

The Dundas County Archives are the custodians of permanent and historical civic government records on behalf of the North and South Dundas Municipalities and its many departments, as well as local, community records with historical value. We preserve, acquire and make these documents accessible for Staff, the public, and other researchers, for present and future generations. Our goal is to preserve records that enhance our understanding of the history, evolution, and development of the Dundas County social fabric, natural and built environment, and the people that lived, worked, and made significant contributions to the shaping of Dundas County.

Archives, and public access to records, promotes accountability and transparency in government, and documents the interaction between elected officials and citizens. This encourages citizen participation and ownership of their government and their community.

Dundas County Archives Newsletter

The Dundas County Archives is located at:

5 College Street, P.O. Box 58
Iroquois, ON, K0E 1K0

Call the Dundas County Archives direct at 613-669-2169.

Email the Dundas County Archives at dundascountyarchives@gmail.com to help make the most of your research.

Please note, the Dundas County Archives does not have access to or manage the Lynne Cook/Loyalist Resource Centre. This collection and centre is operated by the UELAC St. Lawrence Branch. Located at 5 College Street, Iroquois, the Loyalist Resource Centre is staffed by Lorraine Reoch, UELAC St. Lawrence Branch President and Larry Empey. Opening hours are from Monday to Friday 9:00am to 3:00pm, Saturday 9:00am to 12:00pm. Please contact Lorraine at fancylass@hotmail.ca before planning a visit. For more information, visit Loyalist Resource Centre online.

Under the Ontario Municipal Act, 2001, municipalities have an obligation to retain, preserve in a secure manner, and provide public access to municipal records that provide an accurate record of business functions and transactions to encourage effective governance, transparency, and accountability. The Dundas County Archives was created, in part, to meet this legislated requirement. The current program contributes to the Corporation’s administrative efficiency as well as the cultural, social, and economic advancement of the County as a free and democratic society.
The Dundas County Archives is responsible for:
- Promoting good record keeping by North and South Dundas Municipalities to facilitate the identification and preservation of civic government records that have enduring value because they document its business functions and transactions;
- Identifying which civic records have archival value and authorizing their transfer to the Archives for retention and preservation in a secure manner;
- Determining which civic records no longer have any value and authorizing their destruction in accordance with the records retention by-law;
- Providing public access to the records in its care.
The Dundas County Archives program plays a key role in preserving community memory by encouraging individuals, organizations, and businesses in the community to create their own archives. The objective of this role is to preserve records that enhance our understanding of the history, evolution, and development of the County’s social fabric, natural and built environment, and the people that lived, worked, and made significant contributions to the shaping of the County. The Archives program acquires community records that would otherwise be lost for lack of a venue to preserve and make them accessible.
In support of its community mandate, the Dundas County Archives proactively engages the broader Archives community in its promotion efforts, and engages friends, partners, learning institutions and groups that represent the ethno-cultural-religious heritage of the County.
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The Dundas County Archives was officially dedicated on Sunday November 4, 2018 by Mayor Eric Duncan and Mayor Evonne Delegarde. It’s been our priority and vision to preserve our local history for generations to come & this Committee has made a huge start to do that! — with Susan Robinson Peters, Lorraine Reoch, Brenda Henophy-Brunt, Evonne Delegarde, Darlene Fawcett, Jo-Anne McCaslin and Brianne Scott.
Primary Functions:
- To appraise, collect, organize, describe, make available and preserve primary and secondary resource materials pertaining to historical civic government records on behalf of the North and South Dundas Municipalities and its many departments, as well as local, community records with historical value. The goal is to reflect all aspects of the history of Dundas County, including (as well as government), agricultural, family life, sport, culture, commercial history, religion, military and politics;
- Provide adequate facilities for the retention and preservation of such records;
- Implement records management by formulating policy and procedures that will ensure the collection preservation;
- Serve research functions by establishing and maintaining a United Empire Loyalist Research Centre. This includes a function of training volunteers in policy and procedures adapted by the archives.
Our rich and varied collection would not be possible without our donors. The Dundas County Archives would like you to consider donating financially to maintain the safe keeping of donations and also donating any historical records you may have. If you are considering donating to the Dundas County Archives, there are a few things to keep in mind:
When donating, you will:
- Contribute to documenting the history of Dundas County for future generations.
- Ensure you records are described and maintained in a safe environment; and
- Enriching the documentary history of our communities by furthering access to researchers in the future
What does the Dundas County Archives collect?
The Dundas County Archives preserves records that have enduring significance to the history of region. Our mandate is to collect, preserve and provide access to, (according to Privacy considerations), records pertaining to individuals, businesses, groups and other entities within Dundas County. To meet our mandate, it must pertain to Dundas County.
What does a donation involve?
A donation is the legal transfer of ownership of archival material from a private individual, organization or business to the Dundas County Archives. If you decide to donate your records a document must be signed to transfer ownership to the Archives. In return, the archives will ensure we will preserve these records in a climatically controlled environment to preserve it for future generations.
Not ready to part with your records yet? The Dundas County Archives can arrange for the transfer of your records later through a signed agreement, which includes a schedule for future donations. We can also help you plan a bequest of your records.
Donating to the Dundas County Archives
On April 1st, the SDG Library officially donated the Dundas County Land Records to the Dundas County Archives.
Since being digitized by the provincial Land Registry Office, the SDG Library had been housing the physical records and providing access to the public when requested. With the establishment of the Dundas County Archives, it was agreed that the best home for the land records was with the Archives.
“We are happy to work with the Dundas County Archives to continue to preserve the land records and provide public access” said Karen Franklin, Director of Library Services. “The Library is working closely with the archival organizations in SDG to ensure that our collections are properly preserved and located with the appropriate organization.”
The physical transfer of the land records from Morrisburg to the Archives in Iroquois will take place later this year.
For more information on the SDG Library, please visit www.sdglibrary.ca or contact generalinfo@sdglibrary.ca or (613) 936-8777. For more information on the Dundas County Archives, please contact dundascountyarchives@gmail.com.
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Dundas County Archives FAQs

The Dundas County Archives has two main types of records in its collection: civic government records and community records.
Civic government records include records of the Municipalities of North and South Dundas, as well as the former municipalities.
Community records include the records of individuals, families, businesses and organizations who have contributed meaningfully to and further enhance our understanding of the history, and evolution of Dundas County. Examples include diaries, letters, land records, and photographs.
Some records in the custody of the Archives are restricted by law, others are restricted by donor agreements, and some may not be available for custodial reasons. For instance, payroll records are protected by privacy legislation; an individual’s diaries may have been restricted as a condition of donation; and photographic negatives may be unavailable because they are too fragile to handle.
Should you wish to access material that has been identified as restricted or may potentially have restrictions on either all or some of the material, please submit a request through Reference Services by email to the Archives. An archivist will review the records and inform you within 20 business days whether you may have access.
Civic government records may be subject to MFIPPA or other applicable legislation,
Access to restricted material may require the completion of a research access agreement form, and supervision by an archivist. Reproduction of restricted records is strictly forbidden.

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Dundas County Archives FAQs