The Medical Officer of Health for the City of Hamilton is issuing a Cold Weather Alert effective tonight, Friday, February 6. A Cold Weather Alert is issued when current or anticipated weather conditions are at or below minus 15 degrees Celsius or minus 20 with wind chill. This alert will remain in effect until a cancellation notice is issued. Please visit www.hamilton.ca/cold for locations and resources to stay warm and safe.
Cold Alert - Warming Places
Published:
Friday, February 6, 2026 - 2:45pm
Central Library - Living Room Renovation Preparation
Starting Tuesday, February 10, the First Floor Living Room will be unavailable due to renovation preparations. Study and work spaces are available on Floors 2-3.
Please note the Noon Hour Concert on Friday, February 13, will be held at Terryberry Branch instead.
Thank you for your patience.
Published:
Friday, February 6, 2026 - 9:00am
Central Library - Fourth Floor Closure
The Fourth Floor will be closed on Friday, February 6, starting at 2 pm for Seedy Saturday event setup. Makerspace and Newcomer Learning Centre will remain open. Floors 1-3 are available with study and work spaces. www.hpl.ca/central
Published:
Tuesday, February 3, 2026 - 3:00pm
Red Hill Branch Accessible Door Out of Order
The accessibility door at Red Hill Branch is not working. We aim to fix it quickly.
Published:
Tuesday, February 3, 2026 - 1:30pm
Bookmobile Service Modification
Please note the following Bookmobile visit updates.
Tuesday, February 10
McMaster University will be 3:30-4 pm (instead of 3:30-4:30 pm
Greencedar will be 5-5:30 pm (instead of 4-5 pm)
Mountview will be 6-6:30 pm (instead of 5:30-6:30 pm)
Published:
Monday, February 2, 2026 - 3:15pm
Mount Hope - Filming
On Monday, February 9, Homestead Drive will be closed from 7:30am-1:30pm (local traffic only) due to filming. From 1:30-7:30pm, there will be intermittent traffic control by Hamilton Police. The Branch will remain open. Thank you for your patience.
Published:
Friday, January 30, 2026 - 1:45pm
Carlisle Branch Accessible Washroom Out of Order
The accessible washroom at Carlisle Branch is not working. We aim to get it fixed quickly.
Published:
Tuesday, January 27, 2026 - 12:30pm
Central Library - Sunday Hours Paused
Effective Sunday, February 1, Sunday service hours at Central Library will be paused.
Sunday Hours will continue at Dundas, Red Hill, Terryberry, Turner Park, Valley Park and Waterdown Branches from 1-5pm.
Published:
Wednesday, January 21, 2026 - 11:00am
Central Library - Daily Hours Update
Starting Monday, February 2, Central Library's daily hours will move back to a 9 am opening instead of 8 am, Monday through Saturday. Please make note of this new service change for your next visit. www.hpl.ca/hours
Published:
Wednesday, January 21, 2026 - 11:00am
Printing Updates
Daily print balances for black and white and colour printing change January 2, 2026. The new daily print balance is 40 cents. Members receive four free black and white copies or two free colour copies.
Large format and vinyl printing pricing also change on January 2. Visit https://www.hpl.ca/makerspaces for updates.
Published:
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 2:00pm
Replacement and Damage Fees
Bring back your borrowed library items within 28 days to avoid a replacement or lost fee. We'll remove the fee when you bring back your overdue items.
Published:
Thursday, September 11, 2025 - 3:00pm
Vital Statistics for Ontario
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
