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Updated September 4, 2010

The following article appeared in the Winter 1995 edition of Heritage Hearth. This publication is produced by the Halton Regional Museum

If you have ever done any genealogical searching you will understand the importance of local newspapers. They contain a wealth of information about births, marriages, anniversaries, deaths etc. Sifting through paper after paper trying to find this information can be a nightmare. Thanks to one man's dedication, those looking for newspaper records in north Halton can rest easy.

Since 1986, volunteer Marshall Neilson has come to the Halton Hills Public Library three times a week to sit down four hours at a stretch in front of a personal computer and microfilm reader and index the local newspapers. Over this period he has indexed over 150,000 names from the Acton Free Press, Georgetown Herald and Canadian Champion (Milton). What began as a search for his own family, Lawson and Neilson, in the area has blossomed into a set of indexes to aid all genealogists searching for family in north Halton.

To date he has indexed the Acton Free Press from 1875 - 1991 in three volumes, the Georgetown Herald from 1867 - 1992, when it ceased publication, in two volumes, and he has just completed the Canadian Champion for 1862 - 1925. He is currently working on the second volume of the Canadian Champion. The indexes not only include information on births, marriages and deaths but also engagements, obituaries, advertisements of estate sales, and anniversaries.

The index is organized alphabetically by surname and then given name. Once you find the person you are searching for the index will indicate what type of record you will find, the date of the newspaper in which it is contained including the page and column number. It is then just a matter of going to the microfilm and finding the information. If your ancestors came from this area take a look at the index and find the newspaper records for your family tree.

Geoffrey Cannon

Halton Hills Public Library