180,000 names of Pontiac County persons as recorded by genealogist Walter Brown

The Pontiac Archives received the updated version of Pontiac family genealogies with over 180,000 names from Walter Brown, Smiths Falls, ON on July 3, 2012.   Some records from other counties are listed.

This is digitalized and downloaded on a computer for use by researchers visiting the Archives.  

 There are also 73 binders of his original enteries available for researchers or visitors to work with if they prefer. After over fifty years, Mr Brown no longer intends to keep up his binders.  However, Kathy Buffington hopes to continue his work and update the information for the Pontiac Archives computer, as new material is given to her.

 It is an exclusive collection prepared by Mr Brown. He is a retired school teacher and started working on his family genealogy in 1953.  His great-grandfather and great-grandmother came from Ireland.  They eventually settled in Litchfield, Pontiac County, Qc.  His ancestors were mostly farmers and Orangemen.  He now lives in Smiths Falls, ON.

November 2009 he donated his entire collection to the Pontiac Archives and with his assistant Kathy Bufferton, supply the new additions regularly.

The Pontiac Archives is located at Shawville, Qc, 358 Main Street.  Email: archives@pontiacarchives.org and Website: www.pontiacarchives.org. Phone 829-647-7013.  Hours:  Tuesday to Thursday, 9 am to 4 pm.

A sampling of the information on file besides genealogies includes cemeteries, births, marriages, obituaries, census records, schools, churches, sports, artists, anniversaries, war veterans, fires, accidents, hospitals, maps of mines and even the legends of sea serpent sightings,  Archived copies of The Equity and the Pontiac Journal, local newspapers. 

The local newspaper recently loaned for use by visitors to The Archives, a digital copy of births, marriages and deaths beginning in the first year The Equity was published June 7, 1883.   This is copyrighted 2005 by Mrs Joan McKay and Mrs Dolly Allen.Â