After some 50 years of collecting records of Pontiac families, Mr Brown has decided to retire.   Lately, Kathy Buffington joined with Mr Brown and reproduced the documents so they are accessible by computers.  She will continue to keep the dvd files updated but the binders will no longer be updated. 

 These binders and DVDs are available to the public for researching at the Pontiac Archives.  Kathy will regularly visit the Archives to add any new material available.

Mr Brown has lived in Smith’s Falls for many years but his ancestors came from Ireland and the United States and settled in Litchfield, Quebec.

Since the early 1980s, Mr Brown has been visiting and donating copies of his collection going back to when the Pontiac Archives was established in Campbell’s Bay.  

Over the years, Mr Brown would bring his collection to the Pontiac Archives in Campbell’s Bay and then to Shawville after the relocation during one week in July when an “open house” would be held.

As technology changed, Mr Brown took advantage of techniques that would make researching genealogy easier and quicker.

After the holidays, the Pontiac Archives will be open, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 9 – 4.

The Pontiac Archives will be closed from 4 pm Thursday, December 17, until Tuesday, January 5, 2010 9am – 4 pm.

Seventy Years of Memories, by Doris Barber Orr

Pastures Green, by Laura May Harris

I Always Wanted To Please My Mother, by Lynette Harris

Their Land of Promise, by Laura May Harris

The census on Microfilm 1842 – 1901 and Church Records on Microfilm  from Quyon & North Onslow; Fort Coulonge; Vinton; Ile du Grand Calumet; East Alfield; Demers Centre; Campbell’s Bay; Otter Lake; Temiscaming Ville Marie; Northern Ontario; Rouyn; Bryson; Litchfield; Noranda; Sheen; Bristol; Maryland; Lac Cayamant; Portage du Fort; St Joseph; Fort William; La Passe; Eganville; Golden Lake; Pembroke, etc are available for researchers to view on a microfilm reader recently acquired as a donation.

Chris Seifried, who is Polish, donated the book “Polish Canadians”, illustrated by William Kurelek, including paintings of local places illustrating the lives of the Polish immigrants.

If anyone has information, please contact The Pontiac Archives by  Email at  archives@pontiacarchives.org  or telephone 819-647-7013.

March 28, 2009 Pontiac Archives staff gave a presentation to 15 students from Maison des Jeunes about the working of the Archives.  They received a tour of the Archives and were divided into groups and had a hands-on activity doing research in genealogy, operating microfiche machines with old church records and viewing old school year books.  Robert Wills, President of the Pontiac Historical Society was available to speak to the students about the local Museum and the new roof project.

Waltham Municipality is celebrating its 150th anniversary.  On July 4th and 5th  there will be special celebrations, and tours at Waltham.   The history of the Municipality is being compiled into a book.  Pontiac Archives is actively participating in this project with posters, maps and providing archived materials to the Waltham Municipality 150th committee.

The Shawville United Church is celebrating its 175th anniversary with special events, dinners, trips, musicals, quilt shows, plays, teas, booklet with photos of the members and groups and many other interesting items. Members of the 175th committee are finding valuable information stored at the Pontiac Archives.

Twenty-four rolls of microfilm with old church records and old census have been sent to Toronto to be converted to pdf searchable files.  This is very expensive and the Pontiac Archives is fundraising to cover this added expense.  All donations are greatly appreciated.  A charitable donation receipt will be issued.

The Pontiac Archives is preparing to archive all the information provided on the first Pontiac Eco Trade Fair, (Save with the Sun/Win with the Wind) which is taking place at Ladysmith, Quebec, on May 23. More information is available on this event at 819-647-5685 – Venetia Crawford.

Forty feet of new shelving needs to be installed to hold approximately 60 binders full of Pontiac Generalogy records that will be donated.

We’re now back online, and I’m working to restore as much of the old site as I can, or to replace it with something newer.

In the meantime, the old version of this website is available through the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.