Work is underway to convert our cemetery indices to an Excel file, so they can be added to the Ontario Genealogical Society's Ontario Cemetery Ancestor Index that includes names taken from transcriptions of the monumental inscriptions, cemetery records, and other sources. This involves volunteers who can work with files in Excel format, and also volunteers who can add year of death for each individual, this would not involve any computer work.  If anyone is interested in joining our group of volunteers please contact us. Thanks are due to the volunteers who have worked on the 7 cemetery indexes that have been submitted for inclusion so far.

Update January 2008:
At present we have 99 cemeteries included in the Cemetery Ancestor Index.

Cemetery Transcriptions

An ongoing project of the OGS is to record all the gravemarkers in Ontario. York Region cemeteries are listed in the "Directory of Cemeteries in the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto and the Regional Municipality of York", published by the Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch, 1989. York Region became a separate branch of OGS in January 1998, and all of the cemetery publications for this area were passed on to York Region branch from the Toronto branch in Spring 1999. Over 87% of cemeteries in York Region have been transcribed. See also York Region OGS Cemetery Transcriptions that are completed and available for sale, and Research Services, Cemetery Name Index Search . 

Update November 2007, Work in Process:
Christ Churchyard, Roches Point
Briar Hill Cemetery, Sutton
Aurora Cemetery
Newmarket Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery
Queensville Cemetery
Mount Albert Cemetery

Places of Worship Records Inventory

This OGS mandated program is designed to prepare an inventory of the records of all places of worship in historic York County. The growing computer database will provide information on access to the available parish registers. To date over 2,000 places of worship have been identified, representing more than 50 denominations and more than 50 ethnic communities. Volunteers visit congregations searching out and examining early records in order that they can be identified and catalogued. List of York Region OGS Places of Worship Records available for sale.

Wills Index

Another project of the York Region Branch is the preparation of a comprehensive index of all the wills listed in the Will Index Books located at the Newmarket Land Registry Office. The existing Will Index Books, three of which are quite old, group the wills by the first letter of the surname, but not alphabetically within the groups. This project will provide an index for publication for genealogy researchers to use outside of the Land Registry Office.