Online: Kingston Penitentiary inmate history description ledgers

Sample Page Kingston Penetentiary

Now genealogists can consult the Kingston Penitentiary inmate history description ledgers, which have been digitized and can be viewed on the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) website.

The ledgers provide photographs (mug shots) of inmates and information such as name; alias; age; place of birth; physical description; occupation; crime committed; and date, place and length of sentence.

Sample page, Kingston Penitentiary inmate history description ledgers.

To find the pictures of some of the inmates who were incarcerated at the Kingston Penitentiary, search for a person’s name in the Archives Search menu.

    1.    On the left of the screen, under Archives Search, click on the Advanced option. The advanced search screen will appear.
    2.    Type the word Kingston in the first search box, leaving the default “Any Keyword” in the drop-down menu. In the second search box, type the surname of the inmate, leaving the default “Any Keyword” in the drop-down menu.
    3.    From the Type of material drop-down menu, select Photographic material.
    4.    From the Online drop-down menu, click on Yes, then click on Submit. Your search will generate a list of results.
    5.    Select an underlined title to access the full description of the photograph. The descriptive records display images of photographs that have been digitized.