Ontario Research Guide

Introduction

The basics to family history research doesn't change much from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, however, each area will have sources that are more complete or easier to use then others. The basic genealogy sources generally available in Ontario are listed below. If you are not familiar with Ontario history, and especially if you are looking for ancestors before 1900's, you should become familiar with the various names and boundary changes that have occured in the last 200+ years.

"The political entity we now know as Ontario was originally created in 1791 when it was called Upper Canada. Since that time, in response to population growth and administrative needs, there have been numerous changes to its boundaries, both external and internal. In addition, townships, villages, towns and cities have frequently merged, and counties and districts have re-organized to meet changing needs." (fn1)

The Province of Ontario has seen many boundary and name changes. The best place to start is with the Quebec Act in 1774.

(1774) The Quebec Act included what is now southern and central Ontario south of the Arctic watershed into the Province of Quebec. What is now Northern Ontario, north of the Arctic watershed was part of Rupert's Land, a territory granted by the British Crown to the Hudson Bay Company.

(1791) The American Revolution and the arrival of the Loyalists led to the Constitutional Act (1791), which separated the Province of Quebec into Upper Canada (current southern Ontario) and Lower Canada (current southern Quebec).

(1840) Following aborted rebellions in both Upper and Lower Canada (1837-1838), the Act of Union (1840) merged the two colonies to form the Province of Canada. Upper and Lower Canada became Canada West and Canada East.

(1867) The British North America Act (1867) merged the Province of Canada, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to form the Dominion of Canada. The provinces of Ontario and Quebec replaced the former Province of Canada.

(1876) After the purchase of Rupert's Land by Canada in 1868 Ontario's boundaries moved west and north to a "provisional" boundary in 1874.

(1880) Ontario and Manitoba claimed the Kenora area during the 1870s and 1880s, and both governments established parallel administrations.

(1889) The federal government awarded the Kenora area to Ontario in 1889. At the same time, the Albany River became the province's northern boundary.

(1912) Ontario's boundaries were pushed north to Hudson Bay in 1912, completing the province's expansion to its current borders.

Maps are available at The Evolution of Ontario's Boundaries 1774-1912

Census Records

Census records are an excellent source. Census are carried out by the Federal government of Canada every 10 years. The latest year available is 1911. The earliest census available for Ontario is 1842. Not all records in all years have survived. As the census is national and not provincial the most complete source is at the National Archives in Ottawa. Most have been converted to microfilm and the original papers have been destroyed. Several years have been indexed and microfilm images made available through third parties.

For most provinces, the returns list each person by name, with the following details:

• age;
• sex;
• country or province of birth;
• religion;
• racial or ethnic origin;
• occupation; and
• marital status.

The 1901 and 1911 returns also include date of birth, year of immigration and addressor location of land.

Census returns before 1851 are rarely complete for any geographical area and most list only the head of each household. Note that some portions of the 1851 Census have not survived.

National Archives Index to Microfilm. The National Archives in Ottawa has the most complete collection and offers free access to all census records they hold on microfilm. This index provides a reference to the microfilm reel numbers. The indexed and digitized records provided by third parties are easier and quicker to search so this source should be considered if the other searches are unsuccessful.

1911 - Automated Genealogy hosts several projects to index Canadian censuses. Over the last several years Library and Archives Canada has digitized their microfilms of the original census forms for several of the Canadian censuses and Automated Genealogy has organized volunteers to produce indices to the people enumerated in these censuses.

1901 - Automated Genealogy. It is also available at National Archives

1891 - see National Archives Index

1881 - Family Search, part of the Church of Latter Day Saints, provides access to 1881 census for a fee. The index is searchable but details will involve fees.

1871 - Archives Canada - This database contains the names of the heads of households in the Province of Ontario as they were recorded in April 1871 in the official enumeration of the population of Canada. The census returns record personal information such as name, age, country or province of birth, occupation, ethnic origin and religious denomination. The database has been created by the Ontario Genealogical Society, in cooperation with the National Archives of Canada.

1861 - see National Archives Index

1851 - Automated Genealogy. The census is also available at the National Archives web site.::1851

1841 - see National Archives Index

In 1891, institutions (convents, hospitals, asylums, etc.) were enumerated separately in one block and appear on microfilm reel T-6427.

In 1901, most of the Indian agencies were enumerated separately and appear on microfilm reels T-6554 and T-6555.

Vital Stats BMD

Vital statics records for Ontario are not very easy to access or locate. The Office of the Registrar General is responsible for recording births, marriages and deaths. All of the records are sent to the Ontario Archives. The records are then made publicly available on microfilm. Another year of records is sent annually to the Archives. These are restricted until they have been made available on microfilm. The latest transfer (1911 births, 1926 marriages, 1936 deaths) is being filmed and will be available some time in 2008.

Availability of the Microfilm Copies of the Indexes and Registrations

Microfilm copies of the indexes and registrations may be:

Consulted at the Archives of Ontario's Main Reading Room, 77 Grenville Street, Toronto.

Borrowed through the Interlibrary Loan Department of your public library.

Borrowed from the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through their Family History Centres.

Purchased directly from the Ontario Genealogical Society.

Note: The Archives of Ontario does not conduct Vital Statistics searches or issue birth, marriage, or death certificates.

Note: Indexs and registrations are not available online at the Archives of Ontario web site. They are on Microfilm only.

Provincial Archives

The Archives of Ontario provides a main page on gelealogy research in Ontario.

There are three primary collections of genealogical interest at the Archives of Ontario:

• Vital Statistics,
• Court Records and
• Land Registrations.

The information found in these groups will dictate what records should be investigated next.

For an introduction to the collections please see: Sources of Family History, Research Guide 299.

Archives of Ontario Research Guide 299

Table of Contents Introduction

• Using this Research Guide
• Getting started with family history research
• Accessing the sources
• Archives of Ontario hours of operation

1. Aboriginal People, Records of

2. Birth, Marriage and Death Records (Vital Statistics)

2.1: Records of the Office of the Registrar General

2.2: Other sources for births, marriages and deaths

3. Cartographic Records

4. Census Records

4.1: Pre-1851 census records

4.2: Post-1850 census returns

5. Criminal Justice System Records

5.1: Investigation records

5.2: Prosecution and indictment records

5.3: Court records

5.4: Correctional records

5.5: Probation and parole records

6. Divorce Records

7. Education Records

8. Guardianship and Adoption Records

9. Health Records

9.1: Patient Records

9.2: Records of Physicians, Nurses, and other Healthcare Practitioners

10. Immigration, Naturalization and Citizenship Records

10.1: Ontario Government immigration records

10.2: Federal Immigration Branch records

10.3: Naturalization and citizenship records

11. Land Records

11.1: Crown land records and early land settlement records

11.2: Land registry records

12. Library Holdings

13. Loyalist Sources

14. Militia and Military Records

14.1: Militia records

14.2: Military records

15. Municipal Records

16. Newspapers

17. Wills and Estate Records

18. Other Sources

Genealogy Socities

The Ontario Genealogy Societyis the primary genealogy society in Ontario. In 2007 it has 30 branches which are organized along county boundaries.

When you need feet on the ground and local knowledge to solve a problem, the people from the local genealogy society are the best bet.

Cemetery Records

The best source for starting a search for cemetery records in Ontario is the Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid.

The index contains over 2 million internments. It provides a reference to the local genealogical society that provided the details. In most cases you will be able to link to the genealogy socity web pages and submit a request for transcripts of head stones or registers. The index is a name pointer and does not contain dates. It provides name, cemetery, county, and township identifiers.

Not all cemeteries are included in the database. For example, Notre Dame Cemetery in Ottawa, a major Catholic institution in the area is not included. The OCFA provides a list by county of the cemetery's covered. Coverage of small county cemeteries has gaps as it is a volunteer based work.

Obituaries

The best source of obituary information are the indicess and databases maintained by local genealogical societies.

Military Records

Immigration

Newspapers

Links

Association of Municipalities of Ontario

The Archives of Ontario Exhibit: The changing shape of Ontario - A Guide to Boundaries, Names and Regional Government

Geographical Name of Canada Query

footnotes

fn1 - Archives of Ontario, The Changing Shape of Ontario.