Place:Bracebridge, Muskoka, Ontario, Canada

NameBracebridge
TypeMunicipality
Coordinates45.033°N 79.317°W
Located inMuskoka, Ontario, Canada
See alsoDraper, Muskoka, Ontario, Canadatownship that amalgamated with Bracebridge in 1971
Oakley, Muskoka, Ontario, Canadatownship that amalgamated with Bracebridge in 1971
Macaulay, Muskoka, Ontario, Canadatownship that amalgamated with Bracebridge in 1971
Monck, Muskoka, Ontario, Canadatownship that amalgamated with Bracebridge in 1971
Contained Places
Cemetery
St. Joseph's Cemetery
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names


The text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia.

Bracebridge which had a population of over 15000 in the census of 2006 was a village, then a town and now a municipality within Muskoka District Municipality in Ontario, Canada. It is also the seat of local government within Muskoka District.

The town was built around a waterfall on the Muskoka River in the centre of town, and is known for its other nearby waterfalls (Wilson's Falls, High Falls, etc.). It was first incorporated in 1875. It was named after a book, Bracebridge Hall by Washington Irving because the postmaster in charge of naming towns was reading at the time. The same novel also provided the name for nearby Gravenhurst.

When Bracebridge became a municipality in 1971 the surrounding townships of Draper, Oakley, Macaulay and part of the township of Monck amalgamated with it.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

The character of the town of Bracebridge is shaped by its proximity to Lake Muskoka to which it is connected by 6 miles of the Muskoka River, and by the promise of abundant water power afforded by the great waterfall at the foot of the downtown.[1] Early growth of the town occurred in proximity to the falls which powered the first factory. The arrival of the Grand Trunk Railway cemented the town's role as a transportation hub for the area.

Modern settlement of the town began in the 1860s, beginning at first with a few log huts. The Muskoka colonization road had been completed to the first falls on the north branch of the Muskoka River by 1862. Entrepreneurs began to take advantage of the area's water power. With the advent of steamship service on Lake Muskoka a few years later, Bracebridge prospered as the main distribution centre for the region.

By 1869, Bracebridge was a village with a population of 160 in the Township of Macaulay, Victoria County. (In 1868 Macauley and six additional townships had been detached from the County and transferred to the new District of Muskoka, but were not withdrawn for municipal purposes until 1877.) The village was established on the Muskoka River. There were stages in winter and boats in summer from Barrie to Washago. The average price of wild land was $2 to $5 an acre while improved land was $10 per acre.

By 1870 the village had a population of about 400, growing to reach a total of about 2,000 by the turn of the 20th century.[1] The village was incorporated in 1875 and became a town under an Act of Parliament in 1889. In 1894 Bracebridge became the first town in Ontario to have its own hydro generating station. In 1971 Macaulay Township was merged into Bracebridge.

The municipal boundaries of Bracebridge also encompass the smaller communities of Clear Lake, Falkenburg (ghost town), Falkenburg Station, Fraserburg, Germania, Lakewood, Matthiasville, Monsell (ghost town), Purbrook, Rocksborough, Springdale Park, Stoneleigh, Uffington and Vankoughnet.

Maps

Ontario GenWeb has a sketchmap of the original townships of Muskoka County.

The map of Muskoka County circa 1951 from Ontario Archives locates the individual municipalities, townships, city, towns and villages of the county.

Research Tips

The primary source for basic documents (vital statistics, land records, wills) for people who lived in the Province of Ontario is the Archives of Ontario, 134 Ian Macdonald Blvd, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M7A 2C5.

Early Records

Civil registration did not begin in the province until 1869. Before then there may be church records of baptisms and burials. For the most part these are still held by the denomination who recorded them. Copies of marriage records made pre-1869 had to be sent by individual clergymen to the registrar of the county in which the marriage took place. These marriage records are available through Ontario Archives, on micorfilm through LDS libraries, and on paid and unpaid websites, but because they were copied at the registrars' offices, they cannot be considered a primary source.

Vital Records after 1869

Birth, marriage and death registrations are not open to the public until a specific number of years after the event occurred. Births to 1915 are now available [October 2014]; dates for marriages and deaths are later. Birth and death registration was not universally carried out in the early years after its adoption. Deaths were more apt to be reported than births for several years. The more rural the area, the less likely it would be that these happenings were reported to the authorities.
Images and indexes of civil registrations for the "viewable" years can be found on paid websites, and indexes only on FamilySearch. The FamilySearch Wiki on Ontario Vital Records explains how these records are organized and their availability.
In September 2014 Ancestry.ca announced that its paid website has been subjected to a "houseclean" of its Ontario BMD database, adding data that had been omitted and making many corrections. Its provision now includes

  • Births, with 2,172,124 records covering 1869-1913.
  • Marriages, with 3,393,369 records for 1801-1928 including Ontario county, district and Roman Catholic origins as well as province-wide civil registration.
  • Deaths, with 2,190,030 records comprising Ontario civil registrations of deaths, 1869-1938 and registrations of Ontario overseas deaths for 1939-1947.

Land Records and Wills

Information on how to access land records and wills is best sought on the Archives of Ontario website. An ancestor's land holding might be found on Canadian County Atlas Digital Project if he was in occupancy circa 1878.

Association for the Preservation of Ontario Land Registry Office Documents (APOLROD). A list of Land Registry Offices for all Counties of Ontario.

Censuses

The original censuses are in the hands of Library and Archives Canada, known to Canadians as "LAC". Copies of original microfilms are online at the LAC website for all censuses up to 1921. Each census database is preceded with an explanation of the geographical area covered, the amount of material retained (some census division material has been lost), the questions on the census form, and whether there is a name index. Census divisions were redrawn as the population increased and more land was inhabited.
Other websites, some paid and some free, also provide Canadian census originals and/or indexes online. One can also view censuses on microfilm at the LAC, at the Archives of Ontario (see address above), or at large libraries throughout Canada.

Hard-to-Find Places

E-books, Books and Newspapers

source: Family History Library Catalog
This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Bracebridge, Ontario. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.