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Ontario Archives provides a map of Bruce illustrating the historical townships. Bruce County is located on a peninsula separating Lake Huron from Georgian Bay in southwestern Ontario. It was established as a county in 1849 from unorganized territory north of what is now Huron County. The county town is Walkerton, now in Brockton municipality. Bruce County is named for James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, the Governor General of the Province of Canada in 1849. The county was surveyed in 1848 and the first settlers arrived in the summer of the same year. In 1849 more settlers, mostly of Scotch origin, arrived to the area that is now Kincardine. The north part of the county had several First Nation reserves, some of which are still in existence. Ultimately the county had 16 townships. Some of the northern ones were established years after the county was formed in 1849. As in most other counties in Ontario, the old township structure has been reorganized to better fit modern needs. This occurred in 1998-99. The map above illustrates the old townships and the modern municipaties which replaced them. This is a map of the county in 1885 indicating the physical features and the communities that existed at that time. For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article Bruce County, Ontario. [edit] Research TipsThe 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. [edit] Early RecordsCivil 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. [edit] Vital Records after 1869Birth, 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.
[edit] Land Records and WillsInformation 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. [edit] CensusesThe 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. [edit] Hard-to-Find Places
[edit] E-books, Books and Newspapers
Bruce County Genealogical Society provides a great deal of information on the county and its municipalities.
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