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In the 19th century Davisville was a village passed Yorkville on Yonge Street on the way north out of Toronto. Today the boundaries of the enduring community are Yonge Street on the west, Bayview Avenue on the east, Eglinton Avenue on the north and Merton Street on the south. Davisville was founded by John Davis in 1840. Davis opened the first post office in the neighbourhood and served as the post-master. The building that housed the original post office is located at the North-East corner of Yonge Street and Davisville Avenue. John Davis also started Davisville Pottery Company, which was the largest employer in the neighbourhood for several years. In 1911 Davis sold a large portion of the land to a developer responsible for many of the single-family homes built in North Toronto between that date and 1930. In the 1970’s condominium towers and apartment buildings began to develop in the neighbourhood. Today it is a very densely populated area of Toronto. Davisville was part of North Toronto Village which was incorporated in 1890 and annexed to the City of Toronto in 1912. [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
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