Place:Glengarry, Ontario, Canada

Watchers
NameGlengarry
TypeCounty
Coordinates45.1°N 74.5°W
Located inOntario, Canada     (1792 - )
Also located inUpper Canada, Canada     (1792 - 1841)
Canada West, Canada     (1841 - 1867)
See alsoEastern District, Upper Canada, Canada1792-1849
Stormont Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario, Canadaunion of counties of which Glengarry is a part

The map of Glengarry County circa 1951 from Ontario Archives locates the communities and physical features of the county. (Click at the bottom of the page to see the map enlarged.)

A sketchmap from Ontario GenWeb gives a more visible outline of the townships.

History

This section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Glengarry County (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Gleanna Garadh), an area covering 288,688 acres (1,168 km2), is the most eastern county in the Canadian province of Ontario.

Glengarry was first settled in 1784 by Highland Scottish emigrants, mainly from the Clan MacDonnell, coming north from the Mohawk Valley in New York State. The settlement also became a destination for Scottish emigrants displaced in Scotland due to the recent Highland Clearances. Throughout the late 18th and the 19th century, other Highland emigrants arrived knowing it to be a place where they could preserve their Highland Scottish Culture.

The county was established in 1792 as part of the Eastern District of Upper Canada. The original territory of Glengarry also included Prescott County to the north and west, which became a separate county in 1800.

The county was named after the Scottish Glen where the MacDonnell family was based. The Glengarry Highland Games are an example of the county's culture. They were first celebrated in 1948, and have been held annually since in the first week of August. These Games are one of the largest of their kind outside of Scotland.

Canadian Gaelic (i.e. Scottish Gaelic with practical local additions) used to be a common language in this region. Though the number of speakers has steadily decreased over the past years, those wanting to learn Gaelic are able to do so in classes held throughout the county.

During the 19th century the original Scots settlers were joined by French-speaking farming families from nearby Quebec who moved west to find land less densely populated.

In 1849 Glengarry united with the counties of Stormont and Dundas to the west to form a regional United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. The union between them was never a complete one. For this reason and for geographical simplicity, each of the three counties is discussed separately in WeRelate.

Glengarry was originally divided east and west into Charlottenburg and Lancaster Townships. Very early in their history Charlottenburg and Lancaster were divided north and south into two townships each, with the northern townships being named Kenyon and Lochiel, respectively. In 1998 the townships were reorganized into the municipalities of North Glengarry and South Glengarry.

Historic Townships

This section is based on an article in Wikipedia
  • Charlottenburgh was named in honour of Queen Charlotte, wife of George III of Great Britain. It is now in the Municipality of South Glengarry.
  • Kenyon was separated from Charlottenburg Township in 1798, and was named from the English Chief Justice Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon. It is now in the Municipality of North Glengarry.
  • Lancaster was surveyed in 1784 and first settled in 1785. It is now in the Municipality of South Glengarry.
  • Lochiel was separated from Lancaster Township on November 24, 1818. Lochiel was named after the chief of the Clan Cameron. The Clan had many representatives among the veteran Lochiel Township settlers. It is now in the Municipality of North Glengarry.

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

  • The Internet Archive, particularly texts from Canadian universities, can contain interesting material
  • Our Roots is a Canadian website similar to The Internet Archive
  • Global Genealogy is an online bookshop specializing in Ontario material who will ship anywhere in the world.
  • The Ancestor Hunt is a blog listing old Ontario newspapers that are available online, both free and pay websites. This is a very extensive list.

Some websites with more local information on Glengarry County

  • Glengarry GenWeb provides a number of online pages of local material, including lists of original settlers. See the Research section of the home page.
  • Internet Archive has a large collection of Ontario references and is always worth checking. Enter the town or township in the seach engine.
source: Family History Library Catalog
This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Glengarry, 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.