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 Innisfil was a township in Simcoe County in Ontario, Canada, located on the western shore of Lake Simcoe, immediately south of Barrie and 80 kilometres north of Toronto. Historically it was a rural area, but growth in Barrie area has recently carried over into Innisfil. On January 1, 1991, by virtue of the South Simcoe Act, the Township of Innsifil, a northern section of the Township of West Gwillimbury, and the Village of Cookstown were amalgamated into a municipality and incorporated as the Town of Innisfil. The County of Simcoe Act provided for further restructuring of Simcoe County on January 1, 1994. The Village of Thornton was transferred to the Township of Essa and a small section of the Township of Essa, adjacent to Cookstown, was transferred to Innisfil. The map of Simcoe County circa 1951 from Archives of Ontario identifies the individual cities, towns and villages covered by the sketchmap. There is a faility to enlarge it at the bottom for the page. Two sketchmaps from Simcoe GenWeb show the whole of Simcoe County and the alterations of boundaries that came with the change from townships to municipalities in the 1990s. The web page also leads to a considerable amount of information about Innisfil Township and its history. [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
[edit] Websites with more local information on Simcoe County
[edit] History
The history of Innisfil spans a period in excess of 170 years. The Town was hewn from almost unbroken virgin forests which had been home to the Huron Indians, and was first surveyed in 1820. The area encompassed 68,653 acres (278 km²), including the villages of Allandale, Tollendal, Painswick, Minets Point, and Holly. The first settlers were the Hewson and Soules families who came by way of the East Holland River and Lake Simcoe to settle at Point Endeavour. Point Endeavour was then renamed Hewson's Point (and later Big Bay Point). The Hewsons settled on March 30, 1820 and the Soules in 1822. The Warnica family settled the following year, in 1823, in the area now known as Painswick. The first sawmill in the township was built at Tollendal by George McMullen in 1829. At about this time James Soules also owned a sawmill on the south half of lot 26 concession 14 (Big Bay Point), Innisfil where he made the lumber for the construction of the first frame house in Innisfil which was built for Lewis J. Clement. John and George Warnica completed the clearing of the bush between Barrie and Churchill. John Cayton had won the contract to open the road between Churchill and the 12th line of West Gwillimbury, known as Cayton's Corners but owing to his slight acquaintance with the forest, he subcontracted the work to John and George Warnica who completed the contract. This opened the land route, known as Penetanguishene Road, which later became Highway 11 and is now Yonge Street. This route between York (now Toronto) and Barrie was completed in the fall of 1825. Along this road the settlers came, and spread out along the concession lines to clear the lands and develop their farms. There had been those who came ahead by way of the river and the lake; many settled near the shores of Lake Simcoe and Kempenfelt Bay. Roads to the hinterland were few and poorly maintained. The pioneer farms were mostly self-sustaining. Milling in Innisfil started with a grist mill at Tollendal in 1835. Very little went to market in Barrie, which was little more than a village. The Town of York (Toronto) could only be reached in the winter when the ice and snow made for better roads. During this period, post offices, churches, and stores were established, also a form of local government performed by commissioners was appointed under a provincial act. The first post office, then called Innisfil, was located at what is now called Barclay's Corners. The first school was built in 1838 and located at Myers Corners, later called Victoria and now the community of Stroud. The first church was Methodist, also at Victoria. The earliest census (1842) gave Innisfil's population to be 762. [edit] Establishment of InnisfilThe year 1850 marked the end of the old commissioners' rule of district administration. The population had increased to 1,807 nearly tripling in under a decade. The first municipal council was established, replacing the government of appointed commissioners. The Corporation of the Township of Innisfil was born. The township benefitted from improvement in transportation by rail, road and boat. The Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway (commonly the "oat, straw and hay" railway, and later and formally the Northern Railway) from Toronto to Collingwood was completed in 1853. A number of hamlets were built along the Lake Simcoe shoreline and encouraged summer resort development. By 1950, Innisfil had a population of 3500. With improvements in roads and in automobiles commuting to Toronto for employment becase possible and seasonal housing evolved to permanent residential.
[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
[edit] Websites with more local information on Simcoe County
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