Place:Perth, Ontario, Canada

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

NOTE: One should not confuse Perth County with the town of Perth in Lanark County.

The following section is based on an article in Wikipedia.

Perth County is a county in the Canadian province of Ontario, in the southwestern section of the province, 100 kilometres or 62 miles west of Toronto. The county seat is at Stratford. It encompasses 548,179 acres (856.53 sq mi; 2,218.40 km2). 90% of the county's land is classified as "prime agricultural (Classes 1, 2, and 3)". According to the 2011 census, the population of Perth County was 75,112.

The following section is based on Ontario GenWeb: Perth County

Originally Perth County was part of the Huron Tract, an area owned by the Canada Company. The company sold land to settlers (as opposed to the government who gave free grants) and preference was given to those who would make good farmers or who were tradesmen or members of the professions. The population 15,545 in 1852.

The county was named for Perthshire in Scotland where the first settlers of the Easthope townships had emigrated from. Most of the early settlers were German, followed closely by British emigrants.

Since the restructuring of the county's municipalities on 1 January 1998, it is comprised of:

• Town of North Perth
• Township of Perth East
• Township of Perth South
• Township of West Perth
• The City of Stratford, separated from the county for municipal purposes
• Town of St. Marys, separated from the county for municipal purposes

Historic townships

The following section is condensed from an article in Wikipedia.

Perth County was mainly settled through the agency of the Canada Company which opened a road from the site of Stratford to Goderich. It was officially created in January 1850 out of the former Huron and Wellington Districts and had 11 original townships:

• Blanshard Township
• Downie Township
• North Easthope Township
• South Easthope Township
• Ellice Township
• Elma Township
• Fullarton Township
• Hibbert Township
• Logan Township
• Mornington Township
• Wallace Township
• City of Stratford geographically located in Downie, Ellice and Easthope Township.

Over time, another four additional towns were incorporated as urban municipalities: St. Marys, Mitchell, Listowel and Milverton.

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

A sketchmap from Ontario GenWeb provides a simple illustration of the location of the townships.

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

• National Resources Canada's Index of Geographical Names: Query by Name. This database includes even the smallest places all over Canada and provides geographical co-ordinates and maps which extend out from the "found place". Correct spelling of a place is essential.
• Archives of Ontario have a web page titled "The Changing Face of Ontario" (which is very hard to find without this link). This provides maps of Ontario and its divisions in the 19th century (pre Confederation in 1867) and also includes links to series of historical maps of the individual counties as they were between 1867 and the 1970s when a huge reorganization of municipalities began. The Districts of Northern Ontario and Maps of Southern and Central Ontario circa 1951 show the townships of each county.

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 Perth County

• Perth County GenWeb has a lot of material--really worth a browse
• Perth Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has a list of Research and Reference Resources by Township pages which appear to be quite comprehensive if the township has been worked on. Most of these references oblige visiting the county or being in touch with the archives or library. They also provide a list of links to various other research organizations in Perth County and beyond.
• Perth County Archives list their holdings
• The Ontario GenWeb Census Project has transcribed the better part of the censuses available (1851-1911) on a township by township basis.
• A map of Perth County circa 1951 from Ontario Archives illustrating the townships, towns, villages and hamlets as they were post-WW2 and before the reorganization of the 1970s and later.

source: Family History Library Catalog