Place:Saugeen Shores, Bruce, Ontario, Canada

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Saugeen Shores is a town in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada, formed in 1998. In addition to the two main population centres of Southampton and Port Elgin, the town includes a portion of the village of Burgoyne and the North Bruce area, straddling the municipal eastern and southern boundary respectively. In 2016, the permanent population of Saugeen Shores was 13,715, in a land area of .^[1]

The primary employment categories are agriculture, small business, tourism and employment at the Bruce Power nuclear power station. The population doubles in the summer due to cottagers and campers who arrive in the area.^[2] Close to MacGregor Point Provincial Park, the town has several beaches on Lake Huron.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

The name "Saugeen" is the corrupted form of the word Zaagiing in the language of the Chippewas of Saugeen Ojibway Territory, meaning "at the river's outlet" or "at the mouth of the river".

The area that is now Port Elgin was settled by Europeans in 1849, when Lachlan McLean ("Loch Buie") built a shanty and lived in it for the winter. For several years he ran a tavern, his patrons consisting primarily of settlers and sailors passing through the little port. In spring 1852 George Butchart built a dam and saw-mill on Mill Creek.

According to an Ontario historic plaque, Butchart sold the mill to Benjamin Shantz who built a grist-mill, and within three years a community of 250 people had developed around these mills. Stores, hotels and tanneries were constructed and in March 1857, a village plot named Port Elgin was laid out. The enterprise of its businessmen, notably Henry Hilker, Samuel Bricker and John Stafford, contributed to the development of the settlement, which had a population of over 600 by 1867. The arrival of the Wellington, Grey and Bruce Railway in 1872 further stimulated the growth of the community and it was incorporated as a village in 1874 with a population of about 950." By 1854, the community had three houses, a tavern, and mill. Shops, churches, schools, and roads followed, and ten years later the population totalled six hundred and thirty. Early industries included a steam sawmill, foundry, and woolen mill. In 1873, the railway arrived, allowing Southampton and Port Elgin products to travel out into the world.

Southampton was founded by Captains John Spence and William Kennedy in 1848.

Commercial fishing and coastal trade drove the economy, with the Saugeen River and Lake Huron making for ideal transportation before roads had been built. Its name was changed from Saugeen in 1858. The Chantry Island Lightstation Tower (off Southampton) was completed in April 1859, guiding sailors clear of the underwater boulders that make navigation dangerous. Southampton was incorporated as a town in 1904; at the time, its population was 2,400. The economic base included furniture factories, a tannery and a sawmill. The town built a hospital in 1947, a post office in 1952, a library in 1956, an arena in 1961 (replaced in 1977) and a new firehall in 1974.

On January 30, 1998, the provincial government amalgamated the Towns of Southampton and Port Elgin, together with Saugeen Township, to form the Town of Port Elgin-Saugeen-Southampton. On December 17, 1998, the Province renamed the entity as the Town of Saugeen Shores.

The town's Official Plan (most recently completed in 2014) includes the following comment about the land area: "The Chippewas of the Saugeen First Nation and the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation have filed a Native Land Claim for the islands in the Saugeen River, the lands that border the north side of the Saugeen River and the shoreline from the mouth of the Saugeen River northerly around the Bruce Peninsula."

The community was once home to Bluewater Speedway, a stock car track located across the road from Piper’s Glen Golf Club just outside of Port Elgin. Today the track is no longer there but people from all over the area came to watch and to race.

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.
  
  

Bruce County Genealogical Society provides a great deal of information on the county and its municipalities.