Place:Schomberg, York, Ontario, Canada

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

Schomberg is an unincorporated village in the northwestern corner of King Township in York County (now in the municipality of King in York Region) in Ontario, Canada. Situated north of the Oak Ridges Moraine and south of the Holland River. It had a population of about 2500 in 2009.

History

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

Brownsville was founded by Irish settlers who had immigrated to Canada from Pennsylvania in the United States. It was named for its founder, businessman Thomas Brown (born 13 May 1802), who was one of twelve siblings born in Pennsylvania, and one of four who emigrated to Upper Canada. About 1830, his farmer brother John R. Brown (born 3 June 1811) settled on lot 26, concession 8, establishing the rural community. Thomas built the community's only flour mill in 1836, stimulating development. The mill was eventually bought by their brother Garrett, who also established the first bank in the community. For postal service, residents used the post office in the nearby community of Lloydtown.

In 1861, the community applied for a post office, but was rejected because another post office with the name Brownsville was already in operation in York County. (That community is now part of Woodbridge in Vaughan.) In 1862, the community was renamed Schomberg, a name suggested by Thomas Roberts Ferguson, and its post office was established. The name was likely for The 3rd Duke of Schomberg and 1st Duke of Leinster, K.G. (1641–1719), a general under King William III of England.

On 6 June 1890, the town was one of many flooded as a result of a storm in the eastern United States and Canada. The flood destroyed buildings, leaving many residents homeless and businesses ruined, and swept away two mill dams. It also carried one building downstream, where it came to rest on a farm. In Ontario, the storm also caused flooding in Barrie, Brooklin, Greenwood, and Orangeville.

On 25 March 1899, the community was established as a police village. In 1902, the Traders Bank of Canada (now part of the Royal Bank of Canada) established the first commercial bank in Schomberg, and in January 1920 the Imperial Bank of Canada (now part of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce) established a branch.

For some time in the early 20th century, the town was the terminus of the Schomberg and Aurora Railway that connected to the Toronto and York Radial Railway on Yonge Street, some distance to the east. The railway was constructed to bring shoppers and day-trippers from Toronto to the town, but was never very popular. Opened for traffic in 1902, it was electrified in 1916 and closed in 1927. The rails were removed the next year, but the right of way can still be seen to the east of the town.

Urbanization of the community occurred primarily in the southwestern part, with small developments. In the 1950s and 1960s, housing was developed near the centre, and in the 1990s in the Roselena Drive area. Two developments in the 2010s added 147 detached homes, 52 semi-detached homes, 29 townhouses, and a 127-unit six-storey condominium.

Climate

Schomberg has a continental climate moderated by the Great Lakes and influenced by warm, moist air masses from the south, and cold, dry air from the north. The Oak Ridges Moraine affects levels of precipitation: as an air mass arrives from Lake Ontario and reaches the elevated ground surface of the moraine, it rises causing precipitation.

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.
  
  === Websites with more local information on York County (York Region) ===

• York County GenWeb. Worth a reference, but some pages need updating, particularly addresses for archives and libraries.
• York Region Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. Serves Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, King, Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Whitchurch-Stouffville. Website has recently been updated (at August 2012).
• Canadiana Library at North York Public Library This library houses a wide collection of local genealogical material, provides microfilm readers for the Canadian census and for local newspapers, and is the home of the Ontario Genealogical Society's own library.
• The Richmond Hill Public Library houses the largest collection of genealogical material in York Region.
• Markham Museum and Historic Village. This used to be a library holding original documents such as township land records. It now includes an outdoor museum of old buildings from around the township.
• The Newmarket Era newspaper has a digitized version online covering its last 125 years.

Toronto

• Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. Serves the current City of Toronto including Etobicoke, York Township, Weston, Long Branch, New Toronto, Mimico, Swansea, Forest Hill, East York, Leaside and North York as well as the original City of Toronto. Contains a table of links to Toronto City Directories to be found online. Many other services and publications.
• Heritage Toronto has a large website and newsletter outlining Toronto's history and includes a series of links to other organizations.
• There may be many other libraries and museums housing information for genealogical searching in York County or York Region including others with more of a Toronto bias.

source: Family History Library Catalog