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The map of Norfolk County circa 1951 from Ontario Archives locates the individual townships, city, towns and villages of the county. (Click at the bottom of the page to see the map enlarged.) A sketchmap from Ontario GenWeb provides a simple illustration of the location of the former townships. "The Township of Townsend is inland, being separated from the lake [Erie] by Woodhouse [Township]. It is bounded by Walpole on the east, Oakland on the north, and Windham on the west" "The first settlers of Townsend came in from the south. The Culvers were the first settlers of the township... they were followed by the Beemers and the Sovereens. Immigrations went on, but slowly... The north eastern part of the township was not settled until about 1830." (source: 1877 Historical Atlas of Haldimand & Norfolk Counties) [edit] Townsend in 1846A township in the Talbot District, is bounded on the east by the township of Walpole, on the north by Oakland and a small portion of Brantford, on the west by Windham, and on the south by Woodhouse. In Townsend 47,871 acres are taken up, 16,623 of which are under cultivation. This is a well settled township, containing excellent land, and many well cleared farms. There is no large river in the township, but it is well watered by some good mill streams, on which are one grist mill and eleven saw mills. The village of Waterford is situated a little west of the centre of the township. Population in 1842: 2517. Ratable property in the township: £46,210.(source: 1846 Canadian Gazetteer. Upper Province or Canada West. by Wm H Smith, published for the author by H & W Rowsell, Toronto. Quoted by courtesy of Elva Sanghera, Burnaby, BC) [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
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