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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. "Windham lies to the north of Charlotteville, to the west of Townsend and to the east of Middleton... It is rectangular in shape... In form it resembles Townsend, although strictly Windham is the only township in the county which is perfectly regular in its shape... The south-eastern part of Windham was settled at a very early period, more especially in the vicinity of what is now the village of Colborne. Here the Beemers, Culvers, Bowlbys and others, had settled at the close of the last century. Soon after this a settlement was established on the Round Plains, but it was many years before the interior portion of the township was occupied... During the last five years of the last half century, the course of settlement has flowed steadily on." (source: 1877 Historical Atlas of Haldimand & Norfolk Counties) [edit] Windham in 1846A township in the Talbot District, is bounded on the east by the township of Townsend, on the north by Burford, on the west by Norwich and Middleton, and on the south by Charlotteville. In Windham 31,710 acres are taken up, 11,396 of which are under cultivation. The township is watered by Big Creek, which nearly runs through its centre. This is a well settled township, containing good land, the timber is a mixture of hardwood and pine. There are one grist mill and two saw mills in the township. Population in 1841: 1568. Ratable property in the township: £28,203. (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
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