Place:Barrie, Simcoe, Ontario, Canada

the text in this section is based on a section of an article in Wikipedia

Barrie is a city in southern Ontario, Canada, located on Kempenfelt Bay, an inlet on the western shore of Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically within Simcoe County, the city is politically independent. Barrie is within the northern part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe, a densely populated and industrialized region of Ontario.

The most recent measure of population, the 2011 Census of Canada, indicated that Barrie's population was more that 130,000. Taking its metropolitan area into consideration, the population reaches almost 190,000. It is one of the fastest growing census metropolitan areas in Canada.

The map of Simcoe County circa 1951 from Archives of Ontario identifies the individual cities, towns and villages covered by the sketchmap. There is a facility to enlarge it at the bottom for the page.

Two sketchmaps from Simcoe GenWeb show the whole of Simcoe County and the alterations of boundaries that came with the change from townships to municipalities in the 1990s. The web page also leads to a considerable amount of information about Barrie and Simcoe County and their histories.

History of Barrie

From the website of Tourism Barrie

"Barrie's beginnings can be traced back to First Nations People using the western shores of Kempenfelt Bay as a place of rest before traveling the portage that ran between Lake Simcoe and the Nottawasaga River to Lake Huron. The War of 1812 resulted in increased use allowing for British troops and supplies to bypass the American forces at Detroit. At the war's end, settlers arrived and took up residence at the end of the portage, beginning the traces of Barrie's first community. The British military presence is reflected in many street names, and even in the name of the city itself, in honour of British Admiral Sir Robert Barrie.

As our city grew, it began to export local resources. Trees nearly two hundred feet tall were logged and shipped out, serving as masts for British ships, and railway ties. In the winter months, huge blocks of ice were cut from the frozen waters of Kempenfelt Bay and shipped down to Toronto, Buffalo and New York for refrigeration purposes. Three large storage houses enabled the blocks to be effectively stored for shipment during the summer months."

In 1865, Barrie was joined to Toronto by rail. The railway link improved the speed of transporting both lumber and ice, and also attracted people from Toronto to Barrie and places further to the north and west. Holiday homes and resorts were built on the many lakes in the area including Lake Simcoe itself. Passenger traffic was as important as freight in the Toronto-Barrie corridor.

In 1950 the Ontario Government built the its second expressway, Highway 400, connecting Toronto and Barrie. This improved access to Barrie and the rest of Simcoe County for private cars and commercial vehicles. Not only did its construction allow tourists easy access to their holiday destinations, but it made it possible to commute to Toronto from Barrie on a daily basis. The distance of just under 95km, city centre to city centre, can now be covered in 1 hour 10 minutes.

The logging and ice industries of Barrie are long gone, but have been replaced by employment in the service and banking industries, as well as a soft drinks bottling plant.

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 Simcoe County

• Simcoe County Museum
• Simcoe Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. Has a Settlers' Database, amongst other things.
• The Simcoe GenWeb site. Everything you might want to know about 19th century Simcoe County and more! This is a huge site with information on each of the new municipalites and links to the earlier townships that were amalgamated into each one. Names and histories of settlers, cemetery listings, and all sorts of things.
• Barrie Public Library houses the library of the Simcoe Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society.
• Simcoe County Archives. Has an online database of its holdings. The place to visit for an "in depth" investigation.
• Simcoe County Settlers Database
• Hunter, A.F. (1909). History of Simcoe County. Reproduced online.
• Barrie Heritage provides a lot of material on the City of Barrie.

source: Family History Library Catalog