Place:Colborne, Northumberland, Ontario, Canada

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

NOTE: Colborne should not be confused with Port Colborne in Niagara Region on Lake Erie. There is also a Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh in Huron County.

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

Colborne is located in the Township of Cramahe in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada. In 1858, the village of Colborne seceded from the township as a separate village. In 2001, the two municipalities were re-amalgamated to form an expanded Township or municipality of Cramahe. At the time of dissolution, Colborne Village had a population of 2,040 over an area of 5.2 square kilometres (2.0 sq mi).

Joseph Keeler opened a store on the site of present-day Colborne about 1819. A community began to grow as other small businessmen followed suit. With the opening of harbour facilities in 1840 and the arrival of the railway in the 1850s, Colborne became an important service centre for the region.

Originally named Keeler's Creek, Colborne is the largest and main population centre of the township. It was named after Sir John Colborne, Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, by Joseph Abbott Keeler in 1829.

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 1911. 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. The 1921 census is only available through Ancestry.ca, but it is free-to-view.
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.
  
  

Some websites with more local information on Northumberland County

• The wording from the Northumberland County historical plaques set up around the county describing "what happened here". Altogether they give an overview of the history of the county.
• The Kawartha Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society serves Northumberland County (as well as Victoria, Peterborough and Haliburton). It is based in the city of Peterborough. Its website includes a series of photographs of the places of worship in the area, and a publications list (currently all publications are on paper)
• At the time of writing (Nov 2012) Northumberland GenWeb advises that it is looking for someone local to update their website and all links revert back to OntarioGenWeb's general advice.
• Cobourg History is a website providing background information on the largest urban settlement in the county. Cobourg was founded in 1780. Its harbour has always made it quite important.
• A website provided by the West High School of Cobourg history department exhibiting their work on local participation in the War of 1812 and land assessment records for Hamilton and Haldimand Townships up to 1850
• The Cobourg Public Library lists their local history provisions.
• Northumberland County Genealogy and History is a large website with summarized lists of heads of households and marriages from the area provided by Michael Stephenson.

source: Family History Library Catalog