Place:Dundas, Ontario, Canada

NOTE: Dundas County should not be confused with the village/town of Dundas in Wentworth County.

A sketchmap from Ontario GenWeb gives a more visible outline of the townships.

The map of Dundas County circa 1951 from Ontario Archives locates the communities and physical features of the county. (Click at the bottom of the page to see the map enlarged.)

This section is based on an article in Wikipedia.

Dundas County is a county facing the St Lawrence River in the Canadian province of Ontario.

Its first settlers were German Loyalists who had fought with Sir John Johnson on the British side in the American Revolutionary War. The settlers, descendants of the Palatine immigrants to America in 1710, immigrated to the area in 1784.

The county was formed in 1792 as part of the Eastern District of Upper Canada. It was named after Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville. Its original territory had included portions of Carleton County, which became a separate county in 1800. The District structure of the province was abolished in 1849 and county government was introduced as the local level of administration.

When the St Lawrence Seaway was built in the 1950s, a number of communities, some with very long standing history, disapeared and their inhabitants were moved to higher ground. Every attempt was made to save the archives of the places that were lost at this time.

Dundas County has always had strong associations with the neighbouring counties of Stormont and Glengarry, however the union between them is not a complete one. For this reason and for geographical simplicity, each of the three counties is discussed separately here.

In 1998 the four original townships described below were merged into two municipalities: South Dundas and North Dundas.

Original Townships

• Matilda (Area 62,327 acres (252 km2)), was first settled in 1784 by German Loyalists. The Township was formally organized in 1787. The Township was named in honour of the Princess Royal, Charlotte Augusta Matilda, who married the King of Württemberg in 1797. During the War of 1812 a fort was located at Point Iroquois. Communities: Iroquois, Irena, Dundela, Glen Stewart, Brinston, Hulbert and Pleasant Valley. This Township is now part of South Dundas.
• Mountain. (Area 57,778 acres (234 km2)). Organized in 1798 and named in honour of the first Anglican Bishop of Quebec, Rev. Jacob Mountain. Communities: Mountain, Hallville, and Inkerman. This Township is now part of North Dundas.
• Williamsburgh (Area 59,482 acres (241 km2)), Settled in 1784 it became a Township in 1787. Named in honour of Prince William Henry, third son of George III, afterwards King William IV. The Battle of Crysler's Farm (1813) was fought on Lot 12, Concession I. A monument was placed there in 1885. Communities: Morrisburg, Aultsville, Frostburg, Bouck Hill, Dunbar and Archer. This Township is now part of South Dundas.
• Winchester, (Area 56,844 acres (230 km2)). Opened in 1798 and named after the English city. Communities: Winchester, Chesterville, Morewood, Winchester Springs, North Winchester, Ormond, Melville and Cass. This Township is now part of North Dundas.

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.
  
  

Some websites with more local information on Dundas County

• Locally provided information on genealogical sources in Dundas County is limited. The Dundas GenWeb portion of Ontario GenWeb is "under construction" and contains no available information. There is no local branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society extant. Leeds & Grenville Branch of the OGS have printed transcriptions of three cemeteries in Dundas available.
• There is The Dundas County Genealogy Loyalist Resource Centre, a centre in Morrisburg containing "land records, church records, tombstone inscriptions, published genealogy, history books, family pedigrees and indexed censuses for 10 townships in SDG". Vistors by appointment.
• Internet Archive has a large collection of Ontario references and is always worth checking. Enter the town or township in the seach engine.
  

This information was gathered July 2012.

source: Family History Library Catalog