Place:Durham, Ontario, Canada

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

NOTE: Durham went though a massive change in its structure and geography in 1974. In that year the southwestern portion of the county merged with Ontario County while the remaining three townships were transferred to the neighbouring counties of Northumberland (Hope Township), Victoria (Manvers Township) and Peterborough (Cavan Township).

The list of "Contained Places" shown here includes communities and townships that have been part of Durham County only since 1974 (before that they were part of Ontario County). Provincial records for events that occurred in these places prior to that time will be filed in Archives under county "Ontario".

The Archives of Ontario provide a map of the original Durham County, Ontario, and also a map of the Regional Municipality of Durham illustrating the county post-1974.

This drawing from Wikipedia shows the municipalities of Durham Region. It can be compared with a similar map from Ontario GenWeb illustrating Durham County prior to 1974.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Durham County (area ) is a historic county in Ontario, Canada. It was named for the English County Durham and city of Durham. It was created in 1792 but was later merged Northumberland County to form the United Counties of Northumberland and Durham. In 1974, the two counties were split and reorganized, with the former portions of Durham County reorganized into the Regional Municipality of Durham.

Research Tips

Most genealogical research will oblige checking the records of the former Durham County and the original townships within the boundaries of those counties. However, records of events after 1974 will be found under The Regional Municipality of Durham. Locally held records for the municipality will be found at its seat of administration:the Town of Whitby

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 Durham County

• Durham GenWeb provides a number of resources. The editor lives in the area and knows a great deal about tracing family histories in her area. She has traced the archive collections of the six original townships to their "new homes" in Durham Region and in the other counties to which the townships were transferred. There is not much material online, but she does tell you what there is and where to find it.
• Durham Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. Their website includes tabs titled Publications and Resources which may contain useful references.
• Durham County Genealogy and History is a large website with a lot of historical data on the area.
• Clarington's Lost Villages. There's quite a long list.
• The Village of Newcastle, the centre of Clarington, has a history website
• History of Bowmanville by James B Fairbairn, postmaster (Part 1 of 2)
• List of first settlers of Manvers Township, part of Durham County Genealogy and History listed above
• The Millbrook and Cavan Historical Society provide some old pictures
• Hope Township and Port Hope data. This is a very large website of transcriptions of all sorts of lists from the township and the town.

source: Family History Library Catalog