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East Oxford is one of three townships in Oxford County employing "Oxford" in its name. "The townships of North, East, and West Oxford, although separately known by their distinct names, were originally combined for municipal purposes under the designation of the Townshop of Oxford, or Oxford Upon The Thames, but each having attained that status provided for by the Act of Parliament 33 Geo. III., cap. 3, (1793) which entitled a township to a municipal government of its own, they became divided into separate Municipalities accordingly. The present township of East Oxford is bounded on the north by the township of Blandford; on the south by that of North Norwich; on the east by the township of Burford, (County of Brant): and on the west by that of West Oxford. It is considered one of the best cultivated townships in the County; is watered by tributaries of the Thames, having also an abundant supply of water from streams and brooks for mill purposes. It affords excellent mill sites, and contains several large mills driven by water power, besides saw mills by powerful steam engines. It has likewise a heavy growth of timber, principally of hard wood. The population of the township was, by the last census, (1861) returned at 2729 (1381 males and 1348 females), being an increase of 519 over its population in 1851. Children attending school in 1861: 582; births recorded in 1860: 113, and deaths: 14. The "Woodstock and Otterville Plank and Gravel Road" runs through the Township, as also the Great Westerm Railway, which has a station (Eastwood) within it. Eastwood and Oxford Centre are the Post Offices situated in the Township." (source: County of Oxford Gazetteer and General Business Directory, for 1862-63, from Bill Martin's Genealogy Pages Site Map. This is just the introduction to the article on the township. All the householders for 1862-63 are listed with the lot and concession numbers for each property. In the restructuring of 1975 each of the three joined a different municipality. East Oxford joined with North and South Norwich to form the new municipality or Township of Norwich. A few further details of the history of East Oxford can be found in Wikipedia. The map of Oxford 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.) A sketchmap from Ontario GenWeb provides a simple illustration of the location of the former townships. [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
[edit] E-books, Books and Newspapers
[edit] Some websites with more local information on Oxford County
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