Place:Kincardine Town, Bruce, Ontario, Canada

the following text is based on an article in Wikipedia

Kincardine is a community and former town, located in the municipality of Kincardine on the shores of Lake Huron in Bruce County in the province of Ontario, Canada. The namesake town is located at the mouth of the Penetangore River, and was founded in 1848 by the name of Penetangore. The current much-enlarged municipality was created in 1999 by the amalgamation of the Town of Kincardine, the Township of Kincardine, and the Township of Bruce. The former town is "Ward 1" within the current municipal boundaries.

In the Canada 2011 Census, the community of Kincardine was counted as a population centre, with its own census data presented separately from that for the municipality as a whole. The population centre had a population of 6,725, representing 60 per cent of the population of the entire municipality of Kincardine.

History

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

On March 5, 1848, Captain Alexander M. MacGregor sailed his little schooner "THE FLY" into the mouth of the Penetangore River. In Ojibwa, Penetangore means "river with sand on one side". This refers to the sand bar at the mouth of the river. Settlers Allan Cameron and William Withers landed their ship at the site of the modern-day town, in that part of Canada West known only as the Queen's Bush, and founded a community called Penetangore. Near where they landed they built a log cabin in which Cameron ran a hotel. Withers built a dam and a sawmill which was opened the following year (1849). By the winter of 1848/49 seven families inhabited the settlement.

On January 1, 1850 the Queen's Bush was divided into counties, and the counties were divided into townships. Penetangore now found itself located within the Township of Kincardine in the County of Bruce. Both the township and the county were named after James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine.

Francis 'Paddy' Walker arrived in Kincardine (then Penetangore) driving from Goderich on the ice along the Lake Shore, in a horse drawn cutter in the spring of 1850. He brought with him his wife, Jane, and their seven sons. The Walker House Hotel was built that same year, overlooking the Penetangore River.

The sand flats later became the harbour and the center of intense commercial and industry activity.

An outstanding example of the pioneer entrepreneurs who helped create strong communities, Mr. Walker also operated a schooner, Mud Turtle, and was a contractor on the Durham Road as it was cut eastward through the bush toward the town of Durham in Grey County.

In the summer of 1851, the Durham Road finally reached its western terminus at Penetangore, and allowed access to the settlement by land. The road would be considered nearly impassable by today's standards, but at the time represented a significant improvement in communication and trade. A post office was established at Penetangore in the same year.

In the early years of Bruce County, Kincardine was the only township with any appreciable settlement, and served as the seat of local government for the entire county. Tensions eventually rose to the point where this arrangement could no longer be maintained, and on January 1, 1854 several new municipalities were formed, leaving only Kinloss Township and Bruce Township in union with Kincardine. Kinloss subsequently separated in 1855, and Bruce in 1856.

Over this time, the name Penetangore had gradually fallen out of favour, and was officially discontinued (except with regard to the river) when the Village of Kincardine was incorporated on January 1, 1858.

Kincardine's first school was opened in the summer of 1851. The building was situated on the flats near the mouth of the river. This was the school until 1855 when a permanent building was secured. During the years 1856 to 1866, a long, convoluted political battle was fought over the location of the county seat. Kincardine and Walkerton were the main contenders, and Walkerton finally emerged victorious. Kincardine would continue to dominate the county economically, but had clearly lost much of its early political primacy.

At some point during the late 1800s or early 1900s, the Village of Kincardine became the Town of Kincardine.

NOTE: The above is a condensation of the article in Wikipedia. The original mentions further happenings in the progress of Kincardine town in its first 150 years and also refers to the formation of the nearby Town of Tiverton which is treated separately.

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.
  
  

Bruce County Genealogical Society provides a great deal of information on the county and its municipalities.