Place:Middlesex, Ontario, Canada

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

Middlesex County is located in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is a rural county with a very large city, London, within it. Landlocked, the county is bordered by Huron and Perth Counties on the north, Oxford County on the east, Elgin County on the south, and Lambton County and the former Kent County (now Chatham-Kent) on the west.

In 2011 the population of the county including the City of London was nearly 440,000. London is politically independent from the county, but is the location of the county governmental offices.

History

Information courtesy of Ontario GenWeb and Middlesex GenWeb

Prior to 1794 the land that was to become Middlesex County was an unbroken wilderness. Up until 1800 Middlesex County was known as Suffolk County and was part of Western District of Upper Canada. Middlesex County was established in 1800 and named for Middlesex, England. In 1800 the Western District was divided into two and Middlesex County became part of the London District. The District form of administration was abolished in favour of the county system in 1849-50.

Settlement started along the Thames River, with the first settlement in Delaware Township. Until 1852 the area that is now Elgin County was part of Middlesex County. In 1865 the townships of Biddulph and McGillivray, previously in Huron County were transferred to Middlesex County.

The population grew from under 40,000 in 1852 to almost 320,000 in 1980.

Subdivisions

Following a reorganization of municipalities in 2001, Middlesex County is composed of eight incorporated municipalities and three First Nations reserves:

• Township (or municipality) of Adelaide Metcalfe
• Township (or municipality) of Lucan Biddulph
• Township (or municipality) of Middlesex Centre
• Village of Newbury
• Township (or municipality) of North Middlesex
• Township (or municipality) of Southwest Middlesex
• Township of Strathroy-Caradoc
• Township (or municipality) of Thames Centre

First Nations reserves:

• Chippewas of the Thames 42
• Munsee-Delaware 1
• Oneida 41

and the City of London which is politically independent, but geographically within, from Middlesex County.

The map of Middlesex County circa 1951 from Ontario Archives locates the individual townships, city, towns and villages 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 townships.

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.
  
  

Websites with more local information on Middlesex County

• Middlesex GenWeb has short "biographies" of each of the townships and a database of all the cemeteries in Middlesex, complete with street addresses for all and GPS co-ordinates for some. This is part of a province-wide project to provide cemetery information. There is also a link to completed and incomplete census transcriptions on a township by township basis.
• London & Middlesex Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society

source: Family History Library Catalog