Place:North Oxford, Oxford, Ontario, Canada

Watchers
NameNorth Oxford
TypeTownship
Coordinates43.08°N 80.83°W
Located inOxford, Ontario, Canada     (1822 - 1975)
See alsoZorra, Oxford, Ontario, Canadamunicipality into which North Oxford merged in 1975

"As stated of East Oxford, the above, township, though known by its district name of North Oxford, was united with the former and West Oxford, under the designation of Oxford Upon The Thames, for municipal purposes, until they respectively acquired the requisite number of freehold and household residents to entitle them to separate municipal governments. Having so acquired this status, North Oxford was municipally detached from its adjacent neighbours, and became in the year 1822, a separate township accordingly. It is divided from West Oxford by the river Thames, and is bounded as follows on the north by portions of the three townships of East and West Zorra and Nissouri; on the southeast by the township of West Oxford; and on the West by the township of North Dorchester, (in Middlesex.) The township, in territorial extent, is the least in the County; it commenced its settlement in 1799, and its population in 1861 was, by the census returns for that year, 1771, (943 males and 828 females) shewing an increase over the population return for 1851, of 393. Children attending school in 1861: 397; births in 1860: 57, deaths in same year: 12. The soil of the township is generally very fertile, and well adapted for cultivation, and it contains a number of first class farms; it is supplied with ample water throughout for the purposes of mills and factories, several of which of different kinds are in full operation in the township, where other excellent mill sites can be had. It is likewise heavily timbered, with hardwood principally. The Ingersoll, North Oxford, East Nissouri, and West Zorra Gravel Road, and the North Oxford and West Zorra Gravel Road pass through this township, and the Great Western Railway runs through it." (source: County of Oxford Gazetteer and General Business Directory, for 1862-63, from Bill Martin's Genealogy Pages Site Map

A list of the householders for North Oxford in 1862-63 follows this excerpt from the gazeteer.

In 1975 North Oxford, as part of the county municipal restructuring, merged with the townships of East Nissouri and West Zorra to become the new municipality or Township of Zorra.

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.

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

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 Oxford County

source: Family History Library Catalog