Place:South Norwich, Oxford, Ontario, Canada

Watchers
NameSouth Norwich
TypeTownship
Coordinates42.92°N 80.58°W
Located inOxford, Ontario, Canada     (1855 - 1975)
See alsoNorwich, Oxford, Ontario, Canadamunicipality into which South Norwich merged in 1975
source: Family History Library Catalog

South Norwich is a former township in Oxford County in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The original Norwich Township was laid out in lots and concessions in 1799 and first settled around 1810 (source:Wikipedia). It remained as a single county until 1855 when pressure of population led to it being separated into North Norwich and South Norwich.

"These Townships under the original name of the Township of Norwich, formed a part of the County of Norfolk, but by Act of Parliament in 1798, that Township was detached therefrom, and declared to be one of the Townships forming the County of Oxford: The boundaries of the original Township are as follows--on the North by the Township of East Oxford; on the South by the Township of Middleton (in Norfolk;) on the East by the Township of Windham (in Norfolk); and on the West by the Township of Dereham. It became for Municipal purposes divided into North and South Norwich. Their general aspect is that of a pleasant rolling country, having land of a rich description, and productive qualities for general cultivation, as evinced by the many splendid farms which they contain. Each Township has an inmmense growth of timber--oak, elm, beech, maple, ridges of pine, etc, and beside well watered by the Otter Creek which runs through them. Both are also abundantly supplied throughout with water power sufficient for the driving of numerous mills, grist, flouring and saw, which are in operation in the Townships, where a very extensive business is carried on in the lumber trade. By the census taken for 1861, the population of North Norwich was returned at 3334, (1718 males and 1716 females) and of South Norwich, 2948; (1517 males, and 1431 females) being in the aggregate, 6332, an increase over the population of 1851, (which was returned at 5239) of 1143. Children attending school in North Norwich 761, births in 1860, 96; deaths in the same year, 27, In South Norwich 649; births in 1860, 94; deaths 26. These Townships are traversed by the following roads, viz: Brantford and Norwich Plank Road, Woodstock and Otterville plank and Gravel Road, and the Otterville and Port Dover Plank and Gravel Road. There are four Post Offices in the Township, viz: Burgessville, Newark, Norwich and Otterville." (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 1975 the county was restructured and South Norwich joined with the two townships to the north: North Norwich and East Oxford to form the new municipality or Township of Norwich. Refer to Township of Norwich or Wikipedia for more historic details of North and South Norwich.

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