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Spencerville is a village in the former township of Edwardsburgh in the Grenville part of United Counties of Leeds and Grenville in Ontario, Canada. Since 1998 Spencerville has been located in the municipality of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal. [edit] History
Spencerville was first settled at the start of the 1800s when a man named Peleg Spencer established a mill along the South Nation River in 1811, which a village subsequently grew around. By 1821, the Spencer family had constructed a sawmill and gristmill to replace the first mill, and in 1837 they constructed an inn and tavern called the Victoria Hotel. In 1831, David Spencer, the son of Peleg, became the owner of the mills and is generally credited as being the founder of the village. By the 1850s, Spencerville had a population of around 250 individuals and numerous pioneer tradespeople and businesses were operating from the village as well as two churches, a school, and a post office. Mid-century, the village was home to three general stores, three shoemakers, three carriage shops, two inns, a cooperage, a tannery, a blacksmithing shop, as well as a carpenter, doctor, and tailor. The Spencer family had three mills in operation: a grist and oat mill, a sawmill, and a fulling and carding mill. In addition, an oat, grist, and sawmill operated on the outskirts of the village. In the 1850s, the Bytown and Prescott Railway was laid through the village, which led to the construction of a train station. At the end of the 1800s, Spencerville's population had risen to 350 and several new businesses were established. A third church was constructed in the 1880s, and around the 1890s new businesses included a bakery, millinery, a harness shop, dressmaker, a pharmacy, and a cheese factory. [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 Leeds and Grenville Counties
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