Place:Stormont, Ontario, Canada

This section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Stormont County has an area of 248,608 acres (1,006 km2) and is a county in the Canadian province of Ontario.

Stormont was first settled in 1785. It was established in 1792 as part of the Eastern District of Upper Canada. Veterans of Loyalist regiments were among the first settlers. An estimated one third of the pioneers in the county were Highlander, one third German and the rest English, Irish and Lowland Scots.

The original territory of Stormont also included Russell County, which became a separate county in 1800.

Stormont County has always had strong associations with the neighbouring counties of Dundas and Glengarry, however the union between them is not a complete one. For this reason and for geographical simplicity, each of the three counties is discussed separately here.

The four original townships described below have now been merged into two municipalities: South Stormont and North Stormont.

Historic Townships

This section is based on an article in Wikipedia

• Cornwall (southeast section): area 63,460 acres (257 km2) Was settled in 1785 by veterans of Sir John Johnson's and other Loyalist companies. Communities: Moulinette, Northfield and Cornwall. This Township is now part of the Municipality of South Stormont.
• Finch (northwest section): It was settled in 1785 and was part of Osnabruck Township until 1798. It is named in honour of Lady Elizabeth Finch, wife of the first Earl of Mansfield. Communities: Crysler, Berwick, Finch, Glen Payne. The Township is now part of the Municipality of North Stormont.
• Osnabruck (southwest section): area 61,320 acres (248 km2). Surveyed from 1784 to 1787, it was named from a Hanoverian town closely associated with the Royal Family. The Township was settled in 1785 by Loyalist veterans, may of them Germans. Communities: Newington, Grantley, Osnabruck Centre and Wales. The township is now part of the Municipality of South Stormont.
• Roxborough (northwest section): Part of Cornwall Township until 1798. The township was named Roxborough County in Scotland. Communities: Moose Creek, Avonmore and Monkland (sometimes Monckland). The Township is now part of the Municipality of North Stormont.

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.
  
  

Some websites with more local information on Stormont County

• Stormont County GenWeb has some data online and references to other sources.
  
• Internet Archive has a large collection of Ontario references and is always worth checking. Enter the town or township in the seach engine.

source: Family History Library Catalog