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Before its establishment as a township, Wellesley Township had been an area of land contained within the Upper Canada Clergy Reserves known as "The Queen’s Bush". It is located at the northwestern corner of Waterloo County and prior to being in Waterloo County it was part of the Huron District. It was the last township to be settled in Waterloo County with only 63 residents in 1837 and 254 in 1841. The first of Wellesley's settlers were squatters from a number of racial and religious backgrounds. They did not acquire land by grant or purchase, but rather by just being there. Many were freed or escaped slaves from the United States, others were German or of German heritage. The township was surveyed for settlement in 1843. The squatters who could afford to buy the land they occupied, either immediately or over time, did so, but many were denied grants. The presence of Black settlers was reduced to less than 50 by the 1851 census, although by that time the township's population had reached almost 3400.
In 1973 the township became part of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (which replaced Waterloo County). It encompasses 277.79 km 2 and had a population of more than 10,700 in 2011 (source: Canada Census). For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article Wellesley,_Ontario.
The map of Waterloo 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 gives an outline of the townships. [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
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