Place:Winterbourne, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Winterbourne is a "compact rural community" located in Woolwich Township in Waterloo County in southwestern Ontario. In 1973 Waterloo County became the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and Woolwich Township increased its area by amalgamating the eastern side of Waterloo Township, the section that was not swallowed up by the Cities of Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge.

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Winterbourne is a village located to the east of the Grand River in the township of Woolwich in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is located just northeast of the city of Waterloo. The fine stonework of the Scottish stonemasons can be seen in many of the older buildings throughout the settlement.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Although much of Woolwich township was settled by Germanic families, James Crooks purchased a triangular tract of land in Woolwich (than still part of Halton County) in 1821. The Crook's Tract, located east of the Grand River, began to attract dozens of families from England and especially from Scotland. Previously, the tract had few settlers, the most notable a Mr. Cox; the creek which enters the Grand River at what is now Winterbourne was named after him. Immigrants from Scotland began settling the Cox Creek area in 1834, led by John Davidson. He opened the first post office in the township, naming it Lower Woolwich. Captain Henry Lanphier arrived in 1854 and soon built a sawmill and flour mill after damming Cox Creek. Residents agreed with him that the settlement should be renamed Winterbourne, Ontario. (Some records spell the Captain's name as Lamphier.)^[1]

By 1837, the Scots established a Church of Scotland, St. Andrews, and in 1844, another group started the Free Presbyterian Church. In 1848, the latter congregation moved from worshipping at the school house to a newly built frame church; that was replaced in 1870 by one built of brick, called Chalmer's Presbyterian. It was not until 1875 that all Presbyterians in Canada united; afterwards, the St. Andrews group joined the Chalmers congregation at the Chalmers sanctuary in Winterbourne. It operated as a place of worship until December 2011. The building, near the Winterbourne Presbyterian Cemetery, is still standing on Katherine Street, and is currently a private home.^[2]

An 1864 report indicated that Winterbourne had one store, two hotels, a flour mill and saw mill, two schools and three churches, the Church of Scotland, the Free Church (Chalmers), and Wesleyan Methodist. The population was 200 and the village received mail daily.

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.
  
  (Template:Waterloo local provision pending)

source: Family History Library Catalog