EARLY

ONTARIO

RECORDS






    Many of the following pages were created from old copies of the Papers and Records of the Ontario Historical Society. I was able to photocopy, scan and then edit them to create these pages. All of the original records may or may not exist, and I have no idea of where they would be located, except for whatever clues may be contained in these pages.

    The spelling of names is pretty much as they were in the original books, but in scanning and converting to text some errors have crept in. I have tried to be careful, and proofread them a couple of times, but errors still exist. Be sure to check every possible spelling of a name if you are searching these listings.

    I would suggest you use the FIND function of your browser to search for names, or save the pages to your machine and use notepad or DOS Edit to search. The original books containing these records are up to 100 years old, and the old fashioned spelling of some names is evident. I have no idea how accurately the original transcriptions were done.

    Making copies of these pages for the use of others who don't have access to them on the Internet is perfectly acceptable to me, and I make no request other than that this information not be sold or charged for. I've spent a lot of time and effort to try to make this information available and have no intention of making money from it. I've added my name and email address to the end of each page so that others may contact me with any questions or comments.

    If you should find errors, even small ones, please advise me at so that I can make corrections or amendments.

    NOTE:- My second site at Rootsweb contains many pages of information on Early Ontario. Take a look at My Site Map
    to see what is available there.


I've added search engines to use to help find surnames or places that you're looking for.

Site search Web search
 
powered by FreeFind

NEW    I have a hobby as an Author of fiction, and My Writing Page can be viewed here.



  • The Marriage register of Rev. William Smart covers 1812-1842 in the Leeds and Grenville areas of Elizabethtown, Yonge, Bastard Twp. and Augusta. It includes about 950 marriages and some baptisms. (113k)

  • The register of Rev. Ralph Leeming, includes far fewer marriages, but quite a few baptisms. He covered parts of the Gore and London Districts, including Ancaster, Flamboro East and West, Glanford, Nelson and Barton Townships. The register is for the years 1816-1827. (25k)

  • The register of St. Mark's and St. Andrew's Churches in Niagara. This includes the register of Rev. Robert Addison, who covered the area from 1792, and who was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Creen. There are about 2000 baptisms (108k), 500 marriages (33k), and 350 burials (16k) listed. The years covered are 1792 to 1832. Some of the areas covered are Niagara, Chippewa, Grand River, Ancaster, York, Grimsby, Fort Erie, Long Point, Grantham, Queenston, St. Catharines. There are many references to 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 40 Mile Creek, etc. in these registers. Some of their modern locations are noted with the page of baptisms.

  • More Baptismal Records Of St. Mark’s Anglican Church, Niagara, 1832 - 1840.

  • More baptisms, burials and marriages from the Niagara Region. It includes the registers of Rev. Wm. Leeming, Thomas Cummings J. P. and some old local government records. Dates are 1820 to 1837 for most of them, but there are some records for 1800 to 1820. Covers Niagara, Lundy's Lane, Thorold, Stamford Twp., Grantham, Crowland, St. Catharines, Bertie, Queenston, Pelham and Willoughby townships and areas, to name a few. (146k)

  • The Registers of Marriages, Baptisms, and Burials of Rev. John Langhorn . His registers cover a large number of these events in the District of Mecklenburg, which includes the townships of: Ernest Town, Kingston, Fredericksburg, Adolphustown, Camden, Marysburg, Sophiesburg, Ameliasburg, Sydney, Thurlow, Richmond . Years covered are 1788 to 1813. (152k)

  • The Registers of Rev. Robert McDowall are of his work as a missionary and minister of the Presbyterian Church in the Kingston area. The townships he covered are the same ones mentioned for the area covered by Rev. John Langhorn. The register spans the years 1800 to 1830s. (121k)

  • Marriage Records- First Presbyterian Church -Chatham 1848-1869.

  • A list of Baptisms performed by Rev. Robert McDowall. Included are both of the parents' names and date of birth for the children. Thanks go to Keith Brickman.

  • A small register exists for 76 marriages performed by Stephen Conger J. P. His area of service was the Township of Hallowell, Prince Edward County. It covers 1803 - 1823. (12k)

  • Another small register exists for about 85 baptisms performed at Fort George on the Niagara River, for 1821 to 1827. (11k)

  • A small register of baptisms and marriages from the town of Grimsby and area. These are the records of Rev. William Sampson, Rev. Robert McGill and others. Includes Newark (Niagara), Thorold, Grimsby, Trafalgar, Louth, etc. (27k) There are 3 time periods included. They are 1793-1814, 1817-1822 and 1830-1834.

  • The register of Rev. John Miller is a lengthy list of the baptisms, marriages and burials he performed in Ancaster and area. There are many records here, very well kept, and cover the years 1830-1837. (160k)

  • Lutheran Church Record for 1793-1832. These records are for what is known as Ebenezer Church, at Big Creek, Fredericksburgh, Lennox County. There are many baptisms and a few marriages along with some lists of church members. Many of the UE Loyalist pioneers who were of Dutch or German descent, and from Evangelical Lutheran congregations in New York or New Jersey were members of this church. (86k)

  • The Quinte Loyalists of 1784 (33k). A short writeup detailing some of the events of the American War of Independance, with emphasis on how the Loyalists who had to leave the new U. S. of A. made a home for themselves in the Quinte region on Lake Ontario. Quite a few names of these early settlers and their locations in the new townships set aside for them.

  • Randy Saylor has a fine website dedicated to early records of the Bay of Quinte area. His site includes ongoing transcriptions of some of the earliest Quaker Minute Books, including The 1798 Adolphustown Monthly Meeting minute book. Visit his site for details.

  • George Gerow has transcribed 184 marriages from the records of Rev. Daniel McMullen, Methodist Minister for the Bay of Quinte. This covers the Midland Dist. and Prince Edward Co. for the period of 1831-1857. They are found on Ontario Archives film MS 7583.

  • See also Randy Saylor's Quinte page at Randy Saylor: Family & Bay of Quinte Records Of special importance is The Sidney Minute Book 1790 - 1849 and Stock Marks 1796 - 1891, which is a unique resource unavailable in any form anywhere else.

  • The Marriage register of Rev. William Jenkins of Richmond Hill. (130k) Includes the records of 852 marriages performed in the York, Markham, Vaughan, Whitchurch, Pickering and Uxbridge areas of Ontario. The period covered is from 1819 to 1843. Over 3400 names when witnesses are included.

  • Mary Crandall has supplied her transcription of the Baptismal Roll Book, 1832 - 1869, St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Galt C.W. There are almost 700 baptisms listed, with most of the maiden names of the mothers noted.

  • The Parish Register of Brockville and vicinity, 1814-1830 (100k). This register contains a large number of marriages and baptisms from theBrockville (Elizabethtown) area. Many are UELs or their descendants. There are several ministers included here, Rev. John Bethune, Rev. John Leeds, Rev. John Wenham and Rev. Rossington Elms amongst others.

  • The Register of Saint Paul's Church at Fort Erie for the years 1836-1844 contains a total of 548 entries, composed of 288 baptisms, 124 marriages and 136 burials. Almost all of the marriages include the names of the witnesses, and a lot of the baptisms contain names of sponsors. Some burials have names of witnesses to the interment. It means that there are a lot of names to be found within this file, which is about (230k) in size. Most of the people mentioned are from Fort Erie, Bertie Township, Humberston Township as well as a few from New York State.

  • Part Two of the register for St. Paul's Anglican Church, Fort Erie [marriages].

  • Part Three of the register for St. Paul's Anglican Church, Fort Erie [baptisms and burials].

  • Some Methodist baptisms for Lanark, Grenville, Leeds and Carleton Counties, 1824 - 1843.

  • Some baptisms by Rev. Ellas Williams.

  • Some baptisms by Rev. John Kennedy.

  • This list of United Empire Loyalists who settled at Long Point will be of interest to anyone researching the history of the Loyalists, as many stories are told of the trials and tribulations of these early settlers. This information was gathered at the end of the last century from descendants of these UEL pioneers, and while it may be that some stories have been embellished in the retelling, there certainly could be information of interest to all. There are 41 stories told, some fairly long, others just a paragraph or two. Many names are mentioned, so if you have ancestors in this area of Ontario in 1793-1811 you might need to check them all to see if the name shows up. (113k)

  • If you have a Loyalist ancestor from Pennsylvania, maybe they or a family member made it into the Pennsylvania Blacklist. An interesting list of about 500 names of those accused of treason for their Loyalist sympathies. (17k)

  • A second register for Rev. William Smart was found in 1929, and it covers a number of baptisms that took place in Brockville in the years 1831 to 1848. There are about 380 of them, and they cover residents of Brockville, Elizabethtown, Kitley, Augusta, Leeds, Yonge, Bastard, Lansdowne, Hillier and area. (42k).

  • In 1808 an assessment was made of Hallowell Township and this list of about 154 of the early settlers and their acreages of land is included here. (10k)

  • This register of Rev. A. Mackintosh for St. Thomas includes baptisms, burials and marriages for the years 1824-1830, and is for the Church of England. It covers the areas of St. Thomas, Yarmouth, Southwold, Dunwich, London, Westminster, Malahide and vicinity. A lot of names are mentioned as it includes baptism sponsors and marriage witnesses. (109k).

  • The record of transcriptions of the Blue Church Burying Ground in Augusta Township, Grenville County includes a number of entries from the late 1700s to the early 1900s. Many are of family groups and the information includes a bit of the history of the Church of England in that area, as well as some background on a few of the families mentioned. (32k)

  • Wendy Standish has kindly accepted my offer to include on this site her transciption of a book of marriage records she recently acquired. This book is for marriages performed from 1840-1892 at St. George's Church in St. Catharines. This list of marriages has many couples from the surrounding areas. It includes the Townships of Pelham, Louth, Moulton, Grantham, Niagara, Clinton, Thorold and Niagara . The names of witnesses are listed as well. (95k)

  • When I created the page for the Long Point Loyalists, I decided to also add a page for the first part of this particular book, as it tells a story that is likely applicable to many of the early settlers of Ontario. This page does contain some genealogical information, but its' primary value is as a description of how life was lived circa 1800. As well, for those who want to find out more about the American Revolution, and how it impacted the lives of the Loyalists, this page will be an 'interesting' read. (143k)

  • Volume 5 of the Papers and Records of the Ontario Historical Society contains a genealogy of theBULL family who settled in Hallowell Township starting in 1792. It mentions a number of other families and their connections to this family and contains a lot of dates and locations. If you have early ancestors who lived in the area this file may contain something for you. (32k)

  • Volume 1 (1899) of the P. & R. of the O.H.S contains a list of the members of theCapt. Cameron's Company of the Regiment of York Militia. If you had ancestors involved in the War of 1812 this might be of help. (15k)

  • Volume 1 (1899) also had a short piece on The Descendants of Joseph Brant. If you have any possible connections to this famous Aboriginal leader this page will be of interest. (12k)

  • Ejvor Merkley has kindly offered to make several resources available for lookups. These are early church records for Dundas area. Take a look to see if her records are of interest and send her an email if they are.

  • Loraine P. Ertelt of Humble, Texas has kindly offered to have a list of her personal resources included at my site. She will do lookups for anyone needing assistance in the areas covered. Take a look to see if she has that elusive source book or cemetery listing you've been looking for. NOTE: Loraine has changed her email address. Check her page for the new one.

  • Jim Spencer of Ottawa has kindly provided us with a copy of an account of her life, as told by his ggggrandmother. It was originally published in 1894, and is interesting for the window it provides us with on life in the early 1800s in Ontario, particularly Lanark and Perth.

  • The Parish Register of Kingston, Upper Canada 1785-1811 Edited by Archibald Hope Young (1863-1936), this book was published in Kingston in 1921. It contains the register of Dr. John Stuart, as it pertains to Kingston. This book has a lot of historical details about the early days of Kingston and the founding families. If you are lucky enough to find an ancestor listed you may also be able to find details on their lives and history that Mr. Young has added from a number of other sources in his very detailed footnotes. The book is in 2 parts. Click here to jump to PART 2.

  • Janet White has provided me with 51 baptism records from the register of her GGGrandfather, Rev. Edward White, who was a Wesleyan Methodist Minister in the Windsor/Sandwich and Smithville/Grimsby areas of Ontario before relocating to British Columbia.

  • The Perth County Pioneers is a partial transcription of documents supplied to me by Don Holmes. It details the forced immigration from Scotland by some of the pioneers who eventually made Perth County their home. Included are copies of two documents from the Scottish Archives, entitled the Breadalbane Muniments. They are entreaties sent to the Marquis of Breadalbane by some of the Perth County Scots, as well as a detail of the two routes they took to arrive at Perth County. Interesting reading, not just for those with Scottish ancestry, but for anyone whose ancestors emigrated to Ontario in the early 1800s.

  • Barton Township is one of the townships settled by Loyalists who came to Ontario after the American Revolution, and this list of the original patentees gives their names and locations. A good resource for finding some of these early settlers. This list is adapted from Issue #1 - 1958 of Wentworth Bygones.

  • Robert Land and his family were among the early settlers in the Head of the Lake (Hamilton) area. This article on the Land Family is also adapted from Issue #1 - 1958 of Wentworth Bygones.

  • Excerpts from the book Lunenburgh, or the Old Eastern District, by J. F. Pringle, Judge County Court, and published in Cornwall in 1890.

    • John Baker, who died in 1871 was one of the last people who were born into slavery in what is now Canada. His story, partially in his own words, is told here, and it provides some interesting history as well as some helpful genealogical references. This is copied from Chapter XXXVI.

    • Lot Owners of the Old Eastern District are listed by Lot and Concession for all of the Land Owners shown on McNiff's Map, dated November 1, 1786. This list covers the townships that became Lancaster, Charlottenburgh, Osnabruck, Williamsburgh, Matilda and the Town of Cornwall. This list is a great place to look for that lost early Loyalist settler.

    • List of Officers of Jessop's and Butler's Corps. in the American Revolution, as well as lists of the officers of the King's Royal Regiment of New York. These lists include some details of where they were from and their status in the communities they left.

    • Roll of the Second Battalion and Genadier Company of the First Battalion of the King's Royal Regiment of New York.

    • List of Officers and Men of the 84th Regiment of the King's Royal Regiment of New York, with the area of residence in Ontario, and the Regiment they served in. About 1200 names.
      Anyone interested in the84th Regiment of Foot should check out the site for the regiment. This site "is dedicated to the dissemination of information about this short lived regiment and the living history organization which portrays this glorious regiment during the American Rebellion". It is the work of Kim Stacy, and includes a lot of genealogical information although he is not interested in genealogy himself. It is a pay site, although from my trial look at the information there, it is likely worth it if your ancestor served with them. There is a lot of information on some of the personnel, nothing on others, but there is a lot of history of the Regiment. A detailed bibliography is included.

    • Names Inserted on the U. E. List by the Executive Council. About 700-800 names.

    • Misc. Lists and Petitions - Royalist Regiments. Includes a report from Sir John Johnson that shows the cruelties of the war extended to both sides. Lists some of those asking for aid in reuniting their families, separated by the war.

    • Officers List of Early Militia Regiments. Various Eastern District counties.

    • Return of Officers - 1st Battalion, Royal Highland Emigrants. Includes some enlistment details.

  • Prince Edward District Marriages for the years 1833-47. Wendy Daxon kindly provided me with a list of these marriages, and I thank her on behalf of all who can use the information they contain.

  • Peter Bolton has a nice site which has expanded to over 180 pages of Port Hope/Hope Twp. resources (most searchable), among them the newspaper index covering 1832-1927 with over 9000 entries.

  • Linda Herman of Maryland has provided me with files detailing the earliest settlers of Percy, Haldimand, Hamilton and Cramahe Townships, and asked that they be shared with everyone. The records are reprints of original reports by Asa Danforth and Aaron Greeley of June 17, 1797 and Sept. 1, 1797. Includes Lot and Concession. These files are now part of her contribution on Land Book C at my Rootsweb Site. See My Site Map.

    • In addition, she has sent me files for the Census of Percy Township for 1803, 1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811, 1815, 1816. These census records give counts of household members which could help trace relationships and vital events. Only the head of household is named. These lists are taken from Archives of Ontario records on films MS 16 Reel 8 and 9.

    • Linda also has cemetery transcripts for Warkworth Cemetery, and would be pleased to do lookups from them. You can contact Linda Herman at herman@erols.com, or visit her website.

    • Linda has supplied me with additional information for pages listing Inhabitants of Adolphustown. Lists are for:-1794, 1797, 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1816, 1820, 1822. The Adolphustown citation is as follows:
      "Adolphustown (Ont.) Alt. author: Ontario. Bureau of Industries,
      The Record of Town Meetings held in Adolphustown, 1792-1849, Toronto:
      Ontario Dept. of Agriculture, 1899. {Note: Part of the appendix of the
      Report of the Ontario Bureau of Industries, 1897.}"

    • Another great contribution from Linda Herman. She has typed the record of Land Petitions for July of 1797, and has more we can look forward to in the future. Thes are from the Twentieth Report of the Department of Public Records and Archives of Ontario 1931, by Alexander Fraser. These records are now part of Land Book C, located on my Rootsweb site. See My Site Map.

  • C. Dunbar has allowed me to present a short life story of her Great-Great-grandmother, Mrs. Bridget Manion. It will be of some interest to those who enjoy the history of Ontario.

  • Early London District Marriages. These records are from a variety of sources and cover about 2000 marriages from 1784 to 1838.

  • Some Marriages by Baptist Elder George Joseph Ryerse.

  • London Township Pioneers provides a lot of information on early settlers. I have created two pages of information from the book including a list of the settlers with their lot and concession, as well as a copy of the index to the book.

  • Mary Crandall has done a transcription of some of the baptisms of Rev. John McMurchy of the Presbyterian Congregation, West Gwillimbury, Home District. She has kindly provided a copy for me to put on this site. Over 300 baptisms from 1842-44 are listed. From Ontario Archives film GS 6397.

  • Linda Herman has supplied me with more files for inclusion with my Early Ontario Records. Check them all out for help in your research. Each is a great resource in its own right, so having all of them to use is a real help. Thanks to Linda for her transcription and generosity.
    • The Burleigh Papers, which are a diverse set of files containing details on the lives of Early Kingston area residents. This page gives the information necessary to find your ancestors in these papers.
    • Adolphustown Pioneers lists the early residents and the lots they lived on.
    • Kingston Residents - 1796 lists the residents of the city and area in 1796. Most are UEL who came to the area during and after the American Revolution.
    • T. W Casey wrote some personal notes on the early families in Adolphustown. They include a lot of genealogical information.
    • The Anglican Diocese of Ontario Archives in Kingston contains a number of Parish registers. This is a partial list and contains registers from the 1830s to 1970s.

  • NEW Brian MacDonald has supplied a transcription of the 1832 Assessment Roll & Census – Wolfe Island. Spelling is as found in the original documents.

  • Mary Crandall has supplied her transcription of the 1828 census of Clinton Township, Lincoln County. It is limited to heads of household, but also gives the age breakdown of the 253 households.

  • Linda Herman has supplied me with another file of interest to those with roots in Adolphustown. Thanks again to Linda for her transcription and generosity.
  • Ida Reed of Sault Ste. Marie has provided me with a transcription of the Wesleyan Methodist Baptism Register, covering over 100,000 baptisms from the early 1800s to the early 1900s. I have these on my Rootsweb site due to the extremely large amount of space they require. See My Site Map.

  • Ida Reed has provided me with a transcript of the Parish Register for Our Lady of Holy Angels Roman Catholic Church, Brudenell. Lots of Irish and French surnames, along with some German ones. Covers 1862 to 1910. See My Site Map.

  • Another of Ida Reeds' projects was to transcribe all of the Wills in the Algoma District Land Office, as well as films of records at the Archives. Lots of records, many of them for people who resided a long way from Algoma District. See My Site Map.

  • Ida Reed has provided me with another transcript of a Parish Register. This one is for Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Sault Ste. Marie. A lot of these records are in Latin or French, so you may need a dictionary! Be cautious of spellings and translations. Covers 1870 to 1910. See My Site Map.

  • Ida Reed has provided me with another large transcription Project. This time Ida has transcribed notices from 'The Democrat', which ran under that name for only a few months, and then became 'The Sault Ste. Marie News.' These notices are from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan but include many Ontario family connections. Covers 1887 to 1900. See My Site Map.

  • Doreen Morgan has transcribed the Ontario Marriage Index for the Letter M for 1873, and has agreed to put them on this site while awaiting an official OVSI site. This is a large file of 3154 records in 56 pages, with an index. See My Site Map.

  • Accidental Deaths and Suicides and some selected marriages for the year 1886. These two excerpts are from the book The Dominion Annual Register and Review For the Twentieth Year of the Canadian Union, 1886, edited by Harry James Morgan. Covers names from across Canada as well as some events from outside the country. The marriages appear to be from 'Society Page' entries, and the deaths from articles in major newspapers. This directory has been relocated: See My Site Map.

  • Excerpts from a Directory of Wellington County, 1867. These excerpts were provided to me by David Pike, and it was his transcription of them that we can thank for these new pages. They detail the residents of thirteen townships in Wellington County. This directory has been relocated: take the link to my Secondary Site. See My Site Map.

  • Excerpts from County of Oxford Gazetteer and General Business Directory, for 1862-3. At present this is incomplete, and will be added to as I can finish individual townships. The general county information will not be added till after the township resident lists, which include occupation, lot and concession. Blandford, Blenheim, Dereham, East Nissouri, North Norwich, South Norwich, East Oxford, North Oxford, West Oxford, East Zorra and West Zorra are completed. This directory has been relocated: take the link to my Secondary Site. See My Site Map.

  • Connor and Coltson's Directory of the County of Ontario for 1869/70. This directory lists several thousand names of the residents of Ontario County, organized by town and village or by townships. The township lists give concession and lot information for the residents listed. The descriptions of the towns and townships is not detailed but helps to understand the makeup of the area in 1870. Three parts, with an index by location. This directory has been relocated: take the link to my Secondary Site. See My Site Map.

  • Gazetteer and Directory of the County of Grey for the Year 1865-66 by William Wye Smith. This directory contains almost 7600 names of residents of the 17 townships of Grey County, taken by Mr. Smith from the assessment rolls for 1864. Every place with a name is noted and described in the Gazetteer portion. Almost every town or crossroads lists some of the residents. This is a large resource of 330 printed pages which have been transcribed into 8 files, each of around 100k. This directory has been relocated: take the link to my Secondary Site. See My Site Map.

  • The Directory of the County of Peel, by John Lynch. It contains a list of the early residents of the County, as well as the directory for 1873. This directory has been relocated: take the link to my Secondary Site. See My Site Map.


    Voyageur and Early French-Canadian Related Pages


  • The Migration of Voyageurs from Drummond Island to Penetanguishene in 1828. This file contains the stories of six of the survivors of the families who migrated at this time. Their stories are a fascinating look into the lives and times of these people, and includes a lot of information for the genealogist. None is to be considered a primary source, but for some of the information presented there is not likely to be another source at all. At the end is a list of many of the voyageurs and their dependants who made this journey. A very good page to read if you are interested in early Ontario history, even if you have no voyageurs in your ancestry. Main areas of interest are: Penetanguishene; Simcoe Co.; Sault Ste. Marie; Bruce Mines; Manitoulin Island. If you find this page of help, try checking out the Detroit Genealogy site and their publications for more on the early residents and voyageurs.

  • The Penetanguishene Centennial Museum has a new website that includes cemetery transcriptions for the area. Many research resources are listed as well. Check it out! Link and email address are included on my page about this great resource. Thanks to Pam Tessier for the information.

  • Cadillac's Village is an account of the settling of Detroit by the French in the years 1701 - 1710. It includes directories of the original town in 1708 as well one as of everyone who lived in or visited the town in that period. Joyce Scott was kind enough to provide a copy of this document that was originally published as a series in the News-Tribune in the summer of 1896. Why include information from Detroit in a page on Early Ontario, you may ask? A lot of these families are involved in the fur trade and had family connections throughout the rest of Canada, but most especially to Sandwich, Essex County, which is right across the river. In those days there was no border, and nothing to stop a free flow of goods and people from one community to the other. If you find this page of help, try checking out the following links.



  • The Baptism records for the Church of the Assumption, located in Sandwich, Essex County. These records are for the period 1761 to 1786. Also includes a few marriages from the years 1760 to 1781. Almost all are records of the early French-Canadian settlers. Burials, and more marriages (15k).

  • Documents Historiques No. 87 is a small book written in 1989 by Micheline Marchand and entitled Les Voyageurs et la Colonisation de Pénétanguishene (1825-1871). It includes a list of the voyageurs and the land grants they received. It is an expansion of the work of A. C. Osborne that is listed above under Migration of Voyageurs.

  • In 1784 Edward Umfreville made a journey of discovery from Pays Plat on Lake Superior to Boundary Island in the Winnipeg River. It began on June 16 and ended on July 23. During this time, Umfreville, his foreman, six voyaguers and various native and metis guides paddled their way across northwestern Ontario in a passage it was hoped would become part of a new route for the transport of furs from the west to Montreal. I've created maps to trace his route and permit the reader of his journal to follow along with the party. Not a lot of genealogy, but great history. See My Site Map


  • I was advised of a transcription of "The Parish Register of the Mission of Michilimackinac," which is a translation from a copy of the original in possession of the parish church of Ste. Anne at Mackinac. 'It consists of one large volume, with the records of marriages entered at one end, and those of baptisms at the other. The record of interments is meagre. This volume extends in time from 1741--1821'. In March, 1889, Judge Hon. Edward Osgood Brown of Chicago read a paper before the Chicago Literary Club, entitled "The Parish Register of the Mission of Michilimackinac," which was published in the same year. Many of the families mentioned migrated to Drummond Island and thence to Penetanguishene.

    The translation of this work is at the National Library of Congress site, and you can view the translation at the following links. Baptisms, Marriages, Burials.

  • Old Fort William has an interesting site for history of the Voyaguers and the modern recreation of a fur trade era fort. They will do paid research. See Fort William Historical Park


    Bill Martin, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
    My email  
    My Site Map