LAND RECORDS
Land records are very useful. Originally all land in Ontario belonged to the Crown. Although there were small areas of settlement in 1763 after the British took over, major settlement of Upper Canada began in 1783 and utilized Crown Grants. Many early settlers, both military and civilian, submitted land petitions to the Governor in order to obtain Crown land.Basically the following steps were involved in a settler acquiring land in Upper Canada (aka Canada West aka Ontario):
See Land Records in Ontario for full details of what is available and how to access the various records.
There are many kinds of land records for Ontario:
* The Computerized Land Record Index (aka Ontario Land Record Index) summarizes land grants of Crown Land, sales of land from Canada Company sales or leases and from Peter Robinson settlers' grants.
* Heir & Devisee Commission Microfilm Listings
* Upper Canada Land Petitions and Land Books 1793-1826
* Loyalist Claims and Conversion List
* Return of all Patents for Land 1836 1478 names of patentees with some surnames missing (not found are surnames beginning with H, K, L, M, P, Q, S, T)
- To apply for a land grant from the Crown, he (or she) may have submitted a petition to the Crown (further explanation below under Crown Land Grants)
- If the petition was successful, the Crown issued a land grant to the petitioner. It was a complex process to receive a land grant.
- If the settler took up residence on the land and fulfilled certain settlement duties, he or she ended up owning the land. In that case the settler was issued a patent, shwoing ating that the ownership of the land had passed from the Crown to a private individual.
- If there were any later transactions relating to that property (e.g., sale to another individual, taking out a mortgage on the property, etc.), they were documented in the records of the county Land Registry Offices .
See Land Records in Ontario for full details of what is available and how to access the various records.
There are many kinds of land records for Ontario:
* The Computerized Land Record Index (aka Ontario Land Record Index) summarizes land grants of Crown Land, sales of land from Canada Company sales or leases and from Peter Robinson settlers' grants.
* Heir & Devisee Commission Microfilm Listings
* Upper Canada Land Petitions and Land Books 1793-1826
* Loyalist Claims and Conversion List
* Return of all Patents for Land 1836 1478 names of patentees with some surnames missing (not found are surnames beginning with H, K, L, M, P, Q, S, T)
Land Records Addresses
Archives of Ontario(AO)
77 Grenville Street
Toronto, Ontario M7A 2R9
416 327-1600
Peterborough Land Registry Office #45 300 Water St., South Tower, 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 7000
Peterborough, Ontario
K9M 8M5
705 755-1342
Trent Valley Archives has the original Peterborough County land records with original instruments.
567 Carnegie Avenue
Peterborough, Ontario
705 745-4404
77 Grenville Street
Toronto, Ontario M7A 2R9
416 327-1600
Peterborough Land Registry Office #45 300 Water St., South Tower, 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 7000
Peterborough, Ontario
K9M 8M5
705 755-1342
Trent Valley Archives has the original Peterborough County land records with original instruments.
567 Carnegie Avenue
Peterborough, Ontario
705 745-4404
Second Heir and Devisee Commission Case Files
The second Heir and Devisee Commission was responsible hearing and determining claims to land brought forward by the heirs, devisees, or assignees of original nominees.Following is a list of names of those from Camden Township who appear in the Second Heir and Devisee Commission Case Files. If you spot a name of interest, you can
- consult the reel or reels of microfilm at the Archives of Ontario in Toronto
- borrow the reel or reels of film through your local library using Interlibrary Loan
- borrow the reel or reels of film from a Family History Centre of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Days Saints
Norfolk County Names in Second Heir & Devisee Commission Case Files
Charlotteville TownshipBarnum, Nathan B. Beverly Township, Charlotteville Township and Walsingham Township 1806
Cronk, William Charlotteville Township 1808 Rice, Moses Charlotteville Township 1810 Secord, James and David Blenheim Township, Charlotteville Township, and Walpole Township 1810 Carr, Peter O. Charlotteville Township 1820 Palmer, Lewis Charlotteville Township 1837 Hale, John Charlotteville Township 1840 Phillips, Effie Charlotteville Township 1840 Willson, Usual Charlotteville Township 1840 Alward, George Charlotteville Township 1848 Chadwick, Joseph Charlotteville Township 1849 Deens, James Charlotteville Township 1853 Sibley, Martha Charlotteville Township 1865 Windham Township1. Davis, John Windham Township 1806
2 Hoverland, Hormonus Windham Township 1808 3 Davis, John Windham Township 1819 4 Kilmaster, Elizabeth Windham Township 1819 5 Tice, Jacob Windham Township 1821 6 Adams, Thomas Windham Township 1836 7 Griffin, Nathaniel Windham Township 1839 8 Dorshimer, John Windham Township 1840 9 Graves, Abraham Windham Township 1855 10 Budd, S. Windham Township 1856 11 McCaffrey, William Windham Township 1856 12 McCaffrey, William Windham Township 1857 13 Bowlby, David Windham Township 1860 Woodhouse Township |
Houghton TownshipMerrill, Albel Houghton Township 1849
Buger, John S. Houghton Township 1851 Fick, Frederick B. Houghton Township 1853 Middleton TownshipHouse, Harmon Middleton Township 1847
Maybee, Oliver Middleton Township 1851 Drau, S. Middleton Township 1854 Sanders, Joseph Middleton Township 1857 Youse, Barbara Middleton Township 1857 Roissier, John Middleton Township 1865 Townsend Township1 Buchner, Peter Townsend Township 1817
2 Buck, Elizabeth Townsend Township 1818 3 Freel, James Townsend Township 1818 4 Buchner, Peter Townsend Township 1822 5 Cox, Barton Townsend Township 1832 6 McMicking, John Townsend Township 1833 7 Freel, James Townsend Township 1834 8 Myers, Charles Townsend Township 1836 9 Rouse, Julius Townsend Township 1836 10 Field, Charles and Robert Townsend Township 1842 11 Gage, Mary Margaret Townsend Township 1842 12 Boolby, Wiulliam Townsend Township 1846 13 Woolley, Peter Townsend Township 1848 14 Beemer, William Townsend Township 1849 15 Crysler, Peter Townsend Township 1849 16 Beemer, John Townsend Township 1851 17 Slaght, Alymyra Townsend Township 1853 18 Townsend, John T. Townsend Township 1854 19 Quinlan, John and Ivan Townsend Township 1857 Walsingham Township1 Barnum, Nathan B. Beverly Township, Charlotteville Township and Walsingham Township 1806
2 Dedrick, John and Cornelius Walsingham Township 1810 3 Street, Samuel Walsingham Township 1826 4 Hamiton, Robert Walsingham Township 1837 5 Doan, John Walsingham Township 1843 6 Foster, Eleanor Walsingham Township 1850 7 Fairbairn, James Walsingham Township 1869 |