Ontario GenWeb Project: Q&A

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Ontario Q&A
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Ontario Q&A was set up to help genealogists answer questions that cannot be found elsewhere on the OntarioGenWeb
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Ask an Ontario Genealogy Question
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Q: Where can I find Militia Rolls and/or information about the East York Militia?
A: These rolls can be viewed at the Library & Archives of Canada (From David Agar)
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Q: Which area was considered as Western Canada during the 1830's and 1840's?
A: Ontario :-) From 1841-1867 Ontario was known as Canada West and the Province of Canada's western edge was the current Ontario-Michigan boundary line. From 1791-1841 Canada West was known as Upper Canada. Before 1791 it was part of Quebec

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Q: Where can I find information and records on prisoners in Ontario penitentiaries between 1837 and 1851?
A: Inmate records are of an administrative nature and would be kept at the individual prisons. Obtaining this information may involve contacting either one specific prison or the prisons in the area involved. For instance Kingston Pennitentary has been the subject of many historical books on its first one hundred years and I believe that it has its own archives. To my knowledge there is no specific province-wide agency that has such info. {Special Thank you to Laura Carter for her help in answering this question}
I would contact the ministry of the Attorney General for penal system inquiries, even that long ago. They do have an "archive" division, because I have used it
ATTORNEY GENERAL
'Archives Division'
720 Bay St
Toronto ON M5G 2K1
General Inquiry: 416-326-2220
TTY: 416-326-4012
Fax: 416-326-4007

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Q: I have an ancestor listed on the 1837 Toronto census as living in York County on "Yonge Street Road from Toll Gate to Montgomery's Tavern". Where can I locate what churches might have been in that particular area in 1837 and do any of them still exist?
A: You might want to check the book call Toronto Landmarks. It is available on film at your local LDS Family History Center, on the shelf at some public libraries, through inter-library loan, and the Ontario Archives. This book contains Toronto City Directories for 1836-37 and 1846-47 as well as a wealth of other info. The directories will list churches in the Young ST area at the time. Then go to the Church archives that will hold your record
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Q: My ancestor in applying for land (& trying not to choke over the sugar melting in his mouth, apparetnly) reassures the council that he is not "affiliated with the Ryerson Faction" & other land petitions of family members refer also to "internal commotions"& "the MacKenzie Rebellion". What were these matters?
A: [From Suzanne Schaller] -- The MacKenzie Rebellion took place in 1837. See: The 1837 Rebellions and Rebellion of 1837 overview for more information. I'm not sure about the Ryerson Faction, but an online search might tell you something.
[From Leanne] -- The 1837 MacKenzie rebellion was instigated by William Lyon MacKenzie; earlier in his career as a reform politician, he'd been allied with Reverend Egerton Ryerson, a Methodist minister and moderate reformer. As MacKenzie's politics became more radical, he and Ryerson parted ways. Nevertheless, neither would have been greatly appreciated by the corrupt, conservative Tory regime in place at the time. So yes, the ancestor in question was definitely "sucking up" in order to be assured of a land grant LOL (nor do I blame him...that was something too important to fool around with).
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Q: In the time period of 1834-onward until Canada was a nation in 1867, how did one receive designation of a Justice of the Peace. Was this done by application or appointment and if so was it to Britain they made their requests?
A: [From Cathy] The people that would best answer your question is The Osgoode Society - they are the experts on Ontario's Legal History. The time period you are interested in was one in which many changes happened. They have just published a book answering all the questions you ask. The book is called Magistrates, Police and People: Everyday Criminal Justice in Quebec and Lower Canada, 1764-1837, by Donald Fyson, Professor of History, Universite Laval. See if you can get that on library loan.
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Q: Are there records for immigrants who landed in Canada at Grosse Ile, if so, where are they located and are they on film? Thanks.
A: Yes there are. Some can be found at Immigrants at Grosse-Île
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Q: I am trying to find a family on the 1851 and 1861 censuses. The parents were married in 1849 in St. Paul's RC Church in Toronto but I don't know the ward or township of that church and it might lead me to the township of the family. How can I find St. Paul's location?
A: [From Pat Jeffs] St Paul's RC Church was in St David's Ward. The 1851 census for Toronto was lost, so the only possibility is 1861
[From Susan] There is a website called ontarioroots.com that has a transcription of the tax rolls for Toronto for 1853. It was created because of the lack of an 1851 census. All heads of households are listed, whether home owners or tenants. To to the site and look on the left for "tax rolls". There's a search engine.
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Q: I am trying to verify that an ancestor of mine, who was a personal representative of the Sovereign and acting out the duties of Canada's Keeper of Customs for (Quebec and Ontario) Between the years of 1820 1830. Are there any government or private resources that contain information about who was the head customs officer for this period for Quebec and Ontario? The individual’s name was Sir Richard Cross.
A: Probably! As Canada was not yet a country you might find these records are kept in England (see the UK National Archives: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk)
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Have an Ontario genealogy question that's not answered on OntarioGenWeb?
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