My ancestor Frederick Parr was living in Willoughby Twp near Niagara Falls and accidentally drowned either Jan 1st -3rd, 1871. Where would I find Coroner's Records for this accident?

See Court Records

Is it possible to zero in on the village where people lived in a census year? Is there a detailed map with the location of various census sub-district numbers ie) in Manvers Township in the 1901 census there are 7 sub-districts. It would be great to know whether a fmaily lived in Pontepool or Bethany & where they went to church or are buried.

[From Anonymous] Yes it is. When you find your relative in a particular sub-district (on Schedule 1), make a note of the page and line number for the household number. Then go to the Collections Canada website and find Schedule 2 for the same sub-district and look up that page and line number. It will give you the location of the household - for Manvers, it appears to be concession and lot numbers and not town names, but it should give you a better idea of where they lived. collectionscanada.ca does give some hints - sub-district c-5 is Bethany, c-6 is Fleetwood & Franklin, c-7 is Janetville.

Can anyone tell me how to go about searching for the burial place of my father's aunt who was a Franciscan Sister? She was born in Maine, USA, and died there in the 1930s. In 1930, she was a nurse in the hospital in her hometown of Eagle Lake, ME, located in the northern part of the state. I can find no death records but, before my father passed, he mentioned that he thought she was buried somewhere in Canada. He remembered something about her brother having to take her to her Mother House, in Canada, for burial. Since I have no idea as to the location of the Mother House, how would I go about locating her burial place?

According to Wikipedia the motherhouse in Canada is located in Toronto. Their website is called the Sisters of St Joseph of Toronto, contact them and ask about burials.

Has anyone any information on where recorded information from Justices of the Peace can be found. Has anyone any recorded information on just who Justice of the Peace where? Where can I find information at the turn of the century (1900) on who these Justice of the Peace were?

[From Cathy] Unfortunately, the only registry of JP appointments that exists that I know of is the one for New Brunswick (It is searchable online. Scroll down to "Misc. Records" http://globalgenealogy.com/links/canada-nb.htm)

JP's tended to do marriages. Some resources to find mention of JP's might include: Thomas B. Wilson has published an index and partial abstraction of surviving Ontario Marriage Bonds for the years 1803 - 1834. There are some bonds available beyond 1834. The original bonds are held by the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa and are available on microfilm through Inter-Library Loan and through local Family History Centres of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Wilson’s Ontario Marriage Bonds book is now available with many other invaluable vital records references on CD #204 from Family Tree Maker's Family Archives Series, produced by Broderbund. Unfortunately marriage licences have been lost to us over time as have the records of most Justices of the Peace.

Occasionally the records of a local J.P. will turn up in a private manuscript collection, however, there are no comprehensive collections of J.P. records available. You could also ask Osgoode Hall - they are the experts on Legal History in Ontario. http://www.osgoodesociety.ca

Can one find a birth registration by first name and birthdate and not surname? Cynthia Foster born Feb 1 1880 and raised by paternal grandparents (Charles Foster & Sarah Jane Carey) in Millgrove Ontario. We cannot find her under Foster in Ontario Birth Registration Index at Ontario Archives. She may have been registered under the unknown surname of her mother.

Yes. You can locate a birth registration any way you like. The index is by surname but the registrations themselves were put on microfilm by area and date. So just locate the microfilm that covers the area and year you're interested in and start scrolling. (If you're using Ancestry to locate this birth registration you can enter any search parameter). Keep in mind that while registration began in 1869 it wasn't enforced until the 1880's and many births went unregistered.

My maternal grandfather came to Toronto in 1927 by boat from either Hamburg, Germany or Marseilles, France. Where would he have landed? How would he get to Toronto?

From Anonymous -- Assuming that he entered Canada through a Canadian port, it would have been Halifax during the winter months, or Quebec City during the rest of the year. Passengers rarely stayed on the boat beyond Quebec City - it was far faster to go the rest of the way by train. If you can find the passenger list, the railway would likely be identified, as tickets were to the final destination. If he was not from the UK, his port of entry might be shown on his citizenship record, if it still survives. (Some still do, while for others only an index card remains. You can request a copy of the file through Access to Information from Citizenship and Immigration). As well, if he ever entered the US through the Niagara Region at any point up until the late 1940s, there may be clues on the US Border Crossing records, which you can access through Ancestry.ca.

How difficult, and what resources would I view, to prove an adoption in 1908?

[From Cathy] Firstly, are you sure it was an adoption? Before the Adoption Act of 1921, adoption was rare - guardianships were more common. If you don't know which it could be, I would suggest that you look up "Guardianships" in the Ontario Archives to start with. Beginning with the Guardianship Act (1827) and until the Adoption Act (1921), guardianships (child custody without the right of inheritance) were granted through the local Surrogate Court. While not listed in most Surrogate Court indexes, guardianship matters are recorded in Surrogate Court registers, and later, for some counties, in separate Surrogate Court guardianship books.

To identify series that contain these records, search the Archives Descriptive Database (Archival Descriptions search option) using the keyword guardianship* (including the asterisk), the name of the county or district, and the archival reference code RG 22* (including the asterisk). Alternatively, consult Inventory 22 Courts and related officers records, vol. 1, for instructions on how to identify and access these records.

If on the other hand you are sure it was an adoption, then it does make it harder (but not impossible) to find. The Archives holds no adoption files, only guardianship records. Adoptions occurring before April 8, 1921 were made through an Act of the Ontario Legislature and are extremely rare. For instructions on finding an Act, refer to Research Guide 207: Researching Ontario Bills and Statutes

i was born in 1973 i was told that i had a twin brother, but i was also told that he had died at birth. How do i go about finding information to see if that is true.

You can apply for his death & birth record as next-of-kin (see Birth Records and Death Records). When applying for the birth record you must either supply the death record or apply for it at the same time. You will also have to provide proof that you are next-of-kin (i.e. a copy of your birth record showing the names of your shared parents).

Where would a person locate records of a traveling reverend H Wood of the Wesleyain Methodist Chruch.

If they exist you would find them at the United Church Archives. See our page on Church Records for links.

My house was built in 1863, I am trying to find out if it is historical since we want to renovate, can't find any info before 1943 and would like to know how to research who built this house in sutton and if there is any history behind this house and property. since I don't know who built it am having trouble reseaching through the internet or at the library. All I have for information Is LT 1 BLK 6Pl 69 Sutton Except R688746:georgina. Would like some help pointing me in the right direction as to how to research this

[Courtesy of Grace] You must go in person to the Land Registry office in Aurora, You'll be able to trace ownership of the land forward from the time ownership was granted. http://york.cioc.ca/details.asp?RSN=7897&Number=393

I need help with copyright laws in Ontario, for newspaper obituaries. I have transcribed numerous obits/bmds and want to understand if there are any copyright laws I need to worry about when posting the information on my website. I was not charged for the information (only photocopy costs) and I am not charging for the information. I would obviously site the source with the records...but do I need to worry about anything?

Courtesy of Allan via Bryan Cantley of the Canadian Newspaper Association - Copyright subsists in any original work. An obituary can contain original work unless it is a basic "John Doe of such and such address died on January 21, 2006". Even though copyright may subsist in an obituary that merely means that the original expression cannot be copied to any substantial degree. The facts in the obituary however can be copied or repeated.

My 2nd gr grandmother was the youngest of her family, having 8 siblings. Her parents, born in Ireland, immigrated to the states in 1848. I have recently found Wisconsin, USA census records that indicate her oldest sister, born 1845 and oldest brother, born 1846 were actually born in Canada. One record says her brother was born in Ontario. There was no indication as to where in Ontario I should start my search as I follow the path backwards to Ireland. I am wondering if someone knows a particular immigration flow for people leaving Ireland, travelling into Canada and then removing themselves, again, to the USA? If there was a pattern, then that would at least give me a place to start. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated.

See our Beginner's Guide to Ontario Genealogy and follow the suggestions regarding those born "somewhere" in Ontario.