Reading excerpts from the book 'Assisting Emigration to Upper Canada' by Wendy Cameron gave me a clue that maybe my husband's ancestor Richard Adams - born 9 Apr 1814 - immigrated 1832 from Chulmleigh in Devon UK - died 26 Nov 1878 Woodstock Ontario & buried at the Anglican Cemetary Woodstock Ont - was part of the Petworth Immigration Scheme. How would I be able to prove this?

[From Wendy Cameron, Petworth Emigrations] -- It's safe to say that it is unlikely that this ancestor was a Petworth emigrant. Devon is well outside the catchment area. In Assisting Emigration p 207-9, Table P-2.1, a table listing known Petworth emigrants by county, the closest county listed is Somerset. The 11 Somerset emigrants were sent in 1835 -- from Bath where the wealthy circulated in and out and where they may well have had a single sponsor. You can never say never, we were unable to account for the origins of a significant number of emigrants, and we had a few late additions not included in this table, but the odds are not good. On a positive note, you can suggest that if a connection is found we would be interested in receiving a form through the website. If found, I think it will be through tracing the family and any local sponsorship they enjoyed rather by searching the sources we examined for our books.

Can you tell me or point me someplace that might tell me the intestate succession for land in 1886 in Ontario? Would the widow get part and/or the children? What percentage?

Help! Do you have an answer to this question? Please post a comment.

What were the names and locations of Methodist churches and cemeteries for Manvers Twp. in 1888?

Have you visited Victoria County GenWeb? You might be able to find this information or perhaps links/addresses to local genealogy societies who may be able to help. Also check with the United Church Archives for information on Methodist Churches. A list of all known Ontario cemeteries can be found at CanadaGenWeb's Cemetery Project

My father was born out of wedlock in 1931. My grandmother married in 1935 and her husband adopted my father although I'm not sure what year. Would his original birth info have his biological father's name and if so would I have access to that

On our page regarding Birth Records it states who can obtain access to birth records for births that have occurred within the past 92 years (yes you can if you prove you're next of kin). There is also a link to the Registrar General where you can find the necessary forms. With an adoption however his original birth registration may have been pulled and replaced by a new one. And the information on either would be whatever your grandmother provided.

Some of my ancestors are said to be United Empire Loyalists from the U.S. who immigrated there from England. Do you have any possible dates for these Loyalists entering Canada and where they may have settled?

The migration of Loyalists from the USA to Canada started in the mid 1770's, most migrated first to Nova Scotia (and what is now New Brunswick), then west to Upper & Lower Canada as free land was offered. Loyalist settlements in Upper Canada were mostly in Eastern Ontario (in & around Kingston) but Loyalists can also be found in other areas of what is now Southern Ontario.

Is there any way of finding death records on immigrants to Canada after 1935 due to privacy laws?

Yes, if the death occurred 72+ years ago the death registration is now public. If the death occurred within the past 72 years and you can prove you are next-of-kin or executor you can apply for the death certificate. See our page on death records.

Where can I find information about the Thurlow land grants of the 1830 period? How did they qualify, who received, details?

Help! Do you have an answer to this question? Please post a comment.

My grandefather was adopted in 1912 but ontario did not legalize adoption till 1921. Who would have handed adoptions before it was legalized and how would i get a hold of them ?

Was he adopted or was guardianship transferred from his birth parents to those who raised him? If it was a private 'adoption' you may find note of it in church records. If it was a guardianship transfer you'll have to seek out court records.

My great grandmother was born on the 16th of July 1880 on a boat from Scotland name unknown. I am trying to get a copy of her birth certificate but have not got any where, any ideas or the name of the boat would be of great assistance.

Until a ship docked any births, marriages or deaths would likely be filed under the ship's country of origin. As for the name of the ship involved, check the passenger lists for your great-great-grandparents.

I found someone in the 1871 census index and I want more information on this person. Now what?

Don't assume that what you see in the index is all there is - this index only shows heads of households and strays, so to get the rest of the family's names, you are going to have to order the microfilm. This is worth the extra time and effort! It will tell you the names and ages of every family member, as well as place of birth, religion, occupation, and other information too. See if you can order it by Inter-Library loan through your local library or Family History Center.

What are the census film numbers for Interlibrary Loan?

The National Archives published them in a book called Catalogue of Census Returns on Microfilm. Actually, there are two books; one covers 1666-1891 and 1901 has a book all to itself. Both are available online

Is there an index to the census for a certain township, for a certain year or for all years?

See our page on Census Records page for information on full-year indexes. For local census indexes, if an index exists, and we know about it, it'll be listed on our books page.

The census record I found is for Monck County, Cardwell County or Bothwell County. I can't find these counties on a map!

Monck, Cardwell and Bothwell were three counties created for municipal purposes by "borrowing" townships from other counties for the purpose of enumeration and political representation. You can find out more about these three counties in Research By Area.

Can I buy cemetery transcriptions? How much would it cost?

Yes. The Ontario Genealogical Society has compiled and is selling cemetery transcriptions of most of Ontario's cemeteries. Prices vary depending upon the size of the cemetery but most branches have their publication lists available on their branch website.

Many OGS branches now offer their cemetery transcripts on CD-ROM, for smaller cemeteries you can purchase a CD for usually $20 or less and get several transcripts (sometimes an entire township!). Because this medium allows a considerable amount of information in a tiny package many previously unavailable transcripts (too large for print!) are now available for purchase on CD.

Also keep in mind that transcripts can be a lasting record for older headstones that have deteriorated. If you know an ancestor was buried in a cemetery but cannot locate the headstone consult the transcript to learn if a stone was present at the time of first transcription (for some OGS branches this would be the mid-1970’s).

Can you give me the address for a certain cemetery?

Most cemeteries are rural (not in cities) and don't have a postal address. If you're seeking an address to write to a rural cemetery there won't be one. Even some city cemeteries don't have postal addresses. But all known cemeteries have location addresses (for rural cemeteries, this may mean Con 1 Lot 29 of such-and-such Township) that will allow you to find the cemetery for a visit.

If you're seeking an address to a cemetery and it's not on the county page, the county host still might be able to tell you, if you email and ask. Or you can try CanadaGenWeb's Cemetery Project, or the Ontario Genealogical Society. Your OGS branch will be able to tell you where a cemetery is, and they may even do a better job of locating it than the GenWeb host because if they have transcribed the cemetery, they have actually visited it (and the GenWeb host hasn't necessarily been there!). You can get the address for a particular branch of OGS from the OGS website.

Who can do OCFA lookups?

Visit OCFA and read the FAQ for information on how to contact contributing organizations (the ones who submitted the cemetery indices). Then write to the organization and include an SAE and 2 IRC's. Most will do the lookup for you for a nominal fee. Whenever possible, before writing, find out more about the organization. Most have OCFA policies that are explained on their websites, and these policies may state that the fee is required before they will do a lookup. Also, you should look for a publications list, because you might find that purchasing the entire cemetery transcription is only a few dollars.

Also read OCFA: What it is and how to use it, an article written by a member of the Perth County Branch OGS in response to OCFA queries.

My wife's relatives came through Quebec City in June of 1860 from Norway. The story has it that one of the children, Anna Jordal was buried on an island that they landed on. What island might that be?

Grosse Île

I sent a message to a GenWeb volunteer and haven't heard back, why?

Keep in mind that everyone involved with GenWeb is a volunteer and gives their time freely when they can spare a few moments. This may mean a few days will pass before a reply is sent out. You're not being ignored, we're just busy!

If a full week has passed and you haven't received a reply, send your message again. If another full week goes by without a reply contact the OntarioGenWeb coordinator, state whom you were trying to reach, when and what happened.

Also keep in mind that during the holiday season (Dec/Jan) and summer months (Jun-Sep) GenWeb volunteers may be on vacation and away from e-mail for several weeks.

Is a 'Funeral Director's Proof of Death Certificate' from Ontario is the same as same as Death Certificate? Does it have the same status, importance?

No, they are not the same. A Funeral Director's Proof of Death Certificate is issued by the funeral home that held the funeral. A Death Certificate is issued by the government. It's presumed that the one issued by the government would hold more weight but both could be considered a record of death.

I have traced a relative born in July, 1873. I know the mother died in child birth or shorthly afterwards. However, when trying to trace the mother's death, I have found only one "match"...however, it's before the child's birth. Is it possible the date of birth could be wrong?

Even though registration began in 1869 it wasn't enforced until the 1880's and even then not every birth, marriage or death was registered. Her death may not have been registered so don't assume anything unless you can back it up with other evidence. Check into cemetery, church & newspaper records to see if her death can be found there.