How do I go about finding a death & burial that occurred about 1848?

Our Research By Year pages detail what records are available during specific time periods. For 1848 see the 1840-1849 page. As a death during this time period pre-dates Vital Registration you will have to seek out church and cemetery records.

Also see our links page for a link to the genealogy group that covers the area where the death took place. Many genealogy groups have published transcripts of local cemeteries plus have a wealth of local knowledge.

As well be sure to check out the Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid and CanadaGenWeb's Cemetery Project.

My great grandparents were Samuel May and Jane Sullivan. At one time, they resided in Renfrew County. Most of their children were born in the area, including my grandfather John Francis May. They also had a daughter named Margaret May. She was born on June 5 1877 and died in 1973. She is buried in Eganville. The story goes that my great-aunt Maggie married money. She married her husband Michael Roche June 17 1902 in Brudenell. During her life, she was said to have either built or contributed significantly to the building of a church in the Renfrew area. When I was a child, we toured the small town and have pictures of the church, but I do not have the name or exact location. Are you familiar with this church? It is quite large with grey brick and has a statue (shrine) on the grounds and something about stables. Any idea where that might have been as we are planning a visit to the area and would like to visit.

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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

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.

Where would I find a birth certificate in Whitby, Ontario, Canada from 1852

Government registration of births didn't start until 1869. For birth records prior to this you'll have to rely on church records.

I have a certificate of Baptism for my father from the Presbyterian Church in Canada. I am trying to decipher his place of birth (the writing is hardly readable and it is an original certificate from 1901). I know it is from Ontario and to the best of my ability is says Ron Twp (which I presume is township).The signature is from Rev CA Ferguson at St Andrews Church Ron. Searching the other sites I can find absolutely nothing for this, can you help?

Have you tried the Ontario Locator? It specializes in this type of dilemma. You could also try Canadian Geographical Names which is the official website of Canadian place names. Never heard of a place just called "Ron" though so you might want to double-check the handwriting and see if it could possibly be something else. Is it possible he wasn't baptised in the place of birth? Perhaps he was born outside of Ontario. Where were other family members born? Where were his parents married? Where did he grow up? These places may provide a clue as to which part of Ontario "Ron" may be located - that could be important!

[From Terr] -- This could be a short way of writing alonger name due to space limitation. e.g. Region of Niagara.

Looking for the birth record of michael mcmann born in December 1858 in Norfolk Co. Canada. Were do I find these records since Canada did not keep birth records before 1869?

It was not required for births, marriages and deaths to be registered prior to 1869 - it does not mean they weren't kept. Vital registrations were not the primary source of a birth record - they were copies of birth records sent to the government. Usually it was a parish record (church record) that first recorded a birth, marriage or death. If you can't find a vital statistics registration, try church records.

How do I go about looking in church records for a birth record. I have the general date of birth, the town, but no name. will the church allow me access to their records?

It depends on the church and where their archives are located. Most churches would send their records to a central or regional archive after a certain period of time. You will need to locate the church archive and inquire about your specific church and the time period.

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?

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

The family's religion was indicated as Church of England. I don't find this religion as one that has records to search there in Ontario church records. Does it come under another church affiliation?

Yes, Anglican. OntarioGenWeb now has a Focus On: Religion page that lists this and other religious affiliations.

Is there an e-mail address the United Church Archives?

It might be found on their web site at http://vicu.utoronto.ca/archives/archives.htm

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?

[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.

Is there a directory of Anglican clergymen in Ontario during the last century?

It is easy enough for anyone interested in things Anglican to contact the Anglican authorities by e-mail. The oldest diocese is the Diocese of Ontario located in Kingston. Their office is located at 90 Johnson St. To the immediate west there is the Diocese of Toronto and to the north, the Diocese of Ottawa. I would think that if you used a search engine (keyword "Anglican") you could find out all the ways to contact them. They are very visible on-line. They will have the information requested.