Ontario and Upper Canada Genealogy and History

Based on an idea ... Designed and Created by Michael Stephenson

Definitions of genealogy: Successive generations of kin. An account or statement of the descent of a person or family from an ancestor; pedigree; lineage; the study of pedigrees or family history; Study of one's ancestry, summary history or table of a person's ancestry. A history or account of one's ancestry, tracing back through generations of relatives. Study or account of descent from ancestors. Study of the origins and descent of families. A written history of the descent of a person or family from an ancestor.

'... when we say the word "Heimat", then a wave passes over our hearts; in all our loneliness we are not completely alone ... Heimat is Mother Earth. Heimat is landscape we have experienced ... our Heimat is the land which has become fruitful through the sweat of our ancestors ...' (Yi-Fu Tuan, 1977)

Echoes of the past (Essem)

...Sweet echoes from the far-off past methinks I hear to-night. They waft sweet memories back to me, They dim and cloud my sight. They come, they come, like silvery chimes And whisper words of the dear old times, They cause me joy, they cause me grief, But always bring me sweet relief. They come, they come, at evening hour When swift the moments fly, When joy is gathered round the hearth Or we bid loved ones "good-by." Amid the mystic maze of life These memories sweet, find little room; But when alone in silent thought, They shine like beacons in the gloom. And come, yes, come, like sweetest chimes, And whisper words of the dear old times, Of friends now gone, of joys long past. But memory, dear. will make them last.

The Deserted Farm

A dust worn traveler drew his rein At sunset's dreamy hour, With longing look o'er hill and plain Gives way to memory's power. Long years have passed since he last viewed His native heath and hill, And silence now with shadowy brood Makes nature weirdly still. There stands the homestead of his youth, And clustering round its door Come visions bright of love and truth From memory's endless store. He sees again his father's form Within the doorway stand, His thin locks, whitened by the storm, By passes breezes tanned; Mothers and sisters, brothers, there Resume their wanted place, And lost awhile in scenes so fair He sees each loving face. But wakened from his blissful dream The past returns no more, Alone he stands while sunset's gleam Cast shadows on the door. Deserted now its windows blank Stare at the passer-by, And weeds and grasses stale and rank In wind swept chaos lie, No more from pastures green at night, To farmyard come the kine. Nor homeward come with hearts so light The boys of "Auld lang Syne." No neighing steed from yonder stall Impatient calls his mate; The shades of night around him fall, And all is desolate. He turns again - with lingering look Surveys the old domain, He hears the murmuring of the brook Which onward seeks the plain; His old Canadian hillside home, Amid the gathering gloom - The wanderer turns once more to roam And leaves it to its doom. The sighing winds a requiem sing Amid the cheerless calm, A saddened memory still to bring The old "deserted farm."

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Copyright © 2023 Michael Stephenson. All rights reserved.

Search the Ontario (Upper Canada) Genealogy Website - Make sure to use all known variations of a family name in your search!

Search Tip - enclose name or location to be searched in quotation marks, and in most cases surname first, a space, then first name , ie. "flowers elizabeth" will pull up 2 indexed records for this name...

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Upper Canada Ontario Genealogy Facebook Page

Omemee Memories Facebook Page

The Early Settlement of Emily Township, Victoria County - Honours Thesis by Michael Stephenson

Ontario Genealogy Historical Settlement Heritage Map Collection Outstanding collection of historic Ontario and Upper Canada county and township maps, pinpoint your ancestors heritage property Updated March 2023

Historical Tales From the Archives - A Selection of Stories, Recollections, Reminiscences and Travel Experiences in Times Gone By  Updated March, 2021

Original Six NHL Playoff Hockey Series Fantastic Original Accounts of All the Playoff Action

Shaw Family Research Mycomort Toothpaste The Fascinating History of the Tannery and Leather Titans of Canada and Mycomort Toothpaste

Upper Canada Ontario Wills, Surrogate Court Records, Estate Files Database  Updated March 8, 2023

20th Century Ontario Genealogy Newspaper Notices Index  Updated February 27, 2023

Ontario Place Locator - 19th Century Ontario Town and Village Locations and Inhabitants 

Upper Canada Ontario Pioneer Land Settlement and Family History Database  Updated February 23, 2023

Upper Canada (Ontario) Newspaper Notices  Updated January 11, 2023

Ontario Genealogy Newspaper Notices Database

Ontario Canada Historical Maps Collection 

Historical Visits to Ontario Towns and Villages in the 19th Century  Updated January, 2021

Ontario (Upper Canada) History and Pioneer Family Research 

Ontario Land Registry Records Research Hundreds of thousands of your ancestors and where they lived in Upper Canada and Ontario 

1921 Canada Census Explanation and Information

Ontario Images of the Past Images of City, Town, Village and Country Life of Your Ancestors

Ontario (Upper Canada) Genealogy and History Sites

Victoria County Genealogy and History

Haliburton County Genealogy and History

Durham County Genealogy and History

Northumberland County Genealogy and History

Upper Canada Genealogy and History Site

Newcastle District Genealogy and History Site

Ontario County Genealogy and History Site

Peterborough County Genealogy and History Site

Ontario (Upper Canada) Genealogy Databases

Ontario Genealogy Database Index Site Barebones index to databases

Ontario Genealogy Database Page - 500000 Records of Your Ancestors

The databases I maintain are an extremely valuable tool for those persons researching ancestors in south-central Ontario.

I do require that researchers obtain a username and password to access the database sites. Click the link below to apply for a username and password

Database Registration

Ontario County Directories Victoria, Haliburton, Hastings, Peterborough, Durham, Northumberland, Muskoka, Prince Edward and Old Ontario County

Ontario Historical Atlas Maps Muskoka District, Parry Sound District, Simcoe, York, Durham, Northumberland, Victoria, Hastings, Ontario, Peel, Peterborough, Prince Edward Counties

Upper Canada (Ontario) Newspaper Notices Database 

Queen's Own Rifles - Old Photos of Members

Upper Canada District Maps (Circa 1800)

Upper Canada (Ontario) Criminal Database Cobourg, Toronto, Whitby, St. Catharines, Milton, Brockville, Belleville, Lindsay, Woodstock, Chatham, Kitchener, Windsor, Welland, Napanee, Owen Sound, Picton, Stratford, Cayuga, Brampton (York-Peel) and Guelph Jail Prisoners 

Upper Canada Land Petitions - 51000 Records Indexed

Upper Canada (Ontario) Land Lease and Miscellaneous Petitions Database

Upper Canada (Ontario) Sundries Database - 14000 records Updated March 27, 2018 

Upper Canada (Central Ontario) Township Papers Database - 3000 records 

Upper Canada (Ontario) Land Registry Records Database

Upper Canada (Central Ontario) Marriage Database - 26000 records  Updated January 15, 2023

Upper Canada (Central Ontario) Baptism Database - 26500 records  Updated January 16, 2023

Upper Canada (Central Ontario) Burial Database 4900 Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist and Church of Scotland Burials indexed  Updated January 15, 2023

Upper Canada (Eastern Ontario) Marriage Database 2600 Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Roman Catholic and Church of Scotland Marriages indexed

Upper Canada (Eastern Ontario) Baptism Database Updated January 17, 2023 

Upper Canada (Eastern Ontario) Burial Database

Upper Canada (Western Ontario) Marriage Database  Updated January 21, 2023

Upper Canada (Western Ontario) Baptism Database  Updated March 9, 2023

Upper Canada (Western Ontario) Burial Database 

Locate your ancestors Upper Canada Ontario Genealogy Map Site

Upper Canada (Toronto, Ontario) Insane Asylum Database

Kingston, (Rockwood) Ontario Insane Asylum Database

Malden, Ontario - Insane Asylum Database

London, Ontario - Insane Asylum Database

Upper Canada (Ontario) Hamilton Insane Asylum Database

Ontario Postcards - Many rare old views of Ontario landscapes

Ontario Historical Newspaper Collection - Newspaper files of the past

Upper Canada (Ontario) History Books On-Line Index

Thomas Crawford Stephenson Letters from Ireland - 1898

1810-1820 Newcastle District Marriages Scan of 'long-lost' ? marriage register from Cobourg Courthouse

Genealogy Documents Check out examples of various family history records

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Skeletons in the Closet

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