Ontario Land Records: Where Are They Online?

Part I – Finding the Land

Census Enumerations

Enumeration of households in Canada West/Ontario as of the specified dates:
  • 1851/52: 12 Jan 1852
  • 1861: 13 Jan 1861
  • 1871: 2 Apr 1871
  • 1901: 31 Mar 1901
Not all schedules for sub-districts have survived. See the various Library and Archives Canada Census  Districts and Sub-districts information pages for details:

1851 Census – Ancestry

  • Find the household in the Population Schedule
  • Note the neighbours to help you find or confirm that you have the right person in the agricultural schedule
  • Only search by name and place, add the exact match keyword “agricultural” to only return those pages from the Agricultural schedule

1861 Census – Ancestry

  • Find the household in the Population Schedule
  • Note the neighbours to help you find or confirm that you have the right person in the agricultural schedule
  • Only search by name and place, add the exact match keyword “agricultural” to only return those pages from the Agricultural schedule

1871 Census – Ancestry

  • Entries in the Agricultural schedule aren’t listed by name
  • Find the household in the Population Schedule
  • Record the page number and line number of the head of household
  • Move through the images until you reach the start of the “Schedule 4, the Return of Cultivated Land, of Field Products and of Plants and Fruits” pages
  • Find the image containing the entry for the page and line number of the head of household found in the Population schedule

1901 Census – Ancestry

  • Entries in the Agricultural schedule aren’t listed by name
  • Find the household in the Population Schedule
  • Record the page number and line number of the head of household
  • Move through the images until you reach Schedule 2
    • Note: Schedule 2 was generally filmed before Schedule 1 so you need to move backwards through the images
  • Find the image/page with the page and line number for the head of household found in the Population schedule

County Directories

Voters’ Lists

  • Ancestry: Ontario, Canada Voter Lists, 1867-1900
  • Canadiana
    • Search by subject “voting registers” and the place, for example:
    • su:”voting registers” goderich
    • Filter by NOT including results from individual issues and only include monographs

Maps

Other Resources

Part II – The Abstracts

Searching Onland

Ontario Land Registry Access (OnLand)

  • Be mindful of the search hours
    • Monday through Thursday – 4 a.m. to 12 a.m.
    • Friday – 4 a.m. to 9 p.m.
    • Saturday – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
    • Sunday – 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Search the Historical Books
    • Browse All Books
    • Select the Land Records Office
    • Filter by the Township or municipality
    • Select the applicable book that matches the concession found in Part I
    • Move through the images using page numbers and the navigation arrows until you find the concession and lot
    • Add the pages for downloading and when ready select “Request Selected Pages” first making sure you have accepted the Terms of Service
    • After saving the downloaded PDF to your computer DO NOT use the browser back button. Instead use “Return to View Book” or “Return to Historical Books Search” buttons at bottom of the screen

Searching FamilySearch

  • FamilySearch
  • Free to use but you need to register first in order to see the images
  • Abstract index books have entries up to the 1950s
  • Use the Catalog to find the county or district in the “Place”
    • Remember that the place is from largest jurisdiction to smallest. i.e. Canada, Ontario, Halton
    • Open up the “Land and property” grouping to reveal the various record sets within
      • Some counties have the Abstract index book under the “Land and property - Indexes” grouping
    • Select the Abstract index book
    • There may be several index books depending on the county
  • Open the applicable township or municipality Abstract index book by clicking on the Camera icon
    • View the title card to make sure you are in the right Abstract index book
    • Navigate through the image viewer via using the image number or left and right navigation arrows until you find the right page for the concession and lot

Key details to record from the Abstract Books

  • Instrument or registration number
  • Date of Instrument and date of registration
  • Grantor and Grantee

Part III – The Instruments

Definitions

  • Agreement: Used when there was an easement on a property (for hydro poles, for example)
  • Assignment: Transfer of the debt from one party to another
  • Bargain & Sale (B & S):  Document transferring the title to a property showing the selling price
  • Deed: A legal written document that shows transfer of title from one person to another
  • Discharge: Evidence that the mortgage has been repaid
  • Indenture: A legal written document that shows transfer of title to two or more persons
  • Mortgage: A document providing notice of money borrowed when using the property as collateral
  • Patent: An exclusive land grant made by the Crown to a specific tract of land
  • Quit Claim: Often used to transfer property within a family
  • Will: Last will and testament of the owner

Searching the Land Record Books

  • Records up to the early 1900s available on FamilySearch
  • May find wills transcribed here up to about the 1860s if land was being transferred
  • If more than one Land Record book make sure you are looking in the same area as  the abstract index entry
  • View the title card to make sure you are in the right Land Record book or volume
  • Navigate through the image viewer via using the image number or left and right navigation arrows until you find the starting page for the concession and lot of interest
  • Some of the Land Record books have surname indexes at the front that can sometimes make it easier to find the person by name

Searching the General Registers

  • Started being used in the 1850s and 1860s
  • They may have a name index at the start of the books
  • These name indexes are only grouped by the first letter of the surname
  • Names are then listed as they appear in the order in the book
  • They hold the other documents pertaining to the land such as wills and probates, insolvency declarations, purchasing of other land rights such as mining rights, etc.


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