Illustrated Historical Atlases of Ontario Counties Online

If you have been reading my blog for some time, you know how important land records in Ontario can be for locating where our ancestors lived. As part of any land record research we also want to "see" where they were on a map. Quite often I will make use of the numerous illustrated atlases of the counties of Ontario found digitized on the "In Search of Your Canadian Past: The Canadian County Atlas Digital Project" hosted by the McGill University.

Partial screen capture of the landing page for the In Search of Your Canadian Past: The Canadian County Atlas Digital Project site taken 2 Feb 2026.

This site has high quality scans of maps from books originally published in the late 1870s to early 1880s. Yet have you ever wondered where those maps came from and if there was anything more than just those maps in those books?

Wonder no longer!

Some of you might have seen a group of large books like this in your local library or archive if you live in Ontario.

Picture of the shelving holding the Illustrated Historical Atlases of Ontario held at the Nepean Centrepointe Branch of the Ottawa Public Library (taken 10 Feb 2026).

Here we see a picture of the various Illustrated Historical Atlases of Ontario Counties held at the Nepean Centrepointe branch of the Ottawa Public Library. They are available for anyone to peruse. During the joint Ottawa Public Library and Ottawa Branch of Ontario Ancestors in-person drop-ins, we've periodically used these books instead of going online to look at the maps. 

But what if you don't have access to a library or archive with those books? 

One of the projects announced in November 2024 by the Canadian Research Knowledge Network, CRKN, the fine folks who bring us the Canadiana and Héritage, was an update to the Ontario Historical County Atlases. That project has now been completed.

We can find those recently digitized books online for the following counties (some counties are group together into a single book): 

Ontario county atlases:  

• Brant
• Carleton
• Elgin
• Frontenac, Lennox and Addington
• Haldimand
• Halton
• Hastings and Prince Edward
• Huron
• Lincoln and Welland
• Middlesex
• Norfolk
• Northumberland and Durham
• Ontario
• Oxford
• Peel 
• Perth
• Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
• Wentworth
• York, township of West Gwillimbury and town of Bradford

The Illustrated Historical Atlases of the counties not only have the maps of the townships but also possibly the following sections that help us understand the history of the county:

• Early settlement details
• Military history of the units raised in the county
• Key officials at the time the atlas was created
• Histories of the villages, towns, and townships
• Biographical sketches of prominent people and families in the county 

Often we will also find a list of those who patronized or subscribed to the atlas at the time of its creation. We might learn where they resided in the township, village, or town, when they settled, where they were born, and even their occupation. However, not everyone paid to have their name included. So, your ancestor might not be listed.

Then there are the pictures of various notable buildings, farms, and even people. 

If you live on the property previously owned by James McLaurin located on Lot 21 of the 6th Concession in the Township of Osgoode, wouldn't it be interesting to see what it looked like in the late 1870s?

Illustrated historical atlas of the county of Carleton (including city of Ottawa) Ont. (Toronto : H. Belden, 1879), p. 5, sketch of the "Res. of Jas. McLaurin. Con. 6, Lot 21, Osgoode Tp., Ont.," [image 60 of 100] (https://n2t.net/ark:/69429/m07m03x85b1p : accessed 10 Feb 2026).

Of course there are the obligatory maps of the townships. But you might even find street maps of the villages and towns. 

Illustrated historical atlas of the county of Carleton (including city of Ottawa) Ont. (Toronto : H. Belden, 1879), p. 46, map of Stittsville as part of the Map of No. Gower page [image 84 of 100] (https://n2t.net/ark:/69429/m07m03x85b1p : accessed 10 Feb 2026). 

In addition to the county atlases, some of the county maps are found in the Dominion of Canada atlases:  

• Bruce County edition
• Grey County edition
• Kent County edition
• Lambton County edition
• Lanark County edition
• Simcoe County edition
• Victoria County edition
• Waterloo County edition

For the counties found listed in the Dominion of Canada atlases, generally you will find the maps of the townships towards the end of the book. But don't just stop after you find maps of the townships. In many cases you will come across a "Biographical Directory" of those who lived not only in the rural parts of the county but also the towns and villages. 

Illustrated atlas of the Dominion of Canada [Victoria County edition] (Toronto : Belden & Co., 1881), Biographical Directory of Victoria County Subscribers, p 3 [image 179 of 180], Ops Township, Alexander McKinnon  (https://n2t.net/ark:/69429/m2025000032wv5b : accessed 10 Feb 2026).

Above is the entry for my 3rd great-grandfather, Alexander McKinnon, who lived in Ops Township in Victoria County. If I didn't already have this additional information, now I have a starting point not just for locating any land records but also when and where he was born, and when he came to Upper Canada. 

Just note that this directory is of subscribers, i.e. those who paid to have their name listed. That means not every person will be mentioned in the directory.

 

Even better, these books have been made full text searchable. When I typed in "McKinnon" into the search box, two matches appeared. One of them was the page that has the clipping shown above found almost at the end of the book. Of course, the accuracy of the search depends on the quality of the images. That means we may have to actually read what is on the pages on not just rely on searching for names.

 

Finally, you might have notice that not all the counties in Ontario have been digitized. Only those atlases held in the collection of the McGill University Libraries were included in this project. The maps on The Canadian County Atlas Digital Project for several counties, such as Renfrew, came from material held by Library and Archives Canada. We can see the list of where the maps came from on the The Canadian County Atlas Digital Project Primary Source Material page. 

Maybe CRKN might consider asking permission from Library and Archives Canada or the publishers of the reprints to also digitize those books that aren't already found on Canadiana?

An Itch Needing Scratching - UE and The Unity of the Empire

Have you ever had a genealogical itch that you just needed to scratch but ultimately led you on an interesting research adventure? That's what happened when I got curious about the source of the UE post-nominal letters that some descendants of United Empire Loyalists choose to add after their name.

A number of years ago, I had applied to the United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada, UELAC, to get formal recognition that I was a descendant of Lieutenant Caleb Howe of the Queens Rangers who fought on the side of the Crown during the American War of Independence of 1775 to 1783. I undertook that task for two reasons. The first was that my great-grandfather, Joseph Edwin Howe, in 1939 had been certified as being of "United Empire Loyalist Descent" by UELAC and I wanted to do the proof myself since the standards for the evidence needed have changed over time. The other reason is that in 2012, when I did my application, I was in the relative early stages of my genealogy research and wanted external validation that I might actually be a competent researcher.

Over the years, my interest in genealogy research has moved beyond just the records we so often use in our efforts to understanding the source of why those records might exist in both the legal and historical sense. And that brings us to those "UE" post-nominal letters.

On the UELAC site on their Membership in the UELAC page they state:

Being a proved Loyalist descendant confers no special status in Canadian or other society, but many members use the post-nominal letters “UE” after their name, in consequence of Lord Dorchester’s Order in Council in 1789, conferring recognition of the service of the Loyalists in defense of “The Unity of Empire.” 

Just what really came out of Lord Dorchester's Order in Council in 1789?

On the UELAC's History of the UELAC page they state:

November 9, 1789: Lord Dorchester’s Proclamation conferred the “Mark Of Honour” on the United Empire Loyalists

The link to Lord Dorchester's Proclamation on that page points to a transcription of a document which includes the following:

"...on their coming of full Age and that it was his wifh to put a Mark of Honour upon families who had adhered to the Unity of Empire,.."

along with the following note after the transcription:

Accompanying the resolution to London to be presented to the king, was attached a "Form of
militia roll for the western districts to discriminate the families before mentioned" which included the following....
"N.B. Those Loyalists who have adhered to the unity of the Empire, and joined the Royal Standard before the Treaty of Separation in the year 1783, and all their children and their descendants by either sex, are to be distinguished by the following capitals, affixed to their names: U.E. alluding to their great principle the unity of the Empire."

I don't know about you, transcriptions are nice but I generally really want to view the actual documents to see if there might be additional clues or details not included.

Fairly quickly I found the proclamation document on Canadiana as the item described as "At the Council Chamber at Quebec, Monday 9th. November 1789." and on BAnQ as "At the Council Chamber at Quebec, Monday 9th. November, 1789".

With the proclamation being from the "Council Chamber" at Quebec, I also looked in the Upper Canada Land Books found on the Canadian Research Knowledge Network Héritage site since I knew from past experience that those books may hold the minutes. Without too much effort I came across the minutes from the Monday 9th November 1789 meeting on Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-100 starting at image 730 of 1034.

Now it got a bit more interesting. That proclamation document published by S. Neilson was only one item of business from that meeting. Here is the section from the minutes with the margin title of "Sons & Daughters of UE Loyalists":

Selections from Quebec Land Books A and B, 1787-1791, p 110, Minutes from 9 Nov 1789; imaged, CRKN Héritage (https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_c100/732 : accessed 8 Jan 2026); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-100.

But on image 677 of 1034 I noticed that they wrote, "A Copy of all the Minutes of Council, concerning the Waste Lands of the Crown lying in the province of Upper Canada, transcribed from the Land Books A and B, in the Council Office at Quebec...". So this is also just a copy.

After a bit more digging I found that book A should be on Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-94. It too is digitized on Héritage described as "State minute books of the Executive Council of Lower Canada". Those minutes are found starting on page 316 (image 990 of 1037) with the "Sons and Daughters of Loyalists" section starting on page 321 (image 993 of 1037).

State minute books of the Executive Council of Lower Canada, Minute Book A, p 321, Minutes from 9 Nov 1789; imaged, CRKN Héritage (https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_c94/993 : accessed 8 Jan 2026); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-94.

State minute books of the Executive Council of Lower Canada, Minute Book A, p 322, Minutes from 9 Nov 1789; imaged, CRKN Héritage (https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_c94/993 : accessed 8 Jan 2026); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-94.

I've found that each version is slightly different from the other in terms of spelling or what has been written in the margin but nothing that takes away from what I originally came across on the UELAC site.

At least I know know where that proclamation came from.

But what about the note found after the transcription of Lord Dorchester's proclamation?

I didn't see anything along those lines in the published proclamation, the Upper Canada Land Books, or the State minute books of the Executive Council of Lower Canada. That had me really puzzled.

What is curious and also frustrating is that the UELAC site didn't really cite their source.

So I turned to the ever helpful "Loyalist in depth study" Facebook group for guidance. There Brenda Dougall Merriman, the author of the ever useful "United Empire Loyalists, A Guide to Tracing Loyalist Ancestors in Upper Canada" pointed me to her footnotes from that book. There the key footnote was concerning a dispatch from Lord Dorchester to William Wyndham Grenville sent on 27 May 1793 that is found in "Colonial Office 42, Vol. 67, pages 367-373 (Library and Archives Canada microfilm B-47)".

Since I live in Ottawa and have a LAC user card, it was fairly simple to drop by Library and Archives Canada and access that microfilm from the open access microfilm shelves.

Fairly quickly I found the dispatch in question from CO 42/67 except there was nothing in the letter concerning that note I was trying to hunt down.

But I then saw an interesting word at the end of the letter to W. W. Grenville after Lord Dorchester signed his name. That word was "Schedule". Could there be something more that Lord Dorchester included after his letter?

There on the next page on the microfilm I saw the title "Schedule of Inclosures" with 15 items listed including:

8. Order of the Governor in Council of the 9th Novem 1789 for allocating lands to the Sons & Daughters of such Loyalists, as have adhered to the Unity of the Empire, and jointed the Royal Standard before the Treaty of separation in 1783, and for putting a mark of honor upon their families.

9. Form of a Militia Roll for the Western Districts to discriminate the families of the loyalists before mentioned.

Ummm, the item 9 matched the description given by UELAC. This looks really promising!

As I moved through the various inclosures, I came across that proclamation document I had found on Canadiana and BAnQ. But it was the next item that grabbed my attention. There on page number written 407 and stamped 204 was that elusive form:

CO 42/67, p 407, stamped 204, Dispatch #25 from Lord Dorchester to William Wyndham Grenville sent on 27 May 1793, schedule 9, Company of Militia form; citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm B-47.

On the form we see in the column for Names that elusive statement:

N. B. Thoſe Loyaliſts who have adhered to the Unity of the Empire, and joined the Royal Standard before the Treaty of ſeparation in the year 1783, and all their Children and their Deſcendants by either ſex, are to be diſtinguiſhed by the following Capitals, affixed to their names:

U. E. 
Alluding to their great principle
The Unity of the Empire.

I now had the answer to the question of where that additional note came from that was mentioned on the UELAC site. Honestly, I could not have found it without the kind assistance of Brenda Dougall Merriman and her book.

Finally this itch has disappeared. Of course, there are others that I periodically need to scratch but they will hopefully be dealt with sometime in the not so distant future.