A Closer Look: Land Registry Copy Books

A Closer Look: Land Registry Copy Books

by | Apr 7, 2021 | Archives, Blog

Take a closer look at the Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol and its collections as staff share stories about some well-known and some not-so-well-known features, artifacts, and more. Archivist Michael Molnar looks at the Land Registry Copy Books available through the Huron County Museum’s Archives that can help with family research.

Did you know that the Huron County Museum has Land Registry Copy Books for the County of Huron?

Land Registry Copy Books contain historical (1835 – 1950s) information about the transactions of real property (specifically the ownership of land). These recorded transactions can be one way of confirming the existence of your ancestors in Huron County – confirming is a very important and rewarding step when conducting family research.

These historical Land Registry Copy Books are housed in the archival stacks at the Huron County Museum and can be accessed by appointment with the Archivist. While the Museum is temporarily closed to the public, learn more about the Archives’ new virtual research services here: https://www.huroncountymuseum.ca/huron-county-archives/

You can find information in the Land Registry Copy Books about your ancestors if you know a lot and concession number (rural) or a lot number (urban). You can access an historical map of Huron County with names and lot and concession numbers here: https://digital.library.mcgill.ca/countyatlas/huron.htm. This map can be a great starting point.

The Land Registry Copy Books housed at the Huron County Museum include information for the following communities:

Former Townships of Huron County: Ashfield, Colborne, East Wawanosh, Goderich, Grey, Hay, Howick, Hullett, McKillop, Morris, Stanley, Stephen, Tuckersmith, Turnberry, Usborne, and West Wawanosh.

Towns and Villages: Bayfield, Bluevale, Blyth, Cranbrook, Crediton, Dashwood, Dungannon, Ethel, Exeter, Fordwich, Goderich, Hensall, Kinburn, Lakelet, Lucknow, Manchester (Auburn), Nile, Port Albert, Seaforth, St. Joseph, Summerhill, Varna, Walton, Wroxeter and Zurich (not an exhaustive list).

You can access online historical land registry information for properties in Ontario through OnLand: https://help.onland.ca/en/what-is-onland/

Huron County Love Letters

Huron County Love Letters

by | Feb 10, 2021 | Archives, Blog

Mary Frances Griffin

Mary Frances Griffin, 1914. Photo provided by David Hammer.

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, the Huron County Museum shares a few images showing excerpts from letters recently donated to the Huron County Archives. The letters beautifully speak to life in rural Huron County in the early 1900s and share a glimpse into young love.

Sixteen letters in total were donated to the Museum’s archival collection, all written by a young Ashfield Township man named Joe during the years of 1913 through 1917 to Mary Frances Griffin. The correspondence between Joe and Mary took place after she had moved to Chicago after a time spent living in the Kingsbridge area. The letters were eventually passed down to her grandson, David Hammer, of Palatine, Illinois, who kindly donated them to the Museum.

In donating the letters, David wrote the following about his grandmother: “When Mary’s father, Timothy Griffin, died in Marquette, Michigan, Mary was sent to live with her aunts and uncles in Kingsbridge [Huron County]. She lived there from 1910 to 1912 and in the following years returned many times during the summer. Sundays she went to church. Weekdays she did chores, working in the garden, helping with cooking and cleaning. On Saturday nights the big excitement was to go dancing with friends and come home late. And always the question: Who was getting serious with whom? The possibilities were endless!”

Excerpt from a letter sent to Mary Frances Griffin

Excerpt from a letter to Mary Frances Griffin