Founded in 1982, the Elgin County Branch provides online access to local family history resources, including cemetery transcriptions, census records, funeral home records, and other Elgin County materials. Operating fully online since 2026, all content reflects decades of volunteer research, transcription, and preservation made possible by their long standing commitment.
Discover family roots and local history through searchable records, maps, and archival resources from Elgin region.
The area now known as Elgin County, Ontario, Canada was first settled in 1803.
- It was part of Middlesex County, London District, Upper Canada from 1803 – 1841.
- It was part of Middlesex County, Canada West from 1842 – 1851.
- It was formed as Elgin County, Canada West from 1852 until Confederation in 1867.
- It was known as Elgin County, Ontario, Canada since 1867.
- St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada is the County Seat for Elgin County.
When John Graves Simcoe toured Upper Canada as its first Lieutenant-Governor, his young aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Thomas Talbot , first met and fell in love with Ontario wilds. Having resigned from the Army Talbot wanted enough land at the mouth of the Kettle Creek to establish a small agricultural community. Unable to secure enough land at that location Talbot was able to secure 5,000 acres at Port Talbot. Much of Southwestern Ontario had been surveyed by 1803. Most of the land was owned by speculators, the Crown and the Anglican Church. Talbot was faced with the problem of settling immigrants in spite of the difficulty caused by these large tracts of forests which blocked communication and hindered travel. Talbot was to receive two hundred acres for each of the settlers he located on his original grant. Talbot, however, settled the immigrants on land in Aldborough and Dunwich Townships, as well as taking his 200 acres in those townships.
As time passed, Talbot placed settlers on lands in Southwold, Yarmouth, Malahide and Bayham townships in Elgin County. In the years between 1816 and 1818, Scottish settlers came to the Talbot Settlement; many of these were given land in Col. Talbot’s reserved area of Aldborough and Dunwich townships. Other Highlanders were given land in South Dorchester and North Yarmouth. In Malahide and Bayham townships the southerly part was settled by people from Nova Scotia. Elgin County was part of Middlesex county from 1837 to 1851. Prior to that, Elgin county was part of the London District.
Early towns in Elgin county were: Port Talbot, Tyrconnell, Millersburg, Temperanceville (Orwell), Sparta, Five Stakes (Talbotville), Stirling, Kettle Creek Village, Hog’s Hollow, Fingal, Talbot Mills, Port Stanley, Port Bruce, Jamestown, Lakeview, Grovesend, Aylmer, Vienna, Port Burwell, Richmond and Sandytown.
This finding aid outlines the Elgin County Branch OGS collection held at St. Thomas Public Library, 153 Curtis Street, St. Thomas, Ontario. It lists the materials by subject, with box and binder numbers to help researchers locate items within the library’s genealogy collection.
Assessment Rolls are a key resource for tracing where people lived and how they were recorded for municipal taxation, especially when land ownership records are incomplete or missing.
These records are particularly useful for identifying tenants, tracking property location over time, and estimating when someone first settled on a property, which may predate land deed registration.
What you may find:
Name of individual
Owner or tenant status
Lot and concession or street address
Acreage and property value
Taxes assessed and sometimes paid
Occupation and age
Marital status, often noted for women
Many Assessment Rolls are accompanied by Collector’s Rolls, which record tax payments and often contain similar details. When an Assessment Roll is missing, a Collector’s Roll can sometimes serve as a substitute.
Coverage:
Townships and towns across Elgin County
Records mainly from the mid 1800s to early 1900s
Available through microfilm and digitized collections
All digitized records and indexes in this section are provided as downloadable files through our OneDrive repository.
Aldborough Township
Bayham Township
Dunwich Township
Malahide Township
- Assessment Rolls (1859–1912) – Microfilm (includes Aylmer 1859–1871)
- Note: Assessment rolls on microfilm for Malahide and Aylmer are available at the Aylmer Old Towne Hall Library up to 1929.
South Dorchester Township
Southwold Township
- Southwold 1841 Assessment Roll.pdf (Searchable PDF)
- Southwold 1848 Assessment Roll top.pdf (Searchable PDF)
- Southwold 1873 Collectors Roll.pdf (Searchable PDF)
- Assessment Rolls (1856–1899) – Microfilm
- Collector’s Rolls (1858, 1864, 1877, 1899) – Microfilm
Yarmouth Township
- Assessment Rolls (1857–1912) – Microfilm (includes Port Stanley 1857–1874)
- Collector’s Roll (1856) – Microfilm
The census is one of the most important tools for family history research. Elgin County’s earliest surviving census is from 1842, when it was still part of the London District, Middlesex County.
These indexes (compiled by Elgin OGS) are partial transcriptions of the census, naming only the head of household, with selected details such as occupation, family size, religion, ages, disabilities, land ownership, and land use.
Researchers should consult the original images for the full 85-question returns, as many questions were agricultural in nature.
Notes for Researchers
The 1842 census contains transcription quirks: duplicate entries (from page overlaps), occasional undecipherable names (indexed as “unknown”), and uncorrected spelling errors (e.g., “Bollby” for Bowlby).
Some enumerators added extra notes (Bayham included lot & concession details).
Dorchester’s enumerator mis-entered “number in family” under “temporarily absent” — this was extracted as-is.
Malahide’s 1842 census was separately transcribed by Bruce C. Johnson Jr.
Be cautious with North Dorchester listings: in 1842 it was part of Middlesex County.
The 1842 census had 85 questions covering: family size, ages, religion, occupation, voting eligibility, disabilities (blind, deaf, “lunatics/idiots”), origins, years in province, servants, and land/acreage.
Microfilm copies of the 1842 census can be consulted at:
Library and Archives Canada (microfilm C-1345)
Family History Library, LDS Church (microfilm 281227)
Elgin County Archives (microfilm 211)
Some pages contain only statistics (not names). Page and line numbers in the index were manually assigned by OGS to aid researchers.
| Township | Enumerator | Sworn Date | LAC Images | FamilySearch Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Aldborough |
Donald Campbell |
April 8, 1842 |
||
|
Bayham |
Jeremiah Moore |
July 12, 1842
|
||
|
Dorchester |
Harry Edwards |
June 21, 1842 |
||
|
Dunwich |
James Lumley |
April 11, 1842 |
||
|
Malahide |
– |
– |
||
|
Southwold |
Amos Barnes
|
April 14, 1842
|
||
|
Yarmouth |
John Lannin |
April 8, 1842 |
This table provides direct links to FamilySearch images and Automated Genealogy indexes for Elgin County census years where available. Library and Archives Canada (LAC) also hosts census images, which can be searched directly on their website.
Ancestry.ca also provides indexes and images for 1852–1921 (subscription required).
| Year | FamilySearch Images | Automated Genealogy |
|---|---|---|
|
1852 |
– |
|
|
1861 |
– |
|
|
1871 |
– |
– |
|
1881 |
– |
|
|
1891 |
– |
|
|
1901 |
– |
Elgin East Elgin West |
|
1911 |
– |
Elgin East Elgin West |
|
1921 |
– |
– |
Land records are some of the most valuable sources for researching early settlers in Elgin County. They document land petitions, grants, transfers, and settlement activity, often providing rich genealogical details not found elsewhere.
In addition to these specialized indexes, broad digital access is now available through FamilySearch (Elgin land records, 1801–1954) and ONLAND (Ontario Land Registry Access), which provides over 370 historical books for Elgin County (LRO 11), filterable by township, town, and concession.
Between 1791 and the early 1840s, more than 1,200 Elgin County settlers petitioned the Crown for land. These petitions frequently include information about family members, military service, migration history, and length of residence. They are among the best sources available for early Ontario research.
The Elgin County Branch has linked most known Elgin County petitioners directly to digitized images held by Library and Archives Canada. Researchers can locate petitions by township and name, then view the original documents online.
Verify on Library & Archives Canada (Advanced)
If you want to verify an entry on LAC:
Search the Upper Canada Land Petitions database at LAC by name or place to capture three details: microfilm number, bundle, and petition number.
Open the corresponding LAC microfilm. Use a quick “bracket search” to home in on the bundle and then the petition number (jump to mid-reel, check the number, adjust up/down by ~100 pages). Most petitions span 3–6 pages (e.g., 1234a, 1234b, 1234c). Switch viewer from JPG to PDF if preferred.
Additionally, consult the research guide Searching for Elgin ancestors in the Upper Canada Land Petitions.pdf
Method adapted from notes by Bruce C. Johnson Jr.
Township Land Papers are collections of surviving documents related to individual lots and concessions. They often predate formal Land Registry Office records and may include:
-
Requests to purchase or lease land
-
Settlement duties and location tickets
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Military and United Empire Loyalist claims
-
Transfers of land rights before patents were issued
-
Correspondence involving settlers, surveyors, and government agents
The Second Heir and Devisee Commission (1805–1895) was established to hear claims to land where the original grantee had died or where title was otherwise disputed. These records often include affidavits, bonds, location tickets, Orders in Council, and supporting documents that provide rich genealogical details—naming heirs, witnesses, military service, and family relationships.
The table below indexes Elgin County claimants, showing name, township, year, case number, Archives Ontario microfilm reference, and FamilySearch film number. Use this index to locate the case file on FamilySearch or in Archives Ontario holdings.
This section brings together records related to land ownership and legal disputes in Elgin County.
Undigitized Publications (Belmont Library Only)
The following publications are part of the Elgin OGS collection at the Belmont Library, Central Elgin. They are not yet digitized:
Elgin County Crown Patents: Dunwich Township – by J. Bircham (13 pp.)
Elgin County Crown Patents: Aldborough Township – by Jean Bircham (1988, 13 pp.)
Miscellaneous Legal Record
Faulds v. Harper (1886) – A landmark Supreme Court of Canada case concerning an improper land transfer in Malahide Township. The dispute arose from a foreclosure and subsequent sale where property was purchased through a proxy and resold to the mortgagee. The case highlights 19th-century legal complexities around foreclosure, redemption rights, and trustee responsibilities.
For the full decision, see Supreme Court Reports, Vol. 11 S.C.R. 639 (1886).
These are additional provincial-level land record series connected to petitions, grants, and administrative decisions. Many have now been digitized on the Heritage website, FamilySearch, or through Archives Ontario microfilm.
Key series include:
- Index to the Upper Canada Land Petitions – 41 reels (C-10810 to H-1978) – indexes to petitions filed by early settlers.
- Upper Canada Sundries – 94 reels (C-4502 to C-9825) – miscellaneous correspondence and petitions, overlapping with land cases.
- Minutes and Records of the Land Boards – Reels C-14026 to C-14028, H-1760–1761 – early districts of Hesse, Luneburg, Mecklenburg, Nassau
- Upper Canada Land Books – 41 reels (C-10810 to C-10836, C-100–C-110, H-1976–H-1978) -registers of petitions, orders, and approvals.
- Index to Grants, Deeds and Licenses – 3 reels (C-11961 to C-11963)
- Licenses (1817–1867) – Reels C-3947 to C-3952
- Heir and Devisee Claims – 21 reels (H-1133 to H-1153) – related to inheritance and proving entitlement to land.
Indexes and records of Elgin County residents who served in wars and local militia.
This section brings together records of Elgin County’s military service from the War of 1812 through the World Wars and beyond. Files include militia rolls, veterans’ lists, cenotaph transcriptions, published works, and local memorials, many available in the OneDrive below. Others are linked to external sources such as FamilySearch, Library and Archives Canada, and subscription services.
Resource List
War of 1812 & Early Militia
- [PDF] War of 1812 Veterans (1875) – Names of veterans living in Elgin County in 1875. (see OneDrive file “1812 War Veterans.pdf”).
- [PDF] 1828 Militia Rolls – Township militia lists, some with ages noted. Counts. Names were extracted from Men of Upper Canada: militia nominal rolls, 1828–1829 (see OneDrive folder “1812 Militia Rolls.pdf”).
- [PDF] 1837–1839 Militia Muster Rolls and Pay Lists – Includes Malahide Township (see OneDrive file “1837–1839 Militia Rolls Malahide.pdf” inside “Militia Rolls” folder).
- [PDF] 1866 Fenian Raid Bounty Applications – Local claimants for service during the Fenian threat (see “1866 Fenian Raid.pdf”)
- 1867 Militia Rolls – Available on FamilySearch, including St. Thomas rolls (images 546–550). Note: these appear with the 1858–1872 Bayham Assessments.
Civil War, Boer War, and Other Veterans
[PDF] Civil War Veterans of Elgin County – Compiled by Bruce Johnson and Robert Moore (see “American Civil War 1861-1865 VETERANS.pdf”).
[PDF] Boer War / South African Veterans – Contributions by Alan Mason, covering Canadians who served in South Africa or Halifax Garrison, plus British veterans later connected to Elgin (see “Boer War South African War Veterans.pdf”).
Spanish-American War – One known veteran: Clarence KIDD, son of Joseph and Margary KIDD of Bayham Twp. born 1878 at Bayham, Elgin, Ontario, Canada and died 27 Aug 1913. Served in the Philipines.
First World War Records
- [PDF] Southwold Remembers – Index by Donna Di Cello (see “Southwold Remembers.pdf”).
Age Shall Not Weary Them (James McCallum, 2008) – Soldiers from Malahide, Aylmer, Bayham, and South Dorchester who died in WWI. (see “Age Shall Not Weary Them.pdf”). Search Service files of the First Great War here.
We Will Remember Them (James McCallum) – Men and women of East Elgin who served in WWI; surname indexes A–Z (see “We Will Remember Them” Folder) .
Greater Love Hath No Man Than This (James McCallum) – Soldiers from St. Thomas and Yarmouth Twp. who gave their lives for the Empire in WWI (see “Greater Love Hath No Man.pdf”).
Museums and Memorial Resources
Elgin Military Museum – From 1812 through Afghanistan, this museum highlights the lives of Elgin residents who served and died abroad.
Cenotaphs of Elgin County – Transcriptions of names from local cenotaphs and military memorials, with links to the Veterans Affairs Canada casualty database. (See OneDrive file “Cenotaphs and War Memorials of Elgin County.pdf”)
Notable Individuals
Major William Faulds (1827–1914) – Elgin resident who fought in the Mexican War (1847) and later served as a Major in the Elgin Battalion. (Submitted by Alan Mason)
- Aylmer Express (30 Mar 1916) – Report on his Mexican War service.
- Aylmer Express (7 May 1903) – Recognition for long service in the 25th Regiment.
- Aylmer Express (31 Dec 1914) – Obituary.
- St. Thomas Daily Times (24 Dec 1914) – Death notice.
- Supreme Court of Canada Case (Faulds v. Harper, 1886) – Legal dispute involving improper land transfer connected to William Faulds of Malahide. See Land Records – Legal & Patents section for details.ul left aligned
This section provides access to indexes and digitized issues of historic Elgin County newspapers. Many titles are available online through the Elgin County Archives, which also maintains a comprehensive Newspaper Finding Aid to their full holdings. Additional issues can be found through Canadiana, FamilySearch, and other digital repositories.
An inventory of Elgin County churches and congregations, including their history, records, and where those records are held.
Introduction & Project Background
The “Church Records Inventory” project was launched in the 1980s to list all known places of worship in Ontario before 1900 (excluding Methodist, Congregational, and most Presbyterian churches which merged in 1925 to form the United Church of Canada). In 1989 the project was reorganized by OGS branches to compile inventories at the county level.
The Elgin County Branch extended the project to include churches up to the present, adding lists of ministers (where available) and photographs of church buildings. Each entry typically includes the name and location of the church, its denomination, dates of formation and closure, affiliated circuits, brief history, and the location of surviving records.
Note: the Village of Springfield is included under South Dorchester. “Union Churches” were buildings shared by more than one denomination.
Archives Directory
Anglican: Verschoyle Philip Cronyn Memorial Archives (London, ON); General Synod Archives (Toronto, ON)
Baptist: Canadian Baptist Archives, McMaster Divinity College (Hamilton, ON)
Presbyterian: Presbyterian Church Archives (Toronto, ON)
United Church of Canada: United Church Archives (Toronto, ON)
Roman Catholic: Diocese of London (London, ON); Archdiocese of Toronto
Mennonite: Mennonite Archives of Ontario (University of Waterloo)
Lutheran: Lutheran Church Archives (Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON)
Quaker (Friends): Dorland Friends Historical Collection (Pickering College, ON); Swarthmore Friends Historical Library (Pennsylvania, USA)
Other Archives: Salvation Army Archives (Toronto, ON); Church of Christ (St. Thomas Christian Church); Christian Reformed: Calvin College Archives (Michigan, USA); LDS Family History Centres (St. Thomas, London, ON)
The results were published in volumes by township: Aldborough, Bayham, Dunwich, Malahide & Aylmer, South Dorchester & Springfield, Southwold, Yarmouth, St. Thomas
These volumes include detailed church histories, lists of ministers, photographs, and inventories of records. See the OneDrive folder “Churches – Township Volumes” for access to the full publications.
Anglican (Church of England)
Early congregations: St. Thomas and St. Peter’s (Tyrconnell).
Registers often include baptisms and marriages for the wider county.
Baptist
Varieties included Regular, Free Will, Union, African Association, Close Communion.
Do not practice infant baptism; instead records often list adult baptisms, cradle rolls, Sunday school rolls.
Marriage Registers often very detailed.
Many records deposited at Canadian Baptist Archives (Hamilton), but some remain private.
Christian Messenger newspaper (1854–1883): vital source, indexed and published (19 vols, OGS library).
Evangelical United Brethren
German-origin denomination, began in Ontario 1839.
1946 merged in U.S. with United Brethren in Christ.
1968 Canadian Conference joined United Church of Canada.
Presbyterian
1829–1875: a series of unions/splits led to the Presbyterian Church in Canada.
1925: joined United Church (except 30% who formed the Continuing Presbyterian Church).
Records of United congregations: United Church Archives (Toronto).
Continuing Presbyterian records: Presbyterian Archives (Toronto).
Roman Catholic
First parish: Holy Angels (St. Thomas).
Consult Holy Angels records for early Catholic families.
Methodist
Branches: Methodist Episcopal (1828), Wesleyan Methodist (1833), Methodist New Connexion (1840), Primitive Methodist (1829), Bible Christian (1831).
Unions: 1874 → Wesleyan + New Connexion; 1884 → united with Episcopal, Primitive, Bible Christian → Methodist Church of Canada.
1925: joined Congregational and most Presbyterian congregations to form the United Church of Canada.
Registers: The Wesleyan Methodist Baptismal Register (1840–1873) is a key genealogical source (4 reels of microfilm; Elgin entries indexed and transcribed, revised 2001).
Sources: Methodist newspapers (Christian Guardian, Canada Christian Advocate, Christian Journal, Bible Christian Observer), with extractions published (in OGS library).
Congregational
First church at Frome, Elgin (1819).
Name evolved through 1853, 1867, 1906, 1907.
Entered 1925 United Church.
Friends (Quakers)
At least two congregations in Elgin County.
Other Denominations
Mennonite, Plymouth Brethren, Lutheran, Disciples of Christ, RLDS, LDS, United Missionary, Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Census also noted Universalist, Adventist, Messiah — but no organized congregations found.
Stay informed with recordings of our most recent genealogy webinars, available exclusively to Ontario Ancestors members.
August 2024
Religious institutions are rich in local and familial historical records. Join Dez Nacario, Archivist for the Diocese of Huron, in a presentation on research services available to genealogists and historians using Anglican archives as an example.
September 2024
Bastardy oaths from our province have unfortunately not survived for all districts and/or counties. Those to which we still do have access have invaluable information for genealogical researchers.
The Talbot Times is the official newsletter of the Elgin County Branch of Ontario Ancestors (OGS), published quarterly from 1982 to 2021. It features original research articles, brief family histories, transcriptions, reference materials, and historical insights relevant to Elgin County genealogy. Each issue offers valuable context and documentation for local families and communities.