Viewing Tip

If you see a large "X" at the top right of Ask Olive Tree Genealogy blog, click on the "X" to close it. Closing the "X" will give you the best viewing experience and allow you to leave a comment on a blog post



Saturday, June 13, 2009

How to Find an Early Ontario Ancestor

Janice writes to ask
I am stumped. I cannot find the origin (poss. USA) or father of myancestor John Knapp b. abt 1784 and d. 1851.Kingston twp, ONT
He married Mary Knight d/o Mahlon Knight U.E.L. of Kingston, ON.Marriage date of John and Mary was July 15, 1807 Kingston.Their children were Mahlon, Rachel, Peter, Rhoda, John.

John Knapp Sr. apparently had a sister Mary Knapp b. 1788 who marriedMary Knight's brother Jonathan Knight Feb 22, 1809.DNA testing indicates that these Knapp's are from the Nicholas Knappline, but parentage and place of birth of John has eluded many
searchers for years.Connecting this Ontario Knapp to other Ontario Knapp's has also eluded us.Any suggestions
?Olive Tree Answer:

Janice, My suggestion is you go back to Mary Knight and John Knapp and dig deeply. For example, do you have Mary's OIC (Orders in Council)? Have you looked to see if she submitted a petition for her rightful land claims as DUE (Daughter of a Loyalist)? Petitions often contain a wealth of genealogical information. Have you checked the various Loyalist resources to find out if John was a Loyalist? What about UCLP (Upper Canada Land Petitions) - did John submit a petition for land? Have you looked in the CLRI to see if he was a first time purchaser of Crown Land? Have you checked Abstract Indexes to Deeds for John (or Mary's) land? You need an exact location - Lot, Concession, Township and County to check the AItoD.

What about Township papers? Upper Canada Sundries? I would personally check all these records carefully for both John and Mary. You may also want to have a look at early tax or assessment records for the area.

I'd also check on John's possible sister Mary who married Mary Knight's brother Jonathan. Find out everything you can on them! If Mary is a sister, this is a perfect time to follow the earlier advice on Olive Tree Genealogy blog about searching siblings to find out more information about family and ancestors of a direct ancestor!

No comments:

Post a Comment