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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Those Wonderful Abstract Indexes to Deeds!

Joan asked:
Lorine, can you please tell me if the Abstract Indexes are available on microfilm that I can order and view at my library? I want to research the history of a piece of property in Dundas County and do not live near the Registry Office, or near a Family HIstory Library. Thank you.

OLIVE TREE ANSWER: Dear Joan - You haven't told me where you live but if you are near the Archives of Ontario, you are in luck. The Abstract Indexes to Deeds are available in their Reading Room. You may be able to have your local library request an ILL from the Archives of Ontario.

You could also check the County Archives for your location of interest (in your case, Dundas County) to see if they hold those land records. For example, I found the Abstract Indexes to Deeds for my Wellington County ancestors at the Wellington County Museum & Archives near Guelph. A pleasant day trip resulted in some terrific genealogy finds!

For those who might not be familiar with these Abstract Indexes to Deeds, they were created in 1865 and 1866 for each parcel of land back to the Patent from the Crown. Armed with the Abstract Indexes to Deeds you can check for every instance of your name of interest on that parcel of land. By referring to the date and Instrument Number found with each transaction, you can look up the complete record. You may find a will (Many wills are filed in the Land Records Offices) or other important document.

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