Ontario




The Counties of Southwestern Ontario

Our earliest ancestors on record to come to Ontario were the Burt family in 1877.  George Edward Burt and his wife Frances came from London, England with son Edward John, daughter Bessie Lina and eldest daughter Annie Eliza along with Annie's husband George Gerrans and her infant son Burt (later known as George Edward Burt-Gerrans).  They are all listed in the 1881 census at Howard Township, Kent County in the electoral district of Bothwell (a large district including several townships of Lambton and Kent Counties). George Edward was a druggist, son Edward is listed as farmer (later to be general store owner and accountant) and George Gerrans is listed as a labourer (later to be merchant, grocer and bookkeeper).
Youngest son Auguste Frank Barrow Burt came to Canada in 1882 and his migrations are documented below.  George and Frances Burt later moved back to England and were followed by daughter Bessie Lina but Edward's and Annie's families remained in Ontario.

A.F.B. Burt's career in the Anglican church in Ontario was as follows (Clicking on a link calls up a historical county map from 1885):

1) London, London Township, Middlesex County - Although Crockford's Clerical Directory stated he studied at Wycliffe Divinity College in Toronto, we know from letters and Diocese records that he studied at Huron College in London, Ontario 1883 to 1885.
2) Princeton, Blenheim Township, Oxford County - After being ordained a Deacon he was Incumbent of St. Paul's Anglican Church in 1885-6.
3) Alvinston, Brooke Township, Lambton County - By the time of his marriage in June 1886 he was Incumbent at Alvinston in 1886-7.  He married Matilda Sutherland in Hamilton, Wentworth County and brought her to live in Alvinston.  He was ordained a Priest in the Diocese of Huron in Trinity Church at St. Thomas, Yarmouth Township, Elgin County on Sunday Nov. 6, 1886.
4) Ridgetown, Howard Township, Kent County - He was Incumbent of Church of the Advent in Ridgetown as well as St. George's in Selton from 1887-90.  Their two children were born in Ridgetown.
5) Durham, Glenelg Township, Grey County - He was Incumbent of Trinity Anglican Church in Durham from Jan. 1891 to Mar '93 and also held services in a school in Egremont Township 6 miles south of Durham. They then moved to Shediac Cape, New Brunswick.

Later, various forebears settled in Toronto, Ontario.



Interesting Links:

1) Ontario GenWeb Project. http://www.geneofun.on.ca/ongenweb/
2) Ontario Locator. A great site for locating Ontario place names past and present. http://www.geneofun.on.ca/ontariolocator/index.html


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Site maintained by Norman Franke. Last modified May 19, 2005