Ottawa District Marriage Register of Upper Canada, 1816-1853

By Dan Walker & Fawne Stratford-Devai

In March of 1816 the Ottawa District was created by removing the counties of Prescott and Russell from the Eastern District. Beginning in 1816 marriage returns for the counties of Prescott and Russell and a few townships in Carleton County were to be returned to the Clerk of the Peace in the District town of L’Original.  There are also marriages where one or both of the parties were from Quebec (for example, Argenteuil, Hull township and “Chathan” to name but a few).

The original Marriage Register contains eighty pages and covers the years 1816 - 1853. Unfortunately the marriage register for the period 1854-1857 has never been found.

Click to Browse the Index

Townships included in the Ottawa District: Alfred, Caledonia, Cambridge, Clarence, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hawkesbury East, Hawkesbury West, Longueuil, Osgoode, Plantagenet North, Plantagent South, and Russell.

 For marriages before 1816 refer to the Eastern District Marriage Register. In May of 1849 the Ottawa District was abolished and the United Counties of Prescott and Russell came into being. As you can see from the date of the register, the Clerk continued to record marriages after the 1849. 

Check bordering Districts:  Complete District Marriage Register Series booklist  When searching for marriages recorded in Ottawa District Marriage Register keep in mind that many returns were submitted by ministers who were circuit riders who often performed marriages at great distance from their home bases. Circuit riders reported marriages in the register of the District where they lived which was not necessarily in the same District where the marriage took place. That said, if you cannot find the marriage in the Ottawa District register you would be well advised to search bordering districts such as the Dalhousie, Eastern and Johnstown.

Related article: District Marriage Registers of Upper Canada (Ontario) 1786-1870 - What are they and why are they important?

Details:

68 Pages
8.5" X 11" 
Maps
Index 
Originally published by Norsim, Toronto, 1995
This revised and updated edition with new maps and introduction published by Global Heritage Press, Milton, 2000 
ISBN  978-1-894571-12-8  (coil-bound edition)