Talbot District Marriage Register of Upper Canada, 1837-1857

By Dan Walker & Fawne Stratford-Devai

In March of 1837 the Talbot District was carved out of the London District and included Norfolk County (1837-57) and Walpole & Rainham Townships in Haldimand County (1837-51). Effective in March of 1837, marriages for other than Anglican and Roman Catholic had to be registered with the Clerk of the Peace in the District town of Simcoe. Included are some Anglicans and Roman Catholics who married outside of their faith due to their churches not being established yet. Many marriages from outside  Talbot District also appear in this book. Marriages performed in the Talbot District before 1837 were recorded in the London District Marriage Register.

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Townships included in the Talbot District included: Charlotteville, Houghton, Middleton, Rainham, Townsend, Walpole, Walsingham, Windham and Woodhouse.

Towns and townships outside of Talbot District where marriages were recorded in the Talbot District Register include: Middleton, Windham, Norwich (Brock District), Woodhouse, Townsend, Charlotteville, Oakland (Brock District), Oxford Township (Brock District), Walsingham, Houghton, Walpole, Rainham, Dereham (Brock District), Burford (Brock District), Brantford (Gore District), Clinton (Niagara District), Simcoe, Blenheim (Brock District), Dumfries (Gore District), Wainfleet (Niagara District), Saltfleet (Niagara District), Town of Paris (Gore District), Bayham (London District), Tuscarora (Gore District), Canboro [Canborough] (Niagara District), Dunn (Niagara District), Mouton (Niagara District), Cayuga (Niagara District), Oneida (Gore District), and a number of other areas.

On the 30 May 1849 the Talbot District was abolished, but the clerk of the Norfolk County continued to register marriages in the Talbot District register. In 1851 the clerk for the new county of Haldimand created a separate register for Haldimand County where marriages performed in Haldimand County after 1851 were recorded.

Circuit rider ministers who were required to report marriages in the register of the District where they lived rather than the District where the marriage took place. Marriages not found in the Talbot District Register may be recorded in bordering districts of Niagara, Gore, Brock or London. 

Check bordering Districts:  Complete District Marriage Register Series booklist  When searching for marriages recorded in Marriage Registers 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. 

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

Details:

194 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 978-1-894571-00-5  (coil-bound edition)