Historic counties of Ontario
Encyclopedia
The Canadian
province of Ontario
has several historic counties, which are past census division
s that no longer exist today. Most historic counties either merged with other counties, or became regional municipalities
or single-tier municipalities. Although counties had existed prior to 1849, after 1849 they replaced the district systems in administering local government and courts in Ontario
.
The county system is used in southern, southwestern and eastern sections of the province of Ontario. There are no counties in Northern Ontario
due to sparse population and a long standing boundary dispute with the Northwest Territories
(that was not resolved until 1912).
Various counties throughout Ontario were joined administratively in the 19th century. While many of these still exist today and have become relatively permanent, some have since been dissolved. For example, the former United Counties of Huron and Perth existed for only a few years in the 19th century. The United Counties of Northumberland and Durham
, on the other hand, merged eight years after each one was created, and continued for 174 years up until the dissolution of Durham County on January 1, 1974.
s were also erroneously listed as counties of residence in some of Canada's first post-Confederation
censuses. These did not exist as counties in the political sense, although they may be referred to as such in some historical and genealogical works because of their appearances in census data:
The Regional Municipality of Sudbury
can also be considered 'historic', as it later became the City of Greater Sudbury — however, its origins are not in county government, but as a part of the still-extant Sudbury District
.
The unincorporated Patricia District, comprising the portion of Northwestern Ontario
which was transferred to Ontario from the Northwest Territories
in 1912, existed until 1927 when it was merged into Kenora District
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
has several historic counties, which are past census division
Census division
Census division is an official term in Canada and the United States. The census divisions of Canada are second-level census geographic unit, below provinces and territories, and above "census subdivisions" and "dissemination areas". In provinces where they exist, the census division may correspond...
s that no longer exist today. Most historic counties either merged with other counties, or became regional municipalities
Regional municipality
A regional municipality is a type of Canadian municipal government similar to and at the same municipal government level as a county, although the specific structure and servicing responsibilities may vary from place to place...
or single-tier municipalities. Although counties had existed prior to 1849, after 1849 they replaced the district systems in administering local government and courts in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
The county system is used in southern, southwestern and eastern sections of the province of Ontario. There are no counties in Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
due to sparse population and a long standing boundary dispute with the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
(that was not resolved until 1912).
- Addington CountyAddington County, OntarioAddington County is a historic county in what is now the Canadian province of Ontario.It was named after Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth. As an upper-tier municipality, the county of Addington was created on paper in 1792, but has never existed as a discrete municipal entity. From 1792...
(1792–1864) merged with Lennox County to form Lennox and Addington CountyLennox and Addington County, OntarioLennox and Addington County, Ontario is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is Greater Napanee. It is located in the subregion of Southern Ontario named Eastern Ontario.It includes the following municipalities:... - Brant County (born 1852) split into the single-tier 'county' of BrantBrant, OntarioThe County of Brant is a single-tier municipality and a census division in the Canadian province of Ontario. Despite its name, it is not a county by the standard definition, as all municipal services are handled by a single level of government. The county has service offices in Burford, Paris...
and the city of BrantfordBrantford, OntarioBrantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent... - Carleton CountyCarleton County, OntarioCarleton County is the name of a historic county in Ontario, Canada. In 1969 it was superseded by the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton. In 2001 the Regional Municipality and the eleven local municipalities within it were replaced by the current City of Ottawa.-History:Carleton County was...
(1800–1969) became the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton, now the City of Ottawa, a single-tier municipality. - Dufferin CountyDufferin County, OntarioDufferin County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is Orangeville, and the current Warden is Deputy Mayor Warren Maycock of the Town of Orangeville, Ontario. The Current Chief Administrative Officer is Linda J. Dean...
(born 1881) created from parts of Simcoe, Grey and Waterloo counties. - Durham CountyDurham County, OntarioDurham County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was named from the English County and city.Durham County was created in 1792. It was composed of the townships of Cartwright, Manvers, Cavan, Darlington, Clarke and Hope, and portions of what is now Peterborough County,...
(1792–1973) portions merged with Ontario County to form Durham Regional Municipality. Remaining portions joined NorthumberlandNorthumberland County, OntarioNorthumberland County is situated on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in central Ontario, Canada. It is located east of Durham County , west of Hastings, southeast of Kawartha Lakes and south of Peterborough County. The county seat is Cobourg...
and Victoria Counties. - Frontenac CountyFrontenac County, OntarioFrontenac County, as defined by Statistics Canada, is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario. The City of Kingston is included in the census division, but is politically separated from the County of Frontenac. It has a land...
(born 1792) was abolished and replaced with the Frontenac Management Unit. Informally, the area is still known as Frontenac County, even though it isn't officially one. - Grenville CountyGrenville County, OntarioGrenville County area is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.The county was created in 1792, and named in honour of William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, Secretary of State in 1790. The First settlers were Loyalist from the United States...
(1792–1850) merged with Leeds County to form Leeds and Grenville United CountiesLeeds and Grenville United Counties, OntarioThe United Counties of Leeds and Grenville are located Ontario, Canada. The population, as of the 2006 census, was 99,206. The United Counties have a land area of . Leeds and Grenville are located in the subregion of Southern Ontario named Eastern Ontario, and front on the St. Lawrence River and... - Kent CountyKent County, OntarioKent County, area 2,458 sq km is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. Population in 2006 was 108,589.The county was created in 1792 and named by John Graves Simcoe in honour of the English County. The county is in an alluvial plain between Lake St...
(1792–1998) became the single-tier Municipality of Chatham-KentChatham-Kent, OntarioChatham–Kent is a unitary authority in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Mostly rural, its centres of population are Blenheim, Chatham, Dresden, Ridgetown, Tilbury and Wallaceburg. Modern Chatham–Kent was created in 1998 by the merger of Kent County and its municipalities.- History :The former city of... - Haldimand CountyHaldimand County, OntarioHaldimand is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the Niagara Peninsula in Southern Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Erie, and on the Grand River. Municipal offices are located in Cayuga....
(1800–1974; 2001--) was merged into the Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk for many years, but this was divided again with some minor adjustments to the old lines in 2001; it is now a single-tier municipality, not an official county - Halton CountyHalton County, OntarioHalton County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is also one of the oldest counties in Canada.-History:Halton County is named after Major William Mathew Halton who was appointed in 1805 as Secretary to the Upper Canada provincial Lieutenant-Governor Sir Francis...
(1816–1973) became Halton Regional Municipality - Leeds CountyLeeds County, OntarioLeeds County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.The county was created in 1792, and merged with Grenville County in 1850 to create Leeds and Grenville County....
(1792–1850) merged with Grenville County to form Leeds and Grenville United CountiesLeeds and Grenville United Counties, OntarioThe United Counties of Leeds and Grenville are located Ontario, Canada. The population, as of the 2006 census, was 99,206. The United Counties have a land area of . Leeds and Grenville are located in the subregion of Southern Ontario named Eastern Ontario, and front on the St. Lawrence River and... - Lennox CountyLennox County, OntarioLennox County is a historic county in what is now the Canadian province of Ontario.As an upper-tier municipality, the county of Lennox was created on paper in 1792, but has never existed as a discrete municipal entity. From 1792 until 1864, it was part of the United Counties of Frontenac, Lennox...
(1792–1864) merged with Addington County to form Lennox and Addington CountyLennox and Addington County, OntarioLennox and Addington County, Ontario is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is Greater Napanee. It is located in the subregion of Southern Ontario named Eastern Ontario.It includes the following municipalities:... - Lincoln CountyLincoln County, OntarioLincoln County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.The county was formed in 1792. In 1845, the southern portion of Lincoln County was separated to form Welland County....
(1792–1970) merged with Welland County to form Niagara Regional Municipality - Norfolk CountyNorfolk County, OntarioNorfolk County is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the north shore of Lake Erie in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Bloomsburg is a small town located in Norfolk County and is the hometown of David Slater. The county seat and largest community is Simcoe...
(1792–1974) was merged into the Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk for many years, but this was divided again with some minor adjustments to the old lines in 2001; it is now a single-tier municipality, not an official county - Ontario CountyOntario County, OntarioOntario County was the name of two historic counties in the Canadian province of Ontario.The original Ontario County existed from 1792 to 1800 as part of the Eastern District, and consisted of the islands in the St. Lawrence River...
a short-lived first county with this name existed from 1792 to 1800, and was split with the eastern portion joining Frontenac County and the western portion joining Addington County. The second existed from 1852 to 1973, and merged with portions of Durham County to form Durham Regional Municipality. A small portion became part of Simcoe County. - Peel CountyPeel County, OntarioPeel County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1851 from a portion of York County. In 1973, Peel County became the Regional Municipality of Peel, as a result of the Ontario provincial government's regionalization of the rapidly developing counties...
(1851–1973) became Peel Regional Municipality - Prescott CountyPrescott County, OntarioPrescott County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.It was created in 1800 from a portion of Glengarry County. It was named in honor of Major General Robert Prescott, Governor of Canada at that time. First settlers were Americans, but not all were Loyalists...
(1800–1820) merged with Russell County to form Prescott and Russell United CountiesPrescott and Russell United Counties, OntarioThe United Counties of Prescott and Russell are consolidated counties located in the Canadian province of Ontario. As of 2006, the population is 80,184. Its county seat is L'Orignal, Ontario. It was created as a result of a merger between Russell County and Prescott County in 1820... - Prince Edward CountyPrince Edward County, OntarioPrince Edward County is a single-tier municipality and a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario.-Geography:Prince Edward County is located in Southern Ontario on a large irregular headland or littoral at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, just west of the head of the St. Lawrence River...
(born 1792) has retained its name, but is now a single-tier municipality, not an official county - Russell CountyRussell County, OntarioRussell County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.It was created in 1800 from a portion of Stormont County. It later merged with Prescott County to form Prescott and Russell United Counties....
(1800–1820) merged with Prescott County to form Prescott and Russell United CountiesPrescott and Russell United Counties, OntarioThe United Counties of Prescott and Russell are consolidated counties located in the Canadian province of Ontario. As of 2006, the population is 80,184. Its county seat is L'Orignal, Ontario. It was created as a result of a merger between Russell County and Prescott County in 1820... - Suffolk County (1792–1800) formed in 1792 with Ontario County, in 1800 it was split into the Counties of KentKent County, OntarioKent County, area 2,458 sq km is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. Population in 2006 was 108,589.The county was created in 1792 and named by John Graves Simcoe in honour of the English County. The county is in an alluvial plain between Lake St...
and MiddlesexMiddlesex County, OntarioMiddlesex County is a primarily rural county in Southwestern Ontario. Landlocked, the county is bordered by Huron and Perth counties on the north, Oxford County on the east, Elgin County on the south, and Chatham-Kent and Lambton County on the west.The seat is the city of London, although the city...
. During its short existence it was made up of Delaware Township, Westminster Township, most of North Dorchester Township and the rest Indian land. - Victoria CountyVictoria County, OntarioThe County of Victoria, or Victoria County, was a county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was formed in 1854 as The United Counties of Peterborough and Victoria, and gained independence in 1863. In 2001, the county was dissolved and reformed as the city of Kawartha Lakes...
(1821–2001) became the City of Kawartha LakesKawartha Lakes, OntarioThe city of Kawartha Lakes is a unitary municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. Although called a city, Kawartha Lakes is the size of a typical Ontarian county and is mostly rural....
, a single-tier municipality. - Welland CountyWelland County, OntarioWelland County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.The county was formed in 1851 from Lincoln County. The county was named from the Welland River. The river got its name from John Grave Simcoe who named it after a stream in Lincolnshire, England...
(1851–1970) merged with Lincoln County to form Niagara Regional Municipality - Waterloo CountyWaterloo County, OntarioWaterloo County, created in 1853 and dissolved in 1973, was the forerunner of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It consisted of five townships: Woolwich, Wellesley, Wilmot, Waterloo, and North Dumfries...
(1853–1973) became Waterloo Regional Municipality in 1973 - Wentworth CountyWentworth County, OntarioWentworth County, area , is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.It was created in 1816 as part of the Gore District in what was then Upper Canada and later Canada West...
(1816–1970) became Hamilton-Wentworth Regional MunicipalityHamilton-Wentworth Regional Municipality, OntarioThe Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth was proclaimed by the Progressive Conservative government of Ontario on January 1, 1974 ....
, now the City of HamiltonHamilton, OntarioHamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, a single-tier municipality. - York CountyYork County, OntarioYork County is a historic county in Upper Canada, Canada West, and the Canadian province of Ontario.York County was created in 1792 and was part of the jurisdiction of Home District of Upper Canada...
(1792–1971) saw Metropolitan TorontoMetropolitan TorontoThe Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was a senior level of municipal government in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area from 1954 to 1998. It was created out of York County and was a precursor to the later concept of a regional municipality, being formed of smaller municipalities but having more...
(now the City of Toronto) separate from it in 1953, and the remainder became York Regional Municipality in 1971
Various counties throughout Ontario were joined administratively in the 19th century. While many of these still exist today and have become relatively permanent, some have since been dissolved. For example, the former United Counties of Huron and Perth existed for only a few years in the 19th century. The United Counties of Northumberland and Durham
United Counties of Northumberland and Durham, Ontario
The United Counties of Northumberland and Durham was a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. The two counties were originally combined in the District of Newcastle formed in 1798, and continued with joint administration until January 1, 1974 when portions Durham County were...
, on the other hand, merged eight years after each one was created, and continued for 174 years up until the dissolution of Durham County on January 1, 1974.
Special cases
Four of Ontario's electoral districtElectoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
s were also erroneously listed as counties of residence in some of Canada's first post-Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
censuses. These did not exist as counties in the political sense, although they may be referred to as such in some historical and genealogical works because of their appearances in census data:
- Bothwell was made up of townships from Kent and Lambton counties.
- Cardwell was made up of townships from Simcoe and Peel counties.
- Monck was made up of townships from Lincoln, Haldimand, and Welland Counties.
- Niagara was made up of townships from Lincoln County.
The Regional Municipality of Sudbury
Regional Municipality of Sudbury, Ontario
The Regional Municipality of Sudbury was a regional municipality in Ontario, Canada, which existed from 1973 to 2000.-Structure:The regional municipality expanded the boundaries of the city of Sudbury to annex the community of Copper Cliff, the unincorporated geographic township of Broder and half...
can also be considered 'historic', as it later became the City of Greater Sudbury — however, its origins are not in county government, but as a part of the still-extant Sudbury District
Sudbury District, Ontario
The Sudbury District is a district in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1894 from townships of eastern Algoma District and west Nipissing District....
.
The unincorporated Patricia District, comprising the portion of Northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the Canadian province of Manitoba, which disputed Ontario's claim to the...
which was transferred to Ontario from the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
in 1912, existed until 1927 when it was merged into Kenora District
Kenora District, Ontario
Kenora District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. It was created in 1907 from parts of Rainy River District. It is, geographically, the largest division in that province; at 407,192.66 km2 it comprises almost 38 percent of the province's land area...
.