An Early Map Of Lindsay - 1896

Through the kindness of Mr. C. D. Barr, county registrar of deeds, we were recently permitted to examine the earliest map of Lindsay filed in the registry office. The map bears the following inscription, “Town Plot of Lindsay and Park Lots Adjacent; Crown Lands Department, Montreal, August 1846. A true copy. D. B. Papineau, C.C.L.”

The “Town Plot” was bounded on the north, east, south and west by Colborne street, Lindsay street, Durham street, and Albert street, respectively, and the “Park Lots Adjacent” lay between Colborne, Albert, Durham, and the present western boundary.

The entire town consisted of 400 acres, being lots 20 and 21, in the 5th concession of Ops. To day the town includes lots 19, 20, 21 and 22, in the 5th and 6th concessions of Ops. In this map of 1846, Lindsay Street was called Prince Street; William Street was Augusta Street. The corporation boundary on the west, now called Angeline Street was then called Alfred Street; Colbourne Street, west of Albert Street, was called Alice street. The park lots were a solid block of land between the boundaries named and were intersected by only one street, Kent Street.

Roads led into the town as follows on the plan: north and south roads along the western boundary as now; from Lindsay street south; present road on the west, just north of Mr. Geo. Matthews’ residence, from Kent Street east; into Lindsay Street north, along the riverbank, east of Rathbun’s mill. A road opened from the west end of Alice street in a straight line into Francis street; another from a short distance north of Mr. Geo. Matthews’ residence ran through the park lots and opened into the west end of Bond Street. The Queen’s Square lay in the centre of the town, between Cambridge and Sussex streets on the east and west, and on the north and south between lines immediately south of Mr. D. Sinclair’s property, and north of the Warder property respectively.

The early authorities appear to have intended the town to become a mathematical population, and to have anticipated the good intentions of the board of education, for the town plan looks like a sum in arithmetic, or rather, a diagram from Euclid.

From north to south the town plot was subdivided into lots as follows: Lindsay to William, five lots; William to Cambridge, five lots; Cambridge to Victoria avenue, three lots; Victoria avenue to Sussex, three lots; Sussex to Albert, five lots. The lots were numbered 1, 2, 3, etc, westward from Lindsay Street and we have kept this numbering up to the present. The park lots were not subdivided, but were numbered 1, 2, 3, etc., from Durham street northward, up to No. 15, on the south side of Colborne street.

It is rather singular that the early authorities ignored existing conditions. The first dwellings in Lindsay were east of Lindsay Street, but yet no territory east of Lindsay Street is included in this early map of Lindsay, when the bulk of the population of the day must have lived east of Lindsay Street.

Perhaps some of our early settlers can give us some information in this matter. These things belong to early Lindsay and help to make history for our town. We do not know that any particular effort has been made to preserve the historical remains of the early times in Lindsay, which is surprising, since in other places, notably Peterborough, our rival sister, the early settlement has been recorded by patriotic residents. We are informed that the first bridge built for traffic on the present locks site was opened on May 29th, 1844. Our columns are open to patriotic contributors on the early history of Lindsay, and we would like to hear from the old residents. Who lived east of Lindsay Street in 1846?


Search the Ontario (Upper Canada) Genealogy Website - Make sure to use all known variations of a family name in your search!

index sitemap advanced
site search by freefind


Historical Tales From the Archives - A Selection of Stories, Recollections, Reminiscences and Travel Experiences in Times Gone By  New Site 2021

20th Century Ontario Genealogy Newspaper Notices Index New March 2020

Upper Canada Ontario Surrogate Court Estate Files and Will Database New March 2019

Ontario Canada Historical Map Site New December 2018

Ontario Place Locator - 19th Century Ontario Town and Village Locations and Inhabitants

Upper Canada (Ontario) Pioneer Settler Land Locations, Census Records and Property Descriptions 

Historical Visits to Ontario Villages and Towns  Take a trip back in time to the late 19th century and explore the towns and villages where your ancestors lived, loved, laboured, laughed and played.

Ontario Images of the Past Thousands of Images of City, Town, Village and Country Life

Ontario Land Registry Records Research Thousands of your ancestors and where they lived in Ontario 

Upper Canada (Ontario) Newspaper Notices Database 

Ontario Genealogy Newspaper Notices Database

Ontario (Upper Canada) History and Pioneer Family Research 

Queen's Own Rifles - Old Photos of Members

Upper Canada District Maps (Circa 1800)

Upper Canada (Ontario) History Books On-Line Index

Ontario County Directories Victoria, Haliburton, Hastings, Peterborough, Durham, Northumberland, Muskoka, and Old Ontario County

Central Upper Canada (Ontario) Marriage Database 22650 Marriage Records Indexed 

Central Upper Canada Baptism Database 25000 Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic and Church of Scotland Marriages indexed 

Upper Canada (Central Ontario) Burial Database 4500 Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist and Church of Scotland Burials indexed 

Eastern Upper Canada Marriage Database Anglican, Roman Catholic and Church of Scotland Marriages indexed 

Eastern Upper Canada Baptism Database Anglican, Roman Catholic and Church of Scotland Baptisms indexed 

Eastern Upper Canada Burial Database 

Upper Canada (Western Ontario) Marriage Database

Upper Canada (Western Ontario) Baptism Database  

Upper Canada (Western Ontario) Burial Database 

Upper Canada Land Petitions 51000 Records Indexed

Upper Canada Land Leases and Miscellaneous Petitions 10000 Records Indexed

Upper Canada (Ontario) Sundries Database

Upper Canada (Ontario) Toronto Insane Asylum Database

Upper Canada (Ontario) Kingston Insane Asylum Database

Upper Canada (Ontario) London Insane Asylum Database

Upper Canada (Ontario) Malden Insane Asylum Database

Upper Canada (Ontario) Hamilton Insane Asylum Database

Ontario Genealogy Historical Newspaper Collection Historical Newspaper Files from various regions of Ontario

Newspaper Genealogical and Historical Records - Thousands of entries

Ontario (Upper Canada) Map Collection  Great site for locating your ancestors in Ontario

Ontario Genealogy Postcard Site - Great old-time landscape views

Upper Canada and Ontario CRIMINAL Database 

Ontario Genealogy Database Index Site 500000 Genealogy Records Indexed

Need HELP With Your Family Research?

Northumberland County Genealogy and History

Victoria County Genealogy and History

Durham County Genealogy and History

Haliburton County Genealogy and History

Peterborough County History and Genealogy

Newcastle District (Upper Canada) History and Genealogy

Ontario County History and Genealogy

Upper Canada History and Genealogy

Echoes of the Past - Ontario Genealogy Home


Search the Ontario (Upper Canada) Genealogy Website - Make sure to use all known variations of a family name in your search!

index sitemap advanced
site search by freefind


Contact Ontario Genealogy