Early Settlement along the Grand River

Only the keen eye of title-searcher, Penny Plunket-Dmyterko, while doing research in the Haldimand County Museum, Cayuga, brought to light a missing document that the Land Registry Office believed to be lost.

During early Canadian land-settlement, thousands of acres were being mapped and planned. The maps would be registered and filed for future reference. It is not difficult to imagine that during the early 1800s when the only populated site was York (modern-day Toronto) a map might remain in the possession of an individual or individuals.

For well over a hundred years, a land tract on the Grand River in Haldimand County was subdivided and changed ownership many times without the advantage of the original plan. Thousands of dollars were spent over the decades re-surveying each time property changed hands.

This tract of 3,190 acres was originally conveyed to Warner Nelles from the Crown in 1836. Nelles had it surveyed, subdivided and conveyed in large parcels to friends and offspring. The 1844 map or plan was never filed in the Land Registry Office.

The recent discovery of an 1859 copy of the map is an exciting highlight in Penny Plunket's research.