Crime and Punishment in Upper Canada. Janice Nickerson
Sessions of Peace filings, 1822–1859 in Hiram Walker Collection, MS 205.
• AO RG 22-372 Lincoln County/Niagara District (St. Catharines) Court of General Quarter Sessions of Peace filings, 1828–1919.
• TUA 90-005 Victoria County fonds, 1834–1969: General Quarter Sessions of the Peace records.
• TUA United Counties of Northumberland and Durham. Court records fonds, 1803–1955: includes General Quarter Sessions of the Peace filings.
Coroner’s Investigation or Inquest Records
Coroner’s records usually contain only the final report written by the coroner’s jury. However, in some cases you will also find records of their investigation, such as summons and examinations. The final report will describe the findings of the jury (i.e., how the deceased met his death and whether it should be classed as a criminal offence, accident, or natural causes), and recommenda–tions for actions to be taken to avoid similar events in the future. The report is signed by all the jurors.
Records of coroner’s inquests and investigations may be found in local county or district archives and also at the Archives of Ontario. They may be embedded in records of the quarter ses–sions, so check files and filings records, as well as those labelled “coroner’s” records.
Inventory
• AO RG 22-1826 Western District Court of General Quarter Sessions of Peace, coroner’s investigations and inquests, 1835–1836.
• AO RG 22-3195 Lincoln County/Niagara District, Court of General Quarter Sessions of Peace, coroner’s investigations and inquests, 1834–1917.
• AO RG 22-3395 Middlesex County/London District, Court of General Quarter Sessions of Peace, coroner’s investigations and inquests, 1831–1893.
• AO RG 22-3788 Newcastle District, Court of General Quarter Sessions of Peace, coroner’s investigations and inquests, 1821–1848.
• AO GS microfilm, Huron County, Court of General Quarter Sessions of Peace, coroner’s records, 1841–1904.
• AO GS microfilm Middlesex County/London District, Court of General Quarter Sessions of Peace, coroner’s records, 1831–1835.
• TUA 90-005 Victoria County fonds, 1834–1969: General Quarter Sessions of the Peace, includes Inquests.
• TUA United Counties of Northumberland and Durham, Index to Coroner’s Inquests:
• www.trentu.ca/admin/library/archives/84-020%20inques–tucnd. htm. HCM Coroner’s Inquest — December 8th, 1841.
Police Records
Police records can include a wide range of records including personnel records, day books, arrest warrants and registers, bail books, correspondence, and financial records. They can be found in municipal archives and in private police archives. Professional police forces did not develop until after the Upper Canada period, so there are no specific records for them prior to 1841.
The earliest records for the Toronto City Police, the first pro–fessional police force in Ontario, begin in 1849. They are housed at the City of Toronto Archives.
Private Papers
Records pertaining to criminal investigations may sometimes be found in private papers, particularly of justice personnel. This inventory cannot hope to be complete, but provides a starting point for researchers.
Inventory
High Court Judges
TPL L16 William Dummer Powell papers:
• B85: bound book “Circuit Papers” 1788–1820. Includes miscellaneous papers relating to a wide range of cases, including affidavits, a coroner’s inquest and indictment, an information, a jury summons, and sev–eral petitions.
• B87: Papers regarding prisoners and trials throughout Upper Canada, 1794–1825. Mostly calendars of prison–ers, also a few jury lists.
Justices of the Peace
• LAC R3800-0-3-E (formerly MG24 D108) Robert Nelles fonds 1782–1848. Series consists of chronologi–cally arranged papers of Robert Nelles and his family. The reports and affidavits largely pertain to his career and activities as a Member of Legislative Assembly and a Justice of the Peace respectively.
• NHS Records of Justice of the Peace, Francis Leigh Walsh (1824–1880).
• TPL S113 Alexander Wood papers, 1798–1837. Correspondence and court filings while Justice of the Peace in York, 180 pieces.
• TUA 71-006 John Huston fonds, 1818–1849. Includes his papers as Justice of the Peace.
Clerks of the Peace
• LAC MG9 D8-14 Johnstown District collection: the papers of Edward Jessup, Clerk of the Peace 1800–1801, 102 pages. Series consists of papers preserved by Edward Jessup while Clerk of the Peace. Included are two pages and miscellaneous papers relating to prosecutions before the Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace for the Johnstown District. A list of individuals involved pre–cedes the volumes.
• NHS Thomas Welch Papers, Clerk of the Court, London District. Court Papers, 1796–1816.
• PCMA lPeterborough County Court fonds, 1830–1909. Clerk of the Peace Records, Criminal Court Cases, indictments.
Sheriffs
• LAC R4024-0-6-E (formerly MG24 I26 volumes 44–48) Alexander Hamilton and family fonds, records of the sher–iff and various courts of the Niagara District, 1818–1837.
• LAC R6180-0-5-E (formerly MG24 I27) John McEwan fonds, 1811–1868. Fonds consists of correspondence and papers of Captain John McEwan including some legal documents acquired while he was sheriff of Essex County.
• LAC R4029-0-2-E (formerly MG24 I8) MacDonell Family Fonds, Allan MacDonell papers, 1837–1868. Series consists of papers and records collected as sheriff of Gore, 1837–1843 relating primarily to the Rebellion of 1837.
• LAC R3944-0-4-E (formerly MG24 I73) J. W. Dunbar Moodie fonds. Official correspondence received by Moodie while he was sheriff of the Victoria District 1839–1863.
• TUA 90-005Victoria County fonds, 1834–1969: General Quarter Sessions of the Peace, includes sheriff’s books.
Correspondence and Miscellaneous Records
Inventory
• AO RG 22-119 Western District (Windsor) Court of General Quarter Sessions of Peace, correspondence, 1792–1881 in Hiram Walker Collection, MS 205.
• AO RG 22-120 Western District (Windsor) Court of General Quarter Sessions of Peace, miscellaneous, 1808– 1853 in Hiram Walker Collection, MS 205.
• BULA McEwen, Ann Alexandra. Crime in the Niagara District, 1827–1850. Guelph: University of Guelph, Dept. of History, 1991. Unpublished Thesis.
• BULA Thompson, Frances Ann. Local Authority and District Autonomy: The Niagara Magistracy and Constabulary, 1828–1841. Ottawa: University of Ottawa, 1996. Unpublished Thesis.
Treason and Rebellion Investigations
Many of the informations (testimony) relating to treason dur–ing the War of 1812 and the Rebellion of 1837 can be found in the Upper Canada Sundries (LAC RG 5 A1 Correspondence of the Civil Secretary). There is a typed calendar to these records that includes the names of all individuals mentioned in them. It is prepared in chronological order, not alphabetically. A partial alphabetical index (up to 1816),