By genealogy standards Migration is a rather large topic to tackle. Therefore I have only briefly touched the surface. It is hoped though that the information provided below and on the accompanying pages will be enough to help you get started if you had a relative "come to Ontario, Upper Canada, or Canada West", but you are unsure of where they may have settled.

This information is far from complete, and may contain errors, so your input is appreciated.

It is hard to say exactly when the settlement of Ontario began. In the 1600's Ontario was part of New France and there were settlements along the shorelines of Hudson Bay and Lake Huron. The major influx of settlement started with the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783 when those who remained loyal to Britain fled from the USA into Canada. Most fled first to the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, then ventured into Ontario (then called Upper Canada) as land became available. By the early 1800's Upper Canada was welcoming settlers from overseas

"The province of Upper Canada was opened up for agricultural settlement during the first half of the nineteenth century. Before the American Revolution it had been a wilderness inhabited only by a few Indians, except in the region around Detroit where French-Canadian farming communities had already been established. By 1851 it was a well-cultivated agricultural region, with an extensive system of canals and a few railford lines making its more remote districts accessible, and it had a population of 952,000 people. The population, having been recruited from many social groups outside the area, was extremely heterogeneous." Quoted from: Ethnic Groups in Upper Canada by Jean R. Burnet, 1972, Ontario Historical Society

Immigrants from overseas had a required first stop before being allowed entrance into Canada. From 1832 to the 1930's all had to stop at the island of Grosse Île (located in the St. Lawrence River near Quebec City - now a national historical site) to be checked for contagious diseases. Those found to be infected were quarantined, and those found healthy were released. This found many families split apart -- some to never be reunited.

From Grosse Île, immigrants had three options, remain in Quebec (which some did for a generation or two before heading west), travel west via land, or travel west via water.

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