Historical Maps of Wellesley Township
1843 Wellesley Township Survey by William Walker – This is the original survey of the township after which it was opened up for settlement. The map is available here. It shows the names and locations of original settlers. A list of these names is available here.
1861 Tremaine Map – The Tremaine maps of Upper Canada were published by George C. Tremaine, Toronto. The 1861 map is out of copyright and may be reproduced. A representation of the map is available here. Indices of people named on the Wellesley Township map are available here.
There are a few things to know about Wellesley when using the Tremaine Map.
There are a few things to know about Wellesley when using the Tremaine Map.
- The township is divided into two sections by Hutchison Road - the Western Section and Eastern Section. It is important to note that when researching and writing your family history, as these is, for instance a Concession V, Lot 5 in each section.
- Lots in Concession I are numbered differently on this map than on later maps: The 1861 map labels them left to right 3, 2, 1. On later maps these are Lots 14, 13, and 12 respectively.
- Lot numbers in the Western Section start with 1 on the western side and increase toward the centre.
- Lot numbers in the Eastern Section start with 1 on the eastern side and increase toward the centre.
- Concession A is on the extreme eastern side of the township, the lots numbers go from bottom to top.
- Concession XIV is on the northern edge of the township. It is considered to be Western Section but extends into the Eastern Section.
1855-1860 Plan of the Village of Wellesley - This map shows businesses in Wellesley village. It appeared in Waterloo Historical Society Annual Volume #55, 1967 in an article called “Wellesley Village,” by Florence Ratz Dewar. It was drawn by W. H. E. Schmalz to accompany the article. It has been reproduced by permission of the Waterloo Historical Society. (Map MO49). It is available here.
1894 Fire Insurance Plan - Charles Edward Goad created the plans between 1876 and 1910 followed briefly by his sons, who took over production. Ownership of the copyright of the plans has been disputed over the years. In 1993, the Ontario Archives, Library and Archives Canada and CGI Environmental Services reached a compromise agreement according to which the two government institutions would enforce restrictions on reproducing maps less than ninety years old. Since the Wellesley map was created in 1894, it is out of copyright and may be reproduced. More information about copyright issues can be seen here.
1918 Wellesley Township Map – This map includes the names of people who owned the land that that time. It is available here. There is no index.
Compiled Plan #1148 - Village of Wellesley 1964 - The Province created this “compiled plan,” for which they had a surveyor compile all of the old plans into one consolidated survey for the Village of Wellesley. This cleaned up any property descriptions and confusion with older plans, and the legal descriptions going forward are based on this compiled plan #1148. To access the map, click here.
All the lots in the village are numbered and there is a list of owners in 1964, corresponding to each lot number including registration instrument numbers. These may be useful in tracing land ownership. You will notice a few anomalies on the map:
All the lots in the village are numbered and there is a list of owners in 1964, corresponding to each lot number including registration instrument numbers. These may be useful in tracing land ownership. You will notice a few anomalies on the map:
- Queen Street was formerly William Street
- William Street was formerly Davidson Street
- Molesworth was formerly Church Street
- Charles Street was formerly Henry Street
- Brown Street is now Maple Leaf Street
We have a modern map of the township showing current road names, lots and concessions and settlement areas. It is useful for people who want to visit land owned or occupied their ancestors. This map can be downloaded here.