Crime and Punishment in Upper Canada : A Researcher's Guide

by Nickerson, Janice

• ISBN13: 9781554887705
• ISBN10: 1554887704
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-09-20
• Publisher: Dundurn Pr Ltd

Summary

This book provides genealogists and social historians with context and tools to understand the criminal justice system and to locate sources on criminal activity and its consequences for the Upper Canada period (1791-1841) of Ontario's history. Illustrative examples further aid researchers in this era of the province's past, which is notoriously difficult to investigate due to the paucity of records and indexes. An entertaining, educational read, the book features chapters with detailed inventories of available records in federal, provincial, and local repositories; published transcripts and indexes; online transcripts and indices; and suggestions for additional reading. The book also contains engravings (jails and courthouses, public hangings, judges), maps (indicating locations of jails, jurisdictions), charts (for statistics such as frequencies of different kinds of offences), and document examples (court minutes, jail registers, newspaper reports, et cetera), while case studies demonstrate the use and relevance of various records.

Author Biography

Janice Nickerson is a professional genealogist who specializes in Upper Canadian history and turning bare-bones genealogies into full-fledged family histories. She provided behind-the-scenes research for the CBC Television program Who Do You Think You Are? and is a regular contributor to Family Chronicle, Internet Genealogy, and Your Family Tree magazines. She lives in Toronto.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. 7
Abbreviations Used	p. 11
The Context	p. 13
Law Enforcement and Investigation	p. 31
Adjudication	p. 48
Sentencing and Punishment	p. 87
Public Opinion: Popular Response and Resistance	p. 116
Justice Personnel	p. 129
What Changed After 1841?	p. 175
Research Advice and Records by District	p. 180
Appendix: Monarchs, Court Terms, and Currency	p. 201
Glossary	p. 203
Reading List/Bibliography	p. 205
Notes	p. 211
Index	p. 233
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