The Ontario Land Registry

Workshop Series

Learn how to trace the history of your property!

Together with the expertise of established local historian Brian Narhi, The Brown Homestead has developed a series of instructional workshops equipping historical researchers and genealogists researching properties in Ontario with essential tools and skills.

What we offer

We offer three (3) different formats for these workshops.

  1. Live - In Person. Upcoming dates TBA.

  2. Live - Online. Upcoming dates TBA.

  3. Asynchronous - Online. This online Introductory course can be purchased & taken at any time and is currently in development.

Workshop Details

These workshops provide participants with basic hands-on knowledge and resources to conduct historical research of properties in Ontario. The Introductory-level workshop is where we suggest most people begin, and includes:

  • An overview of Ontario’s land registry system and structure;

  • Best practices for using the OnLand database; and

  • How to trace the history of any given parcel of land from its Crown patent back to the present time.

All participants will receive detailed teaching from live instructors, along with take-home worksheets and resources. 

If you would like to be notified about the next time we will be holding one of these workshops, please fill out this form and let us know what you’re interested in learning. Or, you can reach us directly by contacting our Director of Research & Collections, Jessica Linzel, via email at jlinzel@thebrownhomestead.ca

Connect

Brian Narhi teaching our in person Introductory Land Registry Workshop series in October, 2023

Testimonials

“Brian is a wonderful teacher of research. I enjoy all of his wonderful stories and real life research experiences.”
— Holly W.
“Great introductory course. The collection of deeds and historic documents brought to the workshop helped to visualize and to understand the ‘dry’ entries in the registry. ”
— Uwe M.
“This course was so interesting and informative. Brian is a wealth of knowledge, really appreciate the tips and tricks shared. Looking forward to further sessions and learning more. ”
— Kathryn B.

The three amigos (Jess, Brian & Sara) leading our live, in person Introductory Land Registry Workshop at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum in April, 2024