Surrogate Court Records Index : 1793 - 1858.

            Surrogate Courts were established in each of the four districts of Upper Canada in 1793. A judge, who was usually a local government official, was appointed to preside over the Court in each district. The Court was responsible for handling the estates of deceased persons within its respective district, whether the individual died with a will (testate) or without a will (intestate). The Court of Probate handled estates with property valued in excess of five pounds, or if more than one district was involved. The Court of Probate was abolished in 1858 and the Surrogate Courts assumed complete responsibility over granting of probate or administration of estates. In 1849, the districts of Upper Canada were abolished and replaced with counties, and as with the districts, each county had a Surrogate Court. From 1858 until 1989, the Surrogate Courts remained almost unchanged, but in that year the court system in Ontario was reorganized and the Surrogate Courts were merged with other Courts to form the Ontario Court (General Division).
            

            There is a brief introduction at the beginning of the microfiche entitled, Using the Index. There it is stated that the Surrogate Court Records Index was compiled from estate files, estate filings, registers, and guardianship files. The registers were used when they were the only source available prior to 1859. The information given in the Index includes: person's name, county, number, and year.