Canadian Genealogy

[v.wells]

I'm not sure if this is right place to post but one of the forum members mentioned how difficult it was to research Canadian genealogy. I live in Canada so decided to try it out thru various sites. I don't know why it is so poorly done here, it is shameful! I am glad that my family is all British born! However, I found this gov't site:

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/g...y/index-e.html

I would never have thought of this site as being anything other than a bill collection agency, but it isn't. It is a real genealogy site. Also the GRO in UK has links to various provinces that you can order certs from.

I hope that this information will be helpful to someone

[Mike_E]

Thanks for the link,

My sisters husband hails from Canada, so it may help her with her research. I'll pass it on to her.

[Mary Anne]

That difficulty arises, at least for Vital Statistics, because these have always been under the purview of provincial governments. As a result there are not only multiple sources, but they each handle them differently!! One of the joys of living in a federation...

Some governments HAVE actually put indexes online, usually where the records remain with the vital statistics agency, then you can find your ancestor an order a printed certificate (for a fee) if you wish to do so (but the basic record is usually there for no cost) -

British Columbia http://www.vs.gov.bc.ca/genealogy/electronic_index.html
Manitoba http://vitalstats.gov.mb.ca/Query.php
Saskatchewan http://vsgs.health.gov.sk.ca/vsgs_srch.aspx
New Brunswick http://archives.gnb.ca/APPS/GovRecs/VISSE/?L=EN

Unfortunately in many cases, the records have devolved to the provincial archives that are chronically underfunded for online projects of this kind.

Ontario (arguably Canada's richest province) has NOT put indexes online, although they have put online the microfilm numbers of the microfilms with the records. You can then borrow the appropriate film by interlibrary loan (I believe they even do international loans), at a minimal charge or free, I forget (probably the cost of postage).

In Québec, as usual, things are completely different, because you have to know the region where the event took place, since the archives in each region house the microfilm records and you have to get them from the region. Having said that, they have a pretty good website with the addresses of each of the regional archives and you CAN write to them and say "where should I be looking?!" There is a fee for this. Here's a really good (third-party) article for Quebec vital stats records: http://globalgenealogy.com/globalgaz...d/gazfd71k.htm

Alberta, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador have sites where you can print an order form and then send it in, with your fee:
http://www.servicealberta.gov.ab.ca/vs/genealogy.cfm
http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/vstat/history.asp
http://www.gs.gov.nl.ca/gs/vs/birth-cert.stm

The www.collectionscanada.gc.ca site you quoted is for the national archives and library, Library and Archives Canada, and its Genealogy Centre. You may be interested to know that this web address came about as a result of extensive focus group testing, where they asked people how they thought it might be easiest to find the site where they might look for the sort of information that archives generally hold. The tax agency, BTW, is called Canada Revenue Agency. Go figure.

Anyhow, the Genealogy Centre site has a lot of great searchable databases relating to genealogy, and more being added all the time – passenger lists, military records, etc. ...and, best of all, this is all FREE.

And, of course, the various provincial historical and genealogical societies can also be extremely helpful. Just Google the name of the province and the words "genealogical society" or "historical society".

As usual, it does help to do a little research on the geography while you are researching the genealogy

[v.wells]

Brilliant Mary Ann! Maybe the powers that be will put this under genealogy - beginners resources. It will sure save a lot of and

[janiegirl]

My mum got this website from another BG forum member.

www.novascotiagenealogy.com

I managed to find, view and order a copy of the 1928 marriage of Albert James PEARCE and Kathleen MELROSE with ease.


I am having a little difficulty retrieving the electronic version I was sent by them.

Thanks for the other websites I'll see if they have any other information on Albert or Kathleen.

Janiegirl

[Mary Anne]

Glad it was useful. It can all seem pretty byzantine from time to time

Oh, and I forgot the tenth province , Prince Edward Island www.gov.pe.ca/vitalstatistics/

Cyndi's List also has lots of good Canadian links www.cyndislist.com

[suedent]

For those researching Ontario the Ontario Genealogical Society has several transcription projects and a project to put Ontario burials online

http://www.ogs.on.ca/services/projects.php

I found my gg-uncle's marriage and burial which confirmed family stories that he'd emmigrated to Canada. With the information gained I posted on a Canadian message board & made contact with one of his descendants.

[Peter_uk_can]

I moved from the UK to Canada five years ago. After many years of UK research with my own family, I was shocked and dismayed at the apparant disregard that a significant amount of Government institutions have for the history of their country.

The situation is not helped by a Government that is French first and Canadian second.

In the last five years, Provinces, cities and libraries are waking up to the fact that descendants of the people who helped create this country would like to know more about their ancestors. There has been an increase in the amount of digital information available on line and one hopes that it will continue to increase. There is so much genealogy garbage out there, viewing the original documents is essential.

In the space of 200 years Canada has managed to burn. lose or destroy so much of it's history and it continues to this day.

Winnipeg is at present debating the future of the Fort Garry, or the little that remains. It is little over 120 years that the city demolished it, in order to make way for a new road. A road to nowhere that could have been sited anywhere

The Catholic Church not only lost a significant amount of its records to the flames in 1860, it repeated the same folly with an even larger fire in the 1960's.

Old house here, are those built in the 1950's and really really really old ancestors are those born in the early 1800's.

Critical yes, but the only other option is complacency, and when it comes to history, Canada has square miles of that also.

To those who are slowly changing the way Canada looks at its history, I applaud you, to the rest. for goodness sake wake up and drag yourselves into the 21st century, before the history of that is lost too.

[v.wells]

Peter

Welcome aboard this forum. There are some that are very good at Canadian genealogy so take heart.

You must take into consideration that our climate is very different than Britain. Only the very wealthy in the western provinces had brick houses. Most of the old houses made of brick are in the eastern sector of Canada. As Canada is a young nation so to speak, much was built of wood from the vasts forests, whereas Britain was already into brick/clay/stone works, especially after the London fires. I agree that it is disgusting to see "old" buildings torn down when they are only 50-75 yrs. old. I certainly miss the grand architecture of Britain. Canada is slowly waking up to :
1. Using brick instead of pillaging its dwindling forests
2. Genealogy research is 2nd to gardening and they are developing easier access to information.

I personally do not like using LDS as I don't like microfiche and they don't have current records and or the information is hit and miss in validity. But I do use them to search online. I don't know if they have much in Canadian records as I have no relatives here. My children's relatives hail from Canada and one day I will get around to searching. I would rather search out Ireland first!

[Peter_uk_can]

Sadly not everyone is aware that the prime reason behind the LDS records was not genealogy. They do however power some of the largest non-government resources on the internet and in order to read what was originally government data, I now find myself having to help swell their coffers in order to gain access.

Still, better that than nothing at all.