Research In Canada Much Like In U.S.
Like the United States, Canada is largely a nation of immigrants. If you are searching for your Canadian roots or tracing your family tree in any Canadian province, a bit of background information will help make the next steps easier.
During the 18th century, some 110,000 immigrants fled to Canada from the Highlands of Scotland. During the same period, about 100,000 came from Ireland. The government in power pushed the emigration of these groups with little regard to the dangers of unbelievable overcrowding, death by drowning, cholera, dysentery or running out of food and water while crossing the Atlantic, despite advertisements that described the voyage in glowing prose.
By 1850, some 12,000 German-speaking people settled in mainly four areas: Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, the Niagara Peninsula, and the Kitchener-and Pembroke-area townships of Ontario.
United Empire Loyalists, those British citizens who remained loyal to England during the Revolutionary War, numbered 30,000 in the Maritimes and 10,000 in the colony of Quebec.
Immigrants from the Ukraine numbered 200,000 by 1914, some 70,000 more by 1930, and 30,000 more by 1946. These folks settled largely in Manitoba.
By 1931, about 150,000 Jews were welcomed into Canada; numerous other ethnic groups arrived in groups or families during this same time period.
Folks beginning their Canadian genealogy need to know they might work in Canada for only a few generations before “going across the ocean” to the Old Country. Then the research becomes specialized to that country and applies to immigrants worldwide.
But where to start in Canada? Begin researching your Canadian roots by talking to family members and gathering all the bits and pieces of information that you already know about your family.
Write the information down on proper pedigree and family group forms. Write to long-distance family members or call them to jog their memories. Ask them to look in old trunks, behind old photos, in old Bibles, anywhere family information might have been tucked.
Like anywhere else, you need to know the province and the town. (Can you really research in “America” or “New Jersey”? You need to know that it was Trenton in Mercer County in New Jersey, right? It’s the same for Canada.)
When you’re ready for more, I suggest a good, basic research guide: “In Search of Your Canadian Roots,” by Angus Baxter, updated in 1994 by Genealogical Publishing Co. (1001 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21202; 800 296-6687). This $16.95, 350-page book covers all the basics for Canada with chapters on each province.
The Family History Library in Salt Lake has compiled a research outline for Canada and a smaller one for each province. In a very few pages, these guides list the steps necessary to begin your Canadian research; they suggest film numbers of specific items in the library, and they give pertinent addresses.
The research outlines are available at any Family History Center or from the Family History Library, 35 N. West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84150.
The National Archives of Canada has prepared a 45-page booklet that fits nicely into a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Titled “Tracing Your Ancestors In Canada,” the booklet is a guide to what is available at the Canadian National Archives and how to access that material.
The last paragraph in the introduction reads: “Genealogical services of the National Archives of Canada are confined to the identification of potential source material in response to specific inquiries, within the limitations of available staff. Persons unable to undertake their own research at the Archives, or through microfilm loans, are referred to professional researchers.”
If you’d like a free copy of this guide, write to the National Archives of Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Canada, K1A 0N3, or call (613) 995-5138. The brochure is available in English or French. Then write to the province you need for information about publications it offers (both for cost and for free) that would be of use to you.
The Alberta Family History Society, PO Box 30270, Station B, Calgary, T2M 4P1, AB, is a thriving group of genealogists. It sponsors an annual conference with most classes centering on Canadian research topics. It also can advise you of the several area libraries with good Canadian genealogy collections. Calgary isn’t that far away, and if you are researching Canadian roots, perhaps you should check it out.
The Interlink Bookshop in Victoria, British Columbia, is another Canadian resource that can be of help. Sherry Irvine’s inventory includes much more than just Canadian books and maps. The Interlink Bookshop carries a huge array of books and maps of England, Scotland and Ireland. I was impressed with the free, 13-page catalog she sent me. It’s a free call to ask about a specific item or to request a catalog: 800 747-4877. Irvine has written “Your English Ancestry: A Guide for North Americans,” published by Ancestry Publishers (800 262-3787), which is available for workshops and seminars.
She offered another tip: The Cloverdale Branch of the Surrey Public Library has an extensive collection of Canadian materials. It sells a guide to its holdings for about $10. Write to it at Cloverdale Branch, Surrey Public Library, 5642 - 172A Street, Cloverdale, B.C. V3S 4G9. (Surrey is just south of Vancouver.)
Irvine also reminds researchers of the excellent resources for researching Canada West in Victoria at the British Columbia Provincial Archives, “as they were for a long time the archives for all of Western Canada.”
So, next time you plan a getaway to one of our favorite places, Victoria, British Columbia, plan to stay an extra day or two and take your genealogy notebook with you.
Today’s laugh
Be kind to your relatives; without them you would be an orphan.
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The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Donna Potter Phillips The Spokesman-Review