Thursday, March 25, 1999

I have an ancestor who is Huron indian from the London, Ontario area born about 1841. She married my great, great grandfather who came over from England as a soldier with the Kings Royal Rifles 4th Battalion in 1857. Where do I find information about my native ancestors.

To find resources for Native research see the Archives of Ontario publication "Aboriginal Peoples in the Archives". This is a guide to sources located at the Archives of Ontario. And "Records of the Federal Department of Indian Affairs at the National Archives of Canada" by Bill Russell, available through globalgenealogy.com

Thursday, March 18, 1999

I know my ancestors lived in Toronto. What I didn't know was how large it was! How do I begin my search ? I do have a old address but I have been told there is no city directory for the year 1854.

If your ancestors lived in Toronto longer than one year check the city directories for other years. City of Toronto Archives has a nearly continuous run of City directories from 1834 to 1940. Directories were not published for years 1835-36, 1838-42, 1845, 1848-49, 1852-55, 1857-58 and 1864-65. Also available are assessment rolls from 1834 on. It should be noted that information published in a directory for a given year was probably collected the previous year. To locate a person in the Toronto census it is necessary to locate their address in the census year (i.e. for 1861 census, check 1861 and 1862 directories. Suggested reading: Doris Bourrie, CGRS, Researching Canadian Census Records, Heritage Productions, Toronto or www.genealogystore.com . The GenWeb site dedicated to York County & Toronto will also be of help

The Toronto Public Library has a page called Historicity through which you can search old directories with keywords.

Saturday, March 6, 1999

My great-grandfather came from Scotland with the army sometime during the mid 1800's and I would like to find the date.

If you know the regiment you can search British Soldiers' Documents, War Office 97, or search Pension records. Suggested reading: Simon Fowler, Army Records for Family Historians, PRO Publications.