Saturday, December 31, 2005

Could you please help me, I have just start my genealogy research and I want to list the place of birt, marriage, and death properly. What is the proper format to list the event? I am using > "city, province, country". Like > "Alliston, Ontario, Canada. Should I use the Township, County, and subdivision to make it easier for researchers to read eg > "Alliston, Tecumseth Township, Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada? Is the Canada necessary?

Each genealogist has their own preference and the proper format is the one that fits you best. Some just use the City, Province while others prefer to be specific and use the City, Township, County, Province. Choosing to use the Country is your choice, it's not necessary unless you want it to be. BUT if you plan on sharing your research it's best to be as specific as possible so there are no doubts.

Wednesday, November 9, 2005

Where can I find a list of Funeral homes and cemeteries in Toronto for 1944?

Toronto City Directories. They're available at the Toronto Public Library as well as online at their site Historicity.

OntarioGenWeb's list of cemeteries is part of CanadaGenWeb's Cemetery Project

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Where would I find a birth certificate in Whitby, Ontario, Canada from 1852

Government registration of births didn't start until 1869. For birth records prior to this you'll have to rely on church records.

Sunday, May 1, 2005

My grandfather immigrated to the US shortly before 1900. What was required to leave Canada at this time? How can I find out exactly when he did come to the US? I have found him in a city directory for the year 1900 but have not been able to find out if he ever became a citizen.

See Immigration Records for information on what was required to leave Canada. US census records should indicate whether or not he became a US citizen (at least prior to 1930), or you search Naturalization Records

From Jo Ann - You didn't need anything to leave except for the means to do so. I have a number of ancestors who left Ontario and Quebec (mostly for economic reasons) 1870 through about 1910 and came earliest via horse and wagon. Later, they came by train. My mother said that her grandparents came in a group and people would put their possessions in open boxcars. These were the French-Canadians. Nearly all of my ancestors were farmers or farming connected. Later it depended upon where you left from. Easiest from Sask. Ont. and harder without ID papers from Que. through NY, Vt or Maine. Need to check US Archives and need to know where they came into States.

My grandfather attended Univ. of Toronto.(before 1900) How can I find out when he attended and if he got a degree?

Contact the University of Toronto and ask where you can obtain information on your grandfather's time at the university. Most universities have archives that keep information on their alumni. You can find the UofT on the internet by using a search engine.

Monday, April 18, 2005

In order to do research I need to understand how Canada "breaks down" The United States has states; each state has counties; counties have cities; cities have townships. How does it work in Canada? Like Keppel, Grey, Wiarton, Ontario, Canada.

Canada has provinces & territories and each one breaks down differently. As this is the OntarioGenWeb only Ontario will be explained here (please see CanadaGenWeb for links to the other GenWebs across Canada for information on their individual breakdowns). Like U.S. states Ontario also has counties which have townships. Cities are geographically within townships but are large enough to have their own municipal government. For more information on how Ontario breaks down and how this effects your genealogy research please see Research By Area

Where would a person from England have landed in 1912?

Pretty much anywhere, you'll need to narrow down the scope of the question. Where did they leave from? Did they have relatives already in Ontario? It's possible they may have gone through Grosse Île on their way to Ontario.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

In 1918 Why did a person have to carrie a CANADA Registration Board card? What are the numbers for in the top right hand corner for?

The Canada Registration Board was established in 1918 to compile information about individuals for the purpose of citizenship, pensions, or other important things. All Canadians were required to register (think of it much like today's Social Insurance), and the information compiled prior to 1940 is available only to the registered person. The National Registration of 1940 was the first to be available for search by anyone willing to pay a fee.

The number on the top right would likely be this person's registration number.

Monday, January 3, 2005

I have recovered two newspaper articles from the Toronto Reference Library Newspaper Archives. They relate to a motorcycle / car collision in which two of my relatives were killed in 1930. One is noted as coming from Rockton, the other is from Galt and they indicate a coroners inquest took place. If those records still exist, would they be with the town, county or the province?

[From Brenda Dougall Merriman, CGRS, CGL] - This is not easy to answer in a specific way. Coroners were (and appear still are) County- or Region-type positions, although they all come under the provincial Ministry of the Attorney General. Coroners' records for Wentworth County (Rockton) and Waterloo County (Galt) are not listed on the Archives of Ontario website, so they are likely retained somewhere in the current Hamilton-Wentworth Region and Waterloo Region bureaucracy. I could find next to nothing on the Ontario government website re Attorney General, so I suggest your questioner tackle the websites of those two Regions to locate an appropriate address. It will likely be a department concerned with "health." The records are only public after 100 years, so after contact is made, it will be necessary to apply for 1930 material on a provincial Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act access form.